One World, One Wheel

March 24, 2004 11:43 AM

Kris Holm: Evolution of Balance
Certainly one of the most talented (and well travelled) unicyclists of all time. Kris rides stuff on his one wheel that I wouldn't touch on either of my bikes.
posted by fenriq (5 comments total)

Think it was Holms on a tv show being tested for his balance. While standing straight up his sway to furthest: right, left, forward and back, measured way past the "normal". The didn't discuss if this was by birth or practice which would be an interesting analysis.
posted by thomcatspike at 11:56 AM on March 24, 2004

That's nucking futs!
And that's some damn fine balancing.
posted by Nauip at 11:56 AM on March 24, 2004

Ripleys Believe It or Not
that was it, iirc
posted by thomcatspike at 11:57 AM on March 24, 2004

i don't understand how that can work. i thought unicycles were fixed gear, but if you're landing after a jump don't you need the wheel to spin? on a fixed gear unicycle i imagine the kick as you land would have the pedals flying out from under your feet (and whacking you on the leg) unless you have clips, in which case you're going to damage knees and/or fall of, surely? amazed... (on a fixed gear mtn bike i assume you just slide the rear wheel at times - you can't do that here, partly because of falling off, but more because all the weight is on that wheel - no transfer to the front under breaking)).
posted by andrew cooke at 1:30 PM on March 24, 2004

Andrew, the answer is simple, its all magic. Actually, I think some unicycles have a freewheel of some kind built into them.

But yeah, it does defy logic, doesn't it? Which makes it all the more amazing.
posted by fenriq at 1:47 PM on March 24, 2004