That would be impressive, backwards SIF riding. I’m working on making my regular backwards riding casual but I’m not there yet…
UK,
Backwards SIF is still on my list of todo’s.
I have never tried that even accidentally, my spider senses tell me absofukenlutely, not.
It just brings me back to memories when I had “aluminum spiked” pedals, that I thought looked cool and would give me traction. Well, skin tearing traction, alright. When I fell a few times “down/into” the unicycle. The skin and muscle on the front of the skin is very thin, and my fear of seeing my tibia bone was real. Then the burn of applying brush strokes of liquid bandage to seal/sterilize/stop the bleeding. Oucheeee…
Anyways, I would have to gear-up with my soccer shin guards and possibly find a nice hard/flat/grass spot to practice backwards SIF. I’ve changed to plastic studded pedals, but the thought of the pedal rotation direction straight into my shins gives me the williams.
My approach for SIF forwards or backwards would be the same with Advanced Idling, again.
1.) Apply slow/stop and go “balanced” motion.
2.) Do not rely on speed, momentum or rhythm to do the trick.
3.) Take one step at a time, or a series of “pre-meditated” number of steps and if you exceed, then jump off quickly. One extra step → 2 extra steps → 3, 4…UPD.
Anyone ever experience that? You have to react quickly/instantaneously…not “relax/enjoy” the moment. OH, this feels cool→UPD…crunch!!!
More on this later, but let’s stay focused on more advanced idling.
We haven’t been discussing pure idling techniques, but SIF and backwards is very closely associated, so hopefully some people are inspired or becoming believers in the fact that perfecting the idling is the way to more skills.
I know some have said idling? Got the rhythm…then okay. Start juggling. End story. Well, you guys click on other topics. You don’t need this.
…slam
I don’t know… grass is nice if you fall, but due to the bumpiness it also increases the chances to fall, in my opinion. Or at least makes it harder to succeed when practicing a new skill / trick. Ok, maybe a soccer field or a golf course could work, but practising there would probably imply other problems…
I thought I could juggle reasonably well on a unicycle, last summer. Then I tried to juggle while idling. It’s a whole different story again - just like when you think “I can juggle, and I can unicycle. How hard can it be to combine the two?”. I haven’t learned juggling while idling yet, and it will probably take some time before I can give it another shot …or I find some really light juggling balls that won’t put too much stress on my wrist. Hmmmm…
I have tried an idling with bare feet. This keeps from excessive pressure on the lower leg and allows for more precise control of foot performance.
UPD: The pedals are not spiked
The balls of this kind are harder to juggle.
You‘re probably right, but I‘m still recovering from a wrist injury… While pushing and pulling isn‘t much of a problem anymore, twisting and shearing still is. So are quick movements with high stress peaks. Thus, if I were to juggle on a unicycle I‘d have to take precautions to lower the risk of injury as best as I possibly could.
Therapist isn‘t very happy that I‘m unicycling at all at the moment. That said, I think she has some misconceptions about the way forces act on the wrist when unicycling (seems to think that unicyclists constantly flail about when riding).
Perhaps, she dealt before with the newbies only.
you shouldn’t have talked about the unicycling to the therapist. Most peeps are ignorant of unicycling anyways. Do you hold the seat while riding? and do you wear wrist guards at least, just in case. Im not talking about SIF here obviously.
Or she never dealt with unicyclists at all, at least not knowingly 
.
I hold the seat when muniing and when schlumpfing. But that‘s not a problem since I use the other hand for that 
. Muniing is rare in general and schlumpfing is rare at the moment (because of the injury, but mainly because I have to sort out a technical issue first). I‘m wearing the splint, but no wrist guards for casual riding on the 20er or the 29er. However, for muni and for riding the 36er I always wear the KH gloves and the splint, or (recently) wrist guards intended for roller skating. Same when riding the 29er more aggressively or practicing stuff on the 20er. So, I’m trying to adapt to the probability of a fall happening, and its potential severity.
I also where wrist guards when riding the electrical unicycle. I think it is more important for that, but those wristguards I have don’t cover my fingers. It slides over my hand with my thumb going through a side hole, so it stays put, but when it is cold, I can’t also where gloves over them.
Would yous think motorcycle gloves would provide better protection. When it is not freezing the wristguards are fine, but last time in DK it was below zero and I couldn’t feel my fingers when getting back to the car.
There are certainly different kinds of motorcycle gloves. The ones I have offer no real protection for the wrist, but for the knuckles. They protect the fingers, too, of course.
Maybe gloves for enduro riding offer some additional protection, but I’m not sure - I think enduro requires a lot of free movement, wrist guards would work against that.
i have a pair of “double gloves” (or two pairs?). I have the Specialized Sub Zero Review: Specialized Sub Zero gloves | road.cc, but there are certainly different makes. The hand slides in one glove first, then in a second, water and windproof outer glove. I can wear the latter over my KH glove (the one that doesn’t cover the fingers entirely). Works like a treat for winter riding. Maybe it’s well suited for you on your EUC, too.
Alright, let’s talk about something else for a change.
I actually didn’t ride this week, so I don’t have any fresh input from observing what I do.
When you ride a lot, it is so easy to forget the small details that combined to create the ability to do amazing things on the unicycle.
Gloves and fall protection. OKay, let’s talk about what happens when we fall off the unicycle and our bodies are falling forwards to the dirt, asphalt, concrete ground.
a.) Hold out your hands hoping to prevent your chest and face from hitting the ground. This is where most injuries happen, because the impact force is great. Depending on your wrist, elbow angle you can either snap your wrist if your arm is straight, or distribute the shock equally to the shoulder, chest, tricep and wrist muscles.
b.) What if you allow your chest and face to “impact” the ground, and thus allow spare the wrist, elbows and arms to “not resist”? I thought about this at one point and decided to pursue a bmx chest plate and helmet with chin/face guard.
It does work. If you fall and just allow yourself to “land” without resistance then you can avoid injury. So, your hands/wrist/arms just flop and not try to instantly transform into a rigid landing structure that is guaranteed to fail. As long as you have the right protection. Your face, chest and maybe shoulders. The bmx, motorcycle guys really know the right gears. One wheels and EUC’s not so much.
That’s my 2 cents, I rarely need stuff like that because I avoid big wheels, speed, cars and people. Ride on.
…slam
Beginning Idling tips and Gyroscopic Precession.
I got a request to help a beginner idle, recently.
He can do it a few times, and then falls.
Sound familiar?
So, I finally got back on my unicycle and did some research.
“holding” and stationary pole and idling:
Try this:
- Rapid back/forth = stability
- Stay vertical and just rely on your top foot(mostly) shuffle pedal quickly.
- Then try “releasing hands” during the “half cycle”.
- That is “release” from midpoint → go fwd →rock back to midpoint “hold”.
- Go backwards → return to midpoint…“release hands”…again.
If you do this while assisted, you will notice it’s only the quick reversing action that = stability. Actually, there is a rapid acceleration and deceleration. Also, a reversing of direction of spin. Now here’s the boring part for most people. I recommend you skip
…slam
The physical phenomena called gyroscopic precession has a lot to do with it. However, I cannot explain the direct link.
I know this action creates a sideways force, which during idling “should” cause an alternating lateral rocking. I don’t feel it, but it would make sense that the idling action will cause an alternating “right lean” and “left lean” force could create lateral stability. I think the reversal of direction and magnitude and acceleration must be uniform going fwds/bkwds, thus the skill requirement is also necessary.
I know on a helicopter(without a gyro like R22) on the mechanism called swashplate when tilted fore/aft will cause the actual helicopter to move side ways, thus it is corrected by 90 degrees of the intended motion with a device called washout base.
So far, I have not found any demonstration of gyroscopic precession as it applied directly to the action unicycle idling. I believe it is quite complex, because they can only demonstrate for a single wheel in one direction(constant velocity). Any professors out there? or EUC software engineers? Explain this?
…slam slam
After not riding a uni for the whole day I felt I had to go out and practice a bit after dinner. So I gave idling with my hands behind the back another shot, today, and was able to do 9 (or, depending on how you count, 18) idle movements. Then had a go with my weak foot at the low position and made up to 21 (or 42, ….)! That‘s when I realised that what I thought of as my weak foot is actually my strong foot. 
I can ride one foot with the other on the crown, no matter if it‘s the left or the right one. But I can only ride with one foot stretched out when I have the right foot on the pedal, so clearly the right is my strong foot for this „family“ of tricks. Yet, when it comes to stopping and idling in everyday situations I normally idle with the left foot in the low position, if I have the free choice… Strange.
But here‘s the best part: I also tried SIF backwards along a wall and a railing. 2 revolutions without holding onto something. That‘s not yet a whole lot, but I feel that it‘s absolutely something I can (and will) learn. 
Since changing from 114mm cranks to 110s on my 20er I set the seat height for cruising around rather than practicing tricks, so I really had a hard time to move the seat in front of me when riding forwards. For backwards I mounted right away SIF while leaning on the wall.
Gave wheel walk a try or two, but that is a trick I will not master anytime soon, if ever. But will continue to practice it every now and then.
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Spring is finally here and it is time to get more outside on the uni. I made a little video about what benefits I had from following this thread cycling nowhere in my workshop every other evening or so.
I really hope that Slamdance or anyone more skilled than me unicyclist will start a similar thread next December.
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11 revolutions, two days ago 
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Hello Unik, I see you have some serious videography skills.
Lighting and backdrop looks amazing. Music scoring work is very cool.
Just from your ability to be able to do a leg wrap mount, you have natural speed and balance. Also, the way you idle, SIF and backwards you seem to have a good efficient, graceful orchestration of body movement. Your body seems to know what to do.
What is your thought process?
-Do you think in terms of specific step/step movements?
-Or, do you just decide and just do it?
My method is more discretely focused on specific movements. That will either hopefully “correct” failed attempts or “add new” element that was missing from a riders attempts to execute a trick.
My specific comment on what I see on your video:
1. Idling: Try to put your “hands down” on your leg. This will force more precise foot work on the pedals for balance. You may also find yourself slowing down or standing up more straighter as you do this. That’s okay. The idling dynamics of balance is not dependent on how fast you idle, or upper body action. It is specifically the “direction change action”, lateral pedal balance and how well you orchestrate all this with least amount of energy.
2. SIF: I would suggest you drop your saddle about 10-15 mm’s. This will force you to involve more leg bend and muscle involvement. In addition, “squat down” to a lower position. This will give you an added ability to “bob” up/down a little. Also, try to pedal slower and almost pause between each pedal. This will give you more balance and overall sense of control.
3. Backwards riding: It looks good when you are doing it but it looks like hit/miss. I would suggest more slower and deliberate. One pedal at a time and involve more upper body movement/twist to increase feel/balance of this backwards motion. Focus on a specific number of pedals and then “stop” or idle then reset/repeat. Very important not to allow “runaway balance” to avoid injury. Always be in control when riding backwards.
Anyways, you are definitely progressing well.
Keep on and continue reporting back to us
…slam
Where do you get such short cranks?
They’re from AliExpress. They have a link to it on the first post of the Micro Machines thread here.
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Fast forward 3 months now my best is 16 idles (back and forth!) on the dominant foot down and 2 times on the weak foot. Still twisting a lot and flailing arms, but I’m doing nothing to suppress them, they’ll take care of themselves with practice.
Once I started practising with the weak foot I suddenly found I can ride backwards a bit, 3-4 revolutions without holding onto a wall. So my focus is now to make sure I can do everything I can with the weak foot.
My daughter is ambidextrous and she basically learnt backwards and idling at the same time, took her only a couple of hours to idle indefinitely on both feet, and also one-footed idling a few times on the first try. Another data point on how training your weak foot is really important.
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