Well we got our new Semcycles thanks to Serious Juggling who brought
them to the Seattle Juggling Festival for us this weekend. We hardly
got any juggling in on the weekend though, what with our obsession
over our new mode transport! That was three days ago. Now we are on
the tedious plateau of riding along with one hand on our ‘human
training wheels’ for support. This has been going on for the past
three days… and though I know it is progress just to be riding
without two hands clutching the railing still I am just itching to be
able to free ride.
I have probably put in about 5 - 7 hours of practice so far and the
wheel still feels pretty wobbly as I ride. Once in a while there is
that ‘Zen of unicycling’ feeling where the balance is perfect and the
pedalling effortless but that only lasts a few seconds at a time and
seems hard to repeat intentionally.
Well I am hoping I will fit the usual pattern of a typical learner and
be looking to free ride after another 10 hours of practice or so.
That will be a great moment; in the meantime I’ll push on with the
practice sessions, one wobbly, lurching lap at time.
> I have probably put in about 5 - 7 hours of practice so far and the
> wheel still feels pretty wobbly as I ride. Once in a while there is
> that ‘Zen of unicycling’ feeling where the balance is perfect and the
> pedalling effortless but that only lasts a few seconds at a time and
> seems hard to repeat intentionally.
Wahooo Erin! Congratulations on the new Uni!!! Stick with it and you’ll
be going along in no time at all. My daughter and I have had our Uni’s
for one month today, and we can ride all over the place now. Last night
I rode with my daughter about 2 miles and then went for another 5 miles
by myself. It’s great to be rolling.
As a newbie myself, all I can say is ‘raise the seat’. It seems to be
the biggest factor in achieving those early Zen moments- which will come
more and more and then go away as your lower body becomes independent
from your upper body. Then you can sit back and enjoy the scenery…
Also, you might want to find a lamp post or basketball post to start
from. I found that better than being spotted.
Ive had my uni for a couple of weeks and decided to use the direct
approach and launch in to the unknown with no hands, fully padded up!
in my first 1 hour session I fell off and sprained my ankle and the
the unicycle jumped up and bit my leg. So a few ice packs, some
bandage and with even more determination a few days later I tried
again.
Now, four 1 hour sessions down the line Im free riding, slowing down
to a stop speeding up as fast as I feel safe and even turning in the
direction i want to go.
I think what is required is perseverance and a kamikaze instinct, oh
and no fear!
Tomorrow Im venturing out of my drive to a more open area so I can
really wail.
The seat height is crucial, and I have found its easier to control the
twist if the balls of my feet are on the pedals.
good job. I remember how much time I spent on my uni the first days I had it. I also remember how sore my groin was. I wish I had bike shorts then.
-DAvid Kaplan
> I think what is required is perseverance and a kamikaze instinct, oh
> and no fear!
>
My feelings exactly. It’s a combination of being prepared to fall at
any moment but at the same time believing that one cannot fall.
> The seat height is crucial, and I have found its easier to control the
> twist if the balls of my feet are on the pedals.
>
Alas, the seat post in the Ringmaster I have borrowed for learning is
too short. I have to pedal with the middle part, heel against the
pedal. I’m anxious to get my own unicycle with a long enough seat
post.
> Free mount next, WAHEY! Cant Wait !
My only freemounting technique so far is the static mount (or quarter
to three mount). My hit/miss ratio is currently about 1:3. Biggest
problem is hitting the pedal correctly with the pansy foot (heh). I
tend to get it in a non-ideal position, then wobble wildly a few
meters and UPD. My back and ankles don’t like UPD’ing on hard
surfaces. But it will come I’m sure…
> My only freemounting technique so far is the static mount (or quarter
> to three mount). My hit/miss ratio is currently about 1:3. Biggest
> problem is hitting the pedal correctly with the pansy foot (heh). I
> tend to get it in a non-ideal position, then wobble wildly a few
> meters and UPD. My back and ankles don’t like UPD’ing on hard
> surfaces. But it will come I’m sure…
I can now freemount with the technique where the Uni stays still and I
step up to it. I also have about 1:3 hit/miss ratio. What exactly is a
static mount?
I have been developing two new riding skills; One is adjusting my feet
on the pedals while riding, this is necessary due to a mis-planted foot
during a freemount, and when my feet creep or slip when on long rides.
The other technique is to adjust the (ahem) twins while riding or take
pressure off them by sucking in my belly and leaning back- it seems to
help.
> I can now freemount with the technique where the Uni stays still and I
> step up to it. I also have about 1:3 hit/miss ratio. What exactly is a
> static mount?
>
Yours sounds similar to mine. The pedals are horizontal, weaker foot
pedal to the front. The unicycle doesn’t move as I step on it, putting only
minimal weight on the stronger foot. Once on top of the unicycle, I
start pedaling with the weaker foot.
> I have been developing two new riding skills; One is adjusting my feet
> on the pedals while riding, this is necessary due to a mis-planted foot
> during a freemount, and when my feet creep or slip when on long
> rides.
I try to do this as well, sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don’t.
> The other technique is to adjust the (ahem) twins while riding or take
> pressure off them by sucking in my belly and leaning back- it seems to
> help.
I need to learn this too…in the near future I will try to ride with
one hand holding the seat, to prepare myself for the rigours of muni.
Today I tried significant uphills and downhills for the first time. I
found that balancing was easier than on level ground. Downhills were a
bit scary as the unicycle seemed to have a will of its own, wanting to
transform into a spinning juggernaut, about to mow down schoolchildren
and innocent old ladies. Well it didn’t anyway, and I think I got the
hang of it.
Janne
Never trust a man with a blue trench coat + shem@erasethis.iki.fi
never drive a car when you’re dead. +
the way i went about getting better shoe position of the pedals was to do a mount as SLOWLY as i could…i didnt really get that much slower doing a static mount, but somehow the idea of not having to rush it helped me focus on a correctly aimed foot. keep on riding, and get biking shorts as soon as you can, they make the whole experience much more pleasurable