36er...OW!

[Klaas Bil]

Originally Posted by Aillaragis

I'm riding with 110's. Is there a trick to jumping off the beast? I've tried practicing UPD's, but when I get up to speed I'm too scared to jump off. The first time was much faster than the second. I took two steps then realized I couldn't run that fast and tucked and rolled out of it unscathed. The second time my feet never touched the ground. I pretty much got owned even though I was going slower.

I agree with other posters that 110's may be too small for you now, in that (1) they make you go too fast for your experience level, and (2) short cranks provide less control for balancing the unicycle. 150's are generally considered to be a good beginner's crank length, although some skip that length and start out with 140/137 or 125. I say, don't go shorter until you are comfortable on them. There is no 'trick' to jumping off, except maybe don't be scared to do so. By that I mean, once you are falling beyond recovery, you are making matters worse if you would still try to hang on to the falling beast. You need to let go of the uni and focus on coordinating your own fall. If you are slow enough and get off early enough, you should be able to run it out. If you are too fast (not easily managed with 150 mm cranks though!), you need to pull in your head (somewhat sideways), tuck and roll. To do that in a safe and 'comfortable' way is more complex than described in one sentence.

Originally Posted by Aillaragis

Also I feel like I'm inadvertently "ankling". I bicycle with my toes pointed down at a relatively extreme angle. I don't feel comfortable doing this on a uni without clipless pedals, but I don't think going clipless would solve my UPD issues. So how do you pedal?

Ankling is good in itself, and almost natural with shorter cranks. Howevere, the average angle of your ankle (around which your ankle moves) should be rather natural, not pointed downwards.
I don't understand why you mention clipless. Don't mess with clipless at this stage - or at any stage, as most unicyclists would say.

[davidp]

Originally Posted by Flyjeffva

Can anyone recommend good wrist guards that would protect against this typr of injury?

Aghh, sorry to hear about your injury. Almost any kind of wrist guard will offer some protection for that kind of thing. For a while I used roller skating guards but have been using Hill Billy half-finger guards for a little over a year. The Hill Billy guards do make it easier to hold the saddle handle than the roller skating guards. There's a review thread for them over in the reviews section: http://unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77960

[DavidHood]

Originally Posted by Flyjeffva

Can anyone recommend good wrist guards that would protect against this typr of injury?

I read in one of your other posts that you are considering the Flexmeter wrist guards and I know you are a fellow Nimbus Impulse owner and I can confirm that the Flexmeter "all seasons" wristguards (got mine at SnowBoardSecretsdotcom) are too bulky to operate the brake lever. See my post in the "gear" thread. I love the Flexmeter and I do wear it on my right (disc golf) hand but I wear Kris Holm on my left so I can use the brake. Just ordered a pair of fingerless MBS Hillbilly guards as the KH get hot in the summer (my right hand Flexmeter does not have that problem). I would be interested to see if anyone else has any experience with Flexmeter's "single splint" (does not have the front skid plate) or the "gloves with dorsal" (definately look too hot) and using the brake lever. Get well soon!

[magnustudios]

To your question about jumping off: I think it's just general experience on the 36, knowing when you have to bail, and building those reflexes.

Riding with toes pointing down sounds dangerous to me. Do you move your ankles at all when you ride? I find, especially with short cranks, I can do a lot of the spinning with just my ankles and move my legs as little as possible. I do it for the speed, but it seems to me that having feet flat on the pedals in a bail situation would give more room for reaction and jumping off so you land on your feet, even if you then fall on your face.

I've had more than a couple non-out-runnable UPDs on my 36, but I've only gotten scrapes and burns, nothing broken. I think it has more to do with landing on feet first than skills at falling. If I knew how to roll out of a bail I might have not even gotten the scrapes and burns, but so far I haven't tried to learn that yet.

[Milosboy]

A few others have said this, and I reiterate: KNOW YOUR LIMITS. If you know exactly what you can do, how you can do it, and when you can do it, and follow it religiously, you won't fall much. Doing what you know you are capable of doing will improve skill, balance, and reflexes, allowing for a more enjoyable and safe ride.
Personally, I've only practiced falling for a day. I don't practice falling much, because I know that if I am safe and smart on the uni, I won't need practice falling.

[Dane M]

I don't know if this applies to 36ers (I would think it would apply MORE to big wheels) but my way is that "When in doubt, ditch the uni" and by that I mean, unless I am absolutely positive I can catch the uni as I'm falling, I will just let it go down by itself. This new way of thinking has kept me injury-free for a while now knock on wood. Also, rolling is an easy way out of a lot of crashes that seem like they are going to be really bad. Go out on some soft grass and do some rolls and stuff, without your uni, just do some fall rolls. I like to fall off my uni onto grass intentionally, can be fun. I think there are even some martial arts classes that teach roll techniques.

[bluesman]

Jeff, I am sorry to hear about your accident. I am learning my 36er and I wear Hillbilly full fingered gloves cause I am too old to keep getting hurt. Hope you heal OK!!