Yesterday a friend told me I was mentioned in a local newspaper. The February 17, 2010 issue of the Webster Herald had an article about the trails of Webster. In the article it was said, "Besides noticing wildlife, you might also see a guy named Buzz on his unicycle enjoying the trails." Ha ha... I guess I'm comparable to wildlife!
No specific author is given credit, but someone from the Friends of Webster Trails clearly wrote it.
I've been experimenting with mounting my camera on my uni. Here's some video to start:
I used some handlebar stems that are meant for a folding bike as extension bars. I liked how the folding bike stems have a quick release, so they can be adjusted or removed easily without tools. Unfortunately they just barely clamp onto my seat post, and they won't clamp onto themselves. I had to file one down to make it wider. I have a handlebar mounting attachment to mount the camera with.
I really wanted to capture myself riding from the perspective of an observer. The extension bars weren't quite long enough to do that well. So I made them longer by connecting some wood bars I made from a broom handle. They fit really well, and would slide together snug enough to not required any fasteners. But they still had a little play when they bounced around, so I put a screw and wing-nut through each. But even still, there seems to be too much flex in the system. The flex is coming from several places. The clamp to seatpost - the seatpost is a bit bigger than the expected handlebar. The clamp to bar - I filed it, but it's not perfect. The bar to wood connections - there is still some play. And probably worst of all is the wood itself, because wood can flex more.
Maybe some longer aluminum bars with perfect clamps would help. But I'm not sure where I can get them. Maybe I could have them custom made? Probably too pricey.
My ride was ok, but not too exciting. I went back to Whiting, but tried the orange trail. Hills are fun going down, but going up is impossible in the snow. Free mounting is harder, especially with the camera bars. A long stretch on the edge of a field had too much snow to ride in. It just doesn't work. And I broke a bracket for mounting my camera to the bar, so I switched to my helmet mount earlier than I had planned. And it was cold. The drinking tube to my Camelbak froze solid about halfway through my ride. But I'm glad I got out. Gotta keep the unicycle muscles strong for the spring!
The weather sucks. I haven't ridden since my last post. Nothing exciting has been happening. I'm looking forward to the spring.
In the meantime, I bought a new helmet. Wow, the one I'm replacing was purchased in 1994! 15 years is pretty good. It was a Bell helmet with a Reebok pump system. You can pump it up for a tighter fit. But it fit fine without that, so I never pumped it. Hippie.
My new helmet is a Giro Phase. It fits a little better, has more airflow, and a better tightening system. Maybe I'll actually hit my head in the next 15 years.
Yesterday I checked out Whiting Rd again. The trails were still covered in snow, but were much more packed than last time. I gave it a try and had a great time. Thanks to hikers, the center of the trails were packed harder and were generally smoother. I stayed to the flatter trails. It's hard to get traction on anything too steep.
I've been itching to get out to the trails, but despite the warmer days we've been having, I suspected the trails would not be muni-friendly. Kyle and I walked some trails this morning and confirmed it. Still, I might give it a try tomorrow if I get a chance.
So in the meantime I took advantage of the dry street and driveway. Nothing too exciting, but it was good to have some fun in the sun. I continue to practice my hops. 8" is my highest. I'm not sure I can get much higher without changing my technique.
I took some video with my new GoPro Hero HD camera, just to test it out. I'll have to post more about my camera in the future.
This afternoon I snowblowed the driveway and a path around the house. Then I rode around a bunch of times. It was cold out there. 12°F (-11°C). My fingers were frozen after snowblowing. After riding a lap or two and getting my heart pumping, I started warming up pretty quick. My fingers thawed. Damn that hurts! I practice some hopping too. I wish it was spring. I miss dirt and warmth.
Yesterday I braved the chilly weather and went for a ride at Tryon. It was about 25°F but it didn't take long for me to warm up. I spent some time trying to ride my first "skinny". It only took about 20 tries! Hahaha. Here's some video... minus all my failed attempts:
I only saw walker and dog prints in the snow. No tires aside from my own. Some of the trails were hard to find.
The only person I saw was when I about to leave:A friendly bow-hunter. He said he biked the trails too. Nice guy... especially because he didn't mistake me for a deer!
