Sierra Blogging Post Archives

Who says two wheels are better than one? Certainly not mountain unicyclists, or muni riders, rather. A growing community of extreme unicyclists are taking to the mountains and testing the limits of balance on these one-wheeled, once-novelty devices.

Check out the video below. Would you ever try mountain unicycling (or any other type of unicycling for that matter)? Looks like you need a couple of things: 1) guts and 2) an incredible sense of balance.

(Flash required to view video)

Made popular in the 90's on the West Coast, mountain unicycling has gained fans around the world. While it looks dangerous and difficult, muni riders insist it's safer than mountain biking and gives you a better workout, too.

From the article in the NY Times...

“We fall more often than mountain bikers, but we’re going slower so it’s not as bad,” Van Koppen, a muni rider known as the Flying Dutchman, said. “The same cliffs are out there.”

“Unicycling is by far much more exercise,” he said. “You use every part of your body — arms, legs, stomach, back.”

It definitely looks like the guy in the video is using every muscle in his body to stay balanced. I don't know if I'd be hopping over mountain crevasses just yet, but unicycling does sound like a good cross-training challenge. If you 'd like to get set up on a unicycle, check with the Unicycling Society of America for more information. Just don't forget your helmets and protection.