hey all, i had a good search around but couldn’t find exactly what i was looking for on any threads here so i thought i would ask.
Im going to a trials demo in a few days. the only problem is that we have very little gear to work with to build the course (about 16 pallets)
what im looking for is some ideas of how i could use that small amount of pallets to make as many interesting obstacles as possible.
im going to throw together some sandwich boards using 2 pallets and some scrap wood but i really want some creative things to play on.
i will be grateful for any ideas at all.
Not long ago me and some other guys did a demo and we brang some pallets along. For a little obstacel that we made, all we did was stack up 4 pallets then rest another pallet on the side of it so you could up it diagonally. You could also use the 4 pallets to pedal grab and stuff like that.
You should be able to come up with a pretty good setup with 16 pallets.
Most people don’t understand trials, much less unicycle trials so it is usually easy to draw a crowd. Try to set up stuff that you can do at least 85-90% of the time as people like to see success. Try to ride lines rather than single hard moves. Most people prefer to see 6 easy moves rather than one massive/technical one.
If you can find something appropriate try to get some type of balance beam as people seem to like them. It doesn’t have to be very narrow either (1 foot is plenty narrow), but if you suspend it between two stacks of three or 4 pallets high, non unicyclists will be amazed. Most people cant really tell the difference in difficulty between a 12 inch flat beam and a four inch round beam though so use what you are comfortable with. If you can set it up to side hop up on to even better.
Try to set up your pallet stacks to be different heights to give the illusion of randomness, and dont have the stacks square to each other for the same reason. This can make lines look harder than they actually are. Make sure that what you are riding on is solid though as non riders dont appreciate extra difficulty due to wobbly objects. Be wary of grass or carpet as these can reduce your hop height considerably. They can increase your drop height though.
Also realise that if it is a long demo (ie all or most of the day) the stuff you found easy to warm up on may be the hardest trick in the world later in the day. It pays to have some easy lines too. You will probably find you ride more than you would normally so you can get tired quick.
Lastly if you can throw in some tricks on an object, it will impress. A 90up-90down unispin looks hard on the ground, and looks amazing on top of four pallets. same for other tricks, but dont be afraid to do them on the ground too. People will still love it.
As long as you are riding you will probably have people watching. Try not to ignore the audience (make occasional eye contact etc) and they will respond.An MC can work wonders as well. When they respond you will enjoy yourself more and will ride better and more confidently. The audience will respond more and the cycle continues. Some of the best times I have had riding have been demos due to this.
Mostly, enjoy yourself, and the rest will take care of itself!
