EASY freemount for Newbies really works!

Riding Advice
71

Today while sitting in the grass, after failing to get up 10 times in a row going up a hill, I had a brilliant strategy…

Start in a driveway. All I needed was that few revolutions to get up to speed, but couldn’t on the hill. Most of the driveways around me were flat. Start in the driveway, then turn and get going back up the hill!

Today was my first real “freedom” ride where I didn’t just go half a block to the local school, I went a km down the road and back.

73

Projectsimpson

I have hit my hand on the frame when I don’t grab the wheel far enough forward. Try holding even with the pedal (pedal at 9:00 and 3:00 or so) and keep your off hand forward in front of you too. This works for me. Good luck and keep trying.

75

I have the exact same problem on my new 36’er.
Tried it the 1st day without the handle and the wheel grab mount worked way better than I’d expected.
So i immediatly fitted the handle and now theyre poking me in the chest whenever i try mounting ;(

76

Thanks!!

Created an account just to post this: This thread has revolutionized my unicycling! I’m coming back from a decade hiatus, and before reading this thread I was trying a hands-off-the-wheel start that I used in my 20s. I could stick it maybe 30% of the time, but it’s still frustrating when the family is walking farther and farther away down the path and I’m still trying to get up.

After learning the hand on wheel method, I can get up 95% of the time!

I’ve figured out that a little fudge factor is good, so the standing pedal is toward me around the 4 o’clock position. That way I have enough juice to pedal forward as soon as my other foot hits the opposite pedal.

Thanks a million!

77

Welcome to the forum, sandworm. I used the tire-grab extensively on my beginner-24" unicycle. To sum up what I liked about it:

  • Pedals can be put in the best possible position to ride-away.
  • The TG mount happens in slow motion, compared to other mounts; more time is always good.
  • It's easier to get the second foot placed correctly on the second pedal.
  • The physics of the mount is simpler, because the body and the unicycle are coupled, and there is no initial motion in the pedals.
  • Starting near the 9/3 position promotes keeping the seat higher (because you're taller in the 9/3 position and able to clear a taller seat).
When you're not busy catching up with your family, keep practicing other mounts, as well. They will come with time. Keep riding!
78

On smaller wheels - no one mentions using the brake to free mount instead of a tyre grab.
Is this possible?
Or is the centre of gravity is completely wrong?

I did imagine that the brake would simulate a kerb mount.
Also - a rolling mount with a quick jab of the brake should make things interesting, and provide a significant amount of forward / upward motion.

The timing of the brake release would be critical if it worked.

79

By all means, learn this method. But, the biggest challenge of using the brake to mount, in my experience, is having to keep your balance after releasing the brake. Also, if the hand slips off the brake, for any reason, that could result in an ugly UPD.

80

Thanks - I thought there must be a good reason not to give it a try.

I will try the tyre grab on my 24"club freestyle tomorrow.
The 20" is just about small enough to jump up onto with a gentle back slope. So I am nearly there.
The 24" is way too high for me, and needs a solid kerb to guarantee success.

81

The grab mount has been the only one I had been using the first 5 years on 24 and 26", the down side is that it prevented me from learning regular free mount since it was easier and more stable to grab the tire and go.

Once I put a Q-handle on my 26er, then it was impossible to grab the tyre.
So after 5 years of unicycling I had to learn to free mount for the first time and this was not easy in the first place.

Grab mount is great when you don’t have any long handle, but it’s a bad habit that can be hard to loose when you only use this technique.

82

I tried the OP method and have had the best luck with it. I’m totally new to unicycling and every tip helps me. One thing that seemed to work for me is to do the OP method but lean the uni a little to one side. I lean towards the grounded foot. This seems to give me a little extra time to get positioned. I’m sure when I get the skill to free mount with consistency it will change but that’s what I had the most luck with so far. Thanks to the OP for posting his video it was very helpful.

83

Success!!

I am so grateful for this thread! I’ve been learning on a Club 24" for the past month and, with the Tire Grab method, I bagged my first free mount tonight.

I like the extra time it gives me and how the pedals can be set to go. I also like how, now that I’ve done it a handful of times, I have a feel for how to transition away from the TG.

I’m only a month and about 15 miles in, but this is the most fun, and the best exercise, that I’ve had in a long time. Thank you again for the thread, and thanks to all of you for this wonderful forum.

84

Welcome to the forum, Geolojas! Glad to hear the TG mount is working. Over time, you may start placing more weight in the seat during the TG, decreasing the grabbing force with your hand, and transitioning you into a static mount.

I agree with you: unicycling is great exercise!

85

Double-grip method

Thanks for the welcome ElpuebloUNIdo!

I’m having a blast. This mount, and unicycling in general, is so new for me that it’s different every time I ride. Yesterday I was having a lot of success by keeping a tight grip on the saddle horn with my left hand while gripping the tire with my right. This allowed me to keep the seat positioned tight where I wanted with minimal post-mount slippage.

86

Free mounting

Hi guys from West Vancouver B.C. Canada…just wanted to add a few things that I do when freemounting. First off I am by no means an accomplished unicyclist…I’ve been riding them for about a year and a half. I was however a bicycle courier for 15 years in the city of van and an avid hard core mountain biker on the north shore mountains for 10 plus years. I was able to ride a 24" uni after 4 days and freemounting it pretty constistently within a week. I just received a KH 36er as a loaner indefinitely the other day and managed to freemount it and catch and return a Frisbee on a grass field within about an hour. One thing I did that really helped me on pavement was to practice on the grass a lot. It removes any fears of hard falls and also offers more tire resistance so that when to transition to pavement everything seems easier. I also Always switch from right to left feet when freemounting. It keeps your body more symmetrical while riding and also makes your strong side even stronger while building more muscle diversity on your weak side. The more options you have and develop will only help you. Now I’m only 5’ 3.5" so a standard freemount on a 36er is a mere pipe dream for me. I struggled briefly with the static mount and the rolling mount but can now do both with relative constistency. Good luck guys and gals! Jonny

87

From Tire Grab to Static Mount

ElpuebloUNIdo, you were exactly right. I’ve been using the tire grab mount very successfully with both feet on my 24" uni. In the process of using that, I began to feel how I could stabilize the wheel between the light force on the pedal and weight on the seat. I started playing with how lightly i could grip the tire and still mount.

Then I saw this tutorial posted by UniMyra (Thank You!):

Everything clicked. I can now rely on my (hands-free) static mount in a variety of conditions, and in retrospect, this is one more reason to love the tire grab mount: it leads directly to a static mount. Having now done both, they feel very similar.

Now I want to get to where I can do it in super-slow motion like UniMyra!

Thanks everyone!

88

That’s a good “crutch” for learning, but even on a hand support rail? Practicing while holding on a rail you will eventually not need to use your hands.

Anyways, to share my experience(52 and it took me 70hrs to “get it”) I free mount with pedals at 6 and 12 o’clock. Full weight on down foot, hop up, place 2nd foot. Rock back and go. Give this a try. Two big advantages. You are fully seated as you rotate up. Second, this gives you a good intro into idling, because you are actually 1/2 idling. keep on.

89

Slamdance…

Is L.A. Los Angeles? Are you on the One Love unicycle email list? If so come out and ride with us!

90

Hey Pueblo. Yes, I’m in LaLaland. I will definitely try to join you guys. In the meantime, I can be found roaming down river trails on my 20" torker(until I break it and get a nimbus 24" or Hatchet,…soon).

91

Tire Grab Free Mount…not with a tiny uni

Unfortunately, I’ve not found a way to make the tire grab free mount work with my 16" uni. Maybe I need a bigger uni???

92

Are you unable to grab the tire, or are you unable to ride away from the mount?

Here’s a different mount you can try. I’ll describe it on one side, and you can practice it either way (both left and right are good for learning): Put your left foot on the pedal in the 6:00 position. Keep the seat in front of you, pushing up against your lower abdomen. Grab the seat handle firmly with your left hand. Hold your right arm out for balance. Your left leg can also be hugging the frame of the unicycle. From this stable position, try lifting your right foot off the ground and balancing momentarily. Don’t attempt to place your right foot on the 12:00 pedal until you can balance for at least 2-3 seconds with your right foot dangling and your right arm flailing. Later, you can carefully place the right foot on the 12:00 pedal, push the seat under you with your left hand and ride away. You should have no problem pedaling out of the weak, 6:00/12:00 position on a small-wheeled unicycle. Mounting in the 6:00/12:00 is not ideal in many situations. Don’t worry, however, about what’s ideal. Start from whatever works.