Voodoo Unicycles

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S**t Unicyclists Say

22/02/2012
We saw these videos cropping up on Youtube but couldn't find one for unicycling, so we made one!

Weekly Feature!

21/02/2012


This is a question that I have been asked time and time again, usually when out riding my 36”. The answer to the question comes down to personal fitness and stamina, as well as using the most suitable unicycle. The furthest I’ve ridden in one day was 100Km (62miles).

Anyways, I like to think not how far can you go on a unicycle, but how far can a unicycle take you? When I started riding 11 years ago, not for one moment did I think it would shape my life so drastically, or take me to such amazing places.

From meeting local riders, to attending national competitions and making good friends there, I soon ventured to European competitions. The first was FLUCK held in Denmark, this was to be the start of something special, it was a real adventure, and I had caught the bug for it. We flew to Copenhagen, then got a train to Faxe Ladeplads. It was a chance to put faces to names, people you had only talked to or heard about online, for example Gilby from USA, Jesper and Christian from Denmark and Steph and Janina from Germany. We got to know each other, and great friendships which will last a lifetime were formed.


In the following years unicycle competitions, conventions and meets became my summer holidays! I’ve travelled all around the UK from Edinburgh, spent a good time in the Lake District, and down to Cornwall on the south coast, and also FLUCK back in Denmark, UNICON in Switzerland, Wunschkonzert in Frankfurt, then again in Cologne, Germany, which then became EUC. With all this travelling, I decided there was only one vehicle for the job... a campervan! Now with a camper van, I could go anywhere with as many unicycles as I wanted, which is exactly what I did. 2008 saw UNICON held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Infamous UK unicyclist Kit Johnson joined me for a 3 week roadtrip with Steph, Janina and Jess. We drove up through Denmark, meeting up with Danish unicyclists Emma, Ina and Gro, before heading back down to Copenhagen for UNICON - meeting even more unicyclists.

When UNICON was held in NZ, it was a no brainer. There was no better excuse to visit New Zealand than for a unicycle competition, and I already had friends over there which I had met at previous UNICONs. This meant when we arrived we had somewhere to stay... Tony Meltons living room! After hiring a campervan, we drove the length and breadth of New Zealand’s North Island, visiting amazing places, and finding awesome trails to ride!! After New Zealand I spent a week in Australia, where I met up with the Sydney Hockey Club who I had just met at UNICON. I joined them for a game of hockey followed by a well deserved cold beer, and was even given hospitality by Charlie in return for unicycle lessons! I will be returning to Australia in April, and I look forward to catching up with them again.



Muni has also taken me to the French and Swiss Alps, for some of the best riding and spectacular views on earth. Taking a mountain pass railway to Chur and gondolas up mountains to reach the trails were just as impressive at the riding itself.

To me, unicycling isn’t just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. It has taken me literally all the way around the world, to incredible places, with incredible people, giving me friends in so many different countries, all with one thing in common. A love for the simplest form of transport ever invented. Who would have ever thought it could have taken me so far?!

I look forward to returning to Switzerland for Grischa Muni Challenge again this summer, as well as planning a trip to the highlands of Scotland.

Life is one big adventure; make the most of it, even if it is only on one wheel... who knows where it will take you!

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Words: Joe Baxter
Photos: Joe Baxter

What We Do

17/02/2012
We saw all these pictures floating around on Facebook and we realised there wasn't one for extreme unicycling yet. Voodoo Unicycles to the rescue!



Heres the Facebook link. Like, Comment and Share!

Weekly Feature!

14/02/2012


One day it won’t rain. One day huge corporate companies will use a vast network of monster machines to suck out all the moisture from the air. These machines will gobble up clouds, rendering it sunny all the time. Then once they have all this water they will sell it back to us with an allowance cap! 'Bloomin' national water!' we will exclaim. 'How dare they!?' And how horrible! Our individual carbon emissions will also be capped and we will be fined for going over. The use of cars will be prohibited for anything other than emergencies and working locally using various cycles to get there will be law. 'Our planet is ruined' many people surmise, 'leave it alone, if it’s done for, then oh well, pay the consequences, if it’s not then it’ll sort itself out and we should reap the rewards of that gamble!' To some, this is a dream, to others a nightmare. What do you think?
Be glad when it rains, for it may be a finite thing.....



I try to apply this attitude to all aspects of life, especially if it’s something I don’t like. The ideal would be to change it of course, but it still deserves appreciating. Everything is there and happens for a reason i like to believe, so next time you stub your toe on that radiator, or you’re stuck behind someone driving at 45 in a 60. Give the radiator some love, cherish it and its beautiful meaning in your life. Don’t get mad, look a little closer and wave to the granny ahead of you. Remember we’re all here for a limited time, make the most eh! I guess having this sort of attitude is why i still have the heaviest unicycle in voodoo, but hey give us a grin.

Far too often we aim for better, faster, stronger. Ahh forget it, leave it be, appreciate what you have, learn more about it, it might help you understand why whatever it is, is so special. Because it will.



Well, as long as i can unicycle, which i would be able to, i dont care!

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Words: Leo Hawkes
Photos: Edd Hawkes, Leo Hawkes

Weekly Feature!

07/02/2012

Conquer the fear!

It’s one thing riding a unicycle, but it’s another thing when you have to focus your mind to not fall and to relax even though your head is going crazy because you're riding one along a bridge railing higher than a house and there is chance of serious injury or death. I’ve been riding several years now and still before the simplest of unicycle moves, trial lines and tricks, I have to relax and control my feelings so it gives me the best concentration for the certain move I’m doing. Having fear can create doubt in your riding and you don’t really want doubt when you’re riding along a rail 30 ft above concrete on one side and a main road on the other. Sure, fear is the body’s way of protection and staying safe but keeping your mind clear as possible is essential to focusing on the moment you are in and the moves you are performing. Any off putting thoughts can throw you off course and lead to a big mistake!



Controlling fear when you’re about to potentially injure yourself is nearly another skill in its self. If you allow thoughts to change what you are doing you’re going to give up or just not have the balls to go for it. I think to be good or have an edge at any sport you have to have strong mental abilities to achieve truly great results.



Visualise your moves and actions, control your fears and anything is possible, keep pushing yourself to go bigger and the last big thing you did will feel easy. The human body can do more things than you think; it’s just making yourself do it and wanting to do it that really makes a difference.



Don’t be scared to try new things! The feelings you achieve after are some of the best in life. Keep practicing and pushing your skills to the limit, have a great time and enjoy it!

Don’t let fear stop you!

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Words: Mike Taylor
Photos: Simon Berry, Edd Hawkes

Video tutorials

03/02/2012
Remember to keep checking the tutorial section of the website!
Over the next few weeks and months we'll be adding as many as we can to help you out. Got a puncture but don't know how to fix it? Stuck trying to get those 3spins? No problem! Head on over to the tutorials page to start mastering those skills that have been holding you back.
Enjoy!

If you need help on a skill that we haven't covered in a tutorial, send us an email and request it!

Weekly Feature!

31/01/2012


One of the most important things in all aspects of unicycling is commitment. But annoyingly one of the hardest things in all types of unicycling is commitment.
You could go out and try a trick 500 times, but if you’re not thinking about what you’re doing, and not committing 100%, it’s not going to happen.
One of the biggest things I’ve found that helps me commit is protection, leg pads mainly, but not excluding elbow pads, helmets, wrist guards, cups, gum shields, normal shields, suits of armour, whatever. Do whatever it takes to make you feel safe and comfortable on the unicycle when trying the trick, it really helps!
Then, if you feel confident in your own safety, you should be more able to commit to the trick, and land it! So many people feel scared to throw their legs back in from a unispin or crankflip, or stick the landing to a drop, but if you’ve taken the right precautions you should feel a lot more comfortable. (of course, wearing pads won’t make you land tricks, but it might set you off with a bit more gusto!)



To commit to something you need to be in the right mind-set. Even though it may seem impossible, you have to believe that you can land the trick, and that you can land it well! If you think ‘I’ll never do this’ the chances are you never will, but if you go at it with a more ‘I can do it!’ attitude, then you’ll find it much easier to keep trying. The way unicycling is it’s likely to take hundreds, maybe thousands of attempts before you land a trick, but committing to each of them might help it come along a little quicker. Attempt the trick; try your hardest, then think about what you need to do to get it. For me, I start to land a trick with one foot, then realise I need to sort my other foot out then when I can land with one foot, my other doesn’t land, but it’s all a matter of practise. Eventually you’ll get there!



Landing new tricks will never be easy, where would the fun be in that? But knowing the importance of commitment is vital if you want to improve faster!

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Words: Simon Berry
Photos: Alister Burt, Josie Partridge

Weekly Feature!

24/01/2012


For anyone who knows me well enough, reading the title above may cause you to believe I'm having a crisis. Have no fear, this isn't a personal soul searching exercise but an actual objective look at Street and Trials Unicycling as a legitimate way of making a living. To make a comprehensive analysis, it's important to first look at the success of other sports athletes, franchises and brands.

Football (Soccer)

Football is the UK's "national game" and is without a doubt the most lucrative sport in the country, if not the world, but it wasn't always this way. Even as late as the 60s, many Footballers weren't even professionals, most held down a "real job" and played Football at weekends, training when they could find the time to do so. It was only until the 1990s that Football finally produced the super rich, ostentatious players that crash their Aston Martins' or appear in court for sexual assault charges. Where did this money come from? It came from remunerative television deals, the era that gave birth to Sky Sports. Television companies were willing to pay big bucks for the exclusive rights to show Football in the UK and with the media spotlight came the inevitable knock on the door from the hungry sponsors, looking to pedal their products to the credulous viewers. In 1987, Peter Beardsley transferred to Liverpool Football Club from Newcastle United for a national record fee of £1.9 million. 14 years later, Andy Carroll made the exact same switch for £35 million.

The X Games

Some of you may question why I've not specified Skating or BMXing, instead opting for the umbrella title of "X Games". Quite simply, X Games did for urban sports what the big money TV deals did for Football.
Skating and BMXing were big in the 70s and 80s but not in the way we see them today. The 90s saw a downturn in the popularity of both sports and it was only when ESPN, one of the biggest sports networks on the globe, decided to plow millions into creating the showcase of Extreme Sports that both saw a rebirth in popularity. The X-Games have created Superstars from sports that many people hadn't even heard of before. Would Freestyle Moto-X be where it is without it? This, if anything, is an argument for the millions that only a TV company can provide.



Television seems to be the maker and breaker of mainstream sports. Get your face on a screen that is shown to millions across the globe and you can guarantee a slipped disk from carrying your wallet around. With television exposure comes individual sponsorship for athletes as well as sponsorship for teams. In 2009, David Beckham made £26 million in sponsorship deals and mere £3.4 million on the pitch. I think it's clear to see where the money is coming from.

Mixed Martial Arts

MMA is very dear to my heart. Not only am I a big fan of the sport in general (who doesn't like seeing people getting beaten up?) I am also in admiration for the business of MMA, in particular the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). When the Fertitta Brothers purchased UFC, it was banned in 36 states in the USA and countless countries around the world and came with an unimaginable sum of debt. Through extensive marketing, cable pay-per-view (television rights yet again prove crucial) and bigger and better shows, the UFC is now worth an estimated $1 Billion. How did something labelled as "human cock-fighting" become the fastest growing sport in the world, turning it's main event athletes into multi-millionaires? Dana White, the UFC President puts their success down to the strength of the talent and a strong belief in the sport itself but credits a relentless marketing campaign, which I touched on above, and cites Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites as a huge aid and necessary tool for any business in the 21st Century.

Television has been usurped by the internet in recent years. Youtube allows anyone to upload their content to potentially millions of viewers and gives them the opportunity to generate income from this content, with adverts and sponsorship. The invention of Twitter has made it easier than ever for sports teams to interact with their fans. Not exclusive to brands or companies, individual athletes can now by pass the middle man and communicate with their supporters, free from the restraints of PR or MR spokesmen.

So where does this leave Unicycling?

Team Voodoo have been striving to make a living out of Unicycling since 2008 and every year, we get closer to our goal. We've raised our profile through the use of both techniques, television exposure and social networking. In 3 years we've appeared on 4 out of 5 UK terrestrial channels and Sky Sports, the leading sports network. That being said, people aren't exposed to Unicycling enough on television. Because there are so few riders, it's unlikely that any network would look down the path of broadcasting competitions. Perhaps we need to look at media opportunities the same way as Parkour has and aim for performance, expression and entertainment, rather than competition?
Facebook has been an asset to us and allowed us to spread our videos across the globe. It has enabled us to interact with fans and other riders in a way that television has not, allowing us to receive feedback. Twitter has been great for networking and has meant we've been able to connect with events organisers and even promote our material to celebrities. If you're reading this, then it's working!

Currently, I'm the only rider on the team who solely relies on the income that Unicycling generates. I don't live a lavish lifestyle, it's easier to find a Titanic survivor than someone that I've bought a drink for, but my income increases every year and with it the notoriety of Voodoo Unicycles and the alternative styles of Unicycling. Will Unicycling create professional sportsman like Footballers or Martial Artists? In the current model, no it will not. There is no money in the sport currently, most sponsors support athletes out of the kindness of their heart or to promote within the current market which is far too small to create profits we require. Can we change this? Do we want to change this? Some say Unicycling lacks the appeal that other urban sports have, others say, like in Skating and BMXing, that becoming professional defeats the purpose of riding at all. It's a lifestyle sport and therefore has far more to offer than just a means of getting paid. Is turning professional "selling out"? All I know is that Unicycling isn't what I do, it's who I am and I need money to survive, so why not make money from Unicycling?



Michelangelo said "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark"
Let's start aiming a bit higher!

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Words: Jason Auld
Photos: Erik Rua, Katrina Lynch, Yousef Al-Ali

End of 2011 video!

18/01/2012
We know its almost 3 weeks into the new year, but we had a lot of video footage to look through. We did so much last year it was hard to pick the best parts.

Its here at last, the End of 2011 vid!

Weekly Feature

16/01/2012


Me, my unicycle, a big rock overlooking the Derby Dales and a damn good sunset. I didn't want to be anywhere or with anyone else. Given the chance I wouldn't have added or taken anything away from this scene, I was perfectly content in that moment and I wanted it to last forever.
Its a rare thing to encounter such a feeling and when you do its something to be cherished. I think that's part of the reason I love to ride and continue to do so. Its the pursuit of that feeling that keeps pulling me back to that one wheeled contraption.
I have met so many people, been to so many places and experienced so many things directly because of unicycling. I can honestly say I love this sport and it has changed my entire life for the better.

Words: Edd Hawkes
Photo: Edd Hawkes