Ben Bassett is a Wheaton native who works at Proteus Bicycles in College Park. While his work is focused on bikes, his passion for motorless vehicles extends beyond the two-wheeled world. A unicyclist of three years, he can sometimes be seen riding to work along Randolph Road.
Wheaton Patch: Tell us about yourself.
Ben Bassett: I'm 25 and originally from Montgomery County. Now I've worked at Proteus Bicycles for over two years.
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Patch: When did you start unicycling?
Bassett: I started about three years ago. I was doing some work for my neighbors and I noticed an old unicycle sitting in their garage. So, I asked to have the unicycle as my payment. I actually didn't learn right away after that, but a couple months later I finally taught myself. It took a few weeks, but I looked online and found out the basics of unicycling and learned in an average amount of time.
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Patch: Are you now part of a unicycling community?
Bassett: The community here isn't really very big. There are online communities with members from all over the world, and I look at those sometimes, but I'm not really active. I knew a girl who was a pretty good unicyclist in College Park but she just moved to Europe.
Patch: What makes a community particularly good for unicycling?
Bassett: Flat roads and open spaces are good. College Park is actually pretty good for unicycling, but you wouldn't want to do it down Route 1 or anything. I guess for people who like to do tricks, the University of Maryland campus could be a really good place.
Patch: Do you have any long term goals for your unicycling future?
Bassett: I don't really want to do fancy things. I guess I just want to get better with my hops and learn to idle better.
Patch: Do you have any other special talents like juggling or eating fire?
Bassett: No I can't do that. There are unicyclists who juggle but it's kind of a misconception that all of us do that.
Patch: Do you have any advice for aspiring unicyclists?
Bassett: It's important to start by holding onto a fence or a wall. Once you get your balance you'll be able to ride away.
