I'm new and wanted to say HELLO!

[LifterGirl]

I got my first unicycle for Christmas. It was a 16'' which I learned was too small for me, so I sent it back and got my 20'' Torker LX yesterday. As you might have guessed, I can't ride yet, but I spent a lot of time in the saddle yesterday. It took a lot of focus for me to stop lifting myself off of the seat because when I ride my bike, I hardly sit down at all. I've gotten sort of used to staying seated...sort of.

Anyway, My primary hobby is bodybuilding, and I'm hoping to get good enough on my unicycle that I can use it for cardio when I prep for a contest. It's too easy to coast on a bicycle and you cover so much distance so easily, that it doesn't keep my heart rate up enough. My first sports were track and cross country. I ran in high school and college until my foot and ankle injuries caught up with me. I have too much scar tissue built up to run much anymore.

I've been reading around this board a bit and it seems like a really great active board free of trolls for the most part. I've already soaked up a lot of information, so thanks to those responsible.

Natalie

[Into the blue]

It's a bit of a tradition that new members get greeted with this:

That's one more of us and one less of them.

Welcome to the sport.

[unibikeling]

I got my first unicycle for Christmas. It was a 16'' which I learned was too small for me, so I sent it back and got my 20'' Torker LX yesterday. As you might have guessed, I can't ride yet, but I spent a lot of time in the saddle yesterday. It took a lot of focus for me to stop lifting myself off of the seat because when I ride my bike, I hardly sit down at all. I've gotten sort of used to staying seated...sort of.

Anyway, My primary hobby is bodybuilding, and I'm hoping to get good enough on my unicycle that I can use it for cardio when I prep for a contest. It's too easy to coast on a bicycle and you cover so much distance so easily, that it doesn't keep my heart rate up enough. My first sports were track and cross country. I ran in high school and college until my foot and ankle injuries caught up with me. I have too much scar tissue built up to run much anymore.

I've been reading around this board a bit and it seems like a really great active board free of trolls for the most part. I've already soaked up a lot of information, so thanks to those responsible.

Natalie

Welcome to the forums! Feel free to ask questions, most on these forums are welcoming to newcomers.

Good luck with unicycling!

[cathwood]

Welcome. Have fun learning to unicycle and join the rest of us obsessives :D

[habbywall]

Welcome.
With that picture you just may give Veronica Farren's thread a run for it's money.

[Jeremy R]

I got my first unicycle for Christmas. It was a 16'' which I learned was too small for me, so I sent it back and got my 20'' Torker LX yesterday. As you might have guessed, I can't ride yet, but I spent a lot of time in the saddle yesterday. It took a lot of focus for me to stop lifting myself off of the seat because when I ride my bike, I hardly sit down at all. I've gotten sort of used to staying seated...sort of.

Anyway, My primary hobby is bodybuilding, and I'm hoping to get good enough on my unicycle that I can use it for cardio when I prep for a contest. It's too easy to coast on a bicycle and you cover so much distance so easily, that it doesn't keep my heart rate up enough. My first sports were track and cross country. I ran in high school and college until my foot and ankle injuries caught up with me. I have too much scar tissue built up to run much anymore.

I've been reading around this board a bit and it seems like a really great active board free of trolls for the most part. I've already soaked up a lot of information, so thanks to those responsible.

Natalie
Prepare to beat the hell out of your quads and calf.
Welcome.
With that picture you just may give Veronica Farren's thread a run for it's money.
+1

[tumbles]

Hi, I'm new here as well as to unicycling, good luck in learning to ride!

[LifterGirl]

Thanks for the warm welcome everybody!

Habbywall, I had to look up Veronica because of your comment, and she is definitely a cutie. She's got me topped on skills for sure. I'll post a picture of me riding when I actually can.

Jeremy, my muscles aren't sore so far probably because I lift a lot of weights already.

Tumbles, Welcome to the site!

I do have one question so far about my seat...
Maybe it's too wide or rigid or square, I don't know. My groin is so sore today that I can hardly ride. It's not muscle soreness, but more like bruising. Sort of like if you ride a bicycle when you haven't in a long time, you end up with sore butt bones from the pressure of the weight of your body...it goes away and you adjust. The problem I'm having is bruising on my muscles, not my bones, so I don't know if it'll keep coming back or not.

I searched the site, but didn't find anyone else that had this issue, so my question is...Should get a new seat, or give this one more time?

Thanks,
Natalie

[Jeremy R]

You might want a seat upgrade. You said you got an LX (AKA Brick in disguise). If you can just deal with it for say a month, and then upgrade, you'll be comfortable on any seat! I know from experience! My first seat was a piece of square metal with lumps in it! When I got a new saddle, it was like heaven! I'd recommend a NIMBUS GEL SADDLE from UDC

[Rezinha]

Welcome!
And be careful with the Most Replys thread!

[Buddy]

I'd recommend a NIMBUS GEL SADDLE from UDC

I disagree. What works for guys...doesn't usually work for women. I find the Nimbus Gel and the Kris Holm Gel saddle both horrible (comparable to LX's saddle, even) for any long period of riding. I have yet to find the perfect saddle..but I'm fairly happy with the KH Fusion Freeride.

Also, welcome to the forums!

[Goats_On_Unicycles]

Welcome to the forums!

I'm with Leah (Buddy). Get something like the KH fusion.

[Ducttape]

Welcome to the forums!

I'm with Leah (Buddy). Get something like the KH fusion.
+1 although I've never fitted it to any of my unicycles for more than a few minutes it seems like a very comfy seat. I currently favor the Nimbus Gel seat for my distance unicycle though. However seats are all about preference as you'll soon find out.

[JohnnyReggae]

Anyway, My primary hobby is bodybuilding, and I'm hoping to get good enough on my unicycle that I can use it for cardio when I prep for a contest. It's too easy to coast on a bicycle and you cover so much distance so easily, that it doesn't keep my heart rate up enough.

Natalie
Welcome to the forums !! You will find that unicycling will give you a full workout, much better than a b*ke :)

Good luck with learning... you can do it....

btw... Great body building photos. I have massive respect for body builders and the amount of effort that goes into getting into that shape, including the diet that you need to go through.

[cathwood]

Unicycle saddles are a problem.

Use padded cycle shorts.

Once you have learnt to ride you can learn to relieve the pressure.

I use the KH fusion freeride and cut down the foam in the front so there's not as much pressure and the saddle is flatter.

[thestig]

:D i learnt to ride on boxing day , i was up and out on my new uni from 10 till 8 and i cracked it in one day , but i was sore lol

[Michaelgoround]

Welcome to the forums(both of you)!
On the soreness bit I would go for a new seat. My personal favorite is the KH(Kris Holm) Fusion seat. Which you can purchase at UDC. (http://unicycle.com/Gateway.asp) I think that if you upgrade your seat you will also have to upgrade your seat post.

[surndr]

hey LifterGirl I have the Torker LX and had the same problem with the pain at first, i changed my saddle to a air saddle with the "air pillow" from unicycle.com I have heard that some guys don't like it but as a girl it has worked wonderfully for me. hope that helps. welcome !

[poofengle]

Definitely invest in some biking shorts if you're going to be riding/practicing for any length of time. Whichever seat you choose, after an extended period you will feel the burn. The nicer ones just extend the period where you're still feeling good.

I'd go with a nimbus seat as mentioned before, or a KH fusion. I have a nimbus gel saddle and it works great for me, and I've ridden for a while on a Kris Holm and they're fairly comparable from what I experienced.

Welcome to the forums and to the world of unicycling :~)

[GILD]

I'm hoping to get good enough on my unicycle that I can use it for cardio when I prep for a contest.
Hi Natalie, welcome to the forum.

For cardio on a uni, you can't go wrong with UniHoki, also known as Unicycle Hockey.
I'm not sure how many riders you have around your area, but it would be totally worth your while to get some of them together and organise a game.

Now hurry up and learn to ride!

Oh yeah, hanging out with other riders will also give you a chance to try out all these different seats people are mentioning before you just buy something blindly via the web.
If you can get to a uni-gathering of some sort, you'll get a chance to have a look at even more of a variety of seats.

Here's a link to the Unicyclist Roste (http://unicycling.org/roster/index.php?country=usa)r.

Welcome.
With that picture you just may give Veronica Farren's thread a run for it's money.
Did you miss the bodybuilding bit Habby?

[cbs]

welcome! im new too. cant really ride the uni for 5 1/2 weeks since my arm was broken and waiting til its strong enough to chance falling. riding in the hallway doesnt really count i dont think. i want to uni because it looks like too much fun! i have been doing some lifting on and off to build muscle since im skinny, to get stronger and prevent injury. so i might want to pm you lol. i actually dont like lifting much honestly so usually i dont stick with it when im active.

glad u asked about the seat. i have the 16" torker. its very uncomfortable but i will get a nicer 20" uni once i learn and figure out what i will need. im a girl too and know guys and girls have different issues with seats since we have different hips and dont have to protect our family jewels. :p i also am not gifted with a lot of padding back there. i want to do tricks though so not sure if an air seat would be ok.

[LifterGirl]

I think I figured out a temporary fix for the seat until I decide what new one to get...
I found something explaining how to convert the Torker seat to an air seat, but I didn't think that was going to fix my problem. Instead, I took it apart and removed the foam pad to reshape it. First, I cut down the hard corners around the front and thinned out the middle some. I wrapped the middle and front of the seat with pre-wrap, and then tightly with athletic tape. I was able to make the seat rounder and more narrow. I just put the seat cover back over it when I was done, and it is much more comfortable now. I'll probably get a new seat later, but I don't want to spend the money when I can't even ride yet.

Johnny, Thanks for the compliments. Bodybuilding is all about consistency and the diet is half of contest prep. For now I'm going to put some of that focus into my uni.

Gild, I don't know anyone else who can unicycle in Louisville. There's probably a couple, but I would be really surprised if there were enough to play unihoki. It sounds like fun.

cbs, feel free to ask any lifting questions, diet questions too. I know there's a lot of opposing information about diet and exercise out there, and it can be hard to decipher sometimes.

Natalie

[harper]

I think I figured out a temporary fix for the seat until I decide what new one to get...
I found something explaining how to convert the Torker seat to an air seat, but I didn't think that was going to fix my problem. Instead, I took it apart and removed the foam pad to reshape it. First, I cut down the hard corners around the front and thinned out the middle some. I wrapped the middle and front of the seat with pre-wrap, and then tightly with athletic tape. I was able to make the seat rounder and more narrow. I just put the seat cover back over it when I was done, and it is much more comfortable now.

This is a project that may be of interest to the other female riders who read the forum. There are not a lot of girl specific saddle modification projects that have been done. There are several boy specific comfort projects have been discussed and illustrated in detail. Photos of the steps of your project may be useful to others.

[Tak]

First, I cut down the hard corners around the front and thinned out the middle some. I wrapped the middle and front of the seat with pre-wrap, and then tightly with athletic tape. I was able to make the seat rounder and more narrow.
So ... it looks like a bike seat now?

[Baskett]

Hello! I'm a newbie as well. :) I got a 24" Club Freestyle for Christmas and I got the upgraded Nimbus Gel saddle (mainly because the orange gel seat matched my orange frame :p ). After the first day of riding, my inner thighs were very sore but it went away in a day or two.

Now my butt is sore... but that's probably because I fell pretty hard on concrete the other day. :o

Good luck learning to ride! Have fun! :)

[LifterGirl]

I did take some pictures when I had the seat apart. I don't know if you can see the difference from the pictures or not, but it feels a lot better now.

It doesn't look like a bike seat, but I did think about trying my bike seat on my uni.

Basket, my soreness is gone now, but I feel like I can control the uni better without as much material there. I do want to get a new seat later.

[Bondo]

Great job with the seat!
I think you will find that as you ride more consistently the soreness goes away for the most part...until you start in on the multi-hour rides!

You are from Louisville!
I have unicycled there quite a bit.
Are you familiar with the Comedy Caravan on Bardstown road?
I rode all over that area as well as up on the stag in the club.

Welcome again.!

[LifterGirl]

I've been to Comedy Caravan several times. My gym is only a half mile North of it. I'm here all the time. Next time you're in Louisville you should come by and say hello.

[Alan Hogan]

I got a 16" for Xmas a couple of years ago and didnt have much success....put it a cupboard and forgot about it for a couple of years...then I looked in to it again and bought a 24". I can now ride both of them though I am having a little trouble with free starts.

[GearQueen]

This is cool to see quite a few gals post here, I was starting to wonder if there were many out there. I'm so new to this also, I got my 1st uni in Oct. and wanted to ride it before my big 50th birthday, which happened in Dec. I'm pleased to say that I can ride in the neighborhood, nothing fancy, but I'm having fun.

So I think it will be a great warm up for your competitions. I come from a pretty sporty background, and have done plenty of weight lifting, not on your level, but for basketball, and staying in shape, and keeping strength for the sports I do now. Windsurfing is at the top of my list, mtn biking, I'm trying to learn snowkiting, and of course unicycling.

What I've found is that trying to learn to idle and freemount, is quite a workout, especially on the legs. I do this in my basement right now, because it's snowing outside and slick. At first I though I might get bored in the basement, but I have not, at all. I'm pretty determined to learn the idle on both legs, and learn to free mount. After an hour or so, it feels like a good workout, and I go away sweaty. I can picture you getting ready by ideling and riding in a small area. It definately gets your heart rate up.

ladies....it's good to know you are all out there.

[critter]

It took a lot of focus for me to stop lifting myself off of the seat
Yes, when riding, stay in the seat for now. If you want, practice hopping like a pogo stick. Then stand on your pedals and hold your seat with one hand. Hopping for 5 minutes will maxed out the cardio.
hoping to get good enough on my unicycle that I can use it for cardio when I prep for a contest.
Natalie That's so cool. Unicycle is the perfect cross-trainer for all sports. You couldn't have picked a better hobby. Good Luck learning to ride and also the next contest you enter.
Can you imaging having a spinning class on unis at your gym.:)


Use padded cycle shorts.

Once you have learnt to ride you can learn to relieve the pressure.

I concur

i have been doing some lifting on and off to build muscle since im skinny, to get stronger and prevent injury.
The harder you play the more you need it. Strong muscles support the structure.

This is cool to see quite a few gals post here, I was starting to wonder if there were many out there. I'm so new to this also, I got my 1st uni in Oct. and wanted to ride it before my big 50th birthday, which happened in Dec. I'm pleased to say that I can ride in the neighborhood, nothing fancy, but I'm having fun.

Windsurfing is at the top of my list, mtn biking, I'm trying to learn snowkiting, and of course unicycling.
You go girl!;) Watch out for fence post when snowkiting.:D
You are not too far to go to the Moab Muni Fest at the end of March....yea???

[LifterGirl]

Alan, I've been playing with free-mounting too, but I'm not anywhere near getting it down. Maybe I'll get that after I can ride somewhat consistently.

GearQueen, I wasn't sure if there'd be many girl unicyclists either, but it looks like there are quite a few. I did figure out that even practicing is good cardio like you're saying. I'm going to start practicing with my unicycle in the mornings before breakfast. The only problem with practicing during contest prep is that I do get more injury prone as I get leaner, so I'll have to be careful.

Critter, Hopping like you described would be a little like jumprope in that 5 minutes will have your heart racing like you're sprinting. I'll give it a shot.

cbs, I see your pm. I'll get back with you tomorrow, and help you to get some meat on your bones.

I ran into a new problem with my seat after I modified it. I thought making it rounder through the middle would be good, but it's not so much. Making it more narrow was good, but arcing up in the center raised anothe discomfort issue which I don't know how to describe without offending.

I took it back apart, and removed the athletic tape and prewrap. I cut it more narrow still, and cut a channel through the middle on the top. Then, I covered it back up. I took pictures again, but I'll post them tomorrow because I have to get going for now.

By the way, I've ridden about 15 yards straight so far, but not consistently. I am going to need a bigger area to practice in soon.

Natalie

[cbs]

Thanks Natalie!

Im trying to learn to idle since I have to stay in the hallway for 5 more weeks. I can balance forward, but lose it sideways. I think I am not rocking forward and back enough? Im trying to balance without moving and that seems too hard. Even when I ride it in the hallway, I wiggle a lot from side to side as I find sideways the balance is the hardest. But thats why I rollerskate and dont inline lol.

[GearQueen]

Do you know about fence posts from experience? I'm doing my best to stay safe....while learning. I sure have a lot to learn with snowkiting and uni.

Moab is about 5 hrs for me. I usually visit there, a couple of times a year, and think it would be a blast to see the muni fest. Usually in March though I'm heading for a tropical island to windsurf. Sound like you already live in tropical paradise.....I usually get to visit your way once a year also. Please take a big breath of warm ocean air in for me. If you do that here right now.....your nostrils would freeze. Take Care!