New Female rider at age 57

[harper]

You will love this sport. Unfortunately, next year you will be 58, still posting here, and your username will be outdated. You may want to change it early in the game.

As all the others have said, and it can't be stressed enough, keep your weight in the seat. Remind yourself of this constantly as you ride. Every time you make a correction you will apply force with your feet but you won't remember to relax again until you remind yourself to put your weight in the seat, not the pedals.

Also, try to look into the distance, not close to the wheel. That helps to allow you to make large-scale, sweeping corrections rather than short, abrupt ones.

[deadbeatpope]

Originally Posted by Dane M

Oh also, check you foot position. If your standing with your pedals too far back on your foot, you will be doing more work. Try to have your feet placed at about the balls of your feet. You will find a spot that works well for you.

Translation: Balls of the feet over pedal spindle = max leverage.

[jmille2788]

Originally Posted by deadbeatpope

Translation: Balls of the feet over pedal spindle = max leverage.

Excellent translation. My brain skidded to a stop on that too.
JD

[mbalmer]

Yay, another old female. There are too few of us. All the advice is good. Mainly it's weight on the seat. You are doing what we all did--putting too much weight on our legs. I still do that when I'm off road. I remember my first trip to the end of the street was exhausting. Now I commute to work, climbing over hilly roads, on my 29".

I have started riding a bicycle again. I alternate between uni and bicycle. I bicycled for years and when I started unicycling, the unicycle gave me a better (harder) workout. I didn't touch my bike for a year and now I find the bike to be a harder workout. I decided to use both. Bicycling has helped me climb better when on my unicycle. The bike (road bike) is geared much higher and forces me to work harder on hills.

Where are you located? You may find other riders nearby. There are a lot where I live but they are all very fast and I don't like being the slow one. Also, don't change your name. It will be a great reminder of uni-beginnings.

[57UniRider]

I'm in Southwest Louisiana, near Lake Charles. Thanks for all the great advice. I'm feeling quite encouraged by all of your helpful comments. Yes, I do think I will keep the 57UniRider name. It will just remind me of when I started this crazy challenge my family and friends think is Looney Tunes!! I'm loving it already and can hardly wait until the whole thing starts getting easier and more natural feeling! Thanks!!!!!!!

[57UniRider]

By the way... How do I join the 55+ club mentioned above?
Thanks!

[Sanne.Kj]

Originally Posted by 57UniRider

By the way... How do I join the 55+ club mentioned above?
Thanks!

Look here: http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81374

Best regards,
Sanne

[Into the blue]

Hey, go easy 57UniRider, you've woken up all the old guys and before you know it they'll be bangin' on your door with their sticks.

Ok, that sounded ruder than I meant it to.

[Boethius]

Welcome to the group

Don't ride to exhaustion so that dismounting can be done smoothly (without going flat to the ground). Practice dismounting with the uni in front as well as with the uni to the rear. Dismounting to the rear will help prepare for the unplanned dismounts after hitting a rock, stick, or neck of a squirrel.

[feel the light]

I hate bikes. Just gotta get that out of the way.

But for such a truly horrible construct, they have a surprising feature that may account for some of the extra wheel devices popularity.

Although completely useless, and unfun in almost all situations, the extra wheel prevents the big 3 ouchs of uni riding. The knee skid, the elbow skid, or the palm slide. The face plant is also on the menu, but rarely chosen.

I used to live in south La , so I know you are dealing with some serious heat. Tanking up with lots of body armor will be to hot. Definitely look into pro palm protection. You are definitely going to bail forward at times. Strong palm protection gear lets your arms to skid with no pain. My wrist wraps have front tongs that look like they just lost a fight with a lawn mower.

Everyone says relax. Useless advice. Ride a lot and go down a lot. Then the fear goes away. As long as you didn't get hurt. Buy wrist wraps , maybe even knee and elbow stuff. I am fairly strong in the arms, and can murder my wrist wraps to protect my knees and elbows. If it was cooler here I would wear more protective gear, south La is worse than Key West in the summer. At the least , you must wear wrist wraps.

[57UniRider]

Every time I check here, I get some more great advice!!! Thanks!

[saddlepunk]

Originally Posted by 57UniRider

Every time I check here, I get some more great advice!!! Thanks!

Me too - looks like all us newbies suffer the same agonies and anxieties.

[AnimalCage]

Thanks to all of the great advice here, I may be graduating from the newbie class soon. By my standard, when I can ride a mile without killing myself, I'll consider myself whatever is just above newbie. Stay with it!!

[GILD]

Originally Posted by saddlepunk

Me too - looks like all us newbies suffer the same agonies and anxieties.

That is what makes unicycling one of the great "levellers".
We were all there once.

Many riders have said they will happily unlearn the ability to ride just so they can re-experience the joy of going from riding 10feet to riding 100 feet for the first time.

You truly will not get closer to flying in this lifetime.

[steveyo]

Originally Posted by GILD

You truly will not get closer to flying in this lifetime.

Whilst I truly appreciate this sentiment, and personally agree that the balance of unicycling DOES indeed feel like flying, I do believe that

this

is somewhat closer to flying, as is

this

.