How to learn unicycling ? [Archive] - Page 3

lillestrøm_uni

2008-07-09, 03:19 PM

Approx 14 hrs total riding.

Lillestrom, You sound like you are doing great. I really think it is impressive to learn on such a big uni! I know you have probably posted this before but what size cranks are you using?

My cranks are the ones that came with the Nightrider, 152mm - see the specs here at UDC UK:

http://www.unicycle.uk.com/shop/shopdisplayproduct.asp?catalogid=1069

As for training, I've spent a total of 16 hours divided among 7 sessions on different days over a period of about 5 weeks. It's been a week since my last session now, I hope to get out again tonight or tomorrow night.

The two last times I rode I managed to ride up to 85 meters before UPDing (30 revolutions of the 36" wheel) and I also managed almost a half circle when trying to turn - the radius on that parking lot is a bit too small for me, but I think it is good practice in addition to simply riding straight. I'll have to learn how to turn anyway since I cannot really ride much longer than 85 meters without either going up a slight hill (I got about halfway so far) or turning.

The other option is of course going out on a road to ride longer, but currently that is out of the question since I cannot freemount and I'm nothing near stable so it would be dangerous even on a quiet road, then I'd have to dismount at the slightest sign of a car, and I would also be embarrassed to UPD in front of people.

So I need more practice riding in the parking lot. Probably I should keep riding there until I consistently ride the entire length of it, preferrably also manage to go up the slight hill and up on the road in front of the building, and even turn around so I can just go around and around in the parking lot. Once I am there, I would feel safe enough to get out and go riding somewhere else.

What do you guys think of that plan?

lillestrøm_uni

2008-07-09, 09:47 PM

As for training, I've spent a total of 16 hours divided among 7 sessions on different days over a period of about 5 weeks. It's been a week since my last session now, I hope to get out again tonight or tomorrow night.

... I cannot really ride much longer than 85 meters without either going up a slight hill (I got about halfway so far) or turning.

So I was out today :-)

I practiced for 2,5 hours, increasing my total time to 18,5 hours over 8 sessions. And I increased my total distance in a session from 1 km to 2,7 km, setting a new distance record for a single run of 117 meters (!) and in the process of doing that I had to climb that little hill. I was fairly balanced and I was able to recover at least a few times from what looked like imbalances that would surely lead to UPDs last time I rode, plus I can stop and start again while riding (usually not by purpose, but I can also do it on purpose).

Thus I am thinking that even if I cannot free mount, I am ready for the "open spaces". Unless I learn to make sharp turns I cannot really make longer rides than about 100 meters in this parking lot. Today I literally went from one edge of the pavement to the other edge at the far side, going half way around the building in the process - the other half of the building is surrounded by grass and bushes... So without more turns and zigzags it is not possible to ride longer than 117 meters there.

PS: See my journal for more details :-)

lillestrøm_uni

2008-07-10, 08:36 PM

So I had another session today and I went to a much bigger parking lot, set a new distance record of 450 meters (or so, I used my car's odometer) going from one end to the other, plus I managed to do a full circle and return to my starting point - that ride was probably over 100 meters. I did the maximum ride 3 times and I had several shorter rides of about 200 and less.

Getting a better feel for the balance but I still have problems keeping a steady speed. If I try ti sit down in the saddle I lean forward and accelerate, and then I have to force the pedals slower and lean back, resulting in a near standstill.

At least it is a great workout for the legs...

With 2 more hours today I have passed 20 hours total, and for the first time I think a decent percentage of the time was actually in the saddle. Perhaps 25-30% (perhaps I am exaggerating, I didn't have a stopwatch).

All right, good luck to you all!

yUNIkoner

2008-07-12, 06:36 PM

I've been out of town for a week at a course in a First Nations traditional camp. Before I left, I was working on SIF hopping and I was able to hop up 9 inches SIF. I find that the seat bangs on my leg SIF and I get bruises on the front of my leg in the middle of my thigh.
I brought my uni to camp and spent a little time trying to do 180 unispins but I found that my ankles were sore so I mostly just rode around this week. A couple of other teachers expressed interest in learning to uni which would be cool because I would like to ride with some other people.

yUNIkoner

2008-07-13, 01:44 AM

Today I worked on rolling hops and i can now do rolling hops onto a pallet. :)
After that I worked a bit on SIF but I am kind of worn out this weekend so I went for a ride. I was able to go twice as far before my legs turned to jelly.
I am thinking of making a video.

yUNIkoner

2008-07-14, 09:32 AM

BurnerDave

2008-07-14, 04:32 PM

Yi-haaa! Nice video.

hugo

2008-07-16, 01:53 PM

Three posts in a row...
I just finished a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVljHvXem0A) of a session I had today. A sort of one month celebration. I was pretty tired by the time I filmed this but I had fun. So did my dogs.:)

VERY nice. You seem to be very talented. Although the dog seems to be aware that there may be deep-flying unicycles coming along.... ;)

yUNIkoner

2008-07-18, 02:01 AM

peej

2008-07-19, 02:44 AM

I got my unicycle today (Torker LX 24") and I would just like to say I have a new found appreciation for all of the even "minor" accomplishments by everyone in this thread. :D

My accomplishments for today:
learning about different screw sizes/types (one of mine was missing* :eek:)
learning to saw through metal pipes
sitting on a unicycle while holding onto stuff with both hands

I think the weirdest part of it all was, after weeks of reading, actually experiencing some of the same learning-issues (like putting weight on the seat really does feel foreign). Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a chance to really start learning. :)

*I went to Home Depot, which turns out doesn't have metric-sized hex socket screws, but I got something close enough to work for now.

BurnerDave

2008-07-19, 03:40 AM

Hi Peej,
Welcome to the best darn thread on the site!

lillestrøm_uni

2008-07-19, 07:41 PM

Thanks for the encouragement.
I enjoy taking my dogs out when I go for a muni ride. They are fairly well behaved. I had a great muni ride today. I feel so much more in control. I kind of wish I had a 24" uni for trails but I don't think that will happen soon. I think I might build up an indoor wheelset for my nimbus though, because the season is so short here.
I bought some basketball high tops because I have been having so many ankle troubles. i think it helps but I do notice a loss of sensitivity to the pedals.

I am heading off to play at the Dawson City Music Festival this weekend and I am bringing my uni. i love that unis are so portable. I am bringing our small car because of gas prices and it doesn't take up much space.

Nice video! However, after all your stories of riding around the ice rink, I was a bit disappointed it was just riding 5 meters and jumping a little. Of course jumping is hard, and I agree with BurnerDave that you're very talented :-)

But I am missing more cool riding videos. I guess then you need somebody to follow you a cam, like UniGeezer's video "Unicycling on the Beach". I don't have that, and I am guessing you don't either, since it was all fixed angle.

So I realize why most videos are of hopping, since once I started riding more than 10-20 meters I am just "disappearing" and it makes for a dull video.

That is, when I play it at 2x or even 4x or 8x speed, it looks funny :-) So does anybody know how you can edit the video like that? Not just cut and paste and titles, but speed up and speed down? Is that possible with free programs?

Anyway, I hope to see you do some Muni on video soon :-)

Also, I can recommend using basketball shoes, I've been wearing them since day one but you are right they are not very stable. I need shoes with stiffer soles.

Finally, good to hear you are environmentally friendly - now just get the rest of your countrymen to join you... ;-)

lillestrøm_uni

2008-07-19, 07:44 PM

My accomplishments for today:
learning about different screw sizes/types (one of mine was missing* :eek:)
learning to saw through metal pipes
sitting on a unicycle while holding onto stuff with both hands

Haha, you just summarized my first day as well :-)

Looking forward to read about your progress!

Best wishes from Norway

peej

2008-07-19, 10:08 PM

BurnerDave

2008-07-20, 12:59 AM

lillestrøm_uni

2008-07-20, 12:38 PM

Well, I'm getting better riding with one hand against the wall. I feel like I'm already forming bad habits by leaning too much towards the wall (especially because I find it much harder to go the other direction), but I'm pretty sure I'm not ready to leave it yet, either. ;)

As you will see from my journal, I found it really excellent that I was actually able to support myself of the ceiling instead of the wall, that way I could ride straight and by gradually reducing my pressure upwards I could ride more an more naturally, even sitting down on the seat since I would stabilize myself.

I felt this really helped me in the about 7 hours I spent in the basement before going outside to ride free

This is probably because I am 6'2" and riding a coker, so I am much higher up than most beginners. I think the ceiling was a regular 220 cm above the floor, not sure. But my helmet was just about 30-40 cm below the ceiling, just perfect to make me feel comfortable and not "dizzy" from the height. There were also some horizontal water pipes there that I could hang on to :-)

You will see when I post my video :-) Still working on that.

Best wishes and good luck!

peej

2008-07-20, 05:51 PM

Well, I finally got to practice some facing the other direction this morning.

I think my problem with it yesterday was that I'm using the wall of the carport to ride along, so one direction is exiting and one direction is towards the back wall, and I had the fear of crashing + no horizon guidance. Because using the other side (facing out) wasn't a problem (aside from still not being able to ride ;)).

I'm starting to be frustrated by the length of my practice walls...on one side I've got slightly less than the length of the carport, on the other I can continue out along the fence if I dare (chain link with the spikes on top :eek: ), which gives me two options: a) find somewhere else or b) learn to not need the wall.

So far basically all of my attempts to leave the wall end up in a pretty hard crash (mostly for the uni), but on the wall I do feel more controlled than yesterday. :)

p.s. lillestrøm: I have no basement. :p I have tried holding onto the awning above the patio, but there's not any room to ride there.

BurnerDave

2008-07-21, 02:09 AM

[QUOTE=peej]Well, I finally got to practice some facing the other direction this morning.

I think my problem with it yesterday was that I'm using the wall of the carport to ride along, so one direction is exiting and one direction is towards the back wall, and I had the fear of crashing + no horizon guidance. Because using the other side (facing out) wasn't a problem (aside from still not being able to ride ;)).

I'm starting to be frustrated by the length of my practice walls...on one side I've got slightly less than the length of the carport, on the other I can continue out along the fence if I dare (chain link with the spikes on top :eek: ), which gives me two options: a) find somewhere else or b) learn to not need the wall.

So far basically all of my attempts to leave the wall end up in a pretty hard crash (mostly for the uni), but on the wall I do feel more controlled than yesterday. :)

QUOTE]

That sounds like a pretty good set-up... how about just riding along the wall and heading out when you reach the end? After a while you'll go farther and farther. Or is it further and further? Where's Augustdreamt!

yUNIkoner

2008-07-22, 10:52 AM

Peej
Unicycling is completely addictive. Welcome to the support group.

I would suggest using a wall the first few minutes of a session just to get a feel for how the wheel moves under you. After that, use the wall to mount and then ride away from the wall. The wall is good for getting a feel for the uni but then I am wondering if it doesn't slow down the learning process.
Don't worry about the uni hitting the ground. From what I can tell, they are generally built pretty solidly. If you aren't worrying about protecting your uni, then you can focus more on protecting yourself! :p

peej

2008-07-22, 12:30 PM

Didn't do too much yesterday as it's getting progessively hotter here (high temp is listed at 100F today :eek: ) but I did learn:

1) learning on the grass is near impossible because the wheel doesn't move (it's been said, but I had to prove it to myself of course ;) )

2) sometimes it helps to relax and not think so much about what you are trying to do

yUNIkoner

2008-07-22, 07:48 PM

BurnerDave

2008-07-23, 12:07 AM

Peej

Do you wear any pads? I think pads can erase the worry of hurting yourself and free up some focus for riding the uni. I guess the only problem with them is that they can be hot especially if you live in a warm area. I don't have that problem. We are having a crappy cold rainy summer. :)

Burnerdave

Are you over the injuries and riding regularly? It would be a shame to lose the summer after an Ontario winter in parking garages. :(

Hey there yUNIkoner,
Yup, I've been back on the uni for a week or so. I'm able to get around two, 30 minute sessions each day, (morning and evening). But the humidity is bad this month and the temperature feels like 30 every day. It's tough to stay out longer than that. I'm soaked after a ride! But I love it.
I did lose some stamina and am not able to do the 700 meter trip around the block that I did before, partly because I have been out of practice, and partly because I still have a lot of weight on my legs. But in the last few days my mission is to get all my weight onto the seat. In fact, as I ride, I tell myself over and over, to sit on the seat. It seems to be working. I can feel myself shifting more weight to my seat. I've been sticking to the pavement along the park, but occasionally I head off onto the grass for fun and am able to go about 10-20 feet.
Unfortunately, I won't be going to Burning Man next month so I'll have to wait until next year to fulfil my dream of riding around the Playa on my 29" all night long! O well, 2009 is just around the corner.

Dave

peej

2008-07-23, 11:52 PM

@ pads: I'm wearing a helmet and wrist guards.

Today I got bored of riding down the fence, so I decided to force myself to go diagonally away from the fence. The first few attempts resulted in an immediate left turn back to grab the fence (hey, who knew I could turn? ;) ), but after a number of tries I was finally able to fall right in front of the fence instead of right along it. It's a big psychological barrier to go from holding on to something to holding on to nothing...as expected, the first too-many attempts got me at best about half a pedal...usually less (basically position 3-9 to 6-12 and then stop, about a quarter turn). After a whole lot of those, I finally managed something that got me about 10 or so feet out from the fence, which really excited me and really annoyed me when I couldn't reproduce it on the next few tries. :p

Eventually I figured out what gets me that 10 feet mostly comes down to two things:
leaning farther forward to start
getting a little momentum/push off the fence to get the pedals going

When I did those 2 things, I had a fairly good success rate for getting that 10 feet (or so). I still need to figure out how to keep my balance longer than that, but I do feel like I finally broke the psychological dependence on the wall at least. :D

p.s. also, I had no major falls today when leaving the wall, which helped a lot compared to the last time I tried ;)

yUNIkoner

2008-07-24, 04:42 AM

Great Peej!
I think that you will find that you will progress faster once you move away from the wall. Are your pedals plastic? I also found that shin/knee guard like the 661s kept me from worrying as much about falling and getting pedal bite. I probably should be wearing wrist guards though. I just can't find ones I like here.

peej

2008-07-25, 12:47 AM

I practiced the from-the-fence thing for about 50 minutes tonight.

Basically, I set my goal about 20-25 feet away (where the driveway meets the grass). My first attempts tonight were pretty weak...I'd say I was out there almost 30 minutes before I was even doing as good as yesterday (occasional 10 feet). But my persistence despite the sweat dripping down my nose and into my eyes paid off. After getting a few 10s, I got a few 20s, and even a "circular" 25.

Problem is, most of them (especially the longer ones) were more like riding in a circle than straight (usually veering to the right, but not always) because I start to fall towards that direction and I can't seem to correct it (too far gone) but I can keep pedaling a little bit.

But, I kept trying, and eventually I did it: I rode straight (more or less) from the fence to exactly where my target was (and subsequently PDed onto the grass). :D

So what did I do? Come here to celebrate?

Of course not. I went back to the fence, picked a spot a little farther out.... ;)

And after another 10-15 minutes, I actually made it pretty close to that one too. I walked the unicycle from each spot that I made it to back to the fence to see how far it was (in pedal-revolutions, I think approximately 6ft each). The first target was about 20-25 ft out (based on revolutions), the spot that I made it to heading to the second was about 6.5 revs = about 40 ft. :)

The things I thought about most today (in approximate order of importance [to me]):
pedal smoothly
watch the target not the ground
sit up straighter

Also I would like to add one other thing...reading through older posts in this thread and the other learning-journals, one thing that you really miss is the sense of time...everything "happens" so quickly when you're just quickly reading through a whole thread. Since I got my unicycle last friday, tomorrow marks the first day of my 2nd week. :cool:

yUNIkoner

2008-07-25, 08:23 AM

It is pretty exciting when you see progress! :)
I'd like to say that I've been progressing but I haven't been on my uni since Saturday. Between the weather and yard work, things just got in the way. The weather has been so lousy here this summer that I am already thinking of places to ride during the winter. :(

It's funny that you mention looking where you are going instead of the ground. Last time I was riding, I noticed that I focused on the ground right in front of me. I figured that this was counterproductive so I forced myself to look up. I found it really difficult. It was on a bumpy trail so I will have to try looking farther ahead on pavement and see if this is different. At least I am going really slow on my 20" so the crash won't be too spectacular if I don't see something soon enough. :p

guilhermeteles

2008-07-25, 06:35 PM

Hey guys Im here to post my progress here is my video
http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=LdGtuVPuazc

1 month and a half I hope you enjoy
Best Regards from Brazil

hugo

2008-07-25, 06:45 PM

Haven't been here for some time, sorry. Latest: I did a 27 km ride (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1067207&postcount=844) in 2 hrs 8 min on my new 29" QU-AX Cross with KH freeride saddle. The last few Kilometers were quite difficult because I couldn't sit anymore.

yUNIkoner

2008-07-26, 07:17 AM

Guilherme
That is awesome! How much do you ride everyday? It must be quite a bit. I wish I could hop that high. There is so much i could ride! The SIF is very clean.

Hugo
That Is a huge ride. How do you like the 29er? I am jealous. :D I want to go for long rides. I just don't have the legs (or the uni) for it. There is a bike relay in the spring next year that I would like to enter so I am hoping for a distance uni this fall.

guilhermeteles

2008-07-26, 12:19 PM

July is vacation so I could practice every day of the week
I couldn't ride last week because my uni had a litte problem on Thursday I fixed it this Tuesday and filmed on Wednesday and Thursday.
Thank you for the comment

peej

2008-07-27, 12:55 AM

Yesterday was pretty much more of the same.

Today I practiced twice, and I made a key adjustment that has really helped me. I said I was veering (usually to the right); pretty much every time I start, I have the right foot on top (or nearer to top), so I think what was happening was that in an effort to get the wheel moving to gain momentum I was pushing down extra hard for that first "step" which caused everything to tilt that direction. When I switched to nearly ignoring that "step" and just remembering that the right pedal would rotate with the wheel as I pushed off, I started going straight(ish) nearly every time.

Although I did increase my "record" maximum distance (maybe 60 ft) and even moreso my average distance (maybe 25 ft+ after I figured out the trick above), what I really notice has increased is my recovery...that is, slowing down a little if I'm going fast, or making slight adjustments to direction if needed (I avoided hitting my own car this way ;)) or just re-balancing when I think I'm about to fall. To me, that's the part I'm most proud of for the day. :D

yUNIkoner

2008-07-27, 07:45 AM

hugo

2008-07-27, 08:23 AM

That Is a huge ride. How do you like the 29er?
I like it very much. I am much faster on the 29" than I was on the 24". But mounting is a bit more difficult (at least for me).

yUNIkoner

2008-07-28, 09:54 AM

I went for a ride tonight and really hurt my back. I could hardly move. I think I am going to be off the uni for a while. I am pretty disappointed because I have been working on backwards riding and I think I am close to getting it. Bouncing back from things seem to take longer these days. I guess that I am getting old ;) .

BurnerDave

2008-07-28, 07:02 PM

yUNIkoner

2008-07-28, 07:21 PM

Oh no. What happened? I hope you'll get it checked out by a doc if it continues to hurt.
I was doing some hopping and I think that the upward force pulled something. It was only my second time on the uni after a week off. I had this great ride the day before where I rode a ridgeline by the side of the rode and there was a lot of upper body correcting going on. I was a little achy after the first ride and I probably should have stretched yesterday. It was late and I wanted to get a ride in.
My wife is a nurse so I have some home medical care. Nurses make for poor spouses though if you are looking for sympathy. She just rolls her eyes and tells me I'm a big baby and she's seen worse. :p

On a positive note my ankles are feeling a lot better now that I have had a break and am wearing more supportive shoes! :D

BurnerDave

2008-07-28, 09:39 PM

She just rolls her eyes and tells me I'm a big baby and she's seen worse. :p
Women. Let's see her try to have a baby... Uh-oh. That line doesn't work. Well, just tell her that hopping is tough, we have the jewels to protect, as I learned this week when I tried hopping.

yUNIkoner

2008-07-28, 10:23 PM

Women. Let's see her try to have a baby... Uh-oh. That line doesn't work. Well, just tell her that hopping is tough, we have the jewels to protect, as I learned this week when I tried hopping.

I'm getting my revenge. We have family coming to visit and we are doing a big house cleaning but "My back hurts sooooo much!" :D

nubcake

2008-07-29, 08:10 AM

ahaha. ah. well played.

GaUniRider

2008-07-29, 10:22 AM

Last night did not go so well for me. I'm thinking that i might be putting too much weight on the pedals and not enough on the seat. I felt good about the progress I made Sunday, but last night it seems that was gone. I was very tired when I got home. I worked about 15hrs and got home late. I had to practice for just a few minutes anyway. I will get this!

yUNIkoner

2008-07-30, 06:12 AM

I found that after my first few rides I always felt like I am starting over at the beginning of each ride. Fatigue really is a factor at first. I found that I just couldn't do the same things at the end of a ride because I was tired and using muscles I wasn't used to using. It gets better. Don't forget to stretch! That's why I'm out for a week or two. Keep riding and try to find times when you a feeling fresh and you will notice your progress.

nubcake

2008-07-30, 08:47 AM

what has 2 thumbs and a new Nimbus Isis Trials 20"....

*thumb motion lost in translation through the intarwebs*

me. and damn it's nice.

that is all.:D

lillestrøm_uni

2008-07-30, 09:35 PM

It's a big psychological barrier to go from holding on to something to holding on to nothing...as expected, the first too-many attempts got me at best about half a pedal...usually less (basically position 3-9 to 6-12 and then stop, about a quarter turn). After a whole lot of those, I finally managed something that got me about 10 or so feet out from the fence, which really excited me and really annoyed me when I couldn't reproduce it on the next few tries. :p

Eventually I figured out what gets me that 10 feet mostly comes down to two things:
leaning farther forward to start
getting a little momentum/push off the fence to get the pedals going

I think this is a key indeed, just what I found myself too. And I agree with yUNIkoner that the "just practice" line is unhelpful - I find it arrogant to be honest. It is definitely necessary to reflect on your progress and actions to increase and speed up learning (see, I'm an educator too :-P ). And I also believe there are not only two, but three kinds of people:

The ones not learning from their mistakes (not reflecting)
The ones learning from their mistakes (reflecting)
and... tadaa - the ones learning from OTHER PEOPLE'S mistakes... (being able to read/listen and understand and reflect on their reports of their mistakes (which they clearly must have reflected on as well, in order to write/tell about them)

Basically I feel that we're all pretty much doing the last thing here - and this is why I find the "just practice" line unhelpful (at least when you want to know some details about how to position your feet etc). Of course the buddhist attitude "the way is the goal" can easily justify saying that each one of us needs to "just practice" and find their own way, but I am more scientifically minded and I believe it is possible to find some general observations or "laws" that you would do well to heed. Kind of like "go easy on the accelerator when learning to drive a car, and always wear a seatbelt".

So, having got that rant over and done with, let's get back to the physics of learning how to ride a unicycle.

I've read about the problem of ending up in the "dead spot" which is the 6-12 position you mentioned, and I was UPDing tnes of times when kicking off from the wall because I (as I realized after a while) ended up with my left (weak) foot at 12 o'clock and I was unable to keep the wheel moving. Kind of like when you hit your first little bump in the pavement...

So I made sure to position myself such that I would get enough momentum before reaching the 6-12 with my left foot on top that I could "ride through it". And of course, with more practice, this problem (as all others) was greatly reduced (but still not gone).

See more about this in my journal - I write a lot but that is in order to share my thoughts and experiences - reading it is voluntary :-)

As to another of your posts - the time factor. I have thought about that actually and I do think people are good at reporting stuff like "haven't been riding in a week" and once I saw BurnerDave or who it was adding up their actual riding time over a period of 6 months or so, and it wasn't more than 10 hours. I haven't been riding for 2-3 weeks now, but as I have written in my journal I've amassed about 20-25 hours of riding since my first ride on 2 June, spread over 9 or 10 sessions, so a little more than 2 hours on average. I've found that 3 hours is my max time before getting too tired to be able to do it properly, and 2 hours is really better, since overdoing practice only leads to doing it slightly wrong and thus not learning optimally, and/or even worse, getting an injury.

So I look forward to get back on the uni again (I was ill for 2 weeks and also gone for a conference while ill) and it will be exciting to see how much skill I've lost. I actually hope it won't be much. After all, I had 14 days between my first and my second session, and after practicing for 3 hours on the first day without being able to do a "free assisted mount", by which I mean mounting and then leaning on the wall, but not having to grab onto something to avoid falling down - so in other words managing to get up into a stable position at least in the forward-backward direction - I managed to do this on my very first try on my second day! Of course I couldn't repeat that feat for a long time, but it gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities and my progress.

I've had some periods during my training when I've been a bit demotivated, but I haven't (luckily) experienced that an entire session felt wasted or that I didn't progress at all, or even regressed. So I guess I am still in the "honeymoon period" with regard to my training :-)

All right, time to sleep.

yUNIkoner

2008-08-01, 03:04 PM

I have been off the uni since sunday and it is driving me crazy. I want to ride so much but my back is just not ready. I am learning some new tunes on the mandolin though.

BurnerDave

2008-08-01, 06:01 PM

I have been off the uni since sunday and it is driving me crazy. I want to ride so much but my back is just not ready. I am learning some new tunes on the mandolin though.

Take it easy. Learn a few new riffs. You'll be back.

yUNIkoner

2008-08-06, 04:02 AM

I was back on my uni this morning. No back pain. I am being careful about stretching now and still taking it easy w/ hopping. I really missed it!

albee

2008-08-14, 01:59 PM

peej

2008-08-15, 01:58 AM

I haven't posted in awhile, but I have been working.

So far I can:
ride straight - record is about 350 ft
usually steer / turn in the general direction I want to
free mount about once every two days

My big accomplishment today was riding in a (15 or 20 ft diameter) circle for the first time. :)

Also I've experimented with pedaling backwards (using the wall), with idling (hasn't really happened yet), and with hopping (not ready for it yet at all).

yUNIkoner

2008-08-15, 04:41 PM

Thanks all, I have enjoyed reading about everyones progress. I just got my first uni. It is a 24" nimbus w/ moments. I have had it since the end of june. Since then I have learned to free mount, ride, turn and hop. Yesterday was a big day for me, because I went into the woods and rode some downhill muni for the first time. It was fun, but my 40 year old body feels pretty beat up today.

Anyway the thing I wanted to share is that, finding the correct air pressure in my tire has made a hugh difference to me. It seem that too little air and the uni was slow and sluggish, and too much made it fast and unstable.
Thanks again for the motavation
Albee
I really noticed the difference in tire pressure when hopping. If it is too high, I just can't hop very high. It is also nice to have softer pressure on trails to roll over things.
I haven't been riding at all. I seem to be going back and forth between back and ankle injuries so I'm just having to stay off the uni. I don't want to have any injuries going into hockey season.

yUNIkoner

2008-09-01, 10:43 PM

After continuously hurting my ankle and back, I had decided to lay off the uni for an extended period. Man did I ever miss it!
I went for a ride today... I took it fairly easy and rode some rolling trails. i have lost all my leg power and endurance but it was fun. I even took the trails further than I meant and rode back on the street with my dogs on leash. They are pretty good about not pulling as long as there are no major distractions. The season here is rolling to a close... I missed a good part of it :( . I am going to convert my uni into an indoor ride.
Is anyone else riding much?

BurnerDave

2008-09-02, 03:27 AM

Connahhh

2008-09-02, 07:24 PM

Yup, I'm still getting out there! I've been riding on mainly flat gravel trails in the provincial parks around here, and along the paths along the Ottawa River. I can go up and down some moderate inclines, but only when I have 150mm cranks on my 24"uni. With 125 cranks I can go uphill but can't control my speed going down. I'm enjoying myself immensely just riding around... no tricks, no hopping, etc. I take a book with me and when I get tired I take a break and read, then get back on.

I was hoping you would post an update.

None of you have any idea who you are, but I have read this thread up through page 28. Why is it taking so long? Because at the end of every page, all of you have me so stoked to get back out and riding. I want to thank you guys for sharing your progress as I could relate to it every step of the way. I ride a cheapo 24" but it gets the job done until I can afford something better.

Anyway, loving this thread. It's basically all I read anymore. Thanks so much everyone, especially Dave, August, etc etc.

yUNIkoner

2008-09-03, 01:22 AM

I can go up and down some moderate inclines, but only when I have 150mm cranks on my 24"uni. With 125 cranks I can go uphill but can't control my speed going down.

Interesting because I find that I have the opposite problem on my 19" with 125 cranks. I am able to control my speed downhill but I just don't have enought leverage to go up. I stand up and put all my weight on one pedal then the next and I can crawl up a hill...more often than not I just fall over! :p

saskatchewanian

2008-09-03, 01:59 AM

Interesting because I find that I have the opposite problem on my 19" with 125 cranks. I am able to control my speed downhill but I just don't have enought leverage to go up. I stand up and put all my weight on one pedal then the next and I can crawl up a hill...more often than not I just fall over! :p
try staying in the saddle and focus on keeping your legs moving as smoothly as possible.

when I switched my focus from power to smoothness I found I climbed much better.

yUNIkoner

2008-09-04, 04:58 AM

try staying in the saddle and focus on keeping your legs moving as smoothly as possible.

when I switched my focus from power to smoothness I found I climbed much better.

Today I went for a ride on the streets around my house and found that I was able to ride longer when I focused on smoothness. I don't know about steep uphills on trails but it works on pavement. I think that the stronger your legs get, the easier it may be to be smooth on hills.

I spent some time today working on riding backwards. I only managed a couple of revolutions. I also spent some time doing rolling hops and pedaling while I was in the air. I could only get a half revolution before I landed. I was thinking of this as a precursor to doing crankflips (That's a long way off).
I was doing some static hops and I was clearing a height consistently that I made 50% of the time before (9-10"). This seems funny because I have been off the uni for a while ( I probably should be taking it easy but I just can't help myself :p ).

hugo

2008-09-04, 07:31 AM

Gadge

2008-09-04, 03:39 PM

I have started to ride downhill, some weeks ago. Man, this is so much fun! Of course, I still stay on the single trails, but when it goes so much down that I have to pull the seat-handle very hard, and there is really rough ground, I have real fun.

The down side is that this appears to be exceeding the limits of my 24". The 2.3" tyre does not have enough grip. And I am afraid that the hub may break, because it was not designed for downhill. I am now going to buy a real muni with 3.0" tyre.

I guess I can now safely say that I am no longer a beginner.

Way to go Hugo! I'm beginning to feel I'm not far from that point (apart from my poor freemounting).

Haven't had a lot of time recently so I've been focusing my spare time on practicing rather than posting. But thanks to all for this thread which has helped keep me inspired.

One thing I was surprised at is how fast distance progresses once you can keep weight in the saddle and pedal smoothly. I went from my longest ride being a challenging few hundred yards to several miles in a few rides.

Smothness really makes a difference.

Back to practicing my freemounts :o
Gary

unibob

2008-09-04, 08:56 PM

Wicked,

I managed a 180 unispin after over 6 months of practicing. Kind a makes you feel like you've really achieved something once you pull it off.

Vid here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTCSskfXD6s shows a few, not anywhere near 2% of all the fails & bails. Listen on a couple of the fails and it sounds real bad but it's the pins in the pedals ripping through my 661's.

Whatever you're trying to do just keep practicing and you'll get there in the end.

Keep on riding!

Connahhh

2008-09-04, 09:43 PM

Awesome Unibob!

Now, this might seem like a stupid question, but I just don't get hopping. I'm getting good enough at riding now (only limited by my strength), free mounts (80% of the time), and some light MUni. But I can't hop for my life!

I can ride, slow to a stop, hop once (maybe) and roll off. But this hop is about a half an inch, if that. It's pathetic. I don't get how you guys can stand on the medals when they're level with each other. It's a wobbly mess. What am I doing wrong?

unibob

2008-09-04, 09:55 PM

It's a wobbly mess. What am I doing wrong?

You're doing nothing wrong! You just carry on doing that until you get the hang of it. Don't get me confused with the boys who can do leg wraps and all that cool stuff, I have trouble balancing on the cranks and pedals like that. It's just that it gets easier, more automatic, as you get further into it.

By automatic I mean muscle memory and habits, do something enough times and it becomes second nature. Like driving a car, you get so used to the changing gears and steering to adjust for road camber that it becomes something you don't think about any more.

Does that make sense? That's the way I tell myself it is anyway.

I've only been on one wheel for 14 months now and keep pushing myself to do more. When I've got 180's down regularly, I'm gonna push for 360's then start trying something else.

I don't just limit myself to trying to learn one new thing though, it gets kind of boring, so at the moment I'm trying to learn one foot riding which I hope will lead into Wheel walking, gliding and perhaps coasting.

Have an idea where you want to go after you've got the skill you're aiming for.

Practice Practice Practice!

Keep on riding!

Connahhh

2008-09-04, 10:15 PM

You're doing nothing wrong! You just carry on doing that until you get the hang of it. Don't get me confused with the boys who can do leg wraps and all that cool stuff, I have trouble balancing on the cranks and pedals like that. It's just that it gets easier, more automatic, as you get further into it.

By automatic I mean muscle memory and habits, do something enough times and it becomes second nature. Like driving a car, you get so used to the changing gears and steering to adjust for road camber that it becomes something you don't think about any more.

Does that make sense? That's the way I tell myself it is anyway.

I've only been on one wheel for 14 months now and keep pushing myself to do more. When I've got 180's down regularly, I'm gonna push for 360's then start trying something else.

I don't just limit myself to trying to learn one new thing though, it gets kind of boring, so at the moment I'm trying to learn one foot riding which I hope will lead into Wheel walking, gliding and perhaps coasting.

Have an idea where you want to go after you've got the skill you're aiming for.

Practice Practice Practice!

Keep on riding!

Ah, alright. It's just that the only way I can get them level is if I'm hanging onto something. Maybe it will just evolve from there.

Thanks!

yUNIkoner

2008-09-04, 10:37 PM

Ah, alright. It's just that the only way I can get them level is if I'm hanging onto something. Maybe it will just evolve from there.

Thanks!

When you stop, hop and then roll again, are your cranks parallel to the ground. It helps to pull up on the seat when you are hopping. i seem to use this to hold my feet level.

Connahhh

2008-09-04, 10:56 PM

When you stop, hop and then roll again, are your cranks parallel to the ground. It helps to pull up on the seat when you are hopping. i seem to use this to hold my feet level.

What do you mean by parallel to the ground? It's usually luck where I end up stopping, but by far the easiest position to stand in (but not control) is 12-6.

yUNIkoner

2008-09-05, 04:43 AM

By parallel to the ground, I mean that the cranks are pointing to 3 and 9. That way both your feet are at the same height and your legs would be bent relatively the same amount. If you pull up on the seat in this position, with practice you can hold it level, then hop. If your feet are at 12 and 6 then you have one leg bent and one straight. This probably means that you are only using one leg to hop.
The other problem with stopping at 12 and 6 is that you can get stuck in that "dead spot" of the rotation where you don't have the leverage to pedal forward.
I think that people do use 12 and 6 as the central position for idling though (Correct me if I'm wrong on this...I have been known to be wrong :p ). They will idle back and forth through this position. I think Hugo has a video of this.
I hope this helps and makes sense!

hugo

2008-09-05, 12:15 PM

I think that people do use 12 and 6 as the central position for idling though (Correct me if I'm wrong on this...I have been known to be wrong :p ). They will idle back and forth through this position. I think Hugo has a video of this.
I hope this helps and makes sense!
Yes correct. But for hopping, you really need to be in 3 / 9 position. There is no alternative.

Connahhh

2008-09-05, 08:40 PM

Yeah, I'm aware of that from watching videos.

Oh well, it's practice I guess!

The good news? My KH Fusion Freeride + seat post came in today... :D :D :D

Connahhh

2008-09-08, 12:25 AM

Oh my god.

This thing is so comfortable.

I just road a mile, half of which was ~10% incline with a horrible road, and my butt feels fine. I would have lasted all of 1/8th of a mile with my old POS seat.

Gadge

2008-09-08, 06:14 PM

I think I'm finally getting the hang of this freemounting thing. Just been out for a practice ride and for the first time ever managed every mount as a freemount. Certainly not always first time but got there in the end.

After the recent wet weather in the UK in looks like I've discovered that I have more enthusiasm than the Hookworm has grip on mud. Especially downhill.

Good job I promised myself a KH24 when I can freemount most of the time. I think I need a knobbly :D

Connahhh

2008-09-08, 07:54 PM

Gadge

2008-09-08, 08:43 PM

Enjoy the KH24... send me one too while you're at it, okay? :)

If UDC UK will do me a two for the price of one deal then I will! :D

I'm looking forward to seeing if the KH Fusion seat is more comfy than the UDC Nimbus gel seat. I'll let you know.

Connahhh

2008-09-09, 01:31 AM

If UDC UK will do me a two for the price of one deal then I will! :D

I'm looking forward to seeing if the KH Fusion seat is more comfy than the UDC Nimbus gel seat. I'll let you know.

I was actually kind of disappointed with the KH Fusion seat today. A lot of sitting in the same position made my butt a little sore. If I got off and changed positions a little bit it was fine, but would then come back.

We'll see I guess. It's at least much more comfortable than my POS seat before. I road about a mile and a half today.

nubcake

2008-09-09, 08:41 AM

a different seat really makes a world of difference. my ebay uni had a somewhat warped hard pos seat, and now with my nimbus 20" and it's gel saddle it's like from going economy class in a third world country to first class all the way.

nubcake

2008-09-09, 09:22 AM

crap i didn't mean to submit yet. oh well new post.

I'm currently playing around a little with trying to freemount with my right foot starting on the pedal (as i currently mount with my left). i doubt anyone will ever convince me that the way to go is to not focus on 'learning to mount' but rather 'learning to idle'. so i change what i just said... i'm actually trying to learn to idle with the right foot down. I mount with my left foot down and also idle with my left foot down, and so if i want to stop and idle it has to be on a revolution where my left foot is at 6 o'clock and i'd like to be more in control and own the uni more so now it's time to work on the right foot at 6 o'clock. (i'm also playing around with going backwards which is both interesting and a bit scary depending on how i end-up bailing).

to me mounting and idling are basically one in the same technique, but mounting just starts you off the uni before you cut into the idle.

it really is like starting all over again, but this is how i'm doing it for those of you who may still be trying to figure out the whole mount/idle deal (i originally learned on my pos 24", but i'm now on the 20" so this is all 20" related i guess but should be the same fairly regardless of wheel size)....

it's all about comfort, sensitivity, balance, and muscle memory. the cranks go to 12 and 6, you jam the seat between your legs as comfortably as you can, and you put your foot on the pedal while the other foot is somewhere in-line behind the other pedal and / or the tire. to get some sense of comfort with this position you spend a little while just doing small hops off the ground so that your weight is totally on the pedal and you are able to go from one foot standing on the ground to putting all the weight onto the pedal without falling all over the place, to then being back in the starting position with one foot back on the ground. I used to almost fall over just by putting my right foot on the pedal it was that strange in feeling and my balance just wasn't geared for this opposite starting position just yet. now what you want to do is try to get a feel of how much energy to use when leaving the ground and where to direct it so that you are teetering just behind the absolute balancing point of being above the uni on one foot. there's no use trying to mount if you are sending your weight too far to one side or too far forward as you are likely to have to bail before even getting the other foot on the pedal, and if you can get the initial balance right it gives you more time and makes it easier to get up on the uni.

once you get comfortable with how the uni is positioned against your body and have a sensitivity to how to get close to balancing above it on one foot you can now start trying to tap your launching foot onto the pedal and then land back down where you started as before. this part is just as simple as that... you want to be trying to move up above the uni on one pedal as close to the balance point as you can and then bring the other foot up to gently stamp the pedal quickly, and then as you start to fall back you land where you started. this helps to now get you comfortable with having to both move your weight in a controlled manner above the uni so as not to fall over and also now to begin getting the other foot in position, but all without actually having to commit to anything else just yet and having too many things to do all at once and just getting frustrated with it all coming together wrong and failing.

the next step is to build from this and now try to move the top pedal back a little when you bring your foot up to it. this stage requires you to now get a feel for putting some of the weight onto your top foot (as keeping all your weight dead on the bottom foot and then trying to rock the top pedal back feels horrible and wrong as you no doubt have found or will find). once you have done this for awhile you should find that you become more comfortable with redistributing your weight between your feet and are able to get some control of the top pedal and actually rock it back a little without it feeling awkward. it shouldn't be 50/50 between your feet, you still want the low foot to take the larger portion of your weight but at the same time you don't want to be driving that foot into the center of the earth with all your might as you'll find it difficult to rock the top pedal.

if you get this far all you have left really is to expand on this and go for a few rocking motions back and forward while staying balanced above the uni... if you get this far, congratulation, you are now idling. now you just need to work on how far forward and back and which way to point the uni to keep yourself balanced above it without tipping over.

... now if you can mount to an idle then surely you can sit your butt on the seat and pedal forward out of the idle. and clearly if you can do that, you can mount to then simply pedal away without idling if you don't wish to.

...... and if you can do all that, then you rock and all the chicks will flock to you and cry out to get your attention hoping that some day they can make a man of you (even if you are a woman they will make a man of you, oh yeah!). or something like that.

- disclaimer : any typos or bits that don't make sense i blame on what i'm drinking at the moment -

stefan.wongng

2008-09-09, 12:24 PM

Hi just got my uni very recently, I read somewhere but cant remember where that in no circumstances should i ride on grass. So question is, is it better to learn on grass or on concrete ?

Gadge

2008-09-09, 04:33 PM

Smooth concrete is the easiest thing to ride on. Smooth grass is harder and bumper grass can be pretty tricky.

No reason not to try riding on grass but it's easier to learn on concrete.

Connahhh

2008-09-09, 07:47 PM

Hi just got my uni very recently, I read somewhere but cant remember where that in no circumstances should i ride on grass. So question is, is it better to learn on grass or on concrete ?

I started on grass... It's good for confidence, but once I realized most falls leave me on my feet, I just moved to concrete and it helped so so much.

stefan.wongng

2008-09-10, 04:18 PM

thks a lot

yUNIkoner

2008-09-10, 07:43 PM

I find that it is helpful to be wearing leg pads and gloves on concrete. It just gives you that confidence boost to help you progress a little faster (and avoid pain!).
Speaking of pain. I am thinking of giving up the uni until spring. I just can't seem to heal up and I think I will need more than a few weeks to get my back and ankle feeling up to scratch. I will miss it a lot but I just seem to tweak things even when I take it easy.:(

stefan.wongng

2008-09-11, 05:21 AM

k, got all the equipment ( glove, knee pad, elbow pad, helmet ). Used to snakeboard and rollerblade a lot. But really, falling is not an issue for me. come on, it must be easier than on rollerblade or snakeboard when your feets are strap to the wheels/decks. I am a slow elarner so will probably take 6 month before i can really be comfortable on this half bicycle/death wheeled object.

:p

Gadge

2008-09-11, 03:30 PM

half bicycle/death wheeled object.

:p

I like it! :D

I feel like a slow learner too and it's taken me a good while but it's a great feeling as you keep improving and things do get easier. The trouble is then there are new challenges!

hugo

2008-09-11, 07:31 PM

@burnerdave and all the others: I have taken the time to create a new video (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1095417&postcount=24). I hope you like it.

BurnerDave

2008-09-12, 01:02 PM

Wow Hugo, that is so nice! You have some beautiful scenery there.

yUNIkoner

2008-09-13, 03:13 AM

Nice smooth riding! You look very comfortable. Is that a 29"?

hugo

2008-09-13, 08:31 AM

Nope. 24" QU-AX Muni (3.0" Duro Wildlife Tyre) with KH Moment 137/165 Dual Cranks and KH Freeride saddle.

yUNIkoner

2008-09-13, 08:38 PM

That 24" looks like fun. Didn't you get a 29er as well?

hugo

2008-09-14, 07:20 AM

Yes. But the 29" is more for long distance in flat terrain. The 24" with the 3.0 tyre gives me much more grip and control.

Gadge

2008-09-25, 09:12 PM

Hey, this thread seems to have gone awfully quiet; is everyone out riding?

I guess I've been riding for about 6 months seriously now, hmm can you ride a Uni seriously? :D I spent a while before that not trying very hard to learn on a borrowed 20".

Now at the stage where I can usually freemount, ride reasonable distances ( a few miles) and handle rough terrain and gentle uphills and steeper downhills. I wouldn't call any of it proper technical Muni yet but reasonable cross-country.

Now trying to learn to idle, ride backwards and start hoping so I can tackle some more serious Muni.

I'm fortunate to have recently acquired a KH24" Muni and am very impressed with how much difference it makes compared to the Nimbus I 24" I learnt on. I'm sure a lot of the difference is having a better tyre, especially as it's been soggy here, but it's a real beast.

Hope everyone else is making good progress.

BurnerDave

2008-09-26, 09:58 PM

Hi Gadge,
Oh yeah, still riding! Still reading the forum and watching all the videos...Hugo's and the rest !
I haven't posted anything in a while....I'm just out there rollin' along.
The temperature is now around 12 to 20C every day which makes riding a lot more comfortable than in the summer heat.

yUNIkoner

2008-09-27, 08:57 PM

Gadge
I'm not riding anymore this year. I've been off the uni for about a month trying to properly recover from injuries. My ankle sprain seemed to heel but I think that it led to an achilles tendon problem because it was weak (and I seem to be getting old :p). Hockey season starts tomorrow and I don't want to have to miss out on that. I miss it a lot but I'm looking forward to next spring. I went for a walk today on one of the trails I was riding and I spent half my time imagining I was riding my uni.
I'm saving up for a 29er or a 36er to ride in the spring to so I will probably do less hopping and more cruising.
I still follow this thread regularly. You are doing great! I would love to learn backwards riding.

BurnerDave

2008-10-15, 01:49 AM

Hi all,
I hope this thread is slow only because everyone is out there riding like me with not much new to add here. The weather is turning cool here now and I love it! I still work up a sweat when I ride and still can't go more than 750 meters without UPDing due to leg fatigue. Still have too much weight on the pedals but time heals all. I just haven't been getting out as regularly as I'd like. There are times when it's a week between riding days. My 16 year old son is now out there with me sometimes trying to ride now using my 20". He insists on learning by trying to freemount and ride off! OK, what-eva! He's able to get up once out of 20 times and then pedal about 3 revolutions. He'll get it sooner or later. I kinda giggle as I get on my 24" and take off around the block while he struggles with it and watches me go over the horizon! yuk, yuk. And I yell, Yi-haa! as I ride off.
BTW, I turned 55 last week and uni is still the most fun I've had in the last 45 years. Yi-haa!

1wheelwonder

2008-10-15, 05:36 AM

Happy Birthday^^^

hugo

2008-10-15, 07:02 AM

We had a convention (ride the blootz*) over the weekend, with ~ 50 unicyclists from Germany (and Austria). It was no competition because the convention was organized especially for beginners (although we had quite some experiences unicyclists too). Just to ride together and to talk.

Here are 2 Photos:
http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1111955&postcount=641
http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1112079&postcount=657

*) Blootz is a local food, similar to pizza, but much better

BurnerDave

2008-10-16, 12:25 AM

Wow, Hugo, that's a beautiful picture of the riders heading out into the sunset. It's my screensaver for this month.

1wheelwonder

2008-10-16, 05:41 AM

One of those girl's has my unicycle!

BurnerDave

2008-10-17, 02:11 PM

Gadge

2008-10-17, 03:10 PM

Yesyerday I decided try doing a jump mount on my 20" after watching a few tutorials. It's not too bad after the first few tries. I only tried it for about 10minutes, though. Then I realized I had forgot to put on my helmet or any other protection!

Brave man!

Glad everyone's not given up or gone away. Been stupidly busy but have been making some time to Uni, just not had much time to post.

Succeeded in being able to hold onto the seat much more which has transformed my climbing ability.

Been riding about 9 months now and I'm still loving it. Will try and find some time to do some video and post, you can all give me some tips ;)

hugo

2008-10-21, 09:44 AM

Gents, I am planning to do a marathon (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70890) next year in May. I will do a test ride this or next week to see how far and fast I can go, but I am pretty sure that I can make it in less than 3 hours if I practice a little more.

BurnerDave

2008-10-21, 05:32 PM

Excellent! Good luck with it Hugo,
But I can't read a word of that link! Is there a link to a map?

hugo

2008-10-22, 03:03 PM

Official registration: http://www.metrogroup-marathon.de/313.0.html (There is also a map)
Additional registration for unicyclists is required here as step 2: http://www.rmsv-duesseldorf.de/

yUNIkoner

2008-10-23, 12:26 AM

Awesome Hugo!
How far is the marathon? I'm not familiar with this term related to biking/unicycling.
I am jealous. I haven't ridden my uni for so long. Doctor told me it was torn ligaments in my ankle. I can't wait until spring.
You are really progressing so quickly!

1wheelwonder

2008-10-23, 05:50 AM

I'm probably riding in the fun run next week, that's only 2, 5 or 10km, but it will still be fun!

BurnerDave

2008-10-27, 10:15 PM

Something weird is going on. I've got my uni seat on nice and straight but I still seem to ride with my torso a bit angled to the left so my right shoulder is a bit forward. It feels like I am slightly twisting at my hips.
I'm riding a 24" with a Hookworm tire. It also happens when I had the knobby Maxxis tire on.
Any ideas on what is causing this? I thought it might be caused by road crown but when I ride to the other side of the road it still happens. I can still go about 3/4 of a kilometer before UPDing but I feel that if I could get totally squared up I'd be able to survive the bumps that get me towards the end of the ride.
I know the solution is to keep practicing and eventually it will go away and I can live with that. But maybe someone has been there/done that and has a quick fix to this.

(Don't suggest I turn my seat a bit to the right to compensate!)

Dave

zogola

2008-10-28, 12:17 AM

Dave,

Maybe this is a stupid idea, but what if you were to turn the seat 180 degrees and ride for a bit? If the twist remained in the same direction you could rule out mechanical causes of the twist. Perhaps your body is compensating for an issue with the uni that you aren't consciously aware of?

Kurt

BurnerDave

2008-10-28, 01:59 AM

zogola

2008-10-28, 02:08 AM

Hi Dave,

Actually if you are talking about your unicycling equipment, a short ride should loosen your pedals at worst. You would essentially be riding the uni backward but it would feel the same as forward. Know what I mean? As for other "equipment"---turning the seat 180 degrees should be no different from riding forwards as normal.

Kurt

zogola

2008-10-28, 02:10 AM

Ahhhhh, I get what you are saying.... after turning your seat 180 degrees relative to the hub, rotate your body 180 degrees to match the seat, then try riding. See what I mean?

Kurt

zogola

2008-10-28, 02:35 AM

BurnerDave

2008-10-28, 03:21 AM

Wow, even that last response could be misread. How about this: Put your seat on backward. Then, ride forward relative to the seat, not relative to the unicycle beneath it. You will be riding backward relative to the hub, but forward relative to the seat. I'm getting a headache.:)

Kurt

I see what you meant now! Yup, I thought your first suggestion was a bit novel and would hurt my fleshy equipment... turning my seat around but not turn 'me' around! Tomorrow I will try your suggestion above and see what happens. Everything seems to be fine with the uni... pedals turn freely, wheel spins nice and straight.

zogola

2008-10-28, 03:35 AM

Maybe a simpler way to test is... do you twist the same way on your 20"? If yes, its you, if no, its the uni.

Kurt

BurnerDave

2008-10-28, 05:45 PM

As much as I'd like to blame the machine, I'm sure it's me, not the uni. It does happen on my 29" too. I haven't ridden my 20" outdoors in a while, I just play with it in the house trying out stuff... hopping, idling, and I don't ride far enough to tell if I'm off. So it's definitely me. I guess I need more time in the saddle. I don't want this 'condition' to become a hard to undo habit if I can nip it in the bud now. I'll try your suggestion and if I still ride the same I'll definitely know it's me. :(

saskatchewanian

2008-10-28, 07:24 PM

I had the same thing happen to me when I was learning. A friend told me to try riding in the opposite stance for a while and I evened out.

I found it really tough to try twisting my body to the right when it wanted to twist to the left and still go strait but it worked. I still use the technique if I am having an off day but now get instant results instead of it working over days when I was learning.

another thing that helped was to go for a run and warm up first, in my case it was all about being too tense trying to ride and tensing up asymmetrically.

Hope I helped

BurnerDave

2008-10-28, 08:42 PM

Thanks, Saskatchewanian. I'll give it a try.

Gadge

2008-10-29, 11:12 AM

Dave, I have exactly the same problem. It used to happen all the time but now only tends to happen when I'm tired.

I think as long as you try and work on it you'll be fine. The main thing that's helped me is just to keep practicing. As I get more comfortable with more tricky riding and more distance it happens less.

I try and do what Saslatchewanian suggests too. It's often hard to do but it helps.

BurnerDave

2008-10-29, 12:27 PM

Thanks Gadge and Saskatchewanian,
It's like I thought, the eternal answer to any uni problem is.... keep practicing!
I hadn't read about anyone having this offset problem so I thought I was weird. It's good to know you had this too and that it will pass eventually. I didn't want to think it would get worse and I'd be riding side-saddle next year at this time!
We have an insane snowstorm here in the East today, so no outdoor riding today!

Gadge

2008-10-29, 01:11 PM

Hey Dave,

I'm sorry - I hate to use the keep practicing line :o but it did work for me.

I have posted about the offset problem before http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71977, it's not just us!

So far I've found that most of time when I have a problem more practice is the solution. But importantly, not just practicing the thing that's a problem, but trying other things. Often getting better in other areas means I find the problem goes away. As I've only been doing this less than a year I can still remember things that seemed impossible only a few months ago.

It snowed in Britain yesterday! Not much and not at my house but did at my girlfriends 50 miles away. Ironic really as we're going (indoor) skiing tonight.

Have fun.

BurnerDave

2008-10-29, 02:20 PM

Hey Dave,

I'm sorry - I hate to use the keep practicing line :o but it did work for me.

No, no, no. You're right! (You misunderstood my reply.) I always use that "Keep practicing" line! I totally agree. It's the uni commandment. That's one reason I love uni. Ya gotta pay yer dues. There are no short cuts. (even though I sometimes ask for one!) If it was easy, everybody'd be doing it.
edit: Thanks for the great link. I hadn't seen it before. Guess I should have raised the question there!

Gadge

2008-10-29, 03:13 PM

No, no, no. You're right! (You misunderstood my reply.) I always use that "Keep practicing" line! I totally agree. It's the uni commandment. That's one reason I love uni. Ya gotta pay yer dues. There are no short cuts. (even though I sometimes ask for one!) If it was easy, everybody'd be doing it.
edit: Thanks for the great link. I hadn't seen it before. Guess I should have raised the question there!

No problem - my reply was a little tongue in cheek.

You're so right, it's fun because it's hard. Even though I tell people that ask me "how do you do that?", it's easy, just practice :D

This forum is great as it reminds us we're all unique, just like everyone else; we all go through similar learning challenges.

blot

2008-12-10, 01:36 AM

Been pretty quiet in here, and this is too good a thread to let die, so here are some observations/ramblings from the summer:

Pedals
I swapped the stock plastic pedals for Odyssey Twisted PC pedals. These are plastic too, but they have molded "pins." I quickly found out that pedal with pins are are a double-edged sword - while they hold your foot on the pedal, it's also difficult to reposition your foot. I have to lift up my foot to do it which sometimes means riding one-footed - except that I promptly fall off, so I guess it really doesn't count.

Tire
The stock tire on my Torker was getting some bald spots so I decided to replace it. The original tire is a 1.95 Kenda K-Rad. I replaced it with a 2.5 Kenda K-Rad. Pumped it up to 60 pounds. Yikes! I was having UPDs left and right. Literally - whenever I made a turn, left or right, and particularly on a downgrade, I fell off. It was like going back in time four months in the learning process. After a few rides I was getting disgusted so I started playing with the tire pressure. Lowering to 40 pounds, I was able to mount and ride with reasonable control. I still had to pretty much learn how to turn all over again though. Spent a lot of time in the parking lot just making turns and using the parking spot numbers as a slalom course. Gradaully, I got back to normal. Now I can ride 50 pounds without any trouble. I've also noticed that the wider tire is better on trails. I seem to be able to roll over stones and roots much easier than I did using the 1.95 tire.

Hills
When going up hill and turning, I tend to stick my left arm out ahead of me, bend it at the elbow, and flail so that it looks like I'm stirring a pot of stew. Looks goofy, but it works for me. (Of course, should I happen to ride by a crane operator, I'm going to get a load of steel dropped on me.)

General riding
It's amazing what regular riding can do. I average about an hour, four times a week, which for me is about six miles per ride. The only real limiting factor on how long I can ride is derriere fatigue. I am continally surprised how my balance, turning, fine directional control, and pedaling efficiency have increased. This has happened without any specific practice, just riding. I can ride up to 7 mph without much effort (though concentration is a must). I can ride up hills with a lot more control and a lot less effort. I can ride over rocks and roots where only a few months ago a stiff breeze would have knocked me down. Still can't idle, hop, ride one-footed, backwards, etc. I can mount and ride, and that's about all. That suits me fine - I wanted to learn to ride a unicycle and I'm riding a unicycle. And the fun I'm having, well, you all know what I'm talking about.

So, what's everyone else up to?

BurnerDave

2008-12-10, 05:37 AM

That's a great catch-up post, Blot. Thanks. There's nothing special in my neck of the woods. Up until the snow and cold weather arrived last week, I was only riding around the paved bike paths in my neighborhood and not getting on any rough riding surfaces or hills. I also measured my distance and found that I was only doing about 10-12km a week during October and November. A bit disappointing but it's better than nothing.
It's almost 1 year since I was first able to ride and it has been a wonderful year! I can't describe how much I love uni!
Some of the Ottawa guys found an auditorium that we can practice indoors once a week. I'll be going there as often as possible. I've cleaned up my basement and have started riding around on my 20". I figure I can work on doing sharp turns, idling, freemounting, etc. I also threw junk on the floor to ride over for fun - everything from clusters of electric cables, random boards, some fencing material, pieces of lattice, etc. I expect to come out rolling come the first days of Spring and do some serious Muni next year!

Blot, I feel for ya on the flailing! My flailing is very unsymmetrical. Left arm goes in a sort of a sidearm baseball pitch manoever over and over while my right arm kind of rotates from the elbow and points to the space station in a John Travolta disco thing. I wonder what would happen if a videotape of me riding and flailing was replayed in front of a symphony orchestra a la conductor. What would that sound like! Hmm, maybe a video idea there!

hugo

2008-12-17, 04:28 PM

Hey guys, not much happening here.....

I am still trying to learn riding backwards. Sometimes I can do 4 full rotations (on the 20") before I fall off. I can now idle on my 24" QUAX Muni with 3.0" Duro Wildlife tyre and 137mm cranks - that was quite a challenge because of the heavy tyre and relatively short cranks.
Other than that, I am working on my fitness to be faster during the marathon. Again I am trying the 114mm cranks on my 29" uni, but mounting is very difficult, and since I broke my right hand 5 weeks ago or so when I fell off after 22 km, I am a bit anxious. At one point I need to make a decision whether I will stay with the 114 mm cranks or go back to 125 mm for safety reasons. Speed does not differ very much, it is around 15 km/h for the full 42 km distance. But the butt-pain-factor :rolleyes: is higher with 125mm cranks. Speed needs to go up to 17 - 18 km/h until May, so I can finish the Marathon in 2h 30 min, and that would be easier with 114 mm cranks.

It is just a pity that the weather is so bad and cold. I can not really do a marathon distance when it is freezing, it should be above 10° C at least to have some balance between sweating and cooling. Under a warm jacket I simply get wet and that is very unpleasant, plus the cold nose and chin .....
Just as a goodie, I am participating in a funny competition called "Eat it up". You need to eat something on the uni. The next person needs to eat the same plus something new and so on. I did levels 6 (http://videos.unicycle.tv/751.eatituplevel6.wmv) and 7 (http://videos.unicycle.tv/752.eatituplevel7.wmv), we are currently at level 10 (http://videos.unicycle.tv/764.eatituplevel8-10.wmv).

cbs

2008-12-17, 11:48 PM

Is it OK for me to post here? I'm brand spankin new lol. I still have a broken arm so staying in the hallway. Its only 5 feet long. I can ride that. Trying to ride backwards and idle/balance a bit. Not too good backwards, maybe 2 pedals lol. Thats it for me. I've only had the uni 4 days I think.

When the doc gives me an OK, would a sidewalk next to a building be good to learn?

saskatchewanian

2008-12-26, 07:21 PM

A sidewalk next to a building would be a great place to learn, just remember to go both ways so you don't get used to leaning only one way.

Welcome to the forums

cbs

2008-12-26, 09:19 PM

just curious, whenever i DONT use the wall, i wobble from side to side when i ride. is this normal? makes it hard in a narrow hallway. i get the cast off monday so maybe in 2-3 weeks after that I can ride.

saskatchewanian

2008-12-27, 05:27 AM

yah I was all over the place when I was learning. I could be going one way then the uni would just make me turn another direction. Took me a while to be able to keep it on a sidewalk.

cbs

2008-12-27, 05:21 PM

its odd, more eager to ride the uni then skate. i wish i knew how to guarantee i wouldnt fall on my arm cause im so ready to ride it!! i just dont want to mess it up since it was broken a long time. for some reason, my sucky uni i got is a lot of fun just messing on it! being a little out of control is actually cool for me lol.

lillestrøm_uni

2008-12-31, 02:02 PM

Been pretty quiet in here, and this is too good a thread to let die, so here are some observations/ramblings from the summer:

...

So, what's everyone else up to?

Hey blot, BurnerDave, hugo, saskatchewanian and all others posting here and who also supported me so much in the beginning.

I wish to apologise for disappearing completely this fall - I've now posted a summary (see my Training Journal(TM) - link in the signature below) of my activites up to the end of August and I will follow up with more about what I did in September (before I stopped riding for the winter, due to a number of reasons which I will get back to in my next post).

New Year's greetings from Norway!!!

lillestrøm_uni

2009-01-01, 02:35 PM

Hi again - I see that I am not only clinching the last post of 2008 but also the first in 2009 :D hehe

I've completed the second post in my training journal (see signature - http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1161814#post1161814) now, so I am up to date with all my activities since I got my Coker on 2 June this year.

My last ride so far was on 10 September, and in those roughly 3 months I did 18 separate sessions of unicycling, logging a total of around 30 hours in the seat or trying to mount, and covering about 19 km total while riding, increasing my continuous runs from around 3 meters to 500 meters.

I've accomplished the skills listed in my signature in italics, and I now need to work on becoming even more stable at riding so that I can take on distances where there are no possibilities for assisted mounting, while also working on freemounting of course.

I also have the same "illness" as BurnerDave mentioned, that I tend to twist a little, usually with my left shoulder forward. However, I did try adjusting my seat and I found that if I twisted it sufficiently then I would push my right shoulder forward instead.

What I've found is that it is hard to find the exact spot where the seat is perfectly aligned with the wheel, and I might just have been systematically misaligning it by aiming with one eye closed, or something like that. In any case, if anybody has a good tip for how to make sure that the seat is fastened with exactly the correct angle each time you change it, I would be very appreciative! (And I do that a lot, since I have to assemble/disassemble the uni quite often, and/or adjust the seat height.)

I would also remind you that I have the Nightrider coker with a built-in long-distance riding handlebar, which complicates aiming when adjusting the seat because it partly blocks the view of the tyre.

I probably should buy a regular seat but I spent so much money on it and the shipping is so expensive that I would prefer waiting until I can buy a new uni along with new spare parts, to save on the shipping.

BurnerDave

2009-01-01, 05:50 PM

Hi Lillestrom,
Happy New Year!
I just read your latest journal postings. You sure are making progress. Winter is keeping me indoors for the next few months but there is a gym that is available to ride in once a week. I'll use my 20" there and at least be able to ride around in circles, and practice different freemounts. My goal for this year is to be able to do Muni.

hugo

2009-01-02, 08:29 PM

My goal for this year is to be able to do Muni.Yeah do that. It is the ultimate fun.

A little late, but Happy New Year!

My goals for this year:

Get stronger for Muni :rolleyes:
Win the Marathon (I am dreaming - haha!:o) Honestly, I want to finish the marathon in 2h 30m
Ride backwards
Hop on one (better 2) Pallets
If there is a chance, pass IUF skill levels 1, 2 - and possibly 3

lillestrøm_uni

2009-01-05, 04:27 PM

Hi Lillestrom,
Happy New Year!
I just read your latest journal postings. You sure are making progress.

Thank you for the encouragement! I do feel the word is "were", not "are", though... Will see if I can get back in the saddle a bit earlier than the summer. right now it is way below zero outside so I think it will last a while though. Another problem is that they don't remove the sand and gravel from bicycle paths and roads until late May here, so even when the snow disappears (sometime in late March or April, usually, but now it might even be February I guess, who knows) it is not so easy to ride unless you're prepared for a bumpy road.

And I think I would prefer a smooth surface when riding again for the first time in 6 months...

All right, have a good day - hope to see more action here as spring is getting closer (and that is all the time, actually! ;) ;) )

Ridin Dirty

2009-01-09, 07:15 AM

I thought I would share my experience since I just learned to ride a unicycle 2 weeks ago. I've been bicycling for a while, especially mountain biking and some trials. Another pertinant detail is that my grandmother used a wheelchair for a few years when I was young. My bro and i used to balance on it and wheelie it around the house, and then obstacle courses. This really parallels unicycling, I think. Next time you are in an airport on a long layover, give it a shot ;)

I was back home in Florida for Christmas, and we visited a family friend. He had an old 24" Sun unicycle, covered in rust and dust. I had to try it.

The advice he gave me was to learn to freemount the thing, and go from there. He instructed that the pedals should be at the 3 and 6 o'clock position, with your most comfortable foot on the back pedal. LEAN FORWARD so that you are staring down at the hub with the seat tucked underneath you. Then use your pedal leg as a lever as you rock yourself over the hub, and plant your other foot on the front pedal. He never really said anything about riding.

Just getting the nerve to try it took a couple minutes. On my first attempt I stepped hard on that back pedal, instead of trying to hold its position, and sent the uni flying behind me, and me flying forward. I knew it was going to be harder than it looked. He let me take the thing home with me to learn.

That night, before Xmas dinner, I got the freemount down after a few tries. Learning to lock that back foot was a major confidence boost for me. I got back at it after a few hours and a few Whiskey and sodas. BAD IDEA. Frustration and sweat for an hour at least. Ended up destroying a mini-statue next to the pool (time for superglue), and not getting anywhere.

The next morning i was driven. Freemounted the thing over and over for a half hour before I got one full revolution. But the feeling was sweet!
My biggest problem was mounting the thing with my WEIGHT SIDEWAYS. I wasn't fully commiting, out of fear that I might tip over and fall on my back. I had to get that out of my head.

Practiced for another hour and a half, with highs and lows. Just when I thought I was on the brink of getting it, I would go into a slump. Finally, I went in to get a drink and came out to try again. On the first attempt I freemounted the thing, but ended up with my weight too far forward (I thought). After a turn of the pedals, my weight was still forward and I was still rolling. I kept the forward lean and continued across the pool deck.

It was the epiphany that my legs needed. The feeling of a dozen revolutions was enough to get the muscle memory locked in. I ran right to the front yard and told my pops that I was going to ride 100' across the driveway. He didn't even consider it because he watched me try with little success for close to 2hours. But to our surprise, I mounted up, rode the whole distance, and never looked back. For the rest of the day I rode around the block getting the feeling down. It felt like I had joined an elite crew after getting some thumbsups and compliments from the neighbors.

I'm back in Washington now and I had to leave the uni behind:mad: I'm hooked though and I'm looking around Seattle for a used one. Any advice? I found the Torker CX for $65, but I read the LX is the better way to go.

Hope my experience helps

Spoon

2009-01-11, 08:17 PM

Really I think anybody can learn to ride a unicycle (there are some obvious exceptions to this). I learned to ride on a vintage unicycle with a flat steel (plastic covered) seat, solid rubber tire with bent cranks and I believe it was a 16". My dad brought it home from a garage sale about 17 years ago I'd say. At around 10 years of age I had an obsession with being the clown from Nightmare Before Christmas for Halloween. It took me a couple weeks to learn how to ride that thing, but I did it. I never was actually the clown for Halloween, but the unicycle thing has stuck with me. When I upgraded to a 'real' unicycle from that vintage heap I felt like I could have cut my learning time by half or more :rolleyes:. The upgrade from that unicycle was a 24" from unicycle.com and it took me 2 years to convince my parents to get it for me for Christmas. At age 14 or 15 I cracked the frame by pushing it too far (treating a 24" learner uni as a street and/or MUni doesn't work so well :)).

I learned without the internet and with a piece of junk that weighs about 30 pounds. It really does just amount to trial, error and just getting back up off the ground with that determination in your head - "I know I can get one more pedal in"

openhartchiropractic

2009-01-12, 10:56 PM

remember to make sure your seat is at the right height. I had mine a little low and I learn to ride. then went to a uni convention and found out the seat was way to low for me. When I moved it way up with a new seat post it made a big differance and I learning curved spiked.

costo

2009-03-14, 11:15 PM

Hello guyz (and gals !),

Wow, this thread is getting large :)

Dunno if you remember me, I started unicycling in march 2008, actually 1 year ago almost day to day.

Well, I just wanted to tell you that once you got the "click", it feels so natural to unicycle that a few month later, you forgot how difficult it initially was !
I've been commuting every single day for one year with my unicycles, that probably helps a lot, but reading this thread again, I remember also all the figures I was initially looking forward to perform have been left apart, so I can ride, yes, but still can't ride backwards or one footed and I have only one mount mastered (but 100% successful). I forced myself to learn idling 3 months after starting unicycling, but since then, not a single effort to learn new techniques.
Why am I saying all that ? For 2 reasons :
1. Don't stop learning new stuff as I did... Now it's quite difficult to force myself to learn new tricks as I'm very efficient in my commuting with unis (héhé and expecting the 36" on monday :p:p:p) and not riding seems like a loss of time
2. It's a bit controversial with what I just said, but take it easy on yourself for new tricks... Don't get mad if you can't idle yet, just ride, ride and ride. Your body will learn lots of control details by itself just by riding, and many figures or tricks will be very easy to master in a few weeks/months of mindless fun on your uni...

Just my 2 € cents ;)
Costo.

yUNIkoner

2009-04-02, 09:20 PM

I have been off the uni for the winter and I'm looking forward to getting back on. I have decided to spend more time riding distance as opposed to so much hopping. I just ordered a KH29 for this purpose as I love trail riding. I had so many ankle injuries last year from hopping that I think this is a good idea. I even missed about a month of hockey season due to ankle problems related to unicycling. My hockey season ended last night (We got knocked out of the playoffs) so unicycling season has officially begun... it did snow all day here.:(
I am hoping to get to the point this summer that I can make some long rides. Keep on riding!

UniKid2

2009-04-02, 09:23 PM

Hey yUNIkoner, Good to hear your starting distance-ish riding.

Theres still snow in Whitehorse?! Wow... Enjoy your ride.

yUNIkoner

2009-04-03, 05:08 AM

I went for a ride on my trials uni today,icy roads and all. I tried getting a good cadence going but I felt pretty sloppy. I had trouble with getting my foot placement and found that my foot kept twisting and causing me to wobble. My legs felt strong, it seemed like my upper body felt weak and awkward.Oh well, first day!
Is it easier to maintain a good cadence on a bigger wheel or does it have more to do with crank size? A combination?

yUNIkoner

2009-04-18, 09:52 PM

I tried doing some hopping today while lifting my feet off the pedals. I focused on landing on the cranks. I am hoping this is a step towards unispins. It wasn't very impressive but it was good for me.
I just watched a wheelwalk tutorial and now I want to try those. I'm easily distracted! :p

lillestrøm_uni

2009-04-21, 08:40 PM

Hi all!

yUNIkoner, you always impress me. Riding with snow and ice... I was using just that as an excuse earlier this spring for why I didn't unicycle yet this year...

But I did today! What a feeling - I didn't unicycle in over 7 months and I just got on it, first mounting attempt, and rode off for about 300 meters until I got to the end of the parking lot I went to. :D

Kept on for about an hour and my longest ride was around 700 meters or more (I measured with my car), then I went from one end to the other and a little more - I managed to turn successfully at each end of the parking lot today, so my next goal will be starting to ride around it several times without dismounting. One full round is about 1 km, so if I can get that down, I should be able to get some distance and move on to the next stage of freemounting and road riding.

I always learn from reading your posts here, guys, I am really energized and happy after stopping by here. :D

Ridin Dirty and Spoon, your stories are also really impressive. I found it really hard to try with a 20" uni when I tried back when I was 15, and then I was sort of "turned off" for 20 years, until I got my coker last summer.

Learning on a coker is my "twist" on things (I like doing the exact opposite of the advice everybody gives me), and as a result I've focused more on riding and less on freemounting, idling and tricks. The thing weighs around 9 kg (20 pounds) and when I am standing with it in front of me, the seat reaches the middle of my chest (I am 188 cm or 6'2"). :eek:

Now, after about 30-35 hours of training over 19 sessions, I am starting to get to where I am realistic about learning to freemount and stabilize my riding for longer distances. :cool:

costo, I certainly see your point and I do want to keep learning, but my aims with getting a unicycle are 1) getting exercise and 2) commuting, so tricks and so on are not so important for me. However, unigeezer's videos on YouTube have been a collossal inspiration for me, as you know he rides a coker and he also does all the tricks in the book with it (including a step-over mount or whatever it is called, and jumping up a very long flight of stairs barely wide enough for the coker wheel). :eek:

In other words, I do want the best of both worlds, but for now I cannot imagine riding on anything smaller than a coker. The elevation and feeling of being above everything else (and you really are, my head is at least half a meter higher than when I am standing up normally), plus the speed really gives me a huge kick :)

So, that's my five cents right now, after riding for the first time in 2009 this afternoon, logging about 3-4 km in an hour. A new record for me, and soon I will increase my distance, I just need to stop these UPDs first... Plus get stronger legs and learn how to sit down properly, so my legs won't get all mushy too soon... ;)

hugo

2009-04-22, 04:29 AM

yUNIkoner

2009-04-22, 05:26 AM

Long time, no post.

First of all, I would no longer say that I am a beginner, so I guess I have to stop posting here anyway. I have been preparing myself for the Düsseldorf Unicycle Marathon and did a last full testride yesterday.

I did 45 km in 2 h 52 min on a 28" wheel with 114 mm cranks. That's not very fast, but fast enough.

I also expect that my new 29" Schlumpf-geared uni will arrive today. I have been learing to shift gears on a 24" Muni. It is a bit tricky in the beginning, but the feeling of a 1:1.5 geared wheel is overwhelming. Flying can't be better ;)

Wow Hugo, you are getting High tech! It's great to hear you riding long distances.

My KH 29 just arrived yesterday and my magura HS 33 arrived today. I'm just waiting for the brakes mounting hardware now. I'm pretty excited.
I rode the 29er today and it is a great feeling. I have the dual hole moments (2007) on 137mm and it feels smooooooooooth. I find that I am leaning forwards more on the bigger uni. We have a fairly steep street by my house and I rode down it no problem but i sure can see that the brake will be nice. Can't wait for the snow to melt so I can ride the trails.

hugo

2009-04-22, 07:29 AM

My KH 29 just arrived yesterday and my magura HS 33 arrived today. I'm just waiting for the brakes mounting hardware now. I'm pretty excited.
I rode the 29er today and it is a great feeling. I have the dual hole moments (2007) on 137mm and it feels smooooooooooth. I find that I am leaning forwards more on the bigger uni. We have a fairly steep street by my house and I rode down it no problem but i sure can see that the brake will be nice. Can't wait for the snow to melt so I can ride the trails.
Great to read that you are also making good progress :) 137 mm cranks may feel convenient for now, but once you get used to the bigger wheel, you may want to try shorther cranks.
The Schlumpf geared KH29 that I will get today also has 165/137 cranks but this is a different story in high gear. I will definitely start with the 165 holes, although this will feel quite odd in low gear. And of course, it also will have the HS33 Magura break.
Keep going! :)

yUNIkoner

2009-04-23, 05:14 AM

I did 4 km on my 29er this evening. I know that that isn't very impressive but it was the longest I have ridden on a uni with out some stops. I dismounted to cross a couple of streets but i did manage to ride over a km without dismounting. I am realizing that there is a bit of a learning curve with this bigger wheel but i was getting much more comfortable by the end, i am going to adjust the saddle angle to find more comfort.
I like learning to unicycle because every time I ride I seem to have a little personal success with it.:)

lillestrøm_uni

2009-04-23, 09:28 PM

I did 4 km on my 29er this evening.
...
i did manage to ride over a km without dismounting.
...
I like learning to unicycle because every time I ride I seem to have a little personal success with it.:)

That is really cool!!

I'm not thinking about going as fast as you and hugo yet - but I did buy magura brakes and I have a handlebar on my Nimbus Nightrider so once I am stable enough to dare go at higher speeds I am all set up :)

I did 3-4 km on Tuesday and probably 3 km today, even if I spent most of the time practicing how to freemount. I also rode 750 m on Tuesday and 1 km today non-stop, both were new personal records.

But of course, the grand news today is that I succeeded in freemount for the first time!!!

Not only that, but the 1 km ride started with a freemount. And even if I didn't manage to mount successfully for more than 13% out of the 200 attempts I logged today, my learning curve clearly spiked and I nailed 17 freemounts in the last 50 tries :D

So it seems I have reached a new era now, finally. Now I will soon be free of poles and walls and fences and all that stuff, and I can start riding where I want, going down bike paths and backroads etc etc. That will really allow me to increase my riding distance records, as so far I have been confined to parking lots...

Yeah!!!!

Well, I can only say that I agree 100% with your statement above - I can really feel the progress every time I get on that uni. And it is such good training both for body and mind as well.

:D

yUNIkoner

2009-04-24, 03:11 AM

I rode about 7.5 km today in a little under 45mins.
I went about 3km before a UPD which I have definitely never done before.
I mounted my brake on the 29er and was trying to use it down some of the hills which caused some UPDs.

scott ttocs

2009-04-24, 05:09 AM

That is really cool!!

But of course, the grand news today is that I succeeded in freemount for the first time!!!

:D

Congratulations on your freemount!

yUNIkoner

2009-04-25, 02:04 AM

It's cool that you are getting the freemount! Now that I'm riding the 29er I think I need to get better at it. i have been using a jump mount and hop around until I'm stable enough to ride. :p

hugo

2009-06-18, 03:37 PM

Folks, did you stop learning unicycling? Especially, where is BurnerDave? I hope he wasn't run over by a big fat Muni ;)

I am slowly learning to ride backwards. I am struggling with this since a year, I guess my problem is that I do not spend enough time on it. Success comes much faster riding my 29" Schlumpf, so I avoid the difficult things.

BurnerDave

2009-06-19, 01:20 AM

Hey Hugo!
Yes, shame on me! I haven't posted anything cuz there's nothing interesting to post! I'm happily riding along, not doing anything fancy, just enjoying the ride! But I still get on the forum almost every day!

I took my uni to a funky costume party/wedding in the country last weekend.
Let's see if I can attach a pic...

UniKid2

2009-06-19, 01:35 AM

GO DAVE! Unce Unce Unce

hugo

2009-06-19, 07:08 AM

Excellent :)

yUNIkoner

2009-06-20, 07:40 AM

Ha! It's nice to see this thread revived! Burnerdave, What were you dressed as?

BurnerDave

2009-06-21, 03:02 AM

I was in a caveman costume. Missing is the bongo drum, doll heads on a rope and the caveman boots!(And I was underdressed!)
More costumes of others (but no unis) at shugarpics on photobucket!!!

chrome

2009-07-01, 02:36 AM

BurnerDave

2009-07-02, 01:54 AM

Gandramu324

2009-07-12, 10:08 PM

nubcake

2009-07-14, 08:03 AM

stop standing on the damn pedals. sit down and lean forward a bit.

you are welcome.

nubcake

2009-07-14, 03:36 PM

2 things :

1) an addition to the previous, maybe kick back the top pedal a bit if it stalls to aid you in the 'lean forward' part i already mentioned.

2) you should check out which reply number you are.

Gadge

2009-07-14, 08:40 PM

I got my unicycle two years ago and kinda gave up but now that i have had absolutely nothing to do i thought why not. And i am stuck i can mount with some confidence and start moving with a rotation then the wheel stops when my left foot goes down and my feet are vertical from each other... Help.

2 things :

1) an addition to the previous, maybe kick back the top pedal a bit if it stalls to aid you in the 'lean forward' part i already mentioned.

2) you should check out which reply number you are.

Well spotted, that is an evil reply number for a first post!

For your problem, everything nubcake said and have the confidence to keep rotating the pedals. Your head may be telling you to stop at the point where you really, really don't want to stop spinning those pedals.

cbs

2009-07-15, 01:19 AM

You dont pedal from top to bottom, you spin around, move your ankle more, point the toes a touch and keep pushing the pedal to the 9 o clock position.

nubcake

2009-07-19, 11:07 AM

it seems that if you post your very first post on that magical number then you vanish, never to reply again.

*wwoooooOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooo*

spooky, no?

BurnerDave

2009-07-20, 02:05 AM

Ah! The summer! I'm into the third week of my 10 week vacation. (I hate working in the summers!) By now, every day feels like Saturday. Tomorrow morning, I'm heading out for a week on a camping trip to the Adirondacks. This summer, like last, I take a unicycle with me, so I've been going to 'official' campgrounds ... family camping style, not wilderness trips because I need paths to uni on. Kayaking, fishing, and unicycling. The kids on the campground all love it when I ride by!
The fun part is when I cross the border coming back to Canada from the USA. A few times as I returned to Canada they ask detailed questions and one of them was, "Are you bringing back any golf clubs or bicycles." The answer, as we all know, is "No." This is with my unicycle lying on the back seat among all my camping gear. The officer looks in the car, "What's that?". "That's a unicycle." He smiled and said, "You take a unicycle on a camping trip?" He got a kick out of it.
He may have meant to ask if I was bringing back any cycles. But I learned in the past to answer the questions, no more, no less.

Gandramu324

2009-07-20, 04:44 AM

So I did look at my reply number deal and that is trippy... and for an update i made it ten feet:) I was stoked. It has been way to hot to try unicycling and i have kinda shifted to trying to learn the guitar till this heat wave passes. Ok so i got ten feet and am having trouble going any farther... No hate mail cause i know its just one good session till i get to like 15 feet. I am curious though can you buy the post the goes from the seat to the unicycle mine isn't quite long enough. I am almost 6'5'' And am just a little tall for my uni. is it freemounting when i put my seat in front of my groin and the wheel forward of that then step on the pedal bringing the wheel under me?

nubcake

2009-07-20, 10:16 AM

anyone else think it (very) mildly interesting that you say uni-psyche-le, tri-psyche-le, but for the 2 wheels it's bi-sick-le? no pun or anything, just one of those pronunciation things that doesn't follow the rest.

i haven't used my uni in something like 6 months to maybe even a year, but rode on it for about 10 mins the other night. i can still mount and ride about 10 metres or so and turn etc, but it's all very awkward and quickly tiring. my legs are still tired, and this was from 48 hours ago now. i know if i rode more regularly my muscles would acclimatise and it'd be 100x better, but ah well what can ya do *shrug*.

But I learned in the past to answer the questions, no more, no less.

... what, did you not tell him about the body in the trunk this time? also, why do they care if someone is bringing a bicycle across the border?

is it freemounting when i put my seat in front of my groin and the wheel forward of that then step on the pedal bringing the wheel under me?

mounting anything is "getting on top of it" i.e. mounting a horse, mounting a unicycle..... mounting a hooker then stashing her in the boot of your car and not telling the border police about it when they ask about any bicycles etc after going on a camping trip.

freemounting is mounting without any help. no leaning on a fence or tree or random passer-by, or putting the wheel into the curb or against an improv wheel chock. so as long as what you described doesn't include something extra helping you mount, then yes, that is freemounting.

BurnerDave

2009-07-20, 10:44 AM

... what, did you not tell him about the body in the trunk this time? also, why do they care if someone is bringing a bicycle across the border?

mounting anything is "getting on top of it" i.e. mounting a horse, mounting a unicycle..... mounting a hooker then stashing her in the boot of your car and not telling the border police about it when they ask about any bicycles etc after going on a camping trip.

I believe that sometimes Canadian go to the USA and buy expensive golf clubs and bicycles that are even more expensive in Canada and have a memory lapse regarding declaring them when they cross back over the border. I guess there's no problem with unicycles and tricycles or he would have asked about those.
About the body in the trunk, like I said, I just answer the man's questions! Had he asked if I had a dead hooker in the trunk, I would have answered truthfully!! "Just the facts ma'am."

krjames

2010-01-20, 02:14 PM

I finally got out on my uni after a long hiatus.

I hit my free mounts and had a great, short ride. I was surprised the free mounts were that easy; what surprised me more was that my legs nearly collapsed out from under me when I stopped. I need to get out more often...

Cr

Having just finished my 9th hour of practice.... I am still having trouble pedaling! Thinking about it, nobody seems to have thought that new unicyclists are having to do something quite unusual, pedal fast. Seriously.
I run marathons, 3:17 is my best so I think I am reasonably fit but I am stuffed after a few minutes pedaling along the training wall. Today my teacher was letting me go while doing circuits around the floor and I was mostly falling off to the front in less than one pedal revolution. I still have trouble pedaling in a steady rhythmic cadence.

So I was wondering if learners should be advised to spend some time on a bike or exercycle doing high rev spinning just to develop some fitness? It is noticable that everybody starts out going a few meters, then a few meters more, is this evidence of a riding problem or just a fitness problem?

Just so some of the above makes sense, I am learning in a Taekwondo gym, there is a foam rubber floor and same on the bars that run down one wall. It's probably the most ideal situation you could learn in! Hitting the deck is not in anyway painful :) Of course in the next day or two I am going to be floundering around on the floor and if I run over any the little tykes who are racing about on 16 and 18 inch wheels there is going to be a problem..

Cheers
James

Tirving

2010-01-20, 02:29 PM

It took me about 20 hours to be able to ride more than 100 feet or so. After than, the learning curve became easier. I can now ride my 36-er a mile or so and probably more but I'm not good at idling so I have to get off if I stop at a light or stop sign...

Hang in there.....the most significant change I made was to get better pedals. I was learning on a Torker CX 24" and I switched to plastic BMX pedals from my LBS, they cost $20. The friction between the pedals and my shoes increased which allowed me to keep the uni underneath me and I all but stopped UPD-ing forwards.

Of course....you need a good seat too but the second most helpful "upgrade" I got was to buy good shoes. I bought a pair of 5-10 Nathan Rennies (last year's model) from Pricepoint. It got to the point where, in the beginning, I couldn't use any other shoes....now I can wear just about anything and be OK. I practiced for about 10-20 minutes, every day until I could ride fairly consistently. I still go out just about every day but now it's 1-3 hours and I'm either doing DH on my Muni (my next challenge was to learn how to use brakes and ride down 35-40 degree slopes) or on my 36-er, trying to log miles so I can commute.

Good luck! Hang in there...... it'll click soon.
-t

dodgetheground

2010-02-23, 11:53 AM

Got a new unicycle couple of days ago. I am 41 and have put on a heap of weight in the last year or so I am about 20 kg (45 lbs ?) overweight. Anyway have wanted to learn how to ride one for years and never got round to it.
I will be getting some pads and wotnot tomorrow. I was thinking just putting the pads on a spending all Saturday and Sunday falling on my arse till I get it. I have been having a bit of a go already but thought I'd wait till I got the pads to have a proper try, more worried about taking skin off than falling and trying on grass didnt work too well.
Anyway I got a dodgy made in Taiwan or somewhere uni of ebay ( I know ). But I noticed that all the components on these things are standard sizes so I can upgrade a bit at a time with decent parts ( I cant justify $300+ for a decent uni in one hit at the moment ). What should I upgrade first ? It's a standard circus type 20" uni. I was thinking replacing the tyre from 1.75 to a 2.0" or 2.125" and the seat to a more stiff one first I weigh nearly 100kg and the seat flexes a little if I grab it. Then frame, wheel, and cranks. Any suggestions ?

hugo

2010-02-23, 01:56 PM

Welcome. Replacing the saddle is a good idea. That's what I did when I had my first uni. Don't replace the saddle with a cheap one. When your weight is ~100 kg, go for a KH Fusion Freeride, model 2009 (http://www.unicycle.com/unicycle-hardware/saddles-and-accessories/saddles/kris-holm-fusion-freeride-blue-saddle.html). It will last very long and it is very comfortable. You also may want to consider an adjustable seat post (http://www.unicycle.com/unicycle-hardware/seat-posts-and-components/seat-posts-bicycle-rail-type/kris-holm-adjustable-rail-post-1.html).

Replacing the tyre is not a must. It depends on the terrain. If you are going to ride off-road, it will help.

Don't replace the wheel, cranks etc. It is better to buy a whole new high quality uni after a while, when you made some experience.

I can only say: Keep going! Ride your uni every day, and may it be for 10-15 minutes only. You will be surprised how much weight you lose.

krjames

2010-03-01, 12:39 PM

Well since my last note I have managed to learn to static free mount(sometimes), jump mount(mostly) and have continued practicing falling off..
Last week I managed to do 800m non-stop on our local sand sportsground, did a 650m too with a total distance of 3600m. That felt good and I didn't feel too bad either. The more I ride the more I get my backside on the seat and things become much easier on the legs.
Am now starting to work on idling and riding with one hand on the seat to try to force some fine balance co-ordination. I'm definitely one flapping kiwi when riding:D
Ran the Hadong Seomjingang Marathon yesterday in 3:27. I can't believe how unfit I am, still aches and pains today.. The hours spent trying to stay in the seat are certainly not helping my running :confused:

But it's good to be running and riding:)

Cheers

jojoxie

2010-03-01, 08:20 PM

I'm definitely one flapping kiwi when riding:D

Cheers

You think you flap? Get a load of how we do it in Orkney, UK. Filmed on my mobile phone a week ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4IpynX8yQk

unibabyguy

2010-03-05, 04:08 AM

So I was wondering if learners should be advised to spend some time on a bike or exercycle doing high rev spinning just to develop some fitness? It is noticable that everybody starts out going a few meters, then a few meters more, is this evidence of a riding problem or just a fitness problem?

Yes, pretty much everyone starts out that way, riding a few meters at a time, unless you're really talented. Riding on a rubber mat is going to be fairly tiring for a beginner. It's easier riding on a smooth flat hard surface like a gym floor or a vinyl floor. Concrete will do, asphalt is harder since it's not as smooth nor flat. Obviously concrete will be more intimidating than riding on a rubber mat, so wear protection (helmet/gloves).

Try relaxing your legs more. It's natural to "tense up" when riding and you have to remember to fight that urge, otherwise it becomes very tiring to ride and you have less control over your pedal strokes.

Also have to agree about the previous advice about pedals and shoes. Having a good grip between shoes/pedals makes it a lot easier to ride. A lot of beginner unis come with those cheap plastic pedals which have virtually no grip.

lillestrøm_uni

2010-03-06, 09:20 AM

Yes, pretty much everyone starts out that way, riding a few meters at a time, unless you're really talented.

I can confirm that this is not about fitness (although many start for that reason). The fitness level becomes relevant only when you are able to ride more than say 5-10 yards. And then it is still not really about fitness, but about leg muscles. I've got good thigh muscles so I was able to increase my riding length to more than 100 yards without any problems once I got the hang of it, but I did indeed get very tired after a while. You can compare it to doing leg reps in the gym, at least until you learn how to sit down in the saddle and pedal more like you would on a bike. Obviously, you use your legs and feet pressing down on the pedals to keep your balance, so as your balance improves, the strain on your legs becomes less and less.

UNCuni

2010-03-11, 12:06 PM

This thread is such a great resource for everyone learning to ride! Thanks to everyone for your comments and encouragement. I started learning about 6 months ago and although the learning curve at the beginning was quite steep, I've learned to hop, ride down a couple of stairs, and even ride backwards.

I relied heavily on YouTube video tutorials and I just compiled nearly 50 of the most helpful videos into a new website for beginners called http://learntounicycle.blogspot.com/. It has videos explaining how to choose a unicycle, how to ride forward, how to free mount, and even videos for more intermediate riders about hopping, dropping, idling, and gliding. Please check it out and let me know if you have any suggestions for how to make it more helpful. Thanks!

Patrick

BurnerDave

2010-03-11, 02:07 PM

This thread is such a great resource for everyone learning to ride!

That's a great compilation of stuff!
Before I started to ride 2 years ago I couldn't find any video of complete newbies learning to ride so I taped my own learning curve starting with my first step onto a uni....
YouTube- Learning to ride a unicyle

Yahoo! Winter is over and I'm back to riding outdoors. Ouch, it will take a few weeks for the legs to get it shape again!

yUNIkoner

2010-04-16, 06:10 AM

I totally forgot about this thread again! It great to see that Hugo and BurnerDave and Lllistrom are still at it. Me too.
I haven't really progressed at a brilliant pace but I can ride some decent muni on my 29er, hop up curbs at will on my trials uni and I'm now trying to get used to a 36er for longer distances. I'm a bit scared on if. Mostly because it takes few tries to get riding.
The snow is finally going here and I have got the uni out starting last week. How has everyone progressed? I seem to remember that Hugo is a master of long distance rides...

hugo

2010-04-16, 12:50 PM

Hmm yeah right. Funny to look back :)

I still can't ride backwards, but I am trying to finish a full marathon in ~2 hours (on May 2nd).

So, I think we made some progress here :D

tomkarches

2010-04-16, 01:28 PM

I started learning to ride when I was 44 and weighed about 182 lbs. 2 years later I finished the 10K at NAUCC and placed 3rd for my age range (19 and older) so you are never too old to learn. Riding almost every day, I'm down to around 155 lbs. Fitness wise, the unicycle is great!

I've been thinking about the learning process and realized that it's not a traditional one. You are linking your sense of balance to your feet, which are making balance corrections as you move forward

falling back = slow down
falling forward = speed up

If one is younger, your brain probably works it out a bit quicker :-)

You just have to be persistent, though, I tell people when you are first starting to learn (and falling off a lot) that one should limit practice time to avoid frustration. The whole process of going a few meters farther every day is natural as your brain figures it all out. I don't think this has much to do with a lack of fitness. Also, when you start riding in a more relaxed fashion, you don't tire as quickly.

One you get to the point where you can ride a straight line for a decent distance, then more concentrated practice time is beneficial. Worked for me.

The best advice I got here was :
- look straight ahead, not at the wheel
- keep your weight in the seat
- relax

Cheers,
Tom

BurnerDave

2010-04-17, 01:03 AM

yUNIkoner

2010-04-17, 03:05 AM

Hmm yeah right. Funny to look back :)

I still can't ride backwards, but I am trying to finish a full marathon in ~2 hours (on May 2nd).

So, I think we made some progress here :D

I think it is amazing! 40km is a long way! That is averaging 20km/h! What uni are you using for that?

I usually only ride about 6-8 km. i could maybe do 10 at the maximum.
I did average 14.5 km/h today but i can't imagine going much faster than that.

Dave, the 36 is a beast but I am determined to master it. I pushed myself against the wind today which is really tough for me but i did it. :)
I am going to have to take my 29er for a spin. It'll probably feel pretty maneuverable.

krjames

2010-04-19, 02:32 AM

Yes, as Tom pointed out above it is not actually about fitness. Took me ages to find that out. The problem for beginners is that they don't sit on the seat, but keep lots of weight on the pedals for stability, which is the equivalent of riding up hill all the time.

Once a beginner can ride in a straight line I think they should be encouraged to ride longer distances. I started riding around the track at my local sports ground. It used to take me 15 minutes to do one lap!!!! I used to measure my performance in terms of how many 50m non-stops I did.... then it got to 100 and then 200 and finally a whole lap without falling off. But it was only after I was consistently riding for a km non-stop that I really started getting to sit on the seat (that's when I discovered that the seat was very hard! :) I went through a stage when I felt very unstable again and then I started to naturally adjust my pedaling cadence to the situation, speed up/slow down rather than moving my body.

For people more interested in tricks (aka falling off in painful situations) I imagine things are a bit different.

I still can't idle, hop, go backwards or ride while thinking about something else!

Cheers all

hugo

2010-04-19, 06:48 AM

I think it is amazing! 40km is a long way! That is averaging 20km/h! What uni are you using for that?
This is on my KH29 with Schlumpf hub (137 mm cranks). But last year I finisched these 42,195 km in 2h 25m on my 28" with standard hub, 114 mm cranks. My problem is that I can't really rotate the cranks with high frequency, so there is no way to go faster without having the 2nd gear of the Schlumpf hub.

hugo

2010-04-19, 06:59 AM

I still can't idle, hop, go backwards or ride while thinking about something else! That will come over time. You should also start riding on rough terrain. This helps a lot with your balance, and sooner than you think you start enjoying downhill trails.

EoinC

2010-05-07, 02:08 AM

...I've been thinking about the learning processHi, Tom.
I taught myself to ride a few of months ago, and was very interested in the learning process. I'm 47 years old, and I often coach juniors at riding track bikes on a velodrome - It is a wonderful experience watching anyone achieve the impossible.
Having cast my daughter into the unicycle fray (she taught herself while I was away on a project), I figured it was time for me to walk the walk.
I arrived back from overseas, and set myself a target of being able to ride before my family returned from holiday in 2 weeks. I bought a 26" (I'd read that smaller wheels were easier to ride, but I wanted to be able to ride some distance, and it gave my daughter an option of uni's).
My process was fairly simple - I knew that my few remaining brain cells needed reprogramming, and that repetition is the basis of reprogramming subtleties. I started off in the living room, taking off from a doorway, and forced myself to make 50 attempts per set, regardless of the outcome. As with everyone, the early outcomes were not good, but the sooner I did my 50, the sooner I could go and sob in the corner.
Being attracted to distraction, I interspersed the sets with short sessions of trying to ride the uni on a set of track rollers, placed in a doorway, which probably didn't do much for balance, but gave me an idea of what it would feel like to be spinning circles on the uni.
Back with the sets, once I could get a revolution or 2 in, I started marking minimum and record distances. I then alternated my sets with trying to set new records, and recording how often I could get past a minimum distance.
On the third day I went to a basketball court and was able to make a full circuit by the end of a session there. After that, it just got better and better.

Some observations (which are theories, not proven fact):
1) Unicycling, like walking, is being in a constant state of controlled falling. At first the brain cannot make sense of the balance data coming back from the eyes and ears, and seeks to avoid or over-correct. This is exactly the same as when a baby first learns to stand up, and then to walk (although they may be less prone to over-analysing...).
2) The more you think about what you are doing, the more you inhibit the learning process, as the learning is not logical, but sensory (logic tells you that it's impossible for me to be balanced on this thing - I'm jumping off...).
3) In coaching riders on the track, they all start out looking down, and with all of their muscles fighting each other. We teach them to look ahead at where they want to go, not down at where they are. In addition to looking ahead providing self-correcting direction focus, having a horizon (or familiar visual references) helps the brain to orient it's balancing (one of the reasons why seasickness is more likely to occur inside is that the fluid in the ears is telling the brain that it's moving, but the visual references are telling it that it isn't, causing the brain to raise the nausia alert that something's not right).
4) Looking ahead provides a further benefit, beyond the balance orientation - It helps take the mind off what is happening. I caught a piece on TV last night about teaching non-dancers how to cha cha - Basically, if they looked down, their brains were always trying to correct what they could see, and the feet would go all over the place. When they held their heads up, their muscles were allowed to learn the process, and then refine it.
5) My aim was (apart from being able to ride with my daughter) to be able to ride a reasonable distance. I race bikes on road and track, and don't expect to be able to compete with the efficiency of a bike, but I do want to be able to go for a decent (multi hour) ride. My early experiences had my quads telling me that I was putting a huge effort into balancing, and the little bit that was left over was going into moving forward. Again, repetition and relaxing have allowed the pedaling to become more balanced. I'm used to a high cadence from track racing, but the uni has added an additional requirement for pressure feedback to make balance adjustments. I can see that the smoother I can get at pedaling, and the better at feeling my balance, the more efficient my riding will become.
6) Old heads may (tend to) learn slower, because they try to think their way through everything. Thinking helps plan before the attempt, and review after the attempt but, when we're in the process of pushing ourselves into the unknown, it doesn't help during the event.

I am enjoying this process immensely. I have my uni up here with me on a project in Singapore, and am getting further / faster / smoother (sometimes). My daughter's riding is going very well. In December she rode her uni around the North of Thailand, and across the border into Myanmar.

All of you riders are a great inspiration to those of us who are just beginning. Thank you for that.

Cheers,
Eoin

EoinC

2010-05-07, 02:25 AM

...I went through a stage when I felt very unstable again and then I started to naturally adjust my pedaling cadence to the situation, speed up/slow down rather than moving my body.

For people more interested in tricks (aka falling off in painful situations) I imagine things are a bit different.

I still can't idle, hop, go backwards or ride while thinking about something else!

Cheers allI think I may be at a similar stage to you. I'm OK with riding up and down hills, and riding in traffic, but haven't yet got the idle / hop / backwards (intentioanlly..) thing. As you know, telling yourself to relax can be stressful...
My freemounts are getting better (as in more consistant, not more graceful), but I learnt a technique from daughter (holding the wheel to mount) that, while it led to early success (5th day of unicycling), introduces a degree of security that is now hard to let go of. I'll have to keep working on that one.
I want to get a 36" at some stage, but I really want to have better mastery of skills before I try justifying that to a wife who's house is filled with bikes and biking gear.
One thing I can vouch for - Going for a ride after work (dodging monsoonal downpours) really does add something special to a day, and the days that I don't get a ride in feel like they're missing something.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers,
Eoin

lillestrøm_uni

2010-06-06, 01:43 PM

I think that one of the thing I enjoyed most about learning to uni was the problem solving and analyzing how things work. Maybe I am crazy but I think that it's fun. I see people asking how to do things on this board and getting the reply "Just practice". While practice is important, I also realize how beneficial it is to be aware of the specifics of what you are doing while you practice. I am a music educator and I know that focused and deliberate practice is ten times better than practice without self analysis. Breaking a big task or movement into smaller parts can make something much less intimidating. The best learners are the ones that can identify what they are doing right and wrong and correct it.
It is great that you are recognizing what is working! Try not ro hit your car though. Unicycles are much cheaper than door panels!;)

I couldn't agree more, working in science education myself. Perhaps that's why I took a very structured approach to my own learning, reading and waching tons of videos before even purchasing my first uni (actually it was also part of the motivation process..). I made my own thread for posting about my progress, which also contains a lot about my other exercise, since the unicycling was part of a larger effort on my behalf (which has been a source of discussion).

Now, the point here is that I was very frustrated with these answers "Just practice". I think it's poor pedagogy. Imagine telling pupils "just practice" when they ask for help with math or science problems. I can perhaps understand it better when it comes to learning the piano, but still I am sure there are lots of details on how to move your arms, hands and fingers. Playing the guitar, there are probably good ways and bad ways to do the different grips and riffs. Experienced players could show beginners some of the "tricks of the trade" to help them get going faster.

And this is the same with unicycling. There are some key insights and experiences that can indeed be described, even if they are in the "you have to feel it to understand it" category.

And this is why I found the "journal of a new unicycler" (or what it was again) so helpful - I believe I found it reading this thread from start to finish, in fact. Perhaps my own writings (if people were able to find them in the midst of all the "off-topic" training notes) could be of help too.

I could imagine editing the ton of videos I made and write up a narrative from my notes one day I have time for it, perhaps when I retire... :p

Meanwhile, I really appreciate those taking the time to give more detailed and helpful answers than "just practice". Obviously you need to accumulate time in the saddle, just like with everything else you cannot become good without it, but as you point out there are smart ways and not so smart ways of spending that time. Your learning curve can be quite accelerated by doing things right.

One example; many people keep riding along a wall until they're stuck. Others keep mounting only one way, until they're dependent on doing that. Letting loose of the wall ASAP and forcing yourself to mount with both legs are principles I believe help a lot with developing good balance.

Also it is possible to explain that you need to lean forward and it will feel like you are falling forward, because you simply have to be off balance forward in order to balance the forward acceleration when you start pedalling. Trying to stay balanced straight up will cause you to fall backwards as soon as you step on the pedal. I've been amazed that this simple fact is not relayed clearly to beginners. No wonder they're having a hard time letting loose of that wall and start freeriding.

I could go on, but the weather's beautiful.

Good to be back here, in any case!

Cheers from sunny Norway :D

lillestrøm_uni

2010-06-06, 01:48 PM

Referring to my previous post, here's an excellent account of some main principles:

Hi, Tom.
My process was fairly simple - I knew that my few remaining brain cells needed reprogramming, and that repetition is the basis of reprogramming subtleties. I started off in the living room, taking off from a doorway, and forced myself to make 50 attempts per set, regardless of the outcome. As with everyone, the early outcomes were not good, but the sooner I did my 50, the sooner I could go and sob in the corner.
Being attracted to distraction, I interspersed the sets with short sessions of trying to ride the uni on a set of track rollers, placed in a doorway, which probably didn't do much for balance, but gave me an idea of what it would feel like to be spinning circles on the uni.
Back with the sets, once I could get a revolution or 2 in, I started marking minimum and record distances. I then alternated my sets with trying to set new records, and recording how often I could get past a minimum distance.
On the third day I went to a basketball court and was able to make a full circuit by the end of a session there. After that, it just got better and better.

Some observations (which are theories, not proven fact):
1) Unicycling, like walking, is being in a constant state of controlled falling. At first the brain cannot make sense of the balance data coming back from the eyes and ears, and seeks to avoid or over-correct. This is exactly the same as when a baby first learns to stand up, and then to walk (although they may be less prone to over-analysing...).

I'm wondering what you do for a a living, Eoin, but you must have some background in natural science and/or the psychology of learning?

Read the rest of his post below :)