F.A.Q. - Muni and Urban Trials

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• Muni and Urban Trials

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When I went to Mammoth, California in 1987 for a friends wedding I was an avid mountain biker and had already been riding a unicycle for a few years. I had already converted my 24" Pashley unicycle to a 26" when the rim collapsed and I had the largest mountain bike tyre on it that I could get at the time. It seemed normal for me to take my unicycle with me rather than my bike, just more convenient. After seeing the Kamakarsi downhill course, I just had to do it! While the Mountain bikers were doing it in 4.45 minutes, I took 40 minutes. It hurt: my knees and back ached, and my inner thigh was raw from the Pashley saddle. I also got a photo in to MBUK magazine and I was hooked on what was to be called "MUni".

All around the world people found mountain unicycling independently, and it got many different names consequently, rough terrain unicycling, mountain unicycling, off-road unicycling, UMX, mountain unibiking and MUni. Duncan Castling designed the first purpose made, mass produced, mountain unicycle for Pashley in 1994 and called it a Muni. Although it is a registered trademark of the Pashley Cycle Company in England, the word "Muni" is becoming the internationally accepted word for... well what ever you want to call it.

Here is some information on the pioneers of "Muni":

Duncan Castling:

1994 Polaris, photo courtesy of the Newcastle Journal.

In 1994 Duncan Castling (on left) and Simon Schofield (on right) entered the Polaris Challenge on a unicycle. In what was a straight competition against the mountain bikers in what is claimed to be the UK's roughest 'n' toughest mountain bike happening, they actually beat some of the bikes! The publicity that was created from this act of pure stupidity inspired many people to get on their unicycle and get dirty, including my self.

Thierry Bouche:

A Mountain unicycle club called Mt Sensations was started by Thierry Bouche in 1990 near Grenoble in Southern France. The club was affiliated to the French cycling organisation in 1993 and has over 50 active members. The club use 20" unicycles with long upward facing seats to give them control when descending the incredibly high mountain using a technique taken from downhill slalom skiers.

George Peck:

George Peck, a soft-spoken magistrate living in Seward, Alaska, is credited with giving birth to the sport of MUni in the US. George created a videotape entitled "Rough-Terrain Unicycling", giving tips and techniques that he'd learned on his own. The Unicycling Society of America sold it. This video is now included as an extra on the UNiVERsE 2 DVD. His skill level for many years was considered second only to that of Kris Holm, he is awesome.

Kris Holm:

Kris Holm, a geologist living in Vancouver, B.C. is considered todays premiere MUni rider and is the only unicyclist on the Norco Factory Trials Team. He can jump on a unicycle over 65cm (over two feet). Kris started riding off road in 1990, but it was only in July 1998 that he typed "Mountain unicycling" in to a search engine and found he was not alone! He was also one of the stars in the amazing UNIVERsE Video along with Dan Heaton and Adam Ryznar.  Since then he has produced 2 short movies that have gained international acclaim One Tired Guy and Into the Thunder Dragon. Kris has also developed the Kris Holm saddle and the Kris Holm unicycle range (now available from unicycle.com).

John Foss:

John Foss, a three-time world unicycle champion, began hosting the California MUni Weekends in the Fall of 1996. He said the idea came to him while riding the trails, just after he'd moved to California. "I just gotta share this!" he said to two bicyclist friends nearby. Promoting the event on the Internet and word-of-mouth, John soon discovered the lure of off-road unicycling. 35 riders attended the first California MUni weekend. By the 1999 event, the number of riders grew to 55.

What is MUni?

There are many types of styles of MUni riding that people enjoy, here are some examples:

Rough terrain: This is generally a trail that has some combination of rocks large and small, fallen trees, stumps, undergrowth and mud.  Like any cross country mountain bike rider would enjoy.

Uphill: This is the toughest of MUni trails. It requires an extraordinary amount of leg strength and endurance. Mountain unicyclist Ted Howe rides uphill trails for fitness.

Downhill: These trails are the most fun. The best way to begin your downhill trail ride is on a ski-lift. Seriously! Take a lift to the top of a mountain and ride down the bike trails. It's an absolute blast.

Trails: This is the same as you would find the mountain bikers doing, jumping from log to log and balancing along thin sections.

Urban Trials: This is what is seen in a lot of the new extreme videos and DVDs, it can be very extreme and great fun.

What kind of equipment do I need for MUni?

MUni pioneers like George Peck and Kris Holm built their own off-road unicycles to begin with, in some cases spending thousands of dollars. Riders like Bruce Bundy and Geoffrey Faraghan applied mountain bike technology to theirs.  For beginner off road unicyclists we have the Nimbus, Pashley or Qu-ax muni's, for the more serious riders we have splined unicycles like the Onza, Kris Holm and Koxx unicycles.

Material: The best off-road uni's to date are built with some combination of these components:

• Frame: Muni need a wide frame like the Nimbus II to allow a big tyre, you can also use a classic Frame with one more size than the wheel. If you want a high performance Unicycle, you should buy the Blizzard frame in Aircraft ChroMoly which was specially created for Muni utilisation.
• Hardened at a minimum like the UDC CrMO hub or a splined hub like Kris Holm.
• Long strong cranks like Bicycle Euro in 150mm or 170 mm for the standard hub or Kris Holm in 140mm or 170mm for splined. For people who want a light Muni, alloy cranks are available in 152mm.
• 36 or 48 spokes double wall rim like the strong Halo Combat Rim in 24" or 26"
• Big Off-road tyre like the famous Gazzaloddi or the Halo.
• Aluminium pedals with steel studs in that give a massive improvement in grip and if you are really wanting the best then we sell a super light magnesium version!

Safety: We would recommend wearing all of these items when you MUni:

• Helmet
• Wrist guards
• Elbow/forearm pads
• Knee/shin pads