i got me a unicycle.

[DonQui]

okay so the title says it all, i got me a unicycle. theres a story to it...
so a friend of my parents needed help cleaning his garden, ive never been to his house so i didnt know how big or small it was. my mom explained this man lives alone, hes 91 years old so its kind of hard for him to do yard work, she asked me if i would go over and help him. since i had nothing better to do and had no plans for a saturday morning i agreed. so i get there, this man is Japanese and i can tell hes 91 years old. i look around and his house looks like some ive seen in movies, where in japan they have these big gardens with fruit trees and everything it looked like a jungle. so he tells me he just needs me to rake up all the leaves. long story short, it took me three hours to do the job! oh and in the process i spotted this unicycle, after i finished i asked him about it. and he could not remember when he acquired it. he said to me, "if you want it, take it" so i brought it home with me. i dont know how to ride them and i cant find any info on this so it might just be my next project... maybe i can build me a trike out of it....what do u guys think???

i think the brand is RUTLEDGE it has a sticker with that around the seat tube.
the wheel doesnt have a hole in it for a valve from an inner tube.
any info is appreciated, or if anyone knows any site i can go to, to find out any info.

thanx for your time.
Edgar.
-DonQui

 

[Chainsaw]

Edgar try looking for some unicycle club websites. Just like bicycle groups the uni guys have their historians and gurus. Here in Michigan we have or had the Redford Unicycle club but I don't know if they're still around.
You could also try Petri and Sons Bikes. Bicycle Don is a member of RRB and he is one of the owners of Petri's. Don has many connections and has several friends who ride unis. Tell him "Chainsaw" recommended him.
Here's their site ....
http://petribikes.com/ or you could find him on the members list and p.m. him or email him. I would go thru their website though, he checks that a couple of times a day.
Good luck!

 

[DonQui]

Thank u Mr. Chainsaw this gives me a starting point. I had no idea where to begin.

 

[Chainsaw]

Edgar, A lot of the old Schwinn dealers use to carry Schwinn brand unicycles. If you can find a dealer whose been in business since the 70s, you may find one who knows about the other brands of unis. Petris is one of the oldest in my area!

I know very little about the subject, but like bicycles, the hard tired stuff was usually for the lower level models or for beginners. If it has no valve stem hole in the rim than I would say that it had hard tires. But I could be wrong. I think you'd be safe in turning it into a trike or bike, but you might wanna wait to see what it is.

I've got a picture of a FreakUni from a few years back, I'll try to find it in the next few days. It may give you some inspiration.

 

[tucker]

I have a unicycle like this, mine says "Steibler" on it. I think it is late 50's early 60's era. apparently they were dangerous to ride as they have forks like a tricycle. Anyone with any weight would cause them to splay outword causing the rider crash or do a header. The theory is that if the would have used 2 bolts to hold the wheel on it may have worked. mine has a solid rubber tire. check your seat it should say troxel. Steibler apparently also made tricycles.

 

[dos cruiser]

Hey Edger, do you have a pic of the head badge? I use to have a Rutledge bike, it was a English 3 spd. style. I couldn't find any info on it, I sold it a couple of years back.

 

[BrunneCustoms]

I can't help you find any info but I really, really think that you should keep it a uni. It's different and you'll get people talking. Learning to ride will come with practice. It's just my opinion but really, if you think about it, if you don't like riding a uni you can always change it later. It's harder (I'm guessing) to change it back. Hopefully I've given you at the least some food for thought.