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Steve, you are a legend! It was awesome riding with you. You and your singlespeed whipped our butts in every part of the ride, except pushing uphill. And handless riding.
If you give me a few days and many reminders, I'll pull the file off of the other unicyclist's (Alan)'s gps and post it here. In the meantime, you can check out the route that the Altech Tracker picked up: follow the link on right of the CounterBalance website homepage to the "Live Tracking / Guardian" page. Login with username "freedom" and password of "password". Click on "trip replay" in the left column, and view the tracking from "6 January 2011". I'm not sure how helpful it will be as the Guardian maps are not topographical.
Eish, not a great way make friends here, and not a great way to get a fringe sport taken seriously! Well, unicycling might never be taken seriously, but we can have a go at least, haha!
You must be one of the a...holes who ride in the Argus in the wind (2010), get blown over and then bring down ten other cyclists with you ......... not cool but definately gay
I'm one of the a..holes who rode in the 2010 Argus (the original poster isn't). There were no incidents in spite of the wind. Statistically, you are more likely to be taken by a shark whilst swimming than being taken by a unicyclist whilst cycling (I am sure you will agree that my logic here is flawless 
). We'll be there for the Argus this year. Please say hi if you pass us - We are not easy to miss 
So riding a road bike (and a mtb for that matter) in normal civilized cycling gear, like the majority of normal cyclists, makes me gay? WTF! It sure beats riding a circus bike dressed as Ronald Mc Donald! I really think you joined the wrong forum, cause I think you are obsessed with the 'mono' (mono-wheel, mono-sexual, mono-minded) side of life. Why not give a gay forum a try, or even better, like I said in my previous post, what about joining Boswill Wilkie. There you will be able to live your dream and track-stand, go backwards (while us normal cyclists are seeking ways to go forward even faster) and do some other circus tricks.
Notice to other unicyclists : I have absolutely no problem with an unicycle, think it is rather cool, but I do have an issue with a monkey riding one!
Thanks atraut for clarifying your thoughts on unicyclists in general (and thanks to the others who can see the difference between a unicyclist and a clown on a unicycle).
Can you even cycle 25km or even more a couple of days a week? Didn't think so...
Check out the CounterBalance website. We've just finished the Freedom Revolution Unicycle Tour: 2470km over 44 days, offroad (ie: the Freedom Challenge route), on unicycles.
Enough said, full stop.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51G0UxhPTzL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Ummm, I have absolutely no comeback for this one 
...
Hi Guys
This didn't get much attention in the "general notices" board, so this is a repost from there. Many of you on The Hub have heard of the mountain unicyclists lurking in Tokai forest. Some of you may even have seen them these curious creatures. Like stories of the Yeti, Loch Ness Monster and unicorns, only those who have seen them are true believer in their existence. I am here to tell you that exist. And they plan on making it known that they do!
We're really happy to tell you that our the CounterBalance website, dedicated to the Freedom Revolution Unicycle Tour, is up and rolling. Donna Kisogloo, Alan Read and Johnny Cronje are riding 2,500km off-road from Durban to Cape Town for 46 days from November 26, offroad, on 29inch mountain unicycles. Our site will tell you everything you will want to know about our epic adventure.
"SA-positive" blogger Fred Hatman, who is also our support driver for the ride, will be blogging about the tour and constantly updating on Facebook (The CounterBalance Project), YouTube (CounterBalanceSA) and Twitter (TheCBProject)
Pop over to our website and interact with us as we prepare for the mother of all unicycle (and possibly bicycle) rides... and please follow us on the various social media to keep updated on new blogposts, images and video.
We'll be really grateful to get your support as we test ourselves and our unis against the rugged terrain of South Africa... all in aid of Bob Skinstad's Bobs For Good Foundation which is committed to providing rural children with decent school shoes! We are proud to be doing our ride for such a phenomenal cause!
We need hefty sponsorship to make our ride happen. If you would like to donate, there is a "Donate" page on the new website where you can contribute. We'd be totally chuffed if you can help us get going! Once our tour expenses are met, all surplus money will be given to Bobs For Good to buy shoes for the kids.
Here are all the links for our adventure:
Website: CounterBalance
Facebook: The CounterBalance Project
Twitter: The CBProject
YouTube: CounterbalanceSA
Please support us in anyway that you can, whether it be a donation or joining our groups to follow the tour. If you have taken part in the Freedom Revolution and have advice to offer us, we would really appreciate it!
If you would like get of me personally, my details are as follows:
Johnny Cronje
Johnny@CounterBalance.co.za
Cel: 0836011133
Many thanks!
.... i hope there is an autopsy' date=' and the report is my available...[/quote']
Legally, an autopsy must be performed in a death where "unnatural" causes cannot be excluded. In one of the online news articles, it was mentioned that the decision to do the autopsy in South Africa vs Australia was still pending.
I don't think that results of the autopsy are, by default, made public, because of medical confidentiality. If the family allows the information to become available, that is their right.
This is a sad time for cycling
I searched "pubmed", an online database of medical journals. I searched for "snakebite", "suction" and "aspivenin". I could only view the abstracts of the articles, as I don't have a subscription to access the full texts.
most of the articles I checked out said that suction was did NOT change the outcome, in experimental animal studies.understanably, there are not many experimental human studies, but most of the reviews also say that the suction unit as a first aid measure for snakebites in not effective.
2 articles (ie: the minority) showed that the suction unit actually CAUSED damage to area it is applied to - the rim of the suction cup damaged the skin and underlying tissues to the point where they necrosed, worsening infection and prolonging the time to heal.
No articles suggested that that suction units be used. however, 1 article suggested that "trained personal could, under certain conditions, used excision and suction". this article was published in 1960.
The Aspivenin pump' date=' tested in real life conditions by Pharmaciens sans Frontieres in the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle provedits worth in many cases of bites from giant ants. The research involved
a local Indian tribe called the Shuar-Ashuar, and a satisfaction
rate of 97% was recorded after using the Aspivenin pump for the treatment
of giant ant bites, scorpion stings, tarantula attack and snakebites.
Aspivenin? will
quickly reduce the pain and discomfort of an ant bite, and help to
alleviate the symptoms of an allergic reaction; this does not exclude recourse
to medical care as soon as possible, in serious cases, when bitten,
for example, by the giant ants of the Amazonian forest. [/quote']
My conclusion - Suction kits make you feel good about yourselve (which might not be a bad thing, but could be false security), but do not influence your management of a snakebite, which is "get to hospital, quickly".
Hi there.
All this snake talk freaks me out a bit. I often ride alone (go on' date=' judge me!). I have heard talk about the "aspivenin" kit - it is a small suction kit that is supposed to suck out some of the poison from a variety of bites and stings.
Does anyone know if these actually work, and where one can get them in Cape Town?
[/quote']
I would rather take a blunt ax and chop my foot off than use the "asivenin" kit, with the "Small suction kit". The best is to get to a hospital ASAP and let them treat you with the correct anti-venom. Just for interest , rather take a crepe bandage, a stop watch and a marker pen with you. If a puffy bikes you , loosely wrap the wound with the bandage (so that you feel that you are doing something). Then start the stop watch, every 10 minutes mark the point of swelling. AND GET TO A HOSPITAL QUICKLY. THe medical staff will look at the lines on your leg to determine the rate of dispersion of venom and decide if ANTI VENOM is necessary. (Remember big snakes often "dry bite", so an antivenom may be unnecessary).For cobra's and mamba's the crepe bandage must be tightly wrapped to prevent the spread of venom as the venom is different to puffy's.This is my uneducated advice. Best buy a SA snakes book and double check before you start playing with anti venom and snakes.
Fair points there. I suppose what I want to know is whether the aspivenin will buy some life/limb/digit saving time whilst getting to the doc.
Interesting thought about keeping active with cytotoxic venom. I'll see what my medic friends say is the latest protocal. My "snakes of south africa" book was published in about 1985!
Hi there.
All this snake talk freaks me out a bit. I often ride alone (go on, judge me!). I have heard talk about the "aspivenin" kit - it is a small suction kit that is supposed to suck out some of the poison from a variety of bites and stings.
Does anyone know if these actually work, and where one can get them in Cape Town?
It seems that this does NOT apply to cyclists.
A Motor Vehicle is defined in the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 as:
'motor vehicle' means any self-propelled vehicle and includes-
(a) a trailer; and
(b) a vehicle having pedals and an engine or an electric motor as an integral part thereof or attached thereto
and which is designed or adapted to be propelled by means of such pedals' date=' engine or motor, or both such
pedals and engine or motor, but does not include-
[/quote']
I reckon the part where it talks about pedals and being propelled by pedals probably covers cyclists.
Hey thanks for this' date=' where can on get a set of theseregulations....I want to have them in my car....maybe many copies and
hand them out when I see people getting fined for NOT doing anything
wrong....
[/quote']
You can look here:
http://www.acts.co.za/rt_nrta/index.htm
The NRTA section was last updated in 2003, so it's missing some of the newer regulations (e.g. compulsory bicycle helmets), but this particular regulation is still in the current act.
Edman, I'm not a lawyer. My reading of what you highlighted makes me think of those mopeds that have an engine AND pedals (on the same vehicle, to start it). I'll try find some friends with an LLB to clear it up.
Regulation 298A of the Road Traffic Act says:
2) Notwithstanding subregulation(1)' date=' the driver of a motor vehicle may, during the period between
sunrise and sunset, drive such motor vehicle on the shoulder of a public
road which is designated for one lane of traffic in each direction ?
a) while such motor vehicle is being
overtaken by another vehicle; and
b) if he or she can do so without
endangering himself or herself, other traffic, pedestrians or property
on such public road; and
c) if persons and vehicles upon a
public road are clearly discernible at a distance of at least 150
metres.[/quote']
It seems that this does NOT apply to cyclists.
A Motor Vehicle is defined in the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 as:
'motor vehicle' means any self-propelled vehicle and includes-
(a) a trailer; and
(b) a vehicle having pedals and an engine or an electric motor as an integral part thereof or attached thereto
and which is designed or adapted to be propelled by means of such pedals' date=' engine or motor, or both such
pedals and engine or motor, but does not include-
(i) any vehicle propelled by electrical power derived from storage batteries and which is controlled by
a pedestrian; or
(ii) any vehicle with a mass not exceeding 230 kilograms and specially designed and constructed, and
not merely adapted, for the use of any person suffering from some physical defect or disability and
used solely by such person;
[/quote']
on the other hand...
'pe dal cycle' means any bicycle or tricycle designed for propulsion solely by means of human power;
[not entirely on topic]
I converted my 29er unicycle to tubeless using the ghetto method and a UST (continental mountain king 2.4). Problem is, It burps on drops over about 1ft.
Do you bikers running tubeless setups find this problem common? Any idea how to deal with it?
Cool photos brent. Looking forward to seeing the rest. Did you get any good footage?
Hopefully next year will be bigger. It was loads of fun, and nerveracking racing against the clock and Ethan. All in all, a load of fun!
I'll probably be there. What kind of tools do you need? I've never built trails, but I guess a spade will be useful
Cool. Should be fun. If anybody has to urge to take the plunge and buy a unicycle, I'm sure that Alan from Oddwheel.co.za could bring some out there - saves on shipping.
I think a lot of confusion comes about from lay people not knowing that most ambulance personel are not paramedics. However, they all dress the same.
you get Basic life support (BLS/BAA), Intermediate life support (ILS/AEA) and Advanced life support (ALS/paramedic). only the ALS guys are true "paramedics".
BLS is a 5 week course. these guys can patch you up and take you to hospital, but cannot admister drugs (aside from Oxygen and laughing gas).
ILS is a scourse over several months. they are inbetween ALS and BLS, and can administer certain drugs and more invasive procedures, like putting up drips. BLS and ALS make up the majority of the ambulance service.
Paramedics are highly qualified practitioners, having studied for at least 3 years, and being VERY experienced. they have a lot of emergency drugs at their disposal, and are very skilled at using them. They bare mostly seen in the smaller, faster "response cars" rather than the code 10 ambulances. At an accident outside of a hospital, I would rather be treated by a paramedic than a GP.
[PS: I have oversimplified what these guys can do to illustrate the differences. I'm not knocking their qualifications or their importance, especially the BLS guys]
I love the idea of doctors riding with the groups, and would be equally happy with a paramedic riding there. It wuold be interesting to compare the response time of the biking doc if he/she were furthest away from the injury, to the reponse time of the non-racing medics/docs.
Tim, what kind of equipment/drugs are you carrying? is it general first aid stuff like dressings, or more the drug spectrum?
They go from totally clear to about 80% shade' date=' when cycling you usually arent staring into the sun (Unless you have just seen your ring piece) They are hundreds I use them for driving occasionallly and have never had to squint in very bright conditions. I was also sceptic at first, but now I will never ride with any other lenses in my life again.[/quote']MAckiemoo do the lenses go from totally clear to tinted? how are the lenses in direct sunlight? do they give sufficient protection?
I have the clear photochromatics, but they don't get very dark from inside the car no matter how bright it is. I was thinking that the glass windows might be filtering some of the UV light. I can't use mine to drive, but the minute I step outside, they darken. I have a pair of action brown (standard lenses) which are great for driving, and the photo's are best for biking.
I love the saddle!
That is a serious weight saving. Does it make a noticeable difference to your riding?
Good idea Mr Reggae. I think there are also a few non-hubbers interested in workshop. I'm a bit busy with studies at the moment, but I'll be a free man after 24 November (if it can wait until then).
Nice Pics Droo
Ja Droo' date=' great pics!
Cool photo of WOFT on his Uni
Nice Pics Droo
It was a really cool event to be a part of. I was expecting a mixed response from the crowd, but everyone at the event was really encouraging. hopefully we will have our own catagory next year
...I told him if he can get on it' date=' he can keep it. He did not even try.[/quote']
We had a nice talk about uni's' date=' and who knows, maybe he'll start riding one.[/quote']
That would be one more of us and one less of them:P
I'm really glad you got it back! I thought you would never see it again, and am very happy to be wrong about that. Being the only UW in the Western Cape, I need to come visit to give it a go. Incidently, can the guy who bought it ride it?
Cool photos... and must have been a good ride' date=' one guy was wearing a pretty decent set of roasties when we came past. But then again, considering the stuff you guys tackle it's hardly surprising.[/quote']
The guy with the roasties was actually a 2wheeling friend of ours, Jamie! He came short bombing down Rinkhals...
(knees, elbows, right abdomen, and palms. Eina!)
WOFT2009-09-01 09:13:05
Clips: It has been tried. unsurprisingly, it has failed
. There are a few individuals who ride with clips for road riding. The problem is that when we bail at speeds faster than we can run, it does not matter whether or not we have time to unclip - we're buggered either way!
Gears: Nobody in SA that we know of owns a geared hub yet (nobody has 875 spare british pounds lying about). the hub has an internal gearing system. the shifter button is an extension of the hub/axle. to shift, this button is pushed with the side of the heel. A bit of practice, and this can be done whilst riding.
Brakes: the uni is a fixie - to brake, just pedal slower. that is also how we can ride backwards. brakes are becoming more common through. the main advantage is on long downhills. this is to conserve energy, and take the work off of the knees. other uses, such as short but STEEP sections, entering drops, and braking over very bumpy terrain requires a lot of skill.
Freewheel: there are a few freewheeling uni hubs. these are not that successful. unlike bicycles, we depend on direct feedback (fixie hub) through the cranks to control or front-to-back balance. if this is lost, such as through a freewheel mechanism, balacning becomes extremely difficult.
There is an option for offroad freewheeling called "gliding". the unicyclist puts one foot on the frame, and the other foot on the tire. the foot on the tire acts as a "brake". no feet on the pedals, so they can spin as fast as you want!
Drops: We protect our manhood (and ladybits, for some), in the same way bikers do - don't sit on them with force! we land all of the larer drops standing on the pedals. the transition from standing to sitting is fast, so we may appear to land seated if. We are also firm believers in cycle pants
Just want to know what sort of gear ratio one can get on these.Well ... normally 1:1
But with the Schlumpf geared hub you get 2 gears.
a. 1:1
b. 1:1.5
So a 24" wheel could cover the same distance as a 36" with a single pedal stroke. They were used very effectively by the winning German team in Ride The Lobster (800km's over 5 days) in Canada last year. They used geared 36" Unicycles and averaged speeds of around 25km/h' date=' but managed to get top speeds of over 35km/h
[/quote']
Arne Tilgen (Team "Germen Speedsters") managed to hit a top speed of 44km/h on one of the downhills. scary, scary scary...
I almost forgot about it. Nice to see it finally published. I thought it really captured the spirit of what we do, and why we do it. And the photos were cool as well. Thanks for tagging along with us Steve!
Any Fixies who did the Argus?
in Fixie & Singlespeed
Posted · Edited by WOFT
There were 4 unicycles. 3 were "standard" fixies, and 1 was a "geared" fixie. Winning time was 5h17 on a standard hub.