I am learning as well. I’ve been at it for about a week and I am just starting
to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday was the first day where I
didn’t acquire a new bruise. I am still very, very bad and can travel no more
than 5 or 6 feet. But there are small moments where it seems like I am in
control. These moments are fleeting, but they’re starting to happen. I am
hopeful that this means that I’m on the right track. I’m also falling with
more style in that I can catch the uni most of the time. Keep trying and keep
us posted…
Jamie
ptr48@sprynet.com wrote in message <355ad584.88323903@news.sprynet.com>… >I just bought my first unicycle and I am having quite a bit of trouble getting >started. Can anyone offer any tips on learning. At the moment I am trying and >trying and… . Is it, like wind surfing, a 250 fall sport in order to >learn? Please advise. Thanks in advance, Peter
Noam, congrats on the Sem! That’s the same wheel I learned on, and I love it. I
personally think learning to free-mount first is the best way to learn. I did it
that way and was free-mounting & riding long distances in about a week, after
daily practice, like you said. My practice sessions were a bit longer; more like
an hour a day.
>>One last question: Isn’t it kind of dangerous to learn free-mounting on a >>giraffe? It just seems very scary :<) > >Yes. It’s totally stupid In all my years of unicycling I have still managed >to generally avoid giraffes. (I won’t ride on above 5ft)
I beg to differ! After a couple months on my 24" sem, I borrowed my friend’s 6ft
Sem giraffe. My first attempt was climbing onto the seat from a structure –
THAT was scary! I fell down right away. So, I took it onto the lawn, and
practiced free-mounting. An hour later I had my first successful giraffe
free-mount, and although the ride only lasted a few seconds, I felt MUCH more
comfortable than I did when I was getting on from the top of something that I
could have fallen into and injured myself. To me, free-mounting is obviously the
safer way to do it. You can get a wide-open space so no matter which way you
fall off, you can always land safely on your feet. And it only took another
couple weeks to get a consistent giraffe free-mount.
>My problem is that when I get on (using a wall, car or post) I put all of
my >weight on the pedals and then try to get a comfortable seat (which is a
little >hard). Will this take “unlearning” in the future when I try to free-mount?
I think this is perfectly reasonable. The trick of freemounting is to hop the
spare foot onto the pedal, and not push down with the foot that’s already on a
pedal. When I’m really tired from learning a new trick, I mount using a wall
to save energy, and I still do it as you describe.
>So far I have been practicing in 15-minute sessions and I find that it really >helps to set goals such as a point on the ground 10 feet away.
Try not to look at the ground, it’ll make life harder. Concentrate on a landmark
at eye-level if possible. If you’re looking downwards, your body will try to
follow, firmly planting you in the ground!
>I also have a question about the seat.
Can’t comment.
>One last question: Isn’t it kind of dangerous to learn free-mounting on a >giraffe? It just seems very scary :<)
Yes. It’s totally stupid In all my years of unicycling I have still managed
to generally avoid giraffes. (I won’t ride on above 5ft)
>Would you usually land on your feet?
Don’t know… although with most unicycle falls you do. Trouble is if you forget
to absorb the fall from a height it can really hurt.
