Hi,
Having been driven into the house due to bad weather at the moment, I was wondering what the best tricks would be for learning in a narrow kitchen. I can touch the wall on both sides with my arms extended.
At the moment I am having a go at backwards riding and but I wondered whether these circumstances would suit any trick in particular.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Cathy
stir-frying while idling
dishwasher stacking while hopping
dishwasher emptying backwards and forwards or 180 turns
making a cup of tea still stand
Sorry, but you did ask… 
I can recommend learning to ride a unicycle outside with an umbrella. Or with waterproof trousers and coat if it’s really bad weather or you want to do tricks.
It often looks like really bad weather outside, but once you’re actually out there playing, it’s great fun, you don’t get cold if you’re riding either. It’s even better when it’s proper dark and you need lights.
Joe
Rolling hop to the counter top.
I’m not sure which other skills you can already do, but if you can’t ride with 1 foot yet, don’t bother learning in the kitchen, because it’s pretty important to have some speed for that skill. What would be good would be:
Those are my suggestions anyway. Hope things go well.
Re: Best tricks to learn in a narrow kitchen?
After checking for sharp corners or edges that could break your neck (seriously), idling and 1-foot idling are great. I learned to 1-foot idle between two iron/concrete posts that were blocking a path so that cars would not drive through. Just a light touch with your hands is all that is necessary.
Idling I learned partly by using one hand on a fence, switching sides occasionally, and partly by just extending the “half-cycle backwards, then continue” of the skill levels to more half-cycles.
Like Joe said, riding in the rain is great. The thing is to have pedals that you are confident in. Plastic or rubber pedals, and some metal pedals, leave me with an unsettled, unconfident feeling that I can’t shake, when they or my feet are wet. For rain riding, it’s important to have pedals that grip well, and usually that will argue for leg armor to protect against the pins. I also had to use eye contacts because my glasses would fog up. Finally, I have a helmet cover.
Yeah if you can’t already i would learn to idle, i learnt to giraffe idle in my room between a cupboard and a bookcase, makes it much easier.
With U-Turn’s corner- and edge check completed, you may want to spend some time on learning a variety of mounts.
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Don’t want to frigthen you but there is a guy in my town who put his muni away for years after falling headfirst on the stove.
In the cellar I have been practising slow cycling & still stand.
Thanks for all those suggestions.
I do idle already but am not so good with my left foot. Maybe I’ll try one foot idling. Or just get out in the rain.
I’ll see how it goes.
Cathy
OK, let’s just ask all the 30 something and early 40s men in this forum:
If your wife found that you were planning to practice unicycle tricks in the kitchen, how would she react?
Is this a case of one rule for them?
Seriously, Cathwood, be very careful. Any trick that is difficult to learn carries a risk of a fall. Your pedals may well scratch the cooker or fridge door, or the skirting boards, or the archetrave around the door. Your head may catch the edge of a work surface table, door or domestic appliance. The kitchen floor, if vinyl or lin may be slippery.
My grandfather lost an eye when he fell against a piece of furniture. That wasn’t unicycling; it was whisky, but the furniture didn’t know that.
I broke my nose when I fell and hit the edge of a desk. that wasn’t unicycling; it was Cathy Urquhart, who tripped me over one day at school, but the desk didn’t know that.
Riding in the dark is fun. You don’t need super powerful lights. A cheap 3 LED head torch will be enough - and possibly a small handheld torch like a “Mini Maglite” or whatever they’re called. NO, I’m not saying turn the kitchen lights out - get outside and mow down some late night revellers on the pavement.
Riding in the cold is good, because you don’t get hot. Unicycling is a warm sport.
If you insist on practising indoors (and we’ve all done it) then keep it simple: idling, one foot idling, one foot idling with foot off frame. Try super idling (one whole revolution back, one whole revolution forwards). I wouldn’t go for the really clever stuff like spins, grinds,and grabs. (Thinks: pedal grab to worksurface, pedal catches flex to kettle full of hot water…)
A bit of indoor practice can make you more confident at those basic “on the spot” skills like idling and it will translate into greater confidence outdoors.
Two more caveats: no Cokers in the kitchen, no giraffes in the kitchen.
Mike
hmmm … best trick in the kitchen …?
… not denting or scuffing the cabinets or appliances 
you are a load of spoil sports. I was going to practice jumping seat out onto the cooker, crank grabs and all.
I am very careful not to injur myself or the kitchen. If I drop the unicycle my hubby comes in and scowls at me. But the deal goes like this - he wants contol of the remote, I have control of the kitchen. Not that I actually do any cooking in it, mind you.
Cathy
I was practicing in my kitchen and I tried to jump onto the little bumper that sticks out from the fridge and I slipped and landed on my tailbone, so it might not be a good idea
Cathy,
I’m amazed that in all these posts no one has come up with the obvious…
Juggling eggs.
–Bob
To all of you party poopers telling her the risks of riding in the kitchen, I’ll point out that I initially learned how to ride a unicycle in my kitchen.
I ran into the oven a couple times and kinda dented the door, got a few scuff marks on the floor, almost pulled the fridge down, but at least I didn’t fall headfirst into a pan of boiling water or anything.
well, the backwards would definately be good to learn there…