Children's motorized monowheel - GIF

**Altair** · Jan 18, 2020, 10:51 PM

Children's motorized monowheel.

Previously:

Lightweight 2x2 Russian ATV motorcycle - video
Steampunk motorcycle - GIF
24-Chainsaw powered motorcycle - video and photo

**Frank S** · Jan 18, 2020, 11:57 PM

The child's apparently leather head gear the guys suit hat and tie plus the horse droppings in the road plus the design of the monowheel suggest either some other country than the USA of sometime back in the 1940s or 50s
Just looked it up 1927 amazing

**that_other_guy** · Jan 26, 2020, 03:45 PM

No son, steer away from the road apples!

**greyhoundollie** · Jan 31, 2020, 11:17 AM

Understanding how the steering works is keeping me guessing. I dont think the "handle bars" turn. I think as you pull on a left or right handle it moves your own body weight a little off center left or right making the wheel lean a little bit with the 90 degree offset of gyro précession. That sound right to anyone? I am really just guessing at this point.

**greyhoundollie** · Jan 31, 2020, 11:28 AM

Well I looked it up on Wikipedia.

Found out you should never attempt to impersonate a gerbil while operating a mono wheel. I didn't know gerbils tried to impersonate hamsters. Kind of like watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild kingdom today.

Risk of "gerbiling". In most designs, if the driver accelerates or brakes too hard, it is possible that the force applied overcomes the force of gravity keeping the rider at the bottom of the wheel, sending the rider spinning around the inside of the wheel. This is known as gerbiling because it has some similarity to the situation of a gerbil running too quickly inside of a hamster wheel.

**greyhoundollie** · Jan 31, 2020, 11:38 AM

And to think before I read the gerbil thing I was considering building one of these to use here on the farm. But then I looked at the video again and decided I have too may cows making too many cow pies all over the place here.

I think I will just stick to my much safer usual pass time. Blowing things up with the left over nitroglycerin tablets I have every month when the new months package of heart meds arrives from the VA.

**greyhoundollie** · Jan 31, 2020, 12:46 PM

https://cdn.hswstatic.com/gif/monowheel-1.jpg

Well the little boy has grown up.

**Frank S** · Jan 31, 2020, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by greyhoundollie

https://cdn.hswstatic.com/gif/monowheel-1.jpg

Well the little boy has grown up.

If not grown up he sure got larger getting older is not conducive of being grown up I know some guys in their 50's and 60's who are still pre teens by their antics