Bicycles

Lunicycle is designed to make unicycling easier

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The Lunicycle features an elliptical wheel, offset cranks, and calf braces
The Lunicycle features an elliptical wheel, offset cranks, and calf braces
It's claimed to utilize a more natural type of balancing, like that used in walking
It has a planned retail price of US$180
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Riding a unicycle is kind of like juggling or playing the bagpipes, in that it's infamously hard to master. While some people might say that that's the whole point in learning to do it, others just want to get riding that one-wheeled bicycle ASAP. If you're among the second group, then you might like Inventist's uniquely-designed Lunicycle.

There are two features that reportedly make the Lunicycle much easier to ride than a regular unicycle.

First of all, its custom 20-inch wheel/tire is slightly oval. Like various bicycle chainrings such as Shimano's now-defunct Biopace, this is claimed to compensate for the so-called "dead spot" in every pedal revolution, where the rider's pedaling momentum momentarily dips. As described by the folks at Inventist, "When the feet are at 12 and six o'clock, the longest part of the oval is just past its tipping point and assists the rider through the dead zone."

It has a planned retail price of US$180

Secondly, as you might have noticed, the Lunicycle has neither a seat nor a hub. Ordinarily, seatless unicycles are considered even more difficult to ride than their regular counterparts. By incorporating calf-bracing extensions into the offset pedal cranks, however, the 5-lb (2.3-kg) Lunicycle is claimed to utilize a more natural type of balancing, like that used in walking.

Inventist CEO Shane Chen based its design on his company's existing Solowheel, which is a powered self-balancing seatless unicycle. He's also the guy behind the Segway-without-handlebars-like Hovertrax, as well as the Hydroglide electric hydrofoil surfboard.

His team is currently raising production funds, on Kickstarter. A pledge of US$130 will get you a Lunicycle, when and if they're ready to go. The planned retail price is $180.

You can see the Lunicycle in action, in the pitch video below.

Source: Kickstarter

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7 comments
JimRD
Might as well spend the 10 hours to learn to ride a unicycle. I did and have never regretted it.
Compare
I'm tired just looking. Rather not comfortable....
Grunt
Errr... Wouldn't it be quicker to walk?
beergas
Saw a guy Sunday on W 49 St NYU on a motorized unicycle. He sped along bumpy sidewalk easily w/o the side to side flopping seen in video here. Wearing a suit. No idea how it reacts to big gaps in sidewalk but he moved well in/out of oncoming people get the wth looks. Can't imagine dozens of these at one time tho.
StWils
New Way to Spatter. Same Road Rash.
Aloysius
How do you first get on the bike? The video doesn't really show the process of getting onto the bike. The first guy seemed to be holding on to a pole in order to get on.
2nd, why no seat? What's the difference between this and walking, then? :-)
Paul Anthony
I don't get whyi would want to pedal, pedal, pedal. How do you coast?