handrail tutorial

[muni123]

hey

I was surprised to find that there is no hand rail tutorials. If anyone knows of a tutorial or is willing to make one it would be very useful to me! Thanks!!

[Hugo_Duguay]

Indeed, there is currently no handrail tutorial. However, I am working on a grind tutorial (including ledges and park rails, with both front and back foot) aswell as on a handrail tutorial (only front foot unfortunatly...we would have to ask Kelly, Chris H. or Kevin M. for handrail grinds with both feet).

I expect to be done by mid-July, otherwise it would have to go after Unicon at the end of August.

For now, I can still help with some tips :

1) Make sure you are really confident with ledges and park rails grinds. You should be able to hit them with some speed too.
2) You should have pretty good rolling hop skills (height and length). The difficulty of handrails shouldn't lie in getting you pedal up to the rail.
3) Find a good rail to begin with. It will depend of the set, but it should be between 3 and 6. Shorter, you'll have to hop way to high and you'll probably just kiss it. Longer, you might have a hard time staying on it all the way. Also, try to find one that is not too steep, otherwise it's quite scary.
4) Remember that it's only a grind on a rail. Personally, I used to be very impressed by handrails. I considered them to be in another league or something. They only really are grinds over stairs. For me, they were and still are about 90% a mental game. Once you mentally know you can hit it, you'll get it (or get injured trying, which is just as rewarding ! Read Jacob's post about that here : http://unicyclist.com/forums/showthr...53#post1493153)
5) And just a general advice : try to be respectful of your environment. If you can, use plastic pedals, which won't scratch too much the rail, and don't get in the way of pedestrians. That way you'll project a much better image of yourself and of unicycling, and you will be much less likely to get in trouble.

Hope I could help a little !

Hugo

[muni123]

Thanks for the help Hugo!
If i only have metal pedals should i take the studs off of one side or should i leave them on. Let me know when your tutorial comes out.

[Hugo_Duguay]

You should take the pins off of one side of your pedal. Otherwise it will grip on the rail and it will probably result in a nasty fall !

Sure I'll let you know, it's just that I am currently in a rush for the end of my semester, so I don't really have the time to edit it.

[muni123]

sweet, thanks.
I just have one more question. Is it easier to grind on your front or back pedal?

[Hugo_Duguay]

That's a tricky question.

It's a personal preference which you notice as early as when doing crank stalls. One side feels more comfortable to stall on. It should be the same for grinds. When you are first learning, none is easier than the other. A difference starts to appear when you move to rails (especially round ones), where usually it is a bit easier for front foot riders.

Then, when you want to be able to grind on the other side (usually referred to as your "blind" side), you have to re-learn everything from the beginning, since the stance is very different. But all in all, both have their pros and cons.

There are some interesting discussions concerning this that were brought up in this thread, started by today's best grinder, Chris H. () : http://unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91708

[NateK]

I know from riding BMX that they make plastic pedal plates (they mount onto one side of pedals) that allow you to still have metal pedals and cut back on damage to the rail. just watch your footing when doing uni spins or crank flips the plates can be slippery. idk if you can find them on unicycle.com but I know you can order them on dans comp for around $10

[muni123]

If i want to hit a curved rail, is it easier to take it on the inside or the outside?

[Hugo_Duguay]

I find it way easier to grind on the inside part. It takes you along all the way, whereas when grinding on the outside part, you need to lean a lot more over the rail to make sure your pedal stays on.

Oh and I have been caught up in other things, but I am still working on that grinding tutorial, just so you know. I would like it to be done atleast by the end of this month, but it's hard to tell, I have a bunch of other stuff to worry about aswell...

[muni123]

thanks Hugo. I can't wait to see your tutorial

[muni123]

I'm slowly getting better at this so I think it's time to move on to plastic pedals. Any thoughts on the best grinding pedals would be appreciated.

Thanks

[padst3r]

Heres a mini tutorial made by colby thomas

Fer Edmoond - YouTube

[Hugo_Duguay]

Originally Posted by muni123

I'm slowly getting better at this so I think it's time to move on to plastic pedals. Any thoughts on the best grinding pedals would be appreciated.

Thanks

Personally, I like Twisted PC's that have been slightly grinded before. So before going for any big rails, I grind off the excess of pins on some concrete block. The Qu-Ax's (the ones that look like children bike's pedals) and the JC/PC's are quite good too, but the JC/PC's are kinda sticky.

Then, I know some people use the Animal plastic pedals and some other pedals too, but I can't comment on those since I've never used them.

[muni123]

Originally Posted by padst3r

Heres a mini tutorial made by colby thomas Fer Edmoond - YouTube

I'll definitely be starting out on rails like that

PS any updates on the tutorial Hugo?

[Hugo_Duguay]

Originally Posted by muni123

PS any updates on the tutorial Hugo?

The first part of my tutorial, concerning ledge grinds, is done and should be online soon (as in the next few days). The second part, concerning handrails and commitment, will take longer now that there is snow. I prefer not to say any time in particular as I realize after re-reading this thread that I am rather good at procrastination. Sorry about that.