Re: pushed off a unicycle

[tomblackwood]

I've never had someone push me off, but have had several cases of cars
waiting until they're right behind me to lay on the horn just for fun,
which isn't that much fun if you're 12 mph plus on a Coker. Also twice
on my Coker I've had people throw stuff (empty water bottle, etc.) at me
out their car windows.

On my muni, never have had a problem. One reason might be I'm not on the
streets, and people tend to feel more powerful when in the protection of
their steel cages. Another reason might be I dress like the road
warrior....


--
tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

My other brake is my face!

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[gerblefranklin]

Other than extreemly viscous games of demolition derby, no I've never
been pushed off my unicycle except by accident. I have had a confused
dog pop my tire as I rode, though. Dogs love to bite my tire as I ride,
but usually leave when I dismount. I guess I'm lucky.


--
gerblefranklin

If life had a meaning, would you want to know it?



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[paco]

Once again, I've never had anyone try to push me off (except for when on
a unicycle themselves), but I have had things thrown at me and
occasional vulgarities as well. I had someone call me over to their
car, where they started to ask me a few questions about unicycles. I
see myself as an Unbassador, so gladly talk to anyone who asks. This
time, the people in the back seat threw a cup of water in my face and
drove off. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that this was in
winter, and the temperature was probably about 20 degrees farenheit at
the time.
Another time someone threw a Big Gulp at me from a passing car. The
worst part is they missed by a long shot and wasted a full Big Gulp.


--
paco - Creator of the "BUni"

"One thing is for sure. Inspector Clay is dead. Murdered. And
-somebody's- responsible!"
-Plan 9 From Outer Space
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[Rowan]

::*I have been pushed off a couple of times. Once
it happened ages ago, in town at night. I wasn't impressed and got back
on and rode off.

Last night I was in town after completing a night ride, and I was going
up a hill and there were two guys. I tried to go in between them but one
tripped me up. I walked up the hill a bit, turned around and one footed
down the hill towards him as if to kick him. He grabbed my foot, pulled
me off my Unicycle and threw me to the ground. He could see me coming
because I started one footing early for dramatic effect. Anyway I got up
and told him to keep out of my way next time. Either him or his friend
made a comment about how fat my setup is. Further up the street a
bouncer told me he saw what happened and he would have looked out for me
if the guy caused any trouble.
[image: http://www.addis-welt.de/smilie/smilie/mix/zha.gif]
That kind of encounter would have never happened to me in the past
because I used to ride with a formidable 3 D-cell Maglite instead of the
tiny 3 AAA-cell Petzl.

I have been thrown off my Unicycle by bumpy terrain far more times than
other people have pushed me off so it doesn't bother me too much. I get
far more positive reactions than those occasional odd ones.*::


--
Rowan - •·.·´¯`·.·•
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[Mikefule]

Sounds like you all handled the various situations pretty well. I am
very selective about where and when I ride in built up areas, and so far
have never been pushed off. I hope you're feeling OK this morning,
Dave.

Years ago my (now ex) wife was pushed off her bicycle by two kids on a
moped. When we're Morris dancing, we get people walking through the
middle of the stick dances. We once had a procession of about 100
dancers on a narrow road and a car tried to drive through, and
deliberately ran into a young woman.

Remember, people are just monkeys whose ancestors got lucky. Einstein
said, "Only two things are infinite: the universe, and human stupidity -
and I'm not sure about the universe."

It's a jungle out there.


--
Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we
fall."
Confucius
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[Danny Colyer]

onewheeldave wondered:
> Has anyone been pushed off their unicycle?

While riding home at the end of Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride last year, I
had a passenger lean out of a car and push me off my Coker, after
failing to reach the Coker rider behind me while trying to do the same
thing. I landed on my feet, but if I'd been a few yards further back or
further forward then I would have been pushed into a parked car.

Over the years I have cultivated the ability to memorise numberplates at
a glance, and I reported the incident to the police at the first
opportunity. Unfortunately my friend had been round the bend and out of
sight, our witness proved to be uncontactable and neither of us found
time to chase the police for progress. So I heard nothing back, except
for the standard letter saying "You've been a victim of violent crime
during the last 12 months, how do you rate our service".

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( http://www.juggler.net/danny )
Recumbent cycle page: http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

[Danny Colyer]

cjd wrote:
> I've only really had one yobbish-pedestrian experience.

Oh yes, pedestrians that reminds me of another experience that I'd
forgotten about. It happened many years ago, when I was riding my 20"
to university. An elderly gentleman pushed me off and objected to my
cycling on the pavement (US: sidewalk).

I had a chat with him, pointing out that I was within my rights to be
there (I had done my research and knew that it was legal to ride a
unicycle on the pavement back then), that I was moving no faster than a
jogger while getting better exercise, being more maneouvrable and
looking less silly. He smiled, agreed, apologised and we both went on
our way.

--
Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( http://www.juggler.net/danny )
Recumbent cycle page: http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

[onewheeldave]

Mikefule wrote:
> *Sounds like you all handled the various situations pretty well. I am
> very selective about where and when I ride in built up areas, and so
> far have never been pushed off. I hope you're feeling OK this
> morning, Dave.
>
> *


Cheers for the concern Mike. I'm fine, I wasn't actually particularly
distressed, the other guy definitly got the worst of it, I hope he's not
nursing a big bruise this morning.

It's been good to read other peoples experiences and sad that they've
been put in danger by the studity of people whose sense goes out the
window at the sight of a unicyclist.

I guess Mikes two stories show that maybe it's not so much the sight of
unicycles that does it but more the fact that some people are just out
to do something idiotic.

cjd, I'd be very wary of anyone approaching with a stick as I have been
asked by one of a group of teens what would happen if he stuck his stick
through my spokes!

As there seems to be very little difference in the minds of these kind
of people between verbalising something and actually doing it I would be
inclined to dismount and walk by.


--
onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"He's also been known to indulge in a spot of flame juggling - but it's
the Muni that really fires him up."

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[Borges]

I haven't had anyone try to push me off since I was 14. I always beat
them to it by dismounting first.
People have "threatened" to push me, but it has always been obvious that
it was clearly just to start conversation.
I told them that the worst case scenario if they pushed me was that they
would get hit by the uni when I fell. I was on a 20", so I the risk of
me getting hurt was minimal.
Of course it's different when you're on bigger wheels at higher speeds.


--
Borges - High impact cerabellum workout
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