Force on the back pedal (while also having force on the front pedal) equates to standing up out of your seat, if you think about it. (Excessively) standing up out of your seat is one of the few mistakes that are so big that I point them out to beginners. (Most other mistakes don’t keep one from riding, and I usually think it’s better to fix them when you don’t need to think about balancing too much anymore.) So, jobby, make sure to put your weight on the saddle.
Now, to follow this tangent:
I wouldn’t isolate the inefficiency most beginners experience to excessive pressure on the back pedal. I would isolate them to needing to do too many corrections. This includes slowing down (pressing on the back pedal), but also turning, needing to accelerate to catch you balance, etc.
One of the worst pieces of advice to a beginner is to tell them to put their weight on the seat. (The absolute worst is telling them to sit upright and imagine the unicycle is an extension of their spine.)
Weight on the seat is something to aspire to ASAP after achieving basic riding but beginners should keep their weight on the pedals. Until they learn to position the wheel fairly precisely under their centre of gravity, weight on the seat will pop the uni out.
You’re going to make our friend feel bad. It’s more “very very young and fit and fearless and versed in balanced sports” people who can learn in 3 hours.
I think there is a sort of consensus out there that the average for an adult is in the 20 to 30 hours.
Depends on what level of learning you are talking about. I have done hundreds of hours and I am still learning.
It took me 15 hours to learn to ride a unicycle that was far too small for me across fairly rough grass in my front yard. It would have taken me far less on the right unicycle and with my future self as my teacher.
Most people struggle by not having the assistance of someone who understands the dynamics of a unicycle and a beginning rider. I have taught three riders and they averaged an hour in the saddle to being able to ride ten metres. All mid twenties to 32 year old fit males.
Falling on your ass is one of the few mistakes that is so big it may make riders want to quit. Excess weight on the pedals may not be efficient, but it helps keep the feet on the pedals. My worst beginner falls happened after slipping off the pedals.
Standing up out of the seat is to my estimation not so much a problem of too much weight on the feet, but rather of a lack of stability in the seat. My 13 year old neighbor learned to ride 20 feet in less than 20 minutes. He held the grab handle with one hand the whole time. He was not able to put weight in the seat for whatever reason (we messed with the seat height / the saddle was junk), but he cleverly compensated for the lack of stability with his hand.
I have gone back to wall hugging, after about 2-3 hours (broken into 20 minute sessions) I am able to do a few revolutions (every so often) without touching the wall, I am constantly fighting the cranks Considering I can ride a bicycle all day and feel no undue fatigue, after 20 minutes my upper thighs/knees and calves are cooked, I am trying to focus on letting go, but it just isnt happening, I am certain the moment I can get the pedal action free, it will click…
Any advise to retrain my pedaling from bicycle efficiency to unicycle efficiency? or is it simply the keep at it? I am not the ‘No Fear’ kinda guy, fear is something that generally keeps us alive and safe!
It is certainly starting to feel beter, although the backwards falls did shake me, I am looking for a new location to practice localy, that will allo me to ride off the wall…
You are a long way away from thinking about efficiency. Keep training, and you will get it.
Unicycling is very tiring at first, no matter how much bicycling you have done. And compared to bicycling, it will always be, unicycles are great fun, but a terrible mode of transportation. When I rode a marathon on a 36" with 100mm cranks (pretty fast setup for an ungeared), I averaged 23 km/h, which is decent. But that’s definetely a race speed. On a bicycle tour, I average faster than that, while having a conversation and riding freehanded a lot of the time.
Keep up the progress, there is nothing better than the moment when it finally clicks in your brain, and you can ride freely!
Yep, just keep at it! I started not long after doing Ironmans so I was in pretty decent shape.
My quads killed me!!
After I got away from the wall, I was limited in distance first in how far I could hold my breath. (50-75 yards) Then it was how far l I could go before my quads were burning. (1/2 mile) Then it was how far I could go before I was completely out of breath from over exertion. (1-1 1/2 miles) Then how far I could go with my foot misplaced on the pedal. (one day I could suddenly move my feet around!!) Then how far I could go before the pain in the seat was just too much.
Just keep at it and embrace the journey. It really is the best part looking back.
Considering I can ride a bicycle all day and feel no undue fatigue, after 20 minutes my upper thighs/knees and calves are cooked, I am trying to focus on letting go, but it just isnt happening, I am certain the moment I can get the pedal action free, it will click…
(50-75 yards) Then it was how far l I could go before my quads were burning. (1/2 mile) Then it was how far I could go before I was completely out of breath from over exertion. (1-1 1/2 miles) Then how far I could go with my foot misplaced on the pedal. (one day I could suddenly move my feet around!!) Then how far I could go before the pain in the seat was just too much.