Hey Everyone!!
Im a REAL newbie with the Uni, and I LOVE it!!!
Normally I ride a Recumbent with pretty long
cranks, or a road Bke with similiar legnth cranks.
This year I did a 405 mile tour through the rockies 
and now Im trying to learn the Uni.
I seem to be fighting the 2 inch or better difference
between the two, and I was wondering if anyone
had any advice for me.
My Bkes are about a 6 inch crank,
and my Torker Unistar Lx is 4 inches or less.
On my Uni, I tend to be jerky and have trouble
getting the circular motion going THAT small.
So, Anyone that has changed crank sizes
or that might be able to help me would
absolutely be my hero!!!
Thanks!!!
Kirk
A 20" wheel, right? The cranks should be fine. Just need more practice!
20" with 4" is pretty standard, most people use shorter for freestyle.
Keep it up!
A standard āoff the pegā 20 inch beginnerās uni would normally have 125 mm cranks (5 inches), and a standard 24 inch beginnerās uni would normally have 150mm (6 inch) cranks. A standard bicycle usually has cranks around 165 - 170 mm.
The standard size will do for now. Itās just a matter of getting used to it. The whole riding process is fundamentally different, and it is unhelpful to make comparisons between the unicycle and the bicycle.
Just keep practising! :0)
The LX is designed for beginners and freestyle riders, the cranks supplied are a length compatible with that aim. Messing with them now wil just confuse your body yet further, just make sure that you have the seat high enough that your legs really stretch out at the bottom of the cycle and keep practising!
Re: Crank size for a newbie
Unizen,
If your Torker has a 20" wheel, it could very well take 5" cranks.
But, even though you say they are ā4 inches or lessā they might
actually be 5 inches long.
I say that because you state that your road bike has pretty long
cranks, and then later you say āabout a 6 inchā. That sounds like you
eyeballed both crank lengths (for bike and Torker). Also, 6 inch is in
fact quite short for an adultās road bike. So I suggest you actually
measure your crank lengths both on your road bike and your Torker,
and post the numbers here (measure from centre hole to centre hole).
Then we know what weāre talking about and may be able to give better
advice.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
āUnicycling is like glue: you have to stick with it, and itās not to be sniffed at - Mikefuleā
Seat height
I had my seat high enough that my lowest leg was about straight. (this too was standard for a b*ke. Then I lowered it about an inch. Neither seemed
to make a huge difference. Do you think I should raise it again??? 
Iād raise it again, you canāt expect any amazing instantaneous change by changing the seat height, but riding with a seat too low is much harder, particularly for beginners so by having the seat at the right height you are learnigng an easier skill than if you practice with the seat at an incorrect height.
Seat height should be just like for a road bike. Just a slight bend in the knee when at the bottom of the pedal stroke and the balls of your feet centered over the pedals. Muni and trials riders lower the seat but for regular road riding, learning, and freestyle you should have it up high.
Work on keeping your weight on the seat and as little weight on the pedals as possible. It is common for learners to put too much weight on the pedals. That hampers smooth pedaling and causes you to develop and eventually rely on a jerky pedaling motion to maintain your balance. You need to learn to be smooth and keep your upper body in the balance envelope without needing to make jerky adjustments to your pedaling.
Many of us here are able to ride one footed which is proof that weāre riding with all of our weight on the saddle and minimal pressure on the pedal.
Excessively long cranks on a unicycle I think would hamper your learning. Long cranks make it too easy to have a jerky pedaling motion. Shorter cranks will encourage you to carry the momentum and maintain smoother pedaling. I donāt think you should go to long cranks like 170ās or 175ās while learning.
Thanks Everyone!
Just wanted to say thanks for everyones inputs!
Im up to about 26-30 feetā¦ I also turn A LOT!
Maybe I will start a new thread for that - but I turn
CONSTANTLY - is that part of being a newbie??
If by turning constantly you mean you stray left and right about a foot in either direction, then yes, thatās part of being a newbie. That will go away, for the most part.
Straying leftā¦
Yeah, but my problem is, I cant correct for the right stray ( I cant turn left ) so I tend to go in circles of any number of circumfrencesā¦ I assume I will eventually get it - and the input is SOOOOOOOO welcomed! I dont have a club here, so you guys are my only hope HELP ME! OBI ONE (or however you spell that - lol)
Re: Crank size for a newbie
On Sun, 2 Oct 2005 23:54:36 -0500, Unizen wrote:
>the input is
>SOOOOOOOO welcomed! I dont have a club here, so you guys are my only
>hope HELP ME! OBI ONE (or however you spell that - lol)
You may find this Tips for Beginners page helpful:
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
āUnicycling is like glue: you have to stick with it, and itās not to be sniffed at - Mikefuleā
Re: Crank size for a newbie
In message
<11797bea5dd7bcf228219b9bc33e1571.1wb6pa@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyc
list.com>, Unizen <Unizen@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com>
writes
>
>Just wanted to say thanks for everyones inputs!
>Im up to about 26-30 feetā¦ I also turn A LOT!
>Maybe I will start a new thread for that - but I turn
>CONSTANTLY - is that part of being a newbie??
Youāll sort it out soon enough. I found when I started that I would
always veer to the left. After a few days I could do a straight line,
and turn right on demand, but it took me another week before I could go
left intentionally. Rather than doing it by the book and turning
shoulders in the direction I wanted to go, I found it easier to stick my
arm out on the side away from the turn, and lower the arm on the side I
wanted to go. This probably amounts to the same thing but seemed easier
to do.
Martin/
Martin E Phillips nb Boden, Splatt Bridge
http://www.g4cio.demon.co.uk martin/at/g4cio/dot/demon/dot/co/dot/uk
Homebrewing, black pudding, boats, morris dancing, ham radio and more!
The Gloucester-Sharpness canal page http://www.glos-sharpness.org.uk