I’ve just started to learn to ride, about 10 half hour sessions so far and
have gotten to the stage where i can ride about 5 meters (not much I know)
before I either fall off (getting good at that one) or I continue for about
another 5-10 meters but the seat moves quite eractically between my legs and
i can’t keep it still.
As i’m learning without knowing/seeing how it should be done i’m getting a
bit stuck.
I’m thinking i might be putting to much pressure on the pedals causing the
seat to move around alot. I’ve started trying to slow down my ride which has
helped the seat wobble.
Many thanks, will give that a try on tomorrow’s session (on my lunch break
from work).
I’m trying to be patient but i can’t wait untill I can ride properly
Cheers
norry
“JJuggle” <JJuggle@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote in
message news:JJuggle.163d0o@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com…
>
> If the seat is moving around a lot under you then you are very likely
> not keeping your weight on the seat.
>
> Sit straight up and keep your weight solidly on the seat; don’t be
> afraid to just sit. Look 10 or 15 feet out in front of you.
>
> You will be amazed how little work it is for your legs when you’re
> riding on flat ground and your weight is on the seat.
>
> Good luck,
> Raphael Lasar
> Matawan, NJ
>
>
> –
> JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists
>
> ‘6th Annual LBI Unithon - Sat, June 5, 2004’
> (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon)
>
> Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball!
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
I suggest maybe putting your seat a little higher unless it is quite high already. I found it great to have it really high when learning the went lower after I could ride really well, and put it even lower when I got into trials.
In article <JJuggle.163d0o@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com>,
JJuggle <JJuggle@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote:
)
)If the seat is moving around a lot under you then you are very likely
)not keeping your weight on the seat.
)
)Sit straight up and keep your weight solidly on the seat; don’t be
)afraid to just sit. Look 10 or 15 feet out in front of you.
)
)You will be amazed how little work it is for your legs when you’re
)riding on flat ground and your weight is on the seat.
In addition, make sure you have the seat high enough. Your leg should be
nearly fully extended when your foot is at the bottom of your pedal
stroke. If your seat is too low, it will be hard to put enough weight
on it.
-Tom
I learned to ride the same as you apperently (get on, fall off, repeat until frustrated) and it did take me a very long while to get it.
However, my girlfriend (Annika) has recently learned to uni and we found that having someone (me!) walking alongside her and being a ‘move-able support’ really helped her. She got a chance to actually sit on the uni for a bit and get used to the whole weird feeling of being up there, but then also had a bit of support when it was needed rather than just having to fall off all the time.
It’s probably not practical for you to get one of your workmates to help you every lunch time, but if you can get a willing volounteer to assist you now and again (and give them shin gaurds to wear as well if you have them - it might save a few bruises and a friendship) then that might give you a good boost.
Another tip is to try and pedal to somewhere, not just from one pedal stroke to the next. You don’t want to jerk your pedal strokes, they want to be nice and steady and we found that focusing on trying to ride (for example) from one wall to another helps you to switch off the bit of your brain that wants you to pedal half a revolution at a time (then stop for a bit) instead.
Oh, and I’m sure that I won’t be the only one to say this, but it also just takes lots of practise.
Thanks for all the advice. Unfortunately the seat post is at the highest
point already and my legs are bent when my foot is at the bottom of the
pedal.
I will try and focus for the time being on not being so pedal heavy and
actually sit on the saddle instead of balancing just above it which i tend
to do at the moment. I think i might be buying a new saddle post however.
I forgot to mention that there actually two of us here in work trying to
learn unicycling
Thanks again.
norry
“Tom Holub” <doosh@inl.org> wrote in message news:G_5oc.95107$vn.261138@sea-read.news.verio.net…
> In article <JJuggle.163d0o@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com>,
> JJuggle <JJuggle@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote:
> )
> )If the seat is moving around a lot under you then you are very likely
> )not keeping your weight on the seat.
> )
> )Sit straight up and keep your weight solidly on the seat; don’t be
> )afraid to just sit. Look 10 or 15 feet out in front of you.
> )
> )You will be amazed how little work it is for your legs when you’re
> )riding on flat ground and your weight is on the seat.
>
> In addition, make sure you have the seat high enough. Your leg should be
> nearly fully extended when your foot is at the bottom of your pedal
> stroke. If your seat is too low, it will be hard to put enough weight
> on it.
> -Tom
If your legs are bent all the time, it’s harder to control the wheel. Most unicycles that I see in stores, the 20" ones at least, have seat posts that would be too short for an average adult. Getting the seat high enough will indeed make things easier. Aside from that, the main thing you need is patience and persistence. I taught myself by trying to get from one wall of my apartment to the other, and it took me close to two weeks to do that consistently. I always get comments from people on the street about how they “tried one of those years ago, and couldn’t do it.” It invariably turns out that they just tried it a few times, didn’t get past the point where it no longer seems obviously impossible, and gave up. You’re developing a new set of reflexes, like learning how to walk, and just doing it over and over and over will gradually teach your body what to do and what not to do in order to stay on the thing. The amount of time you’ve taken to get to where you are now is not at all unusual.
Seat adjusted
Most of your weight on the seat
Balls of your feet, not the arches, on the pedals
Sit up straight
Wrists guards are good
Pain is weakness leaving the body
Thanks for the advice, I think I might see about getting a larger seat post
to see if that helps.
The one thing I won’t be doing is giving up
I’m solely looking forward to work now for the half an hour I get to
practice on my unicycle.
It does help that I’ve got a work mate that is also learning, and infact the
sessions are becoming
little social events for other workers who want to see what’s going on
Thanks all again, this newsgroup has been a great inspiration for me.
norry
“weeble” <weeble@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote in message news:weeble.163sj5@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com…
>
> If your legs are bent all the time, it’s harder to control the wheel.
> Most unicycles that I see in stores, the 20" ones at least, have seat
> posts that would be too short for an average adult. Getting the seat
> high enough will indeed make things easier. Aside from that, the main
> thing you need is patience and persistence. I taught myself by trying to
> get from one wall of my apartment to the other, and it took me close to
> two weeks to do that consistently. I always get comments from people on
> the street about how they “tried one of those years ago, and couldn’t do
> it.” It invariably turns out that they just tried it a few times, didn’t
> get past the point where it no longer seems obviously impossible, and
> gave up. You’re developing a new set of reflexes, like learning how to
> walk, and just doing it over and over and over will gradually teach your
> body what to do and what not to do in order to stay on the thing. The
> amount of time you’ve taken to get to where you are now is not at all
> unusual.
>
> Seat adjusted
> Most of your weight on the seat
> Balls of your feet, not the arches, on the pedals
> Sit up straight
> Wrists guards are good
> Pain is weakness leaving the body
>
>
> –
> weeble - There can be only one… wheel
>
>
> ==============
> Another Joe in MN
> Level 2 and holding
> ==============
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> weeble’s Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/1625
> View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32412
>
Firstly, as everyone has said, weight on the saddle.
Secondly, don’t look down. Look where you’re going. A distant object at eye level is good, or if you must look at the ground, look about 20 metres ahead.
Thirdly, rhythm. A common beginner’s mistake is to try to regain balance after every pedal stroke. Stomp, wobble, stomp, wobble, stomp, wobble etc. This is hard work. The unicycle should keep falling forwards, and the wheel should never quite catch up. So if you are always falling forwards, controlling your balance is simply a matter of adjusting how much pressure you’re putting on the pedals, and how fast you’re pedalling. If you try to regain your balance after every stroke or two, then you’ll be reversing the direction of pressure on the pedals - and that’s loads harder.
Fourthly, set goals. Either count pedal strokes, or try to reach landmarks.
Fifthly, as soon as you can ride confidently for 10 metres or so, introduce an element of challenge like trying to go round a corner, or zig zag between cones. Nothing too difficult. it’s surprising how when you return to simple riding, it will seem easy.
This little chant may help: "Heavy on the seat, potato-chips under the feet. Heavy on the seat, potato-chips under the feet. Heavy on the seat, potato-chips under the feet… you get the idea.
When my daughters were learning to ride, they would repeat that phrase over and over as they would ride across the driveway.
I also agree with having someone walk along side you for support. This allows you to ride several hundred feet before a fall. In my opinion, you are actually building memory in your hams and quads of what must happen for you to ride free. --chirokid–
On Tue, 11 May 2004 15:47:35 -0500, “Mikefule” wrote:
>Secondly, don’t look down. Look where you’re going. A distant object
>at eye level is good, or if you must look at the ground, look about 20
>metres ahead.
I respectfully disagree. For an accomplished rider looking at the
ground close by makes riding somewhat harder, indeed no real rider
will do it as a rule. But I definitely remember that when I was
learning it was easier to look down as compared to far away. It felt
as if I could very well use the additional sensory (visual) input
about what the wheel was doing.
So I say look down if you want, it’ll go away with time.
I think the misconception is that what is easiest for me, must be
easiest for you.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
be sure to remove the saddle and simply sit on the seat post. this is far more comfortable - tennisgh22 on the comfort of Savage unis
I was just thinking about that last night, KB. I am always looking at the floor, and thought that was a bad thing. But then I remembered learning how to drive, I would always be looking at the driver’s side of the hood, instead of far along the road I was driving, so I wouldn’t drift into the oncoming lane. It was a bad habit, but it disappeared once I had more driving practice.
On Wed, 12 May 2004 08:20:42 -0500, “digigal1” wrote:
>But then I remembered
>learning how to drive, I would always be looking at the driver’s side of
>the hood, instead of far along the road I was driving
Don’t take it that I sanctioned that behaviour…
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
be sure to remove the saddle and simply sit on the seat post. this is far more comfortable - tennisgh22 on the comfort of Savage unis
