Second Day of Practice Video

[Dane M]

Not to sound mean or anything cbs, but you can plug an MP3 player into it?? What is that thing with the chord? =O

I made 2 revolutions backwards today!! =D But it was a really bad day for me, I just kept falling off for some reason, it was windy but not THAT windy... I was trying to relax more, and it actually made me fall more haha....

[cbs]

Originally Posted by Tyler 258

Ouch! Luckly all of my leg brakes have been clean. Motocross has taken a toll on my body in 08' Broke my Leg (tibia and fibula) twice in 1 year. i was on crutches for 6 months. The second leg injury was terrible, broke my Tibia in 2 places and the fibula in 1 and i could feel my leg fold everytime we hit a bump on the 5 hour car ride to the hospital!

Dang was that the same place when you broke it twice? Cause my Dr. said its healed 98% but I dont know if that means it can take a hard fall or not. Not like 10 feet lol, but a normal hard fall.

[cbs]

Originally Posted by Dane M

Not to sound mean or anything cbs, but you can plug an MP3 player into it?? What is that thing with the chord? =O

I made 2 revolutions backwards today!! =D But it was a really bad day for me, I just kept falling off for some reason, it was windy but not THAT windy... I was trying to relax more, and it actually made me fall more haha....

Thats not mean! I told my Dr. my arm healed well the 2nd time cause the ipod gave it some good tunes lol. I hope my insurance thing is OK, and its out soon but I want to keep it for a souvenir. Its wild! No, its under my skin right now so cant hear any tunes myself, lol, darn! Just dont wanna break again. So far I'm lucky as at least my arm doesnt set the alarm off in Home Depot lol. The thing with the cord is a wire and the rod sends electrical impulses to stimulate bone healing.

Oh, I had a bad day the other day after I took 2 days off. Then today the wind gusts were 40mph and it was blowing me to Kansas hahahaha. But I'm going early tomorrow before it rains. I like to practice a bit everyday cause I lose time catching back up if I miss days. I might have to ride my skateboard too. I like to study hard for exams!

Hey backwards is cool, vid?

[Dane M]

Haha, yeah I've got the uni-fever, I just wanna practice all day. But I'm horribly out of shape, plus riding in my neighborhood means going up and down hills all the time, both of which are very tiring, downhill moreso than uphill! Cuz I can't control my cranks very well when they're spinning like mad, so I have to hold back a ton just so I can stay on, it works out whatever muscle that is above your knee on the front, and I haven't felt that muscle worked out in a looooong time.

[scott ttocs]

You are doing great after only a few hours of practice. Ride a lot. Work on turning both directions. You are doing very well mounting--I did not really try free mounts until I had been riding for a while. Most people find it harder to ride on grass initially; a smooth surface is the easiest thing to learn on. Try going up and down the driveway slope to the sidewalk for a modest challenge.

Keep it up!

[Dane M]

I just realized that my tires were a bit underinflated, which made it easier to dodge all the debris in my neighborhood, I inflated them to a more proper pressure, (still low according to the tire, 40 min, 65 max, and I have it at like 40-45) it's much easier to freemount though, but harder to control when the tire is kickin around rocks.

[monocyclism]

Originally Posted by mbalmer

.......I don't get the side motion on the unicycle. When I try to idle I can't figure out how to keep from going to one side or other. Forward/backward doesn't seem to be a big deal. I know that is a little more advanced, but are you supposed to lean with your upper body or do something with your feet? I'm not even sure my question makes sense.

When I was first learning not so long ago I made a series of hourly videos on my progress from absolute beginner to competent learner.

Sideways balance - that you seem to refer to - was highlighted in this video:

YouTube - Zero to Hero...Hour 5

This shows what I was doing to try to keep from falling off as the unicycle leaned to the left or right. There are other videos covering my progress over six hours that you might identify with. PS I note youtube has taken out some of the soundtracks because of music copyright and thus also removed some of the dialog - but you should get the picture

PPS: if you mouse click the video window you will be taken to the set of vidoes I made.
Hope this gives some useful feedback

[mbalmer]

Monocyclism, those videos were really fun to watch. I wish there was more video of people riding especially when they are just starting out. Today is my hour six. I feel like I've improved a great deal with mounting and riding forward. Backwards is another story. Got a feel for it but not the nerve.

[Dane M]

I stopped counting hours past 2 haha

[munimutant]

Monocyclism, great video and commentary. I'm sure you're aware of it, but I noticed at around 3:12 it looks like your seat is turned. But afterwards it looks straight so you must have fixed it. I have a bad tendency to ride in a twisted position where my right shoulder is angled back, and so far the only reason I've can find for it is that I'm applying stronger pressure to the left pedal and therefore need to compensate with the twist. But I'm also always fiddling with my seat alignment, thinking it might be contributing to the problem. I wish I had the same natural talent as the OP here, it took me months to do a static mount.

[monocyclism]

Originally Posted by mbalmer

Monocyclism, those videos were really fun to watch. I wish there was more video of people riding especially when they are just starting out. Today is my hour six. I feel like I've improved a great deal with mounting and riding forward. Backwards is another story. Got a feel for it but not the nerve.

I'm amazed by the things people are attempting after a few hours practice, like backwards riding, idling, uphills I guess it depends what the motivation is for learning. My sole purpose for learning was to ride a 36er - so I was heading more for road-riding and probably a little XC on smooth tracks. So for example I really don't feel the need, or desire really, to ride my 36er backwards. I think the great thing about unicycling is it provides everyone with a way of approaching the sport that suits them personally.

Originally Posted by munimutant

......I have a bad tendency to ride in a twisted position where my right shoulder is angled back, and so far the only reason I've can find for it is that I'm applying stronger pressure to the left pedal and therefore need to compensate with the twist. But I'm also always fiddling with my seat alignment, thinking it might be contributing to the problem.

Munimutant I think I have seen your video riding a 36er? I also have the tendency to ride with my right shoulder back - and I think you are right about stronger pressure being applied. If I am just 'coasting' along I can sit more square with arms at the side. When I speed up I hold the T7 or seat handle with my 'dominant' left hand and the faster I go the more my right shoulder 'twists' backward. I also feel uneven emphasis on the pedals as my posture tries to cope with the growing speed. I also did it on the 24" whilst learing. I think most people would say, 'Practice, practice, practice and you will get better' - and that's exactly what we do, right?
Yeah seat position is what I focussed on and I posted a thread about it. Although most people replied it is a personal thing and seat position may not be the issue. However, I recently found a seat position that felt much more 'stable' helping me to improve my riding tchnique I think. Its all relative and perhaps meaningless but here is a view of the seat setting I have found to work for me on the 36er:

http://www.aarthaus.co.uk/seat4.html

http://www.aarthaus.co.uk/seat5.html

[unouni]

Originally Posted by mbalmer

This is for your amusement. Please feel free to critique and give advice. This is after about 4 hours total of unicycling. My daughter made the video.

YouTube - My Mom Unicycling

i havent tried free mounting but i like your technique and will try it tomorrow..i've only been having fun for 6 days now..this is the farthest ive gotten..my 7 year old son is very supportive...lol

YouTube - Tanya Purdy Uni-ing

[munimutant]

Originally Posted by monocyclism

Munimutant I think I have seen your video riding a 36er? I also have the tendency to ride with my right shoulder back - and I think you are right about stronger pressure being applied. If I am just 'coasting' along I can sit more square with arms at the side. When I speed up I hold the T7 or seat handle with my 'dominant' left hand and the faster I go the more my right shoulder 'twists' backward. I also feel uneven emphasis on the pedals as my posture tries to cope with the growing speed. I also did it on the 24" whilst learing.

Monocyclism, FYI I just posted a new thread on the "twisting" issue here.

[munimutant]

Originally Posted by unouni

i havent tried free mounting but i like your technique and will try it tomorrow..i've only been having fun for 6 days now..this is the farthest ive gotten..my 7 year old son is very supportive...lol

Ok so far two moms have put me to shame with their ultra-fast learning. But on the other hand, it's so cool to be part of a sport that accepts and supports all ages and skill levels. May it always be so.

[Dane M]

Different people learn at different speeds. Some people practice A LOT, some people have really good balance to start with, some people just understand it quickly, blah blah blah. Nothing to be ashamed of. If I had not done so many other balance-related sports, I think it would have taken me much much longer to learn to ride.