We’ve put the Nokia Lumia 900 in the hands of Jacob Spera as part of Nokia Connects:Go. Jacob likes to off-road. Not in a 4×4, not on a motorbike, but on a…unicycle. Yeah, his one wheel beats anything I could do on two, or even four!
We caught up with Jacob to ask him some burning questions:
Jacob…having seen your videos we wanted to know….why? Why a unicycle?
I started unicycling about eight years ago when I saw my friend ride a unicycle to the bus stop. It looked like something that was very interesting and challenging. it took me a week to learn how to ride and since then I have just been hooked by it because there are so many things you can do on them. The idea of “extreme” unicycling is pretty new so there are a lot of things that people have not done so you get to see what is possible and what isn’t. I enjoy that aspect about unicycling and that is why I enjoy riding them so much.
What’s the biggest challenge about off-roading on one wheel?
The toughest challenge about unicycling in general is that they are a fixed gear, meaning that when the wheel is spinning backwards or forwards the cranks are always rotating. This means that you can go as fast as you can pedal. The biggest challenge with off-road unicycling, AKA muni (mountain unicycling), is the fact that you are balancing on one wheel. The terrain is always changing beneath you, so you always have to be ready for radical balance changes at anytime.
What’s been your biggest wipeout/injury to date?
I have had a few bad injuries over the years but the worst one so far kept me from riding for a few months. The cartilage in my ankle started to build up scar tissue on it and this has caused chronic inflammation. I have also a slipped disk in my back, this one isn’t so bad because I don’t feel it in a painful way. The most entertaining fall I have had was when I was grinding a handrail and I slipped off and landed on the rail with my [edited]. This caused some bleeding and a doctors to work saying that I couldn’t walk for a few days.
What are you planning with the Lumia 900 you’re trialling?Any new tricks to debut?
With the Lumia 900 I plan on filming some long technical downhill lines.
Now you’ve spent a couple of days with phone, are you planning to use a Nokia Lumia as your full time phone?
I would love to use the Lumia as my full time phone! This is the first smart phone I have used and I am amazed with all the features it has. It would be perfect for college right now, you have the internet at your fingertips and endless other features to help you with your everyday life. The camera on the phone is really cool to! I enjoy taking pictures and with my current “flip phone” pictures are lacking that high quality feel.
Keep your eyes open for more from Jacob, especially on his YouTube channel where you’ll see the first videos from his Lumia 900 soon. What would you do with a Nokia Lumia if you got your hands on one? Let us know and you could be part of Nokia Connects: Go soon.