Ian Smith wrote:

On Tue, 24 May, JNugent wrote:
Ian Smith wrote:

Neither does my unicycle. Nor is it covered in black grease (or any
other sort of grease). There's a small amount of grease sealed
within the pedals, and an even smaller amount sealed within the
cartridge bearings.

The tyre, pedal ends and seat (ie, all extremities) are all black
rubber, so not liable to scratch dig or gouge anything.

...but still containing enough road dirt to be easily able to foul
the clothing of an adjacent passenger, perhaps on their way to a
night out?

Oh, _road_dirt_? You mentioned hardened steel spikes meaning that
well-known sub-class of hardened steel spikes, "road dirt". Or is
"road dirt" a superset of hardened steel spikes? I forget. Whatever.

Road dirt. The stuff that fouls translucent grease and turns it black, as it
does to most of what it comes into contact with, not excluding clothing.

Yep, I agree. Loads more road dirt on pretty much all my rucksacks
than on the unicycle. I'm all for banning road dirt from the
underground.

Everyone must henceforth take off their shoes at the top of the
escalators.

Whatever your views on where the balance should be struck between
the rights of cyclist passengers and the rights of pedestrian
passengers, you *can* see why bikes (and, if appropriate, unicycles)
are banned on the Underground?

I understand some reasons. None of them are to do with hardened steel
spikes, black grease, or for that matter, road dirt.

We must differ on that.

In article , JNugent wrote:
Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

wrote:
passengers, you *can* see why bikes (and, if appropriate, unicycles)
are banned on the Underground?

Er, except they aren't.

They are.

Not *completely banned*, but there is a partial ban which is complained of
in this thread.

I haven't seen anyone complain. Message-id?


Non-folding bikes are banned on deep lines,
and from subsurface lines at some times of day, folding bikes are not
restricted and there is no evidence of any restriction on unicycles.

Except for what the (assumed) LU employee said.

Your idea of "evidence" is that you assume someone said something
unspecified? Why am I not surprised.

JNugent wrote:


Perhaps I would be surprised. In fact, if there are many around at all (and
you seem to be saying so), I am already surprised.


I've got one, Guy has one IIRC, Danny and Ian have one* So quite a few
I here I can think of off the top of my head.


--
Tony

* one meaning at least one in this context.

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)

"Tony Raven" wrote in message
...
JNugent wrote:


Perhaps I would be surprised. In fact, if there are many around at all
(and
you seem to be saying so), I am already surprised.


I've got one, Guy has one IIRC, Danny and Ian have one* So quite a few I
here I can think of off the top of my head.


I see more unicycles more often than I do recumbents in Hyde Park.

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
TfL's website only refers to
restrictions on *unfolded bicycles*. In fact it says "To take a bike
on public transport *without restriction*, you need to invest in a
folding cycle" (my emphasis) which clearly implies that folding bikes
are exempt.

If the restrictions applied to *unfolded cycles*, one would just have to
get a folding unicycle:
URL:http://www.unicycle.uk.com/shop/shopdisplayproduct.asp?catalogid=570

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

JNugent wondered:
Is it known that any are in use as pukka transport?

I used to commute and shop regularly by unicycle. I still do so
occasionally. I know others who commute by unicycle. In London, Joe
Marshall is well known for it (at least in the unicycling community):
URL:http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuw48

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
Only giraffes have chains, they are not usually considered suitable
for commuting

They can be. A practical commuting machine needs reasonable gearing.
There are 3 ways to increase the gearing on a unicycle:

1) Get a bigger wheel.

2) Get a unicycle with a hub gear.
e.g. URL:http://www.schlumpf.ch/uni_engl.htm

3) Build a geared up giraffe.
e.g. URL:http://abram.atypedigital.com/2005/photos/projects/giraffe/
(I believe this one is geared up from 20" to 40").

Big wheels are harder to control, particularly with a side wind.
Although I use the Coker (36") when I commute by unicycle, a geared up
26" or 29" would probably be better.

A hub geared yike is probably a better machine for commuting than a
giraffe, simply because it's lower, but a giraffe is easier to build.
It doesn't have to be a high giraffe, it only needs to be a few inches
higher than a standard unicycle.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

On Tue, 24 May 2005, JNugent wrote:
Ian Smith wrote:

Oh, _road_dirt_? You mentioned hardened steel spikes meaning that
well-known sub-class of hardened steel spikes, "road dirt". Or is
"road dirt" a superset of hardened steel spikes? I forget. Whatever.

Road dirt. The stuff that fouls translucent grease and turns it black, as it
does to most of what it comes into contact with, not excluding clothing.

Really? I did actually have some vague notion about what you might
mean by the term. What I'm more confused about is why, if road dirt
is what upsets you, you decided to start the conversation by
complaining about non-existent hardened steel spikes.

regards, Ian SMith

Ian Smith wrote:

Really? I did actually have some vague notion about what you might
mean by the term. What I'm more confused about is why, if road dirt
is what upsets you, you decided to start the conversation by
complaining about non-existent hardened steel spikes.


Its called a tactical repositioning having found yourself on untenable
ground.


--
Tony

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)

OK...so those of you who have endured the crush on , say, the Victoria line
between Finsbury Park and Victoria, everyday at about 08:30 or any other
line for that matter, what do you suggest should be allowed on and what
should be banned? Only people who use the service should be allowed to vote.

Remember also that you're caught in the middle section with your unicycle
and as each new person gets on you are pushed further into the car. You have
a max of 30 seconds to get off at your station and the next lot get on. And
nobody wants to move from the 6 square inches of space they have claimed
because they might not get 6 inches back. Nobody also wants to get dirty,
damaged clothing etc from a large object. Or hurt.
Train can't stop longer than 30 seconds because the longer you delay the
train to exit, the longer the next train is stuck in the tunnel behind and
the temperature is rising. So within 1 minute probably 2 trains have stopped
in the tunnel section before Kings Cross, the longest section. Within 2
minutes of stopping the temperature in a crush loaded train is now 30C. No
air movement.
Should you trip and fall with your unicycle/bike thing the train will be
delayed further whilst assistance is summoned. More heat, more trains
stopped. More people blaming the incompetent underground staff.
All because someone wanted to wind up the peak capped brigade.......OR :
quote "give the jobsworths a headache searching for a rule..."unquote.

"In Washington DC cyclists are advised that they should then leave
their bikes on the train, piling them on the seats, to avoid blocking
the aisles."......
Thats a good idea. As long as its not in the first car and its not crush
loaded and the 800 people behind dont have to wait too long for a space to
be made after the first 100 people have climbed over it. And the pregnant
lady next to it is now going into labour. The 799th person, in the last car,
he has to walk out through the train and then down onto the track, to the
station which is 1 mile away, by then has been waiting 30 minutes to get out
so its now 40C.

But this is all make beleive isn't it.........

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
.li...
Hi alll,

Can you take a unicycle on the London Underground?

Thanks,
tom

--
SAWING CHASING CRUNCHING ROBOTIC DEMOLITION