And a Facebook Fan Video

Click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdhw-MnbbHA to watch it in HD, rate the video and comment on it.

I was contacted last week by a Discovery Channel production company interested in this self-balancing unicycle they’ve been hearing about.  They happen to be doing a story on the incredible achievements of Kris Holm and wanted to include what the future of unicycle may be.  If you haven’t heard of Kris Holm, then you have to check him out, he’s what Tony Hawk is to skateboarding, oh, you haven’t heard of Tony Hawk? Tony Hawk is what Michael Jordan is to Basketball…you know Michael Jordan, right? Wow, you need to get out more. Okay, let’s move on. So Kris Holm, awesome unicyclist, and turned out to be a really cool guy as well.

I drove up to Canada and met the film crew at this huge skate park in Vancouver (where everyone said my car was, for sure, going to get broken into) and luckily found a parking spot within view of the park. They filmed me meeting Kris and him learning to ride the SBU for the first time.  It’s always interesting when expert unicyclists try the SBU because it requires them to unlearn certain techniques for them to balance. Luckily Kris had great balance and it only took a few minutes for him to be cruising around on the SBU. I think the fact that he experiments with so many different riding styles and conditions allowed him to adapt very quickly to the SBU.  Also, he has no fear and just went for it with everything he had.  He thoroughly enjoyed the SBU and was quickly seeing what tricks and stunts he could achieve with it. I told him to try any trick he could think of, SBUs are extremely tough. He went from riding it at top speed to standing on it, to one-foot standing, then progressed to riding it down concrete stairs and banking it off ramps. Eventually he became very comfortable on it and was zooming around the whole skate park in pretty unconventional riding “stances” freaking out all of the pot-heads that had gathered to watch. At one point I was talking to the director and I looked over to see Kris riding the SBU on his belly.

I also was able to give Kris Holm’s unicycles a try, which was awesome because they are by far the best unicycles you can buy. Then he taught me how to freemount his unicycle, thanks Kris! Next Kris and I rode down some sheer granite faces off a 15,520 foot high volcano called…okay, just kidding, only Kris does stuff like that.

Everyone on the production crew was great and they all gave the SBU a try. Look for the segment to air in a new prime time series called “Is It Possible?” on the Discovery Channel in January.

You’ve probably seen Honda’s new U3-X “segway unicycle” all over the internet and compared it to the SBU…well here is my take on it:

The U3-X is cool, I like it a lot and wouldn’t mind having one (for free, Honda want me to test it?). But there are some drawbacks compared to the SBU (what? I’m not biased at all). For example, it only goes 3.7MPH, that’s 1/3 the speed of an SBU. It has a third the range at only 3.7 miles, the SBU goes 10 miles on a charge. It appears to have a very small ground contact and would not fair well with minor defects in the road surface.  The U3-X appears pretty fragile compared to the SBU which has front/rear bumpers and scuff guards.  They weigh about the same. Also, the SBU is in production, available now for only $1499. I can almost guarantee the U3-X won’t sell for less than $1500. Okay, okay, I’ll concede one point to the U3-X, they used much prettier models in their photos. See, I’m not biased.

The Interbike show was amazing. Our booth was about 20 feet away from the demo area, which was pretty surreal with a constant flow of crazy new contraptions, bikes, scooters and SBUs of course.

We always had two SBUs in the demo area ready for people to test out, and did they ever. We trained 100+ new SBU riders while at the show. Being a bike expo, most people had good balance which meant that new riders were learning the SBU in about 10 minutes. It was definitely the hit of the demo area, said the demo area coordinator. We were the only exhibitor that had a line of riders waiting to ride. The SBU is something that you really have to test ride to understand and appreciate, and it was great to have a space for bike shop buyers/owners and the media to take it for a spin and really kick the tire. It was also a great testament to the durability of the SBU. People were pretty hard on the SBUs, crashing them into other bikes, dropping them and trying new tricks. We didn’t have a single issue with any of the SBUs.

While in Vegas three of us took the SBUs out on the strip and got quite a bit of attention. People were stopping us asking where they could rent them and how they worked. It also demonstrated how well the SBUs work in large crowds, we felt confident riding between people knowing that we could stop on a dime by putting our feet down and wouldn’t run over their ankles because the SBU tire is safely between our legs. An SBU rider basically has the same footprint as a pedestrian. Also they were a breeze to carry up stairs or take on elevators and escalators. Overall the Interbike show was a great experience. We got our name out there and showed everyone that the SBU is a legitimate product that is fun, useful and durable. And the orders are already starting to come in. Thanks to David Martschinske and Alan Ecoff for helping make it happen; and everyone else with thier encouraging words and willingness to try the SBU.

As far as the day-to-day here around the office, we’ve been up to no good causing panic and confusion with our one wheel wonders, the ONLY retail Self-Balancing Unicycle.  Don’t get me wrong, we also use our noble steeds for noble deeds.  In fact, last week I saw Daniel pull 3 old ladies out of a burning building while riding his SBU.  I’ve drawn out a detailed picture so you can see that Daniel Wood is more than just a hero for nerds, he’s also a hero to the elderly!

I bet you all didn’t think that I was a professional graphic designer!  Oh, and by the way, as this was all going down, I stopped 2 robberies in progress from happening by chasing them down the streets while on my SBU.  These things are crazy useful.  Next week I plan on saving somebody from identity theft while on the SBU.  I know, they are big goals but it’s like my mom always said, “Dream big on your unicycle, David… dream big”.  That and her other advice of “Please keep your pants on in public” are what really shaped me into the man I am today.

You all are now thinking to yourselves, “I want to be apart of the NERD HERD too! How do I join?”

Well, we don’t just let anyone join – You have to prove you are worthy of the ‘Herd.  You have two main routes.

1. You can write a letter.  Here is basic format:  ”Dear Your Nerdliness,  I feel that I am ‘nerd’ enough to join your crew for these reasons (list reasons). Please review my application to become a loyal member of the NERD HERD and gain sweet access to swag” Email it to us here.
2. And then there is the more direct route: Buy an SBU and join instantly.

Even Jesus showed up to try it:

You can read more about it at BikePortland.org:

http://bikeportland.org/2009/06/12/report-unicycle-noobs-with-photos/

And see some photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomascosauce/sets/72157619583953367/

David Martschinske and I were invited to bring some SBUs to the Unicycling Club at Pleasant Valley Middle School last Wednesday.  We brought 3 SBUs not knowing if the kids would be daring enough to give them a go.  But immediately we were literally being circled by two girls on unicycles and I knew they would do great.

After I breifly explained how the SBU worked, demonstrated it and answered questions, the teacher told all the kids to start practicing.  There was an instant swarm of about 30 little kids on unicycles; it was pretty cool (and kind of scary).

David and I helped three of the brave kids learn to ride the SBU, they did great.  In about ten minutes there were three kids on SBUs amongst the swarm in the gymnasium.  There were even kids on 5ft tall giraffe unicycles.  David and I had a blast and look forward to visiting them again.

http://www.kgw.com/archive/59549397.html

Here comes the wave.

Vancouver engineer invents self-balancing unicycle

by Allan Brettman 
Monday May 25, 2009, 6:05 PM

Fredrick D. Joe/The Oregonian – Daniel Wood, co-founder of Focus Designs and inventor of the Self-Balancing Unicycle, demonstrates the battery-powered gadget outside his downtown Vancouver office. Wood, who created the company with his brother, Bobby Wood, is awaiting sales orders after the product became available about two weeks ago.
VANCOUVER — Off in the distance, a unicycle rolls around the ellipse that circles downtown’s Esther Short Park.

Nothing unusual there, though you might think of Vancouver as more of a meat, potatoes and bicycles-only kind of town. But there’s something different about this unicycle.

There’s a blocky-looking thing under the saddle. And the rider isn’t pedaling, yet the contraption is moving. And the rider is playing a guitar.

By the time the rider rolls into closer view, it’s clear that the unicycle is battery-powered. And it’s clear that the rider is doing his best to promote the wizardry of inventor Daniel Wood.

Wood, a high school dropout and self-taught engineer, invented the electric, gyroscope-packed, one-wheeled cycle to help launch a new company in downtown Vancouver.

The invention is known as the SBU — for Self-Balancing Unicycle — and offers the promise of taking some of the circus-stunt nature of the unicycle to the masses.

Fredrick D. Joe/The Oregonian – Daniel Wood (left), founder of Focus Designs and inventor of the Self-Balancing Unicycle, and David Martschinske demonstrate the SBU outside their office in downtown Vancouver
The SBU delivers on one-half of the equation — front to back balancing — but the rider still must figure out the essential left and right balancing that’s essential to turning and staying upright.

Nevertheless, Wood, a 30-year-old refugee from a Vancouver high-tech firm where he was laid off last year, has created a product that appears to have few parallels in the market.

He’s spent more than two years developing and perfecting the design with this in mind: “I wanted to make something I would want to ride.”

There are other electric unicycles, and the two-wheeled Segway has shown the importance of gyroscopes in keeping a wheeled vehicle from tipping. But the SBU appears to be one of a handful to have combined the two features.

Now Wood and his partners need people to pay $1,599 apiece for an SBU in the midst of a recession. Four units are on order, all from people who have said they’re interested in being distributors.

Wood has gotten two technological gadgetry celebrities on the SBU — Adam Savage, host of the Discovery Channel’s “MythBusters,” and Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway.

Savage contacted Wood just moments after he saw a story about the SBU on the Web site, gizmodo.com. “I gotta have one,” Savage recalled telling Wood in an e-mail.

Savage, whose program regularly features construction of contraptions, is a longtime unicyclist. He commuted on them when he lived in New York City and, to amaze his friends, he’d bounce down stairs on a unicycle or juggle while riding one.

So he was eager to try out the SBU when Wood and his friends arrived on the “MythBusters” set in January. He quickly was hooked.

“I love it!” Savage said in the phone interview. He keeps the SBU on the set.

A regular unicycle and the SBU are different enough that it’s an apples to oranges comparison, Savage said.

The biggest difference would be starting and stopping.

The SBU’s internal gyroscope senses, through the rider’s movement, whether he wants
to go forward, slow down or stop. Lean forward enough, and it can go faster — up to 10 mph.

A skilled rider can ride uphill and downhill as easily as on flat ground.

But it takes a skilled rider to make the SBU perform at all. First-time riders will spend much of their introductory moments sitting on the saddle, walking the SBU with one foot and making tentative attempts to roll with both feet on pedal-size platforms.

Most people can be up and going in 45 minutes, Wood said.

The Segway’s Kamen wasn’t one of them. While Wood was able to get the famous inventor on an SBU during a visit to Kamen’s house in New Hampshire during a robotics conference last year, the Segway inventor needed help to stay aboard.

Even Savage says the SBU’s commercial prospects are challenging.

“It seems to me a fairly niche market,” he said. “But someone had to do this. It just had to get done.”

– Allan Brettman; allanbrettman@news.oregonian.com