For UFO Study? - The Black Vault

Cost of a neighborhood unit would be about find yourself in the habit of always twisting*"
$8,000 for each resident. This figure includes the cycle and riding forward to regain balhousing,
schools, services, roads, utilities and ance, rather than merely pedalling backward
community facilities.
when you are off balance backwards.
The Triton study was made under a But why go through all the trouble in the
$30,000 grant from the U. S. Department of first place? What's the lure of unis? They're
Housing and Urban Development, which is lots of fun, for one thing. For another, unexamining
innovative approaches to city like bicycling, you're not obliged to go any-
, planning. • place. Once mastered, an individual can zip
around his driveway, patio or living room,
if he so chooses, getting his jollies and exer-
Unicycle
c ' se Wnen an d where he sees fit. It may be a
bit tiring to go long distances, but you can
(Continued from page 55)
uni to the store or take it along on picnics
ter whether you are four, forty or sixty, and country road jaunts. The uni is light-
, "Anyone who can walk in a normal fashion weight and easily transported. '
is capable of learning to ride a unicycle— Since the hands are left free, it is possible
and in a matter of minutes and hours rather to engage in any number of activities or
than weeks,or months."
games while riding: flying a kite or getting
The only limitation, it seems, is in the pulled along the ground by a parachute;
weight of the person. Jenack claims it's hard rounding up shopping carts for supermarto
find a uni on the market that'll support kets; playing touch football or basketball;
anyone over 200 pounds (guess that lets out skipping rope; spinning a lariat; playing
Joe Gutts). Bill knows of what he'speaks, "follow-the-leader" over rough ground or
He's been riding unis since 1931, and once and other maneuvers,
hand-built 100 of them during lunch hours This writer was impressed by the graceand
weekends to distribute to kids on the fulness of unicyclists—both kids and adults
block. He now sells imported unis at low —who were just "horsing around." The
prices and has been described as a real-life riding of these one-wheelers demands of the
Pied Piper for his success in converting individual correct posture and a certain
practically everyone he comes in contact amount of poise. The attitude and maneu-
' with to this unusual recreational outlet. verability of the cyclist is^reminiscent of fine
His Jenack Cyclists, a neighborhood horseback riding and figure skating. As an
group of about 150 unicyclists ranging in extra bonus, muscles which you're not even
ages from four to 64, include a blind man. aware of having are put to use and toned
Bill has taught two sightless men, one an' into shape.
engineer for the same firm he works for, to Once you've learned to ride a regular size
ride unis. Despite their obvious handicap, unicycle you can go on to higher ones with
both men learned as fast or faster than the little or no difficulty. Unis are produced by
sighted, and their success has encouraged most major cycle manufacturers (Columbia,
other sightless men and women to tackle Schwinn, Rollfast and Stelber in the U.S.)
the sport.
in 20-inch and 24-inch wheel diameters, with
While methods of learning to ride a uni the seat height adjusted to the individual so
differ, Bill's approach is to use helpers to that one leg, when straightened, can rest on
stand by the student and provide side-to-side the lowest pedal. With these low unis there
support while the cyclist learns his forward- is no chance of falling off and getting hurt;
back balance. Helpers aren't necessary—you when you lose your balance, just step off.
can learn to ride-by simply placing your Prices range from $12 to $40, but check the
hand on a wall and doggedly creeping along- weight rating to make certain it will support
side it until you can solo—but it's much Dad.
faster to learn with them. Jenack has gotten Taller unicycles are chain driven, average
novices to ride along beside him, holding his five feet to seven feet (the maximum height
hand, after only 15 minutes of instruction, at which one can climb on without props)
and most can solo in day or two's time. and are custom made. The way to mount
Unicyclists are in agreement that it is im- these without assistance is to jam a toe (your
portant to learn how to ride backwards im- own) between the top of" the wheel and the
mediately. If you wait too long, it will be fork, leap up swiftly and begin pedalling,
difficult to ever learn properly and you will Sounds easy, doesn't it? •
MAY, 1969 • 85