Fastest speed on a unicycle

[joejumps4fun]

I topped at 16mph on my 36" with 125mm cranks, pedaling as fast as I could. I had a bad UPD, too. I just don't see how some of you guys get to 18 on a 36 w/ 125s...

[tholub]

Originally Posted by joejumps4fun

I topped at 16mph on my 36" with 125mm cranks, pedaling as fast as I could. I had a bad UPD, too. I just don't see how some of you guys get to 18 on a 36 w/ 125s...

Pedal faster.

[Ducttape]

Originally Posted by joejumps4fun

I topped at 16mph on my 36" with 125mm cranks, pedaling as fast as I could. I had a bad UPD, too. I just don't see how some of you guys get to 18 on a 36 w/ 125s...

I've hit 22.5mph with 127's. Just focus on pedal technique. haha

[joejumps4fun]

Originally Posted by tholub

Pedal faster.

Golly gee, why didn't I think of that before? No, wait, I was when my feet came flying off the cranks and I wiped out.

[joejumps4fun]

Originally Posted by Ducttape

I've hit 22.5mph with 127's. Just focus on pedal technique. haha

I honestly don't see how that's possible, but I'll take your word for it.

[crazyjoe]

I think having the balls of your feet on the pedals helps. Although I don't advise it due to easy injuries, you can use your ankles more and that makes it so you don't have to move your entire leg as much. It makes it easier to pedal faster.

[chuckaeronut]

Wow, after coming back to this thread a couple weeks later, i'm amazed to see some of the crazy RPMs people are posting lately! I really think the competition at Unicon is going to be insanely fast indeed. And yeah, I've had that thought, too. I could just barrrrely hit 22 mph on my ungeared coker with 125s, which means I should be able to do 34 mph with the geared coker and the pedals in the 125 holes. ...Yeah, right

I've gotta work my way back up to just being able to ride confidently enough to keep my heart rate up, before I can think about going fast. Time to get off my bum...

Also, ditto about the crashes. I've only crashed out hard at speed on my road uni maybe... three times over maybe 4,000 miles of geared riding, but the scars from those crashes are going to be around probably for the rest of my life... those crashes are worse than anything I've ever gotten falling of my bike at higher speeds. I feel safer riding my motorcycle 100mph without a jacket than I do riding my unicycle at 25mph without a helmet. I most definitely avoid both scenarios, but the comparison stands...

Fear of self-maiming is probably the one thing keeping me from putting bike handlebars way out in front of my seat like the rest of you industrious experimenters. I'm just crazy paranoid of falling really hard. I've been lucky up till now, because everything has been only skin deep. Maybe I'll be less afraid if I ride the thing hard for long distances again, but right now, I'd much rather ride using my bicycle, just because of the what-if-there-is-a-sudden-bump fear. :-P

[hugo]

Originally Posted by joejumps4fun

I honestly don't see how that's possible, but I'll take your word for it.

Put more (all) weight on the seat. Standing on the pedals slows you down significantly.

[steveyo]

Originally Posted by joejumps4fun

I honestly don't see how that's possible, but I'll take your word for it.

I don't do the revs some of these folks do, but when I do spin up to high revs (for me), I make sure to hold the seat handle and pull firmly, while all my concentration is focused on keeping feet glued to pedals.

[Hazmat]

Originally Posted by Ducttape

I've hit 22.5mph with 127's. Just focus on pedal technique. haha

Yeah, i can believe that. I remember you telling me you went a little faster then that at 1 point though.

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by joejumps4fun

I topped at 16mph on my 36" with 125mm cranks, pedaling as fast as I could. I had a bad UPD, too. I just don't see how some of you guys get to 18 on a 36 w/ 125s...

Have you not been riding for long? I'm not a great speedster on a unicycle (too chicken to go faster than I feel safe) but I can do 16mph on 145s without feeling too dodgy - that's my maximum though, I usually cruise at 13 or 14. I'm actually slower on 125s because it just doesn't feel safe, but I can see how people who like short cranks could go a bit faster than that without any superhuman skill.

The people who ride in the mid-20mph range though are mad/extremely skillful/bounce well (in equal proportions), geared or not.

Rob

[Ducttape]

Originally Posted by Hazmat

Yeah, i can believe that. I remember you telling me you went a little faster then that at 1 point though.

my old top speed with 127's was on a downhill at 23mph or something close to that.

[Ducttape]

Originally Posted by hugo

Put more (all) weight on the seat. Standing on the pedals slows you down significantly.

Yeah, all weight on the seat, and balls of the foot over the axels of the pedals. When your foot is at the top of the stroke your toes should point upwards and begin pointing down until your foot is at the bottom of the stroke and your toes are pointing at the ground. keep the balance of push-pull even on both feet so you're wheel isn't wobbling as much and you'll be able to spin at much higher rpm much easier. it also helps to have a little bit of extra bend in the knee so your not shifting your hips back and forth as you pedal, it keeps your weight centered and helps keep your strokes smooth.

[mikepenton]

having your feet attached to the pedals helps increase your RPM significantly too.

[Ducttape]

Originally Posted by mikepenton

having your feet attached to the pedals helps increase your RPM significantly too.

that feels like cheating to me haha