Hello,
Thanks for info on idling I received a couple of weeks ago. I still can’t idle
very long: 15+ times with my left foot down, maximum 8 times with my right foot
down. My right leg is the dominant leg, so most control comes from the leg on
the upper pedal when I idle with the left pedal down. Is this the best way or
should I make more use of the leg on the down pedal? This would seem to be true
if I want to idle with one leg.
Since a few weeks I’ve been unicycling to work, using the pavement. Keeping on
top with heavy winds and a rucksack was a whole new experience. It also made me
aware of the trouble that people in wheelchairs have to go through every day. I
can always get of and walk around deep holes in the pavement, parked cars and
other obstacles, but for others it’s not that easy.
The Unicycling pages have been a great source of information for
me. The first trick I learned from the pages was the side mount. I’ve written
down a few remarks about this help file, perhaps people want to comment.
> 1. Stand beside and slightly behind the unicycle with the nearer pedal down
> and back slightly.
I keep the pedal exactly vertical.
> […]
> 7. […] straighten the leg and kick up and forward until the leg clears the
> saddle.
May be I misinterpreted the phrase ‘kick up’. I thought that I had to swing my
leg up straight. It’s much easier to bend the hip and knee joint simultaneously
keeping the lower leg vertical.
> When you step up on the down pedal, the wheel rolls backward slightly,
> bringing the down pedal forward just about the time your butt hits the seat.
> At that point your center of gravity should be forward of the wheel so you can
> push on the down pedal to roll the wheel forward and under you.
I start pedalling in a different way. The upper leg starts by pushing the pedal
backward a little. It’s coming from the front after I’ve swung it around the
saddle, so that’s easy. This makes the lower pedal go forward and I can push it
down to start cycling (or idling).
This method has the advantage that wheel is not moving when you’re stepping up.
> As with all mounts, the actions involved should be done quickly as possible.
This is not true for me, because I’m in reasonable balance all the way. When I
have to move quickly, I can’t control the balance. Perhaps it’s analogous to
juggling: think “slow” and you’re in control.
I’ve also tried riding with the saddle in front. The Unicycling pages describe
a transition from a normal riding to riding with the saddle in front. I found
it easier to practice the trick from a free mount, with both hands on the
saddle. My saddle is probably to high, but I don’t want to lower it just for
this trick. The problem (as the help file mentions) is to maintain a smooth
rythm. The wheel starts to waggle after a few cycles. Hopefully this will go
away with more practice.
This evening I learned the jump mount. It’s not even difficult once you’re over
the fear of jumping and it must look quite spectacular!
Another mount I’d like to learn is the rolling mount. I imagine this is a very
smooth way to get on your unicycle. I tried different things, without any
success. At what position do you place your foot on the pedal? How do you keep
the wheel rolling when you put your weight on the first pedal? Any help would be
appreciated.
Cheers,
Ronny Wichers Schreur ronny@cs.kun.nl