The single wheel of Max Perrin’s unicycle presses firmly against the concrete steps in front of the Hall of Languages. He turns the bike-like contraption horizontally, parallel to the steps, and wrinkles his face in concentration.

The unicycle and its rider bounce sideways once, twice down the stairs until the tire loses its grip on one wet step and the pair tumbles to the ground.

Perrin gets up with a laugh and looks around sheepishly.

“I got too cocky,” he said, getting back up on the cycle and making his way back to the top of the stairs.

He cycles back down, perpendicularly this time, without missing a step.

Perrin is a junior civil engineering major, and he is a frequent beacon of the alternative sports scene around the Syracuse University campus.

He isn’t the only person on campus with a unicycle, noting he has met one or two others with a shared interest in riding, but he recognizes he is certainly the one who rides in public the most — the high-profile SU unicycle representative.

While he can be seen on his distinctive mode of transportation riding from his home in the Westcott neighborhood to and from class every day, or cycling and juggling on the Quad, he is more than just a unicyclist. Perrin is a member of U100, gives tours across campus, participates in SU’s Engineers without Borders and is passionate about sustainability and social and environmental justice.

When he isn’t wheeling around on his monochromic vehicle, he enjoys camping, hiking, listening to his favorite band — The Cat Empire — or reading a good J.R.R. Tolkien novel. He and his friends enjoy juggling, and even gave some thought into forming a club on campus, though it is something that has yet to be officially put into effect.

But he is not a fan of the circus analogies he hears.

“I resent all of the affiliations between unicyclists and those who work in the circus,” Perrin said, referring to the amount of times passers-by have whistled the iconic circus theme as he wheeled past. “That’s one of my least favorite things.”

For Perrin, the unicycle doesn’t need to be something associated with an act or doing tricks. It is enough on its own as a mode of transportation — something equal to the speed of running, but with the energy consumption of walking, Perrin said — or as a sport.

He admits, though, that his introduction to the unorthodox activity was in a somewhat flashy setting.

Perrin first became interested in the one-wheeled life after watching a unicyclist perform at the Great New York State Fair the summer before his sophomore year of high school. Perrin, who admits he was “always one to pick up random, strange things,” asked his parents for a unicycle the following Christmas. They obliged.

It took him until the next summer to actually commit to the sport and begin practicing. He took a liking to it before his junior year of high school.

He rode around on an $80 unicycle at first, until he was granted an upgrade for his high school graduation — a relatively high-end unicycle designed to be able to handle off-roading — in layman’s terms, a “mountain unicycle.” His current unicycle has seen more than 100 miles on its durable tires, the longest distance in one shot being a 14-mile ride.

Perrin is aware the unicycle is a strange option, but he does forget from time to time, often leaving his house wondering why people across the street are giving him the once-over. But he gets a great deal of enjoyment out of riding.

For Perrin, there are really four main reasons for sticking with the unicycle.

The first is convenience. It is quick, but doesn’t require the same type of cardio as running. Plus, it provides a substantial core workout.

The second is the difficulty level that adds an element of fun to riding.

He compared it to alpine skiing.

“You get a rush of weaving in and out, going over bumps, it’s kind of thrilling,” Perrin said. “I take a little bit of pride in being able to do something that most people can’t.”

Perrin noted that the act of cycling around was something often received positively by people around him. More often than not, people who see him pass walk away wearing a smile. It is something he says generally makes people happy.

But the final reason Perrin provided for his love of unicycling was an honest acknowledgement of the appeal of being recognizable. It makes him the go-to guy for all things unicycle and gives him something on campus to be seen as.

Said Perrin: “It’s nice to be famous for something. It’s cool to be that kid who rides a unicycle.”

Published on April 16, 2013 at 11:11 pm

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