Bike trials HUGE advantage in learning uni!

[Sponge]

^The part about hopping right away is totally true. As is for seat-in sidehops and static gaps. Wobbly riding yes also to a small extent. Still, it's nothing particularly groundbreaking.

[Michaelgoround]

Originally Posted by skilewis74

I agree a bit w/ MuniAddict, but more w/ Sponge.

How about this:
Rider A: A typical person in good shape
Rider B: A person who is able to do a WIDE variety of ballance/coordination sports, and is even good at a few, but great at none
Rider C: A pro bike trials rider

IMO rider A would learn averything the slowest and have the least potential. Rider C may be able to do a few things pretty quickly, ie hopping onto a bench. Rider B might not be good at a few things right away like rider C, but he'd learn everything fairly quickly and have the greatest potential of the three.

I think if you want to be a great skilled rider, you should start young and do that type of riding A LOT, and to keep from getting bored, spending a fair amount doing all of the other technical aspects of unicycling ie, freestyle, street, flat, Muni, North Shore, trials, steep climbs, & high speed riding (not distance). Doing some unrelated balance/coordination sports a bit could be helpful, like skateboarding, surfing, footbag and soccer. Also challenge your ballance as much as possible when not riding.

I tend to agrre with you on this, though it is not always true (as with every theory).

[iAmVincent]

People seem to think the other way around as well, that since I know my way around a unicycle pretty well that I must be some sort of expert bicyclist. A guy I knew at work told me that he would never be able to ride a unicycle, reasoning that he couldn't even ride without using handlebars on a bike, so riding a unicycle must be impossible. I told him that I couldn't either, and that I suck at riding bikes. He seemed to think that was an incredulous claim. A unicycle is not half of a bike, it is its own type of machine. The vast differences in technique needed for riding each should be proof enough of that.

[Michaelgoround]

Originally Posted by iAmVincent

People seem to think the other way around as well, that since I know my way around a unicycle pretty well that I must be some sort of expert bicyclist. A guy I knew at work told me that he would never be able to ride a unicycle, reasoning that he couldn't even ride without using handlebars on a bike, so riding a unicycle must be impossible. I told him that I couldn't either, and that I suck at riding bikes. He seemed to think that was an incredulous claim. A unicycle is not half of a bike, it is its own type of machine. The vast differences in technique needed for riding each should be proof enough of that.

I've had people think the same exact thing. Bikes and unicycles ride totally differently.