Ambitious learner.

[pinefresh]

I had the exact same unicycle to learn on, I found the clamp insufficient too. I ended up taking out the quick release thing and replacing it with a bolt. Fyi the hub is too weak to do any half serious trials stuff, ask me how I know.

[TopHatPlus]

Hehe, looks like you un intentionally found a new way to remove your cranks.... har har ;P I figured i would bomb around on his for a bit and see how things going, if i start to progress more quickly and quality becomes an issue i will probably end up on a KH.

[TopHatPlus]

Day -2 Went much much better, i hopped on and it was right were i left off, i was cruising along the fence with much less help and working myself out from the fence leaving less opportunity to use it. I would take a few attempts at starting by a pole (I'm at a school playground) and trying to ride away from the pole, my best was 4 pedals before un intentional dismount. I got one really nice section where i rode about 10 feet, out of reach of the fence but along it, and was in complete control of it. It was a very successful day. I looked into seat post clamps, and the best iv found is the KH double bolt, so my buddy at the bike shop is going to look into it for me.

Issues - Nut pain.... some serious sharp nut pain but only on one side... so i have not actually been sitting on the seat but pinching it with my thighs and pedalling that way. This is kind of odd to me... i use very nice bicycle shorts with a thoroughly padded spandex inner liner and have spent unto 5 hours on a skinny mountain bike seat no issues. I just could not get comfortable. I think it may have to do with my seat hight, i have the lowest part of the top of the seat at my belly button as i seen in a video on youtube but i think I'm sitting to crunched up or maybe i am sitting wrong? PLEASE HELP! Please note i looked it up and i should not the second i stand, dismount, pinch the seat with my thighs the pain is instantly gone. So its not a medical issue, i think its either a need to get used to issue or incorrect posture issue.

Goal - be cruising around in straight lines by monday, free mount (i almost had a few today) maybe some turning.

[skilewis74]

IMO a rail is best, a fence or wall can work too. If you loose your balance you can stablaize yourself and go on. W/ a pole or similar, you fall off, have to walk back, get back on...that's all wasted time untill you can consistenly and get like 20-30+ revs.

Then I'd practice dismounting at a specific spot w/ the L foot, the R, w/ the uni in front and in back. That'll reduce the likelyhood of bad UPD's (UnPlaned Dismounts). After that work on you freemounts, hopping, and ride all over.

Make sure the juels are in front. I wear 2 pair of tight cycling shorts (so everything stays in place) and regular shorts over that.

Your uni looks like a OK beginner trials. Avoid drops more than a couple of steps, work on technical lines and skills/tricks. If you do break that hub you can upgrade a bit to UDC cotterless, or splined (I think your uni requires 40 mm bearings, not 42, so ask UDC about that) if you want really strong.

You'd spend almost as much as a whole uni upgrading the one you have, so I'd treat it gingerly until you are ready to upgrade to a new uni and know what kind of riding you want to do.

+1 on using a bolt. I believe that post is 25.4 mm, so a KH prob won't work (most by far are 27.2), but any poberly sized clamp would be fine.

[ImFalling]

Pain in your nuts is probably caused by more than one thing. This subject is readily searchable in the forum archives. Everyone seems to be different. Things I've tried that have helped are:

* Adjusting the seat. Mine are as far forward as the bolts allow. My KH has an adjustable seatpost and its set so the nose of the seat tilts upwards slightly - this makes the part you sit on relatively flat.
* Hips forward. This seems to raise the boys off the seat slightly.
* Sitting squarely on the seat. Having feet evenly on both pedals makes this easier for me - uneven foot position from botched freemounts seem to make me sit awkwardly.
* Avoid cheap saddles. I've tried three now, Viscount, Nimbus Gel, KH Fusion Freeride. None are perfect, but I like the KH the best. It appears to me that all seats are designed to hurt you (why don't manufacturers make flat seats? I can't fathom why they need a curve at all). There are lots of posts about saddles/seats, just search for them.

At the end of the day, if you don't have any numbness (from pressure on the perineum), don't get pain like you've been kicked in the nuts (from sitting on them) and don't have any chaffing, then you're probably fine.

[TopHatPlus]

Hey, thanks for the responses, my buddy at the bike shop who owns the same uni measured his and said its a 25.4, and the seat clamp is my only real concern and dislike at the moment, when i get the basics and the basics are easy i will be well into starting trials and once things start to get past beginner i will buy a new uni. Probably a KH (partially because its canadian) and use my current uni as a spar/commuter for town/friends to try.

I have become rather good friends with a chain link fence.... i have a feeling i have spent more time hanging off it then most >_< I have been getting solid sets of 10-15 rotations and am moving rather quickly back and forth on it, and as my confidence builds i angle myself outward and slowly release from the wall.

I have no numbness, no chaffing, no discomfort aside from the mis positioned nut. I will try to mess around with it some more and see how it goes, i have been running a little lower air pressure to help stability and decrease ruling speed but it was becoming a hassle last night so i will increase that a but. I am running a axiom seat, it seems okay? looking at the KH seats they are less like a banana and just tilted up some on the front. So other widen that i am really enjoying it =D

[aarons]

The Nimbus seat post clamps are 25.4mm. You can order those online pretty cheap.

I think the KH and Nimbus seats are less curved than yours. KH also makes seats that have less padding. I forget the names -- Street and Slim models maybe?? If you're used to bikes seats, these might feel better.

I've found numbness and chaffing to be facts of life on the unicycle. The nut issues just sort of work themselves out on their own. You get a lot tougher down there with practice. The good news is that it may not matter for you if you're going into trials. Trials riders don't spend a lot of time sitting down on the seat.

[TopHatPlus]

Day 3 - (attempt 1) I will be going out in a few hours for another round when its not 40 degrees Celsius. I tried the straight up hand unjust and it worked very well "they" were rather pleased with the riding after that, but! i wanted to adjust both my mounting/seated position to look less perv like and improve my pain issue. So i take the tip of the seat (front of the curve) and i do a bit of a sweep as i mount which get "them" in front, and keeps me more forward on the seat keeping a more natural centre. I tried to hold on less today and it was definitely getting better! i was trying not to look at the uni and just pick a spot straight ahead and move myself forward, things are going rather well, i have a 90 degree corner in the fence so i have been in advertanly practicing my right and left turns as well =D Its getting easier and WAY more fun.

[TopHatPlus]

Day 3 - (attempt 2) Much better, basically hopped on and was cruising back and fourth with decent 6-8 foot sections no touch, just getting more comfortable, and working on the whole eyes up thing? seems to work but its weird not watching what I'm doing. Tomorrow should be fun!

[TopHatPlus]

Day 4 - did not get as much time as i hoped, but i got a decent 1 1/2 hours in. Got a few really decent runs in with about 12 feet no balance and even had a run where i just continued past the corner into the land of no help... haha it was good, learned a lot, spent some time fighting my seating position to minimize pain, and am really starting to understand what I'm doing! even had a free mount.....

[TopHatPlus]

Day 5 - Went pretty well but i think i may have "over done" it. I got about 4 hours of practice in today.... and it is quite challenging when your starting... I spent 3 of those hours without a shirt on... i have only been without a shirt once in my life... now twice... i am fried.... but thats no big deal... I got several good runs with NO assistance what so ever and clear on average 20-30 feet, making several turns (not intentionally) and un gracefully dismounting =D I think i got one run well over 40 feet. Its starting to come together.

My buddy tried it and was instantly hooked and was super sceptical claiming i was joining the circus but now he wants one.

Ha a lady friend try it for a few hours with me and she also did rather well.

Tomorrow is a holiday so my gym closes at the same time I'm done work >_< so i plan on doing hand stand push, push ups, and chin ups around town, then unicycling.

[TopHatPlus]

Day 6 - kept getting frustrated... and i missed my gym day because the gym closed early for the civic holiday and i worked today so i did some non weighted workouts in my apartment and on a playground jungle gym for chin ups. I got quite a few firsts today and improved my "average" by A LOT. My average distance un assisted went from 5 feet to 20 feet, and my personal best went from 40 feet to about 120... I was pretty happy with that run, i ended up doing a hug half circle and actually controlling my speed because i was just continuously accelerating. My mounting was 100% the whole time (assisted of course) and i was just feeling super good on it, comfy, balanced, and fairly in control. I believe i am somewhere in the ball park of 9-10 hours of practice which i think is doing alright considering it is only day 6.

So what do you guys qualify "being able to ride" I am obviously in for a long journey to learn all the basics, but i really do feel like i can ride this beast >_<

So i called it for the night because i sort of had my first semi real wipe out? I was about to fall backwards so i went for the dismount but... me left leg did not get clear of the pedals, scrapped down my leg no buggy... but when it caught my shoe.... i reefed me back into the feet but i was half off by now and sort of gave the "goods" a punch.... ouch.... no serious damage but ouch...

[TopHatPlus]

I see all you guys/gals with photos of you and yours uni's so i want to throw one up =D Please note i would love to get one of me riding but i require someone to be there with my camera so i will get that done soon.

[Mark W]

Hey, I learned on that uni too. The seat is terrible, it feels so good when you get a decent one! Congrats on the progress

Nice farmer's tan as well

[TopHatPlus]

haha thanks, i have been contemplating just straight up painting myself... har har