THE Quintessential, All-encompassing Beginners Thread

[anotherjohn]

Originally Posted by unibokk

@ anotherjohn. My apologies I misunderstood what you were saying.

No worries! I can see how that may have been misconstrued.

[unigoat]

Originally Posted by Killian

This community is probably the least elitist cycling forum out there. Check out bikeforums or even mtbr (sometimes) if you want to see elitist.

I agree that post count doesn't necessarily mean expertise, and in case that was pointed at me, I have never claimed to be an expert.

What we need to keep in mind is that others may or may not be familiar with other cycling forums. Unicycling is very different than a lot of other forms of cycling. Other than a Schlumpf, it's difficult to throw a bunch of cash at equipment that will allow you to have a significant advantage. It's pretty cool that anybody can buy essentially the top gear in the sport for in the $1k or less range (Schlumpf excluded- if you want that in, make the ceiling $3k- far less than many cycling purchases advocated by magazines). Unicycling is a very skills based sport requiring a significant time investment to just be able to ride.

Post count doesn't equal expertise and I wasn't trying to direct the comment at a particular person. We are in a unique situation of sorts as the sport is pretty young and there aren't a lot of unicycling publications and periodicals available at this point in time. People look here for a body of knowledge, maybe more so than in other cycling disciplines.

So while saying we shouldn't necessarily compare, I compare. Yep, I see that.

Originally Posted by anotherjohn

I wrote that mainly in response to my experience using the search function. In several of my attempts to uncover additional information, I found regulars responding to newbies negatively rather than attempting to offer something insightful. For the most part, I find this community very supportive of new riders.

Regulars is a good way to phrase it. Being that this is a forum people are comfortable saying things. Being that this is on the internet, things said will be around a long time.

Glad to hear the overall impression of the unicycling community here is positive.

Originally Posted by OorWullie

As a new learner, I have to agree with the comments about interaction, sometimes even if you have the information you want, it helps to have a real person who can give advice, feedback and reassurance. I feel a bit awkward sometimes as I know the gist of what I'm asking will be covered elsewhere but some points need clarification or its not quite specific enough to my question. And up to now, all the responses I've had have been helpful, friendly, informative and encouraging. That encouragement has definitely helped keep me going when I'm stuck with something, so thanks everyone!

Excellent! Being that we are part of a very skills based sport (not discounting others, but once again, there's a buy-in of learning to ride at the minimum), there will be a lot of technique questions.

Originally Posted by Killian

Ha, maybe it is because it's winter.

I tend to be a sarcastic person, so many of the negative comments in some of those beginner threads are probably me. It's not that I'm trying to be mean, it's just how I am.

We are definitely different people in person than we are here. There are smileys and emoticons, but even then it's still sometimes really easy to misconstrue someone's statements. Not knowing many people from here as face-to-face friends makes it even more difficult.

Originally Posted by eastenn

I agree with above. Change the title of the thread it's useless to beginners.

When the discussion is over, it will fade away many pages deep. That is, until the search function pulls it up again.

Originally Posted by superfunk

I'm a newbie... i only sidejump two pallets and can't do a useful lenght rolling hop, so...
My short story: i bought a monty trial uni using a second- hand local website, learned riding solo, later on checking YouTube stuff.
Then i started trying off-road stuff, decided to buy better, discovered that Marco (m41) was one hour drive from me, and discovered the italian forum.
Well.. sadly the italian forum is not quite active, nobody to meet.
I check this mainly USA forum pretty much daily, it's good company during breakfast and help me keep my (bad)english.
I like the way new people are welcomed, it's how SPORT has to be.
Sorry for the errant form of my english, its early in the morning and i barely talk any language

Glad to hear that you feel welcomed. I barely speak English in the morning too- and it's pretty much all I've got.


Bottom line: We need to be mindful that this is one of the primary sources for unicycling information. What we post and say is viewed by others and may be regarded as being more serious than we intended. Unicycling is a wonderful sport populated by many wonderful unique people. There isn't a whole lot of money or fame in it. That, coupled with the initial time investment, will probably keep it from being super mainstream.

If you can make a national or international convention, it's well worth going and meeting other riders face-to-face to see how awesome the unicycling community is overall. Until that's done, unicyclist.com forums will be an important place to connect.

Let's keep it awesome for everyone who rides- whether it's 20 feet or 200 miles. Keep the virtual High 5s alive.

[UPD]

Yeah, bottom line: unicycling can be very lonesome, nearly a year later, I only barely find my son to ride with. And his passion of it is as inconsistent as his toys.

Especially for newbs , where a sense of connection and encouragement is sometimes greater than the answer itself. It was for me anyway...
I think unicycling is great because, for the first time in our lives we had to put aside our egos. Then for the first 3 months endure our fumbling wobbly ways on a silly contraption in front of many onlookers A great teacher humility.

[superfunk]

Originally Posted by UPD

I think unicycling is great because, for the first time in our lives we had to put aside our egos. Then for the first 3 months endure our fumbling wobbly ways on a silly contraption in front of many onlookers A great teacher humility.

Words of wisdom!
Every person, every meter, every stone.. all the sweat and scratches... every time isn't like something already done.
It always reminds me of how many things i still have to learn.
I like to think of me, like a little dot.. while tracing my line over a trail.

[UPD]

My uni venture had led me to pick up a ukulele from Ebay. For the first time Im actually in an appreciation of creating music..
..apparently, "appreciation" is only the first step, creating non earwracking music is entirely whole different step
...well, as i see it, not so dissimilar as learning to ride a one wheel. In one is a graceful fine tuning of balance, the other is a fine tuning of the fingers until where the ears can appreciate.
Both of course, requiring persistence and muscle memory until automaticity.
At least this endeavor wont leave me with a sprained wrist or finger, at least i hope not.

[OneTrackMind]

Originally Posted by UPD

I think unicycling is great because, for the first time in our lives we had to put aside our egos.

Au contraire. Riding a unicycle projects a robust ego that can survive the humility of riding (and falling off) a silly contraption in front of people.

Seriously though, unicycling is like riding a dragon. Manage the relationship with the dragon and it can be a whole lot of fun.

And who doesn't enjoy the acknowledgement by an onlooker that they are performing a rare skill?

At its best, unicycling can be an effortless meditation that entirely transcends ego. In this state one barely notices the onlookers' comments.

[anotherjohn]

Originally Posted by OneTrackMind

At its best, unicycling can be an effortless meditation that entirely transcends ego. In this state one barely notices the onlookers' comments.

This is a very interesting comment. One of the things that I enjoy most about unicycling is the frequency and duration of flow (i.e. the zone, zen, etc.). I've found this state with football and with powerlifting--and occasionally with juggling; however, it has always been very fleeting and somewhat unpredictable.

With lifting, it seems somewhat intensity dependent. It revolves around max effort attempts and seems to occur most frequently at 95%+. For me, anything greater than a certain bar weight would require/force a meditative state. At most, this might last 5-7 seconds. I've found that, with unicycling, this experience can be extended into minutes (typically with challenging muni).

I don't know if there is an equivalent experience for endurance sports, but I'm sure that many people here have either experienced this with unicycling or within another aspect of their lives. Because of the numerous systems involved, I think that unicycling may encourage this state of mind moreso that a lot of other activities.

[UPD]

When the trail is extreme and the intensity is there (of course, relative to only one's ability) I can find myself zoning out, very similar to an equal opponent in wrestling in a tournament. Any slip out of attention and you're going down.
Yeah, that feeling is awesome. And yet, ever so fleeting especially when you get better with that same trail. Then you find yourself in search of your next high.

[Killian]

Okay, so since this has derailed a teeny bit (point taken), I just wanted to add one more thing.

All in all, this accomplished what I wanted it to. The majority seems to want to keep things the same, no sticky or coverall thread or sub forum. That's cool.

In no way do I want to disparage beginners or their accomplishments. Anyone who can stick with unicycling long enough to ride proficiently has to be a mostly okay person.

John, I get what your saying on the powerlifting thing. I lifted heavily for 4 years and
loved doing it. There is definitely a zone, and if you get out of it, nothing can help you.

I agree that much of that applies to unicycling as well. If I'm not feeling it, my riding suffers. If I'm on, I do things I didn't know I could do.

You mention endurance sports, which is what unicycling is to me. I know my local trails well enough that rather than overcoming obstacles, my rides are more about distance and elevation without rest. I.E. tackling a big climb vs. picking a line through a rock garden. When in the middle of one of these climbs, I definitely zone out.