Old props
I came across this old giraffe today. All parts moving that should. It's been a while since I was up on one and resisted the temptation. I'm not sure how old this is, but solid tyre, Dawes saddle, Hercules pedals?
https://www.jugglingedge.com/userfiles/Bosco/oldgiraffe/oldgiraffe1.jpg
https://www.jugglingedge.com/userfiles/Bosco/oldgiraffe/oldgiraffe2.jpg
https://www.jugglingedge.com/userfiles/Bosco/oldgiraffe/oldgiraffe3.jpg
Just a reminder how painful old props must have been. We may take for granted the comfortable unicycle saddles and cushioned club handles. What old props are out there in Edgeland?
#unicycle #oldprops
Little Paul - - Parent #
Nice find! At a guess I'd date that to the mid 70s? It looks like it was possibly home built (based on the design and some of the welding) - do you know anything about the history of it? Was it yours?
Languishing somewhere in my Dads garage is the front end of a unicycle bike (a wheel, forks, and handlebars) which I made in the early 90s. The stilts I made aren't there any more as I gave him the go ahead to cut them up for firewood a couple of weeks ago before my niece/nephew find them.
The only other dubious prop I've got at home is the "Flaming Rola Bola Of Death" - built in 2002(ish) and currently sat in my dining room waiting for me to remember to give it away.
Just because it is made from bits of old bikes, you shouldn't assume it is very old. It looks like a dubious homemade construction (which are still being made) the parts probably achieved their worn out look from a previous existence on a two wheeled bike.
Don't assume old is bad, there have been professionally made unicycle for many years of much better quality and comfort than this. DM (David Mariner) was making unicycles from 1968 and his giraffe unicycles are still one of the best giraffe unicycles around and still being used by street performers.
Does it have a pivot around the fork crown to tension the chain? - that might explain why it doesn't look straight (and the chain not being line with the frame) Though I have seen a few homemade giraffes and they rarely have straight frames (though some might have started straight).
Rusty old giraffes - adding Tetanus to the list of perils associated with unicycling!
All the info I got from the guy was that he had this and a mini "clown" bike (as he described it) and an offset wheel in a job lot. This was the oldest of the three and the clown bike was 1960's. Surely the solid tyre must predate the chopper tyres of DM's. I suspect this to be a unicycle pre 1960's and therefore one that was in use in a professional capacity - variety circus etc. How many giraffes would have been made for hobby use at that time?
The stem is quite straight, my photography obviously not. It is ready for a ride too, but beware of the risk assessment that comes with it.
Whatever the provenance I really like the top cranks.
https://www.jugglingedge.com/userfiles/Bosco/oldgiraffe/oldgiraffe4.jpg
The off-set bottom bracket is a clever solution and explains the chain position, probably taken from a tandem where they are still used to enable children with short legs fit on adult frame till they grow tall enough. The bent cranks do look cool. Solid tyres don't guarantee it is old, they are still used on children's bikes (and wheelchairs) and people keep creating new solid tyres as an innovative new solution to punctures. and as I said the components could be much older than the unicycle after all you wouldn't cut up a perfectly good new bike to make into a unicycle. But they had to have unicycles in the 60s so it is quite possibly 60s or older.
As for amateur unicycling; the scouts in the 70s used to ride round on homemade unicycles www.britishpathe.com/video/scouts-unicycles/ and there is also on film possibly one of the older members of #CamCircus in this 1950s film at 55s. They were also used by gay youngsters between the wars in Paris (who were obligated to play accordions to conform to stereotype when they weren't shopping or taking their dog out).
I have seen people standing on stunt pegs on the wheel axle and pedalling a giraffe unicycle by hand, would be interested if you manage to ride it using the bottom pedals.
Little Paul - - Parent #
The tandem suggestion would explain the second set of pedals as well... Nice one, I'd not thought of that!
If you are interested in old juggling props, David Cain is assembling an interesting collection that can be seen at www.historicaljugglingprops.com
#HistoricalJugglingProps