Fixies are so 2010: Maxwell Devita is one wheel ahead of the curve

Sintra MartinsStaff WriterThe biking trend has been reinvented by Samo freshman Maxwell Devita. This groundbreaking cyclist believes less is more as he carves a path on the way to, from and around Samo, winding between cars, trees and other obstacles with ease on his blue and white unicycle.Devita’s hobby began in the summer of 2010, when his uncle bought a unicycle valued at $200 from a neighbor for only ten dollars.During a family reunion, Devita’s uncle spent two days passing his knowledge down to his nephew.Yet, when the reunion ended, Devita could ride no more than two feet at a time.For Christmas that same year, after displaying a great interest for the sport during the reunion, Devita received his own brand new unicycle.“I spent that entire week of winter break [practicing]. Even now, I practice up to three hours a weekend,” Devita said as he sped through the science quad on his one-wheeled bike.Since he attended John Adams Middle School (JAMS), Devita has used his talents to transport himself to and from school on several occasions.On these days, it took Devita five to ten minutes to travel a mile on his unicycle.“I had a 16-inch wheel at first, and I rode that to JAMS,” Devita said as he teetered between his front and back petals on his 24-inch wheel, using a tree for support. “I really want to get a 32-inch wheel though, that would make riding so much easier.”Because unicycles are fixed gears, the smaller the wheel, the more rotations it requires to travel a certain distance, and therefore the more energy it takes to travel with it. Riding a larger wheeled unicycle is easier because it takes fewer rotations to make it go further.After showing off some of his biking skills, a few kids from across the Science Quad started shouting encouragements.“I get comments like that a lot. You know, ‘you’re so swag’ and ‘you’re so awesome’, ‘what happened to the rest of your bike?’” Devita said with a smile.Devita plans to share his enthusiasm for unicycling with other Samo students through his new Unicycle Club, which meets Fridays after school from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. in room H122.Devita says Unicycle club will start off with simple lessons, but he has high hopes for the club. Devita thinks a unicycle basket ball team would be something fun to work towards.Devita also has high hopes for the future, both related and unrelated to unicycling.“A lot of people have asked me if I’m going to join a circus. The idea is interesting to me, but not necessarily as a unicyclist,” Devita said. “I find trapeze really interesting. I also think mountain unicycling [is cool], so the next time I go hiking, I’m going to bring my unicycle.”On top of starting a unicycle club and biking or unicycling to school every day, Devita is constantly trying new one-wheeled tricks.“Yesterday, I rode down a flight of 29 stairs,” Devita said. “The stairs were flat, though, and pretty small—about four inches tall. It took me about 50 tries, and two hours.”While the risk of injury might seem high for people who don’t unicycle, Devita has suffered no serious injuries from his challenging pass-time.“One of the biggest misconceptions about unicycling is that you’re going to fall and hurt yourself, but most of the time you just jump off and land on your feet,” Devita said. “I’ve never had any broken bones. The worst I’ve fallen was on my tailbone.”Minutes later, he rode steadily on a ledge about two feet wide, then successfully jumped off onto the solid ground from three feet in the air.Of course, there are always risks when riding a unicycle.“One of the most painful things is when your foot slips off the pedal, but the wheel keeps going. It smacks you in the shin,” Devita said, demonstrating the mechanics of this problem.However, Devita does not let the risk stop him.“Right now, I’m just trying to push boundaries,” Devita said.Not only is Devita a skilled rider, but he’s a also very sociable person. He takes every opportunity to chat with the onlookers he often attracts.Devita also networks with other unicyclists, one of which gave him the unicycle he currently rides.Another friend of his gave him an old Schwinn Giraffe unicycle, a type of unicycle that attaches the pedals to the wheel allowing for an extended seat.The prospect of a new unicycle thrilled Devita, so he gladly accepted.Though the four foot high Giraffe isn’t in the best condition, Devita still plans to replace the rusting parts with new ones so he can ride it.Devita is a student that pushes boundaries and inspires others to question the norm, something which he hopes he hopes to do throughout his time at Samo.“I get a lot of head turns. They’re not all good, but who   cares,” Devita said as he rode off through the science quad and down the hill towards Barnum.smartins@thesamohi.comBen Weiller contributed to this article.