Hello all. I finally did it! I saved up and ordered 36" The Big One Remanufactured unicycle! I just wanted to know if there is anything i should know before riding or any advice towards riding it. Thx!
Have fun 
I’d wear some leg armour too. I remember smacking myself really hard with the extra wheel weight. You might find it slightly odd when trying it for the first time, but then there’ll be the brilliant push towards infinite distance.
Have a blast!
Alright, you’re going to love it!
Your first impressions will probably be along the lines of:
Wow, look how huge this box is!
Wow, look how big the wheel is!
You will not be able to mount it immediately, most likely, it took me about 3 - 5 times. You don’t anticipate how different it will feel and you kinda just jump up and kick it away from you, you’re very first experience with huge difference in weight, and momentum.
After a few attempts, you will be riding and thinking, boy this is big, and I guess it’s faster than the other uni, boy I’m high up.
Once you get the hang of it, and are able to ride in a straight line (your wheel will wobble like a beginner’s at first) you will soon start to think…I guess this isn’t really all that fast, realistically…Once you are able to master the different type of rythm you need to pedal, you will be pushing the speed even further, and start to feel much more comfortable on it. Perhaps…‘too’ comfortable’?
Off you go, midway in the air, and not really sure of what is happening until it jsut about happens…you are flying through the air at running speed, but your legs are only (still pedaling in the motion you would be if you were on it still) going walking speed! So into a pile you land, immediately learning the precious ‘tuck and roll for of the UPD’ (these happen alot as you push the limits of what you can do on it, and at how fast)
You only really discover the essence of it’s speed until you drop the crank length down to 127mm. Then you go MIGHTY fast (with less control)
When you first get it, you will find your low speed control, especially stopping and starting, very hard. You should try to learn off of the city streets, not only because you have much less control, but there are so many intersections for you to not be able to idle at. Sigh, dismount, Mount, pedal, Sigh, Dismount…‘Hey, my head is right at this don’t walk sign’, and you reach out to hold the light until you are ready to continue riding. (you learn all these little tricks, and it really makes for a fun ride)
Another thing about UPD’s at speed. These things don’t always just tip over upon UPD like MUni’s. These will plow (heavy, rolls over anything, already going fast) for quite some time. A few years back, I clocked Ryan Atkins at what I seem to recall was 33km/h or there abouts. He took a header (ducked and rolled) and the Coker took off down the dirt road for about 20 meters, went into the ditch, shot out the other side of the ditch and went slightly into the forest. Lucky he wasn’t in the city!
You learn a lot about riding as you master riding the coker, and it is by far my favourite unicycle. I will take this over more effecient unicycles (like for MUni or Urban Riding) because it’s so much more fun.
You get to look down at bikers and pedestrians as you pass them.
There, betcha can’t wait for the mail now!
Great! EXACTLY what i needed to hear! Thx! I think i’ll get some shinn guards today then. About how fast you think i could go at running speed? Or whats the avrage top speed?
you can never hold a top speed for too long, your legs are spinning superfast, and everything is just so insane! but top speeds seem to be about 30+km/h, mine is 30 (the biker beside me with a computer said ‘30!’ and I flew off that very second. tore apart my wristgaurds, scraped my camelback, tore into my knees after tearing down my roach pads, finally coming to a rest on the back of my helmet.
Safety gear is very important indeed. Especially as you just feel like going way faster if you have gear on.
A good cruising speed usually tends to be about 15-20km/h for me if the terrain is relatively flat (on or offroad, it doesn’t matter, if the trail is staight, or at least gradually curving enough, you can FLY through the MUni trails at times!
no shinguards
I disagree; you don’t need shinguards because the uni is so big the pedal will not hit your shin. I’ve had many UPD riding my Coker(several while Muni on it!) and never did it hit my shin area.
All you need is good knee-pads, helmet, and wrist-guards(they saved my skin and bones SEVERAL times!). I recommend you get some metal pedals with traction pins if you want to static mount, this is EXTREMELY helpful. And get a Trisco gel seat cover for your Viscount saddle for long distance riding.
Re: no shinguards
Will do, thanks. I think i’ll go to REI or the rest stop for some gear. 
backpack
Oh I forgot to mention to get a backpack also.
When you UPD at fast speeds, you will need to roll-over cause you will not be able to run-out on some UPD. When you DON’T have any back protection, it will HURT.
I got a cheap $10 backpack that I put waterbottle, CD-player, and wallet. After one bad UPD, I scrapped my knee(no pad at the time) but wearing my backpack, I did not feel any pain at all.
Re: backpack
KK I’ll use one of my old school backpacks.
Sixsixone Actually makes spine pads (separate from the rest of the torso armor) for anyone who is really concerned with that.
Anyways:
I was pushing my limits on my KH 24 in a 3 mile walk/run fundraiser thing.
And i ate it!
i was going so fast my pedals were wobbling around and i got launched off, i didn’t know what had happened until i finished sliding on my KH gloves (phew) for a few feet and then going into a perfect roll and popping back to my feet about 20 yards before the finish line. I got back on my muni and finished (too bad I don’t have a street uni yet), and then went to the first aid tent.
I smashed my elbow which really hurt, but went away in a day (next time i’m doing distance i’ll wear my elbow guards). Everything else was just a bit of road rash on the knees and elbows.
I don’t know how long i slid (no more than a foot probably) but my Aikido Roll instincts kicked in and saved me!
It was quite fun actually!!
Sorry for the thread(sorta)jack.
BUT:
Here’s the moral(s) of the story(s)
I think everyone should learn to roll, and practice on grass or some other soft surface. SERIOUSLY! I mean people probably think it sounds dumb, but I’ve been doing Aikido for 4 months and my rolls are instinctive. Actually the day before my fall, I mastered my first standing roll on my lawn w/ my friend, and it felt cool. I’m very glad I learned it or else I’d probably have stiches in my chin or something. Rolling also saved my ankle on a muni ride after falling off of riding a 3-foot fallen tree and stepping onto a branch.
-o ya, 1 more moral of the story, don’t go SUPER fast (probably 10+ MPH) on a 24 w/o armor, especially 20 yards from the finish line of a race, w/ your friend right beside you who could potentially run you over.
-peace, good luck w/ the coker, can’t wait until i get one sometime
colin
That’s cool to hear that you were able to ride in a walk/run fundraiser because I’m hoping to do the same thing where I live this summer. I haven’t had a chance to see if they’ll let me ride yet, as it is techincally a walk/run. I’ve been practicing my distance riding and went twice as far as I’ll need to for the event tonight. It’s only a 2.7 mile course. It’s funny, just about a month ago I thought I’d hardly be able to make it and here I am putting 6 miles on my uni tonight alone.
Tonight I was also able to get moving as quick as I ever have and was able to sustain it. I felt like if I had a UPD I would be able to run it out, but perhaps I should keep the roll in mind. I was feeling so stable and in control for most of my ride though. I think I’m getting comfortable enough to start learning one-footed stuff, ww, idling, and backwards. Hopping too! I’ve really got to get more precise with that.
yeah, rolls are a lifesaver!
even though you’re at running pace, it’s akin to tripping, at least it was for me:
before i knew it i was literally being launched by the out of control pedals and had to help my self to get clear of the uni, at which point i was in the air travelling quickly towards the ground (this is all in less than half a second)
when you hit it’s great to know how to roll across your arm, back, and pop back on your feet
make sure you can roll on grass well starting so that you can distribute the weight of your roll onto your forearm, upper arm, and across your back in one motion so you don’t hit too hard in any one place (my elbow was hurt on both forearm side and humerous side, but not on the tip)
O yeah:
also, i knew the even coordinator (neighbor whose 10-year old son unis because i started), so that helped, although you should be fine if you explain that you’re about running pace
we kept up w/ the runners (not the 10 year old, he was on a 20), and we were on 24s, we were haulin! some of the runners said “hey, that’s cheating” but it was all jokingly and lightheartedly, no one really got angry, and we amused many people
good luck w/ the one foot stuff too
i learened that after a month or two of riding, along w/ backwards, now they’re second nature
i wish that was the case with wheel walking… lol
i don’t work on it that much though
i should
I remember the time I used to commute with my bike… one morning, as I was quite late, I was riding the fastest I could so that I could have the next green traffic light, and someone opened his car door while I was just riding next to the car… CRASH!!!
I didn’t even have time to brake… just to think Sh…! I flew over 3 or 4 meters as I had the reflex to kinda jump over the car door.
Fortunately I used to practise judo (during 15 years) and the landing was surprisingly soft. I got hurt a little bit but it was due to the impact with the car door.
Yes, rolling really helps.
uni speaking, I often rolled after dropping when I bent too much forward on landings.
I remember the time I used to commute with my bike… one morning, as I was quite late, I was riding the fastest I could so that I could have the next green traffic light, and someone opened his car door while I was just riding next to the car… CRASH!!!
I didn’t even have time to brake… just to think Sh…! I flew over 3 or 4 meters as I had the reflex to kinda jump over the car door.
Fortunately I used to practise judo (during 15 years) and the landing was surprisingly soft. I got hurt a little bit but it was due to the impact with the car door.
Yes, rolling really helps.
uni speaking, I often rolled after dropping when I bent too much forward on landings.
some time ago as I was happily riding on a trail with my 29er
some molecule crossed the path and I crashed.
I usually know how to roll but there I smashed violently on the floor with my chest. I was flat on the ground before even thinking about it!
I thought I had broken a rib (I could not cough or laugh for a fortnight) but the doctor told me that this was not the case.
still wondering how it is possible to crash so quickly that you cannot have the reflex to roll…
(I knew the thing while playing rugby … but on a uni?)
I did this about a week ago. I was on the ground so fast I didn’t know what happened. I instinctively put my hands out in front to save my face and when my wrist guards hit the pavement they skidded out in front of me and I ended up with road rash on my chin, chest, elbows and knees.
(sorry about continuing the thread-jack)
Good luck with your Coker. I’m gonna be stepping up to a 29er soon. I guess I’m being cautious about making the BIG step to a Coker.
Rolling…i’ll keep it in mind. But i’m going to have to wait another week before my uni gets here. So i might have forgotten by then.
Anybody here own a Coker and have moments when you did or didn’t roll? I see the outcome from a 29er, but what about going top speed on a Coker.