My first post Big Noobie Uni rider with a sore butt was about needing a better seat for my 230 pounds, I just got the Freeride yesterday and it feels 100 times better…Thanks everyone for the advice!
Now I just figuring out why I am having such a hard time going past 3 full strokes before I fall. When riding a bicycle I start peddling the bike taking 3 full peddles to get going then I stop peddle and clip in to the left peddle…then continue peddling. I am doing this on the uni??? I am on top of the wheel feeling balanced then on the third stoke stop with my left foot down and of course fall (step down)…my muscle memory is so complete that I just stop peddling after 3 turns without even thinking about it??? So last night I figured this revelation out and started the chant of “loose feet” the whole time I am peddling. I am glad to say I got past that 3rd stroke and made to the 4th before my leg stopped at the bottom! I was able to repeat getting past the 3rd stroke a few more times but only with real focus on relaxing my legs. You know what they say, you can’t fix something if you don’t know what the problem is first.
Time to retrain the brain!! I figured out my “clipping in” issue near the end yesterdays daily training and I think I will do better tonight.
Ha, I misread your thread title as “Big Noobie trying to retain the brain” and thought that either learning to ride was driving you nuts or you wanted advice on large helmets.
I am glad you are doing well and know what your problem is. It is very true that the majority of learning is not learning to do things right but to figure out what you are doing wrong and correcting.
Even though you didn’t ask I will give helmet advice anyway. I would suggest a skate style helmet for trials/Muni/street or anything else you are likely to fall backwards but if you get into road riding a bike helmet should be fine as you would be going too fast to fall backwards.
I tell new riders they have to train their legs. We have had people who try to analyze their way to riding and so far none of them have been successful. Even had a woman who thought the unicycle was defective because it would not stay upright when she tried to sit on it.
Keep turning the wheel. Teach your legs to turn the wheel smoothly and with control. That just comes with repetition.
Hahahaha! Thats so funny!
I have a similar problem in that I stand up on the bike, weight on feet and hands so getting my body to do differently is taking me time too! It gets better with time, trust me. I think the older you get, just takes longer for muscle memory to retrain. Give it a couple more hours, then you’ll find something else to work on. Once I figure out what I need to do, I think about it when I practice, then my muscles learn and remember.
Glad to hear you are getting it! It comes with time, I’m retiring as a noob into slightly less noob. Do a quick search on this topic and you’ll see you’re totally not alone. If you get frustrated watch videos of people faceplanting, that’ll give you some spirit to get back out there
I have a bmx helmet and bike helmet, I will start with the bmx.
I can see how the women said her uni was defective, when I first started my leg would stop at like 11:00 on the clock and if felt like I hit an obsticle…I would look for the rock I hit…but the path ahead was smooth. I couldn’t understand why my leg kept stopping? I have 3 hours of riding in and expect it to take another 7+ hours before can say “I know how to unicycle…it is a Blast!”
It took me about 10 hours over 2 weeks before I could ride a few feet. Even then it was a strain on my legs and I could not understand how people were able to ride long distances. It was all I could do to get across a tennis court because my legs would give out.
It all gets better if you stay with it. The more you turn the wheel the more you will get confident and the more you can relax. Then riding becomes easy.
The most important thing in learning is perseverance.
On average it takes 15 hrs. over 2 wks to mount, ride 50 m, & dismount gracefully.
It took me 40 hrs over 2 months to get to 50 m.
On helmets: I prefer a mtb style helmet w/ a broad, flat visor (the sky messes w/ my balance, even on overcast days). Most manufacturers now make XC helmets w/ good rear protection.
I am on top of the wheel feeling balanced then on the third stoke stop with my left foot down and of course fall (step down)…my muscle memory is so complete that I just stop peddling after 3 turns without even thinking about it??? So last night I figured this revelation out and started the chant of “loose feet” the whole time I am peddling. I am glad to say I got past that 3rd stroke and made to the 4th before my leg stopped at the bottom! I was able to repeat getting past the 3rd stroke a few more times but only with real focus on relaxing my legs. You know what they say, you can’t fix something if you don’t know what the problem is first.
Once I figure out what I need to do, I think about it when I practice, then my muscles learn and remember.