Interview with a Unicyclist: Mike Richter

What made you start unicycling?

I grew up in Canaan, New Hampshire and I when I was 11 or 12 my mom bought me a unicycle. I never even asked for it—she just bought it for me. At the time, I’d never ridden one.

Then, when I was 12 years old I went to a summer camp called Circus Smirkus in Greensboro, Vermont. I learned how to do a lot of things there – unicycle and trapeze, stilts and trampoline. All the teachers were former professional circus performers, including some from Ringling Bros and Cirque du Soleil. I went to the camp for many years, and when I was 17 I had the opportunity to do their touring tent show. It included a 14- "city" tour of New England, and we performed 80 shows in one summer. It was a full traveling circus of 25 kid performers, 4 adult performers and a staff.

As I was touring with Circus Smirkus, a talent scout approached me from Ringling Bros who offered me a one-year contract. I knew I wasn’t headed directly to college, so I gladly accepted. It was probably one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, but I’m glad I did. I mostly rode my unicycle on the slack wire as part of the preshow to the circus, and I also rode the giraffe unicycle (6 foot) in part of the show. I was part of Ringling Bros for three years before I resigned. I loved it but it was a lot of work – in the span of three years, I probably only had about three weeks off. We would perform about 500 shows per year.

How did you learn to unicycle?

I am entirely self-taught. We lived at the end of a gravel driveway and I tried to teach myself for weeks by using the basketball hoop as leverage. I couldn’t really get anywhere on the driveway, but as soon as I tried on the street – I took off. It was a lot easier to use on the pavement.

What do you like best about unicycling?

There are a lot of things I like about it- it definitely allows a different kind of freedom. I like the performance aspect of it; it’s always going to be a unique and eccentric skill, because in reality, it’s not practical. As a unicyclist, you’re always turning heads. In a poetic sense, I like it because you can never find the perfect balance, but you always have to try.

What do you like least about unicycling?

I get a lot of smart-ass comments when I’m practicing in the park, especially where I live in Harlem. Mostly people ask me, “Where is the other half of your bike?” Also, it’s a big workout – it’s tiring because it takes a lot of abdominal strength.

That was one of my questions. How do people generally react to you on the street?

If I’m just riding around, I may get some comments but generally people are excited. They are intrigued by the unicycle.

How many unicycles do you own?

I have four. I have a 20” that I perform with. Then I have an antique unicycle that was sort of an impulse buy. I found it in a bike shop in Huntsville, Alabama. I have a giraffe, which is a special 6-foot tall unicycle for performing, and then I have one unicycle without a tire so that I can use it to ride on the slack wire.

How do you get on the giraffe?

It’s kind of like a tall bike or a ladder– you basically put one foot on the tire, another on the petal and push up as you’re doing it. Then you try to get your foot on the other petal and start balancing.

Do you have a regular bicycle too? What kind?

I do—I have a BMX that I ride around with my roommate. We ride around the FDR and Central Park.

Is unicycling better exercise than regular riding?

I would say it’s a lot different. It’s not so much cardio because you can’t really go that far. To unicycle for a mile would be a pretty good trip. Although, I think someone did unicycle the Great Wall of China once. It’s a different form of exercise –lots of abdominal strength, legs, shoulders and core strengthening.

Do you ever mention this skill in job interviews or icebreaker games?

Not really, I mean it depends what kind of job I’m applying for. If you’re applying at a café, they don’t really care about your circus skills.

Tell me about a time when unicycling has particularly come in handy—when you were able to impress someone, for example.

I recently did a corporate video for Microsoft, which was sweet. They found out I could unicycle and they put that in one of their promotions. Obviously, unicycling has helped me throughout my years as a performer. It gives me one more skill to market myself with that the next person may not have.

Have you ever considered giving lessons for money?

Yes! I have two probable clients right now - a Dad and a son that want to learn how to unicycle. I imagine I could definitely teach more people – I mean parents teach kids how to ride a bike, but I don't think there are too many unicycle instructors around.

Do other cyclists look down on unicyclists?

Generally, when I’m unicycling along other cyclists, they give me a thumbs-up. I think most cyclists think unicycling is totally cool in a ridiculous way, and there is that performance element of it.

Is one wheel better than two?

Um.. (thinks about it for a second) Yes! Absolutely! One wheel puts a bigger grin on your face.

Have you ever commuted by unicycle?

No, not in NYC, most of my work is too far. When I worked at Ringling Bros, I always rode my unicycle around backstage, even from the dressing room to the pie car – it was faster than walking and it was also good practice.

There are a lot of awesome unicycle videos on YouTube. People are doing it for exercise, sport, and fun. There was a unicyclist in the Five Borough Bike Tour recently.

How many fellow unicyclists do you know in NYC?

I probably only know 4-5 unicyclists in the city, but I’m hoping to meet more. There are clubs – I think the biggest one meets near Grant’s Tomb once a month.

What advice would you give to a first-time unicyclist?

When you fall down, smile and get back up.

Bianchi Pista: I Have to Admit I Love It

Although constantly berated as one of the most overvalued, oversold stock track bikes on the market, I will readily admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for the Bianchi Pista (cut to BikeSnobNYC shooting himself in the head, again).

I purchased a Pista after college with the hundreds of dollars I had saved up from being a barista (a.k.a washing dishes - sorry Carma). I had been drooling over Pistas on that blasted fixie porn site fixedgeargallery.com and fantasizing about rolling through on my new gang green machine, much like this good lookin' lady:



Unfortunately for me, Bianchi discontinued the gang green model, and I was forced to settle for the lesser INK color - my punishment for years for years of writing bad poetry in college. Roger, my ill informed bike owner at the time, shrugged his shoulders.

What ensued was long and torturous for some but mostly informative for me: a dive head-first into bike fitting for short ladies, fixed gear riding for newbies and a visit to every bike shop in the tri-state area. My Dad was not pleased.

Now, when applying to work at bike shops (ahem, ahem I'm unemployed if you need a dog sitter/baby sitter/impromptu therapist) I mention that most of my experience is wrapped up in my anal retentive bike swapping agenda: how to fit a near-midget inseam with the high profile, high price tags of track frames.

After months of visiting bike shops during my then-employed lunch break, I've discovered something I clearly didn't know before: track frames DO come in small sizes, although they are harder to find. Swobo makes a 46cm frame - the Sanchez, IRO makes a 46cm frame - the Mark V HD, Cannondale makes a 48cm and Fuji makes both a 43cm and a 49cm.

Bianchi, like any too-cool-for-school outfitter, makes a small 49cm and slaps on all stock parts, whether they are really best for that frame size or not. Despite the ubiquitous nature of this frame, I would still recommend it. It's light, sexy and if you can find it in the gang green I'll be jealous and probably offer to buy it from you.



Despite my shameful love for Bianchis, I've been thinking about the significance of buying USA-made bicycles (eek, sorry for sounding like Dubya). Why spring for an overplayed Bianchi when you can get comparable, sturdy bikes in your own backyard? With this in mind, I've become more aware of what Cannondale and IRO Cycles have got on the line - my favorite is IRO's About Us page, which chronicles their use of environmentally friendly practices while engineering quality bicycles in Pennsylvania. I love the idea: making bikes, which are clean & friendly, in a clean & friendly way.

Maybe it's time to support the good ol' US of A, exercise our desire for fun, healthy transportation and buy a bike that's made right here, at home.

It's Your Ride video from Cinecycle

This isn't new but I like the music:

It's Your Ride from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

Learning How to Ride a Bike at 24

One of my best friends in the world, J.La, recently learned how to ride a bike. Here's her story.

Why didn’t your hippie parents teach you how to ride a bike?

They claim that when I was of bike riding age, I was too afraid of falling and I would throw tantrums whenever I tried to ride a bike so finally they were like “forget it.” I just think they were just bad parents.

Did any of your siblings know how to ride a bike?

Yep, each and every one of them. All three. There was this bike path in Lexington (MA) where I lived and they would all leave me on Sunday morning to take bike rides together. They would be like “peace out” and I just sat home watching cartoons. That’s why I’m fat.

What did you do when you were a kid and all your friends were riding bikes?

I was too petrified to ride a bike. When I was 12 I remember Jenny Brown had a bike riding party and I didn’t go. I was horrified. I was so afraid that I would go to summer camp and bike riding would come up and I wouldn’t be able to do it. That’s part of the reason I picked Farwell (our summer camp) because bike riding wasn’t an issue.

How did you learn to ski at such a young age if you were afraid of riding a bike?

I learned to ski when I was two because I was too young to be afraid. I turned two in December and by that spring I was skiing. You know those little leashes that some parents put their kids on? My parents would use the same thing—they put me on a harness and we would go down the bunny slope. Also, I didn’t really have a choice: skiing was something we did every weekend of every winter. I didn’t think I’d be able to learn to ride a bike because I don’t have great balance. The only reason I know how to ski is because I learned at such a young age.

What made you want to ride a bike?

I always kind of thought: I really should *bleep*ing learn how to ride a bike and then I’ve met a lot of close friends that would say “I’ll teach you, I’ll teach you” but when it came down to it they’d be like “How the hell do you teach a twenty-four-year-old how to ride a bike?” (you can clean this up for your blog).

Who taught you how to ride a bike?

I made my brother teach me in Denver, where he lives, because I was like, “We’re related, you have to do this.”

Was he excited about teaching you?

At first he was into it but after I made him go to 25 different bike shops to find the bike I wanted, he was kind of over it. I went to Denver thinking I could buy a bike off Craigslist for $125, so I really wasn’t looking for anything fancy but he took me to see all these Craigslist bikes and he’d be like “No, you don’t want that.” So finally we went to all these shops and four days and $400 later I had a new bike. Finally he said, “I’ll buy it for you and your Dad can pay me back.” I still don’t know who bought this bike, I just know I put $125 down for it.

How did your brother actually teach you how to ride a bike?

That’s the thing: he has an alley in the back of his house and we went in the alley and he was like “I don’t really know what to tell you.” I basically taught myself, in all honesty.

Did he hold the back of your seat and run alongside you?

He did that a few times but I mostly cursed at him so much that he left me alone. I was riding up and down the alley. Finally he saw me and he was like “Alright, let’s go to the park.” So an hour after I had learned how to ride a bike, he takes me through the streets of Denver to the park--granted it was 5 blocks away, but I’d never ridden on the streets before. We got to the park and we had to cross this little pedestrian bridge, and I almost rode entirely off the bridge. All these people around were like “Is she wasted?” because I’m so old but I assured them “No, no, this is my first day riding a bike.” I skinned my knee which I think is a rite of passage.

What kind of bike do you ride?

That’s the thing – I’m no Lance Armstrong. I was just gonna get a cruiser and look fly. I ended up getting an Electra Townie. It’s bright blue with white tires.

Were your parents excited that you learned how to ride?

I think they were more surprised than anything else. Basically, they don’t have a lot of faith in me.

Are there bike lanes in Jackson Hole, WY?

There are bike paths—it’s awesome, you go through this little field and then there’s the mountains and there’s a creek too. I’d definitely want to try mountain biking so that I could try riding on some of the trails. Maybe if I’m here next summer.

How was riding a bike? Was it different than you’d imagined it would be?

Now I know what people mean when they say: “It’s like riding a bike” – it’s an indescribable thing, but eventually your body just gets it – it clicks. You never regress. I don’t know if it’s your brain or your muscles, but something just clicks.

How often do you ride your bike?

I ride it every day to work (4 days a week) and I ride it once or twice a week to get around town.

Do you think you would feel comfortable riding in a busy city?

I would like to think so, but in Jackson where I ride my bike the speed limit is 25 mph tops. Also—people are a lot nicer here so I feel like they are used to yielding to bicycles. I’m not sure that would be the case everywhere.

Would you opt of out having a car?

That’s what I like about living in town – but I can’t [ride my bike] all year around [in Jackson Hole]. But I’m doing it while I can.

If you had kids (cough yeah right? cough) would you teach them how to ride a bike?

Oh yeah, my kids are learning how to ride a bike. I’ll just tell them: “Listen, Mom didn’t learn how to ride a bicycle until I’m 24 and you’re not going through the same thing I did.”

Are you surprised you actually taught yourself?

I’m proud that I learned at an older age. Whenever I’m riding around, I feel happy that I finally learned and I have a huge smile on myself. It’s such a simple thing—it’s great.

What would you say to someone who is learning to ride a bike?

If I can do it, anyone can do it.

Bicycle Film Festival June 17-21

This weekend I went to the Bicycle Film Festival, complete with rainy fans and raucous bike messengers alike. We were a motley crew snaking around the Anthology Film Archives on 2nd Avenue; all the bikers were sporting cute bike hats and funny combination leggings/shorts or the requisite Japanese fish-on-my-huge-calf tattoos. They wore black shorts, black bags and black Vans. I, being naturally tough, was bike-less, carrying a yuppie umbrella and a tricycle tote bag.

Once we got inside, the theatre smelled like was packed, and kind of smelled like wet bike messenger. The majority of the films were adrenaline pumping, high speed head-cams of messengers in NYC--rebels of the streets weaving in and out of traffic and running red lights, just like this guy, there were also a few truly good films.

One of the films, "Put the Fun between Your Legs" I had actually seen before, but it is so sweet I'm going to post it here. The women riders live up to their reputation for being rad, riding in the rain and composing diddies to boot. I like the part when Birdie Bird talks about working in a bike shop:



The other film I really liked was a short film of the Paralympic Games that depicted a tandem track bike (one of the riders was mostly blind). It was pretty unbelievable to see the tandem bike rip around the curved track, the riders were perfectly synchronized. Watch until the end to see them on the track.

Karissa & her pilot, Mackenzie:



A GOrilla plug, but not the one they showed at the film festival. I have to say: it's a beautiful bicycle.

Wonka EUROTRIP TEASER. from GORILLa Bicycles. on Vimeo.

Brooklyn Bike Jumble May 31st

This week has been rough. My foul mood was alleviated only momentarily when I walked by Claire Danes in SoHo on Tuesday. She was super cute and wearing a white linen jacket--she's shorter and skinnier than I'd imagined. This was almost as exciting as I saw Natalie Portman in the hot-girl-dance-class that was before my yoga class at Printing House, but that was before I quit the gym.

I've neglected to post about a few incredible events that have been happening, most of them Pride related. It was been a fun couple of weeks, thanks of course to DOB-C.

First though, I have to recap my visit to the Brooklyn Bike Jumble on May 31st, the first of its kind. The Jumble was held on 5th Avenue in Park Slope between 4th and 5th Streets--when I got there it was crowded, which made me really happy. I saw a few beautiful fixies and older frames for sale. It seemed like the vendors were a combination of legitimate businesses and also messengers who were just interested in selling their wares. I considered arriving with camera in hand, a set of laminated press credentials (my spoke card?!), but felt sheepish and thought better of it. I basically walked around like a nut and snapped photos. Oh! I also had the pleasure of meeting Taliah Lempert, and I bought one of her handmade hats. (You might remember her from one of my previous posts). She was really nice and she carts all her artwork in a bike with a big carrier on the front. That's what I'm talking about.

The Jumble:

My new Taliah hat:



Taliah's booth:





Cute tees:


Hot bikes:

Outlier Responds!

I am as excited about Outlier as my male bike-blogger counterparts. And if I was at all on the fence about them because they haven't exposed any of their potentially sexy girl clothes yet, Abe wrote me a sweet email. Thanks Abe! And if you need anyone to demo your female line, you know who to call...

(It also just so happens he rides a bike I posted about here.)

Hey Quinn,

Wait you don't think women look best in Intense Fuschia, Overwrought Aqua and Diaper Change Yellow? The contract we signed with our fabric mill says we need to use at least 2 of those colors in the women's line...

Ok I'm lying, actually we are working on some women's stuff using the exact same fabrics as our mens line and with a very similar minimal aesthetic. Basically expect versions of our current garments cut to fit women's body's properly.

In terms of the breath of the women's range, that's really a step by step thing. We don't exactly make that many men's items to begin with. For now we really are a men's line, a couple years ago none of us had any knowledge of the clothing industry at all and we bootstrapped it together in a large part because we knew what we wanted. We are experimenting with women's stuff because women keep asking us for it, and it seems like an interesting path to follow. But how far we go on that path really depends on both us learning how to make clothes for women properly and women actually buying the initial ones we make. So stay tuned, should be interesting.

cheers,

Abe