UW woes

[mazem]

I'm trying to learn to ride an ultimate wheel, but I'm having a problem... Whenever I start getting somewhere, I keep having these spectacular falls where I land right smack on top of the wheel. I'm afraid I'm going to break a leg or something.

Also, the nubs on my tire keep grabbing my pants (my UW is just my MUni minus the frame and seat). I will probably make an ultimate wheel sometime when I have money to spare to buy a rim and tire, but until then I'm stuck with my muni.

Anyways, has anyone had these problems, and what can I do to minimize them?

[Sofa]

see if you can use a tire with less knobs on it while you are learning. The knobs will always grab more than a slick, but once you can ride well enough to keep the tire away from your legs, you will limit that issue.

I found learning the UW as an already unicyclist much easier than learning the unicycle for the first time.

Practice Practice Practice

[andrew_carter]

The thing that helped me the most with my ultimate wheeling (I just learnt a few days ago) was realising that to get anywhere you (or at least I) have to lean the wheel a lot to the side of your back pedal as it's coming over. That way the tyre won't rub so much.

Andrew

[mazem]

Hey thanks for the advice.

I looked around the garage and found an old and slightly bent road bike rim, and some thick plywood, so I took the only natural step - bend the wheel back into shape and started making an ultimate wheel. (-: Now I just need to find a tire for it and hook up some cranks.

What is the optimum crank length for an ultimate wheel? The wheel is a 26" er, and of course I am just a beginner at UW.

[nickvb123]

I can't ultimate wheel but i can seat drag and i'm guessing some of the same principles apply.

I find it's much easier to seat drag with momentum. Its really easy to ride along and drop the seat. I have freemounted into seat drag but its quite hard. There's nothing you can do about this on an ultimate wheel. Seat dragging is easier riding fast, this way you can have really even pressure on the pedals and this minimizes the side to side motion that is causing the tyre to rub on your leg. Ride lightly on the pedals, focus on keeping the pressure as even as possible, this way you wont rub your legs (as much).

[mazem]

Alright I'm going with 5 inch "cranks". I hope that isnt too short.

[vivalargo]

There's a bunch of threads on this already. Check them out.

My experience: one session to learn how to crudely ride the thing, then it's all refinement--meaning the wheel doesn't bang your legs as you peddle.

To reduce leg bashing, tape the tire sidewalls with duct tape, which slips over legs instead of straight rubber that grabs and sends you on an immediate faceplant. Forget the silicon spray and all that jazz. Duct tape is easy and works well.

Use trials or MUni leg gurards. Panths bunch upo too much and don't last.

Don't go too slow when first learning.

Try to stand up more than you think is necessary--find the body position where you can relax somewhat, otherwise you'll pump out your legs in 100 yards or less.

Practice UWing for 5 minutes at the end of every uni session, and allow yourself to learn slowly, otherwise you might burnout practicing, which can be boring, and stuff the UW in the garage, which I did for 3 months.

I'm a hacker, but someone on this list can actually ride a UW in pardes, which is insane considering how strenuous it is. Either that guy has titanium legs, or he's gotten very effieicnet with a difficut and quirky motion.

Seat out riding feels simple after a few UW sessions.

Seeing the videos of guys MUning and riding a UW down stairs was enough for me to bust the thing out of the garage--that was last week. For me, an UW feels a bit "carny," but it's great exercise and peddling will no doubt get more balanced and fluid.

JL

[forrestunifreak]

One thing.Wear leg armour.I didnt(i dont even haveany)and my white walled tire was soon tured red.

[mazem]

Haha, I learned that leg armor is important after about my first 5 minutes (-:. But turning the tire to red... Ouch!

Anyways, I got my UW all built except attaching the pedals to the plywood disc. The guys at the local bike shop were nice enough to give me an old dry tire which has barely any grip - great for not ripping up my legs!

I don't want to spend too much money or wait a couple weeks for inserts, so I think I'm going to go to recycled cycles to get some old-style cranks and jigsaw out a place for them, and put some metal plates over it like on one of the UW building tutorials. That is, unless someone else has a better suggestion for attaching the pedals.