Holy crap.
October 22, 2006 10:21 AM   Subscribe

Hardcore unicycle, "trial" style. Wasn't this the punchline to a joke once? (YouTube, of course.)
posted by loquacious (30 comments total)
 
Love the use of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which must be what all those EXTREME kids are listening to these days.

So it's impressive in a way, but it mostly looks like a guy bouncing around on a unicycle tire. Pretty silly.
posted by argybarg at 10:39 AM on October 22, 2006


Interesting, but I suspect the outtakes would have been moreso.
posted by crunchland at 10:40 AM on October 22, 2006


something about having to grab fearfully at your crotch in 99% of the tricks you can to on a unicycle makes me think this is an extreme sport that's not going to catch on quickly.
posted by wumpus at 10:42 AM on October 22, 2006


not to mention having to wave your arms around like a retarded windmill while you pedal.
posted by wumpus at 10:44 AM on October 22, 2006


nice
posted by caddis at 10:47 AM on October 22, 2006


If I were this guy I would never let myself be filmed, but rather spend my days moving from small town to small town, hanging out near the local unicycle store & hustling the rubes for bar bets.
posted by jonson at 10:55 AM on October 22, 2006


Love the use of "Smells Like Teen Spirit,"

Hah, awesome. That's what I get for browsing YouTube with the sound muted.
posted by loquacious at 11:17 AM on October 22, 2006


Take that, you fixed-gear pansies!!!!!
posted by The Deej at 11:58 AM on October 22, 2006


Haughey could take him.
posted by cortex at 12:08 PM on October 22, 2006


Well that was a waste of 4 minutes. I kept waiting for the seat to come off and the tube...well you know.
posted by Gungho at 12:13 PM on October 22, 2006


How can that be possible? It seems almost superhuman. If I could do that... well, I'd do something else. But still, amazing.
posted by cccorlew at 12:16 PM on October 22, 2006


I can't even hop around on my feet as well as he hops around on a silly wheel, but, then again, I don't spend hours and hours practicing hopping from rock to rock. That guy must live in a land of very little to do.
posted by pracowity at 12:31 PM on October 22, 2006


I'm really impressed with his skill, but as a skateboarder, I automatcally cringe when I see "XTREME" used in seriousness... by anyone. Thanks ESPN!
posted by grimcity at 1:06 PM on October 22, 2006


A unicycle IS a fixed gear, Deej.
posted by craven_morhead at 1:15 PM on October 22, 2006


I thought that was pretty week. Just a guy bouncing around on a tire, for the most part. He's got nothing on these guys.
posted by dobbs at 1:25 PM on October 22, 2006


I thought that was pretty week. Just a guy bouncing around on a tire, for the most part. He's got nothing on these guys.

Not sure if it's the same guy, but they were talking on the radio the other day about some guy that does the Grouse Grind and a bunch of other stuff on his unicycle, including fifteen foot drops. Pretty crazy stuff.
posted by The God Complex at 1:43 PM on October 22, 2006


That pretty much didn't impress me much at all. He's probably a pioneer at what he's doing, but nothing he does he does with any fluidity and grace. Someone much more talented could use that unicycle to do stuff that is both amazing and beautiful. I'd like to see that.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:08 PM on October 22, 2006


Ya, ya, craven, I shoulda qualified it as 2-wheeled, fix wheel pansies. I'll stick to my fixed-wheel: a tricycle.
posted by The Deej at 2:09 PM on October 22, 2006


** Grrr, replace fix wheel above with fixed-gear. Bad day to quit percoset.
posted by The Deej at 2:11 PM on October 22, 2006


It's insane, that guy's taint'
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 2:15 PM on October 22, 2006


something about having to grab fearfully at your crotch in 99% of the tricks you can to on a unicycle makes me think this is an extreme sport that's not going to catch on quickly.

It might work well as a way to promote the Nutty Buddy.
posted by Tube at 3:03 PM on October 22, 2006


Metafilter: Grabbing fearfully at your crotch
posted by effugas at 3:17 PM on October 22, 2006


Kris Holm pretty much started the sport. I think most of the footage is from about 2000, as per the Norco colours. The sport has progressed since then. The 'extreme cycling' side of things seems to have died down a bit though, not as cool as it used to be.
posted by rider at 4:04 PM on October 22, 2006


All I'm sayin' is replace Smells Like Teen Spirit with the theme from Benny Hill and this is revealed for what it really is: Man bounces on crate. Man bounces on rock. Man bounces on wall...
posted by bpm140 at 5:02 PM on October 22, 2006 [1 favorite]


Oh yeah, Kris Holm and unicycling was mentioned before.
posted by rider at 6:43 PM on October 22, 2006


While I guess this is a serious amount of skill, I still find myself unimpressed. Maybe because people on unicycles, pretty much without fail, look kind of silly. I only watched a part of it, but I presume he doesn't go into a halfpipe? Now THAT would impress me! :)
posted by antifuse at 6:49 AM on October 23, 2006


I think it's supposed to be slightly silly, you dopes.

I had a guy from Calgary named Paul stay at my house in Philly for the messenger world championships (CMWC) in 2000. He rode a uni in the race, plus he was drinking a lot; it was pretty rad, in a goofy self-effacing sorta way.
posted by Mister_A at 9:14 AM on October 23, 2006


the Mountain Uni guys are up on YouTube now as well.
posted by Four Flavors at 3:02 PM on October 23, 2006


Missed the FGG thread that The Deej mentioned (I was outta town) so here's a link. Oh yeah, one unicycle that I can't ride (yet).
posted by fixedgear at 7:17 AM on October 24, 2006


Man, what a load of haters.

Skating, BMX, motocross, those are all sports for folks without the testicular fortitude to handle unicycle. Seriously, unicyling is tough on the old family jewels, but after a couple years of practice unicyclists have balls of tempered steel... or paste.
posted by Durhey at 10:37 AM on October 24, 2006


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