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#1 |
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Student of GrandMaster 2T
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Memphis, TN
Age: 54
Posts: 1,021
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Running giraffe mount, walk me through
At MUC mtg last night I hit approx 10 out of 13 "static hop up from the back" mounts on my Five Footer. (a personal best %)
I've watched "Ben's 5' Giraffe Running Mounts" video clips over and over. His mounts are very entertaining. Much more vibrant. They go so fast, I have a little trouble dissecting them into component parts. I tried the mount a time or two last night and succeded in skidding the tire across the floor, but didn't rise the body more than a foot off the ground. Ben, or other's with this skill, could you please talk me through. Should I start on concrete and not linoleum? Seems like the tire would grab better, allowing my momentum to bring me up and over. I think mostly I'm just too chicken to give it 100% thrust. It appears to require brass ones.
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#2 |
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Waffle-Tosser, Time-bider and JCTK
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: the bustling metropolis of Nelspruitia, south africa
Age: 45
Posts: 15,569
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good stats on the freemount!
i haven't landed the running yet i do have a couple of thoughts for u to chew on and hopefully for ben to comment on when he gets here yeah, the tyre skids on smooth floors it feels better on a rougher surface watch that u dont rely too much on the tyre 'biting' as opposed to u jumping walk the steps back from where u want to mount so u know the pedal is going to be in the perfect position this also helps u determine how many steps u r going to take before u go fo it (i have walked clear across parking lots thinking 'next time it comes around'!) work out how and where u want to 'carry' the seat so that u can aquire your seat before jumping without getting yourself all confused what worked best for me was to sort out the whole thing in my head and then, as u mentioned, just go for it i got as far as being on the machine a couple of times i never managed the three pedal revolutions and then a tendon injury locked the giraffe in the garage i should be back on it in about two weeks time have fun |
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#3 |
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The Social Unicyclist
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Is this possible on a 6footer? or is it too far up to go?
Just wondering Joe
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VoodooUnicycles.Com - Extreme Unicycle Display Team |
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#4 | |
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you - pee - dee
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: London, Ontario
Age: 38
Posts: 3,202
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Quote:
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Happy Life Day |
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#5 | |
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North Shore ridin'
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Carmichael, CA
Posts: 14,929
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Quote:
Yes, it can be done on a 6 footer, or even higher. I have mastered it on the 6' but don't make it every time anymore, because I don't do it much. NOTE: Running mounts, especially on 6' or higher unicycles, put a lot of stress on the frame. I bent my original Schwinn Giraffe seat post practicing running mounts. Fortunately the frame has been unscathed all these years. The hardest part about the running mount is coordinating your foot with the pedal, while at the same time committing all that force to it. The amount of force depends on your height & weight vs. the height of the unicycle, and the higher any of those is, the more force it must be. So I recommend people practice by getting the foot and the pedal comfortable with the meet-up before trying to go all the way up there. Do this on concrete or another grippy surface. Linoleum is kind of the opposite, and likely to end you up with lots of tire skid marks on the floor. I worked out a timing mechanism, which I believe is mostly in my head, where I would count to three while watching my dominant pedal come around, and go for the jump on the third pass. This allowed me to coordinate my feet with the pedal rotation so I was able to make a good jump by the time I got to three. Try not to make the unicycle do all the lifting. If you combine upward with forward momentum, it will be an easier lift. Then, like a kickup mount, you will tend to end up with your dominant pedal at the bottom. This is how I finish, in the dead spot and not all the way balanced yet. No problem, pull the other pedal back (or if necessary pedal backward a rotation or two) and there you are. Safety equipment, including leg armor, couldn't hurt during the learning process... I eventually learned the running mount to a one-footed idle (other foot never touching the pedal). This was what put the tremendous strain on my frame and bent the seat post. You should be fine with regular running mounts and giraffes with good, rigid frames. I would only worry about lower-end giraffe frames, though most of todays, including the Savage, are probably fine. A-frame or not, the stress is mostly on the part above the pedal area (bottom bracket).
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John Foss "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" www.unicycling.com "Unicycling is a way of looking at the world, making a choice to slow down, finish what you start, doing things not because they're easy, but because they're a challenge." -- Nurse Ben Last edited by johnfoss; 2003-01-10 at 05:45 PM. |
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#6 | |
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Simmian Envoy from Fenetic Climate
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I can't wait to see you do this, Tom. Do be carefull on the turn out of the kitchen. -Christopher
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"Jeeeezus! I can be misunderstood enough all by myself" -Uni57 "Jesus would love you if he were real." -Catboy "Could someone please pass the brain soap?" -Jethro Last edited by rhysling; 2003-01-10 at 06:34 PM. |
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#7 |
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Supreme Commander
Join Date: Apr 2001
Age: 30
Posts: 38
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wow, I have been looking for a connection to one of my other favorite pastimes, pole vaulting. I suppose I am going to have to get myself a giraffe. What is really funny is that some of the advice you people gave about learning to do this could have also been used to help some one learn how to pole vault. Things like measuring out your run so you don't have to think about hitting the peddals and visualizing it before you do it could, with a little tweeking, have been advice from my pole vaulting coach.
Steve |
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#8 |
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Average wheels: 1.5
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Cannock Chase, UK
Age: 32
Posts: 3,382
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I had a brief spell of trying to do a rolling mount on the jugglesoc giraffe. Ignoring for the moment that I've never successfully freemounted a 5½ foot giraffe the normal way, it seemed a good thing to do at the time.
I stopped after almost managing it, to the point where I got on enough to pedal backwards, but not enough to get up properly. I flew backwards across the room trying to get on it, but had to bail before I was launched out of the large window into the lake... Phil, just me
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"Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems." Last edited by phil; 2003-01-10 at 09:16 PM. |
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#9 |
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Average wheels: 1.5
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Cannock Chase, UK
Age: 32
Posts: 3,382
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<doh! the "delete post" button doesn't work, and I evidently don't have enough brain cells to bang together>
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"Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems." Last edited by phil; 2003-01-10 at 09:15 PM. |
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#10 |
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Waffle-Tosser, Time-bider and JCTK
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: the bustling metropolis of Nelspruitia, south africa
Age: 45
Posts: 15,569
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i had a lovely lil' giraffe mounting experience this weekend and i thought i'd share
the juggling club and gus (gauteng unicyclist society) got to gether at our favourite park in johannesburg on sunday afternoon for a quiet kick-off get-together for the year as i walked up toward the group, i saw our resident concert pianist/juggler/unicyclist extrodinaire trying out a giraffe he was trying to mount by halfclimbing up a tree and half holding onto the top of his girlfriends head (i said he was gifted, i didn't say he wasn't stupid) just to rag him i called out and told him that he was cheating he looked at me, lost his balance and UPD'd nothing serious so we get to the group, park all the assorted toys, walk around saying our hello's and eventually get ready for some serious playing i noticed that he gave up on the giraffe and that it was lying on the grass i walked over, picked it up, freemounted and rode off (to appreciate the irony of this, u have to realise that i haven't tried the freemount for about 6 weeks and my last attempts irritated me so badly, i gave up without mounting it once) it was nice to add to the legend...
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#11 | |
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The Social Unicyclist
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Sometimes you can do it. Some times the giraffe is against you. I swear down, my giraffe has a personality! Does anyone know if there is a abriviatoin for 'Giraffe Unicycle', apart from the giraffe MUni 'GiMUni'. Joe,
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VoodooUnicycles.Com - Extreme Unicycle Display Team |
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#12 | |
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North Shore ridin'
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Carmichael, CA
Posts: 14,929
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Quote:
__________________
John Foss "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" www.unicycling.com "Unicycling is a way of looking at the world, making a choice to slow down, finish what you start, doing things not because they're easy, but because they're a challenge." -- Nurse Ben |
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#13 |
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Waffle-Tosser, Time-bider and JCTK
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: the bustling metropolis of Nelspruitia, south africa
Age: 45
Posts: 15,569
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the swahili word for giraffe is so pretty, i was going to remember it but i forgot to
i'll get back to u |
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#14 |
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Waffle-Tosser, Time-bider and JCTK
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: the bustling metropolis of Nelspruitia, south africa
Age: 45
Posts: 15,569
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i remembered
it's 'TWIGA' |
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#15 | |
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Student of GrandMaster 2T
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Memphis, TN
Age: 54
Posts: 1,021
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Quote:
"Whatcha doin', Tom" "Just messing with my twiga?" "TMI man, TMI" For most conversations with civilians I use the term "5 foot tall unicycle". They seem to understand what, if not why. |
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