My age is 54 and I started learning 11 days ago. I practiced for 9 days (or 9 hours) as it rained two days. I do not seem to be picking this up as fast as most.
I do not being able to do the mailbox mount, as I need a wall, car, fence to steady myself before I can ride off, however this is working it self out.
The question is after I ride about four to five hundred feet I am totally exhausted and every thing start deteriorate from there. Is that normal for a beginner, or am doing some wrong? It would take a lot less effort to walk the same distance.
That is perfectly normal and don’t be discouraged, plenty of (younger even) people take longer than 9 days to get that far. Keep it up, you seem to be doing very well.
That is absolutely normal. When you are learning your legs are tense. Your legs are fighting each other to try to control the unicycle. That makes for a lot of work and very inefficient riding.
Once you learn and get better you’ll be able to pedal with your legs relaxed. It will be much easier and take much less effort. It will be just like walking the same distance.
For now think about keeping your weight on the seat and relaxing the legs. The seat should be supporting your weight and not your legs. Also make sure your saddle is high enough. A low saddle height will be harder on your legs. The saddle should be high enough that your leg only has a slight bend at the knee when at the bottom of the pedal stroke, just like how you would set the saddle height for a road bike.
Keep track of your practice time and how long it takes you to learn the basics. Klaas Bil, our resident statistician, will find your 54 year old data point to be very interesting.
It took me longer then that to go 4-5 hundred feet when I was twelve.
My dad is 50, and when he starts riding after not having ridden in awhile, it makes his legs tired and sore fast because he’s too tense; he’s fighting it like John Childs said. But after awhile he relaxes and can do it a lot better.
it took me a week to be able to ride down my driveway and (300ft) down the road, and im 14 and was practising nonstop. sounds like you’re doing excellently for a 54 yr old!
Yeah, what they said. At 9 days I was more like a stair-stepper than a unicycler. When I finally got to the point i could do 400 feet my quads felt completely clenched up and drained of blood and I had to walk it off. A lot of this was because I had yet to learn to put the majority of my weight into the seat and thus forcing my quads to bear the brunt of it. At the end of a practice session I would be drenched with sweat from head to toe.
Sound like you’re in the advanced beginners class to me. Gold Star for you.
Yep, it definitely takes a lot effort initially. 9 days for 4-500 feet is pretty good going. It took me a few weeks on/off before I could do that. And I would be totally exhausted for several days from just riding a few hundred meters up the road. That’s normal and there’s nothing you can do about it except ride more. Most of your effort is used in balancing yourself on the unicycle.
Now it usually takes a hundred or so Km’s before I’ve had enough
I am 54…same age but I learned to ride basically years ago. After about the same distance, I had to get off as the legs burned like crazy. I remember, I could hardly stand up. The upward hurts because nothing else does the same. GOOD NEWS, you get over it. Keep going
From my beginning experience, it was the seat height being to LOW that caused me to be tired. Listen to John Childs and make sure your seat height is correct.
Your leg at the 6 o’clock position should be “almost” fully extended. And put all your weight on your seat and not your legs.
Hope that helps.
<GOOD NEWS, you get over it. Keep going>
Glad to hear it:)
First, I would like to thank you all for your answers. I sure appreciate getting a response so, quickly.
It was surely frustrating, my legs were not burning or anything of that kind. It just felt like weak and my battery was drained, and I am “drenched with sweat from head to toe.”
I read about riding unicycles for over 20 hours (more time then I have practiced) before I decided to start this new hobby. So, I knew to keep my but in seat, though, that is not a problem because; I do not ride well enough to stand while riding.
About the seat height, I am not sure, the seat height on my bicycle is adjusted so my feet can touch the ground. On the uni it is adjusted to my inseam; ground not in reach! When I put the ball of my foot on the pedal I have a slight bend in my knee. Is that correct, what is a slight bend?
Tense, anxiety level is high, and I cannot shake the high that riding gives me, sometimes taking my mind off of what I am going.
Lastly, today I was able to ride longer and I was not as tired, turning however, that’s another story.
In message
<ac306d5dea935d0b999a4f0ea29df148.2ekkgd@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyc list.com>, xtor <xtor@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> writes
>
><GOOD NEWS, you get over it. Keep going>
>Glad to hear it:)
>
>
>First, I would like to thank you all for your answers. I sure
>appreciate getting a response so, quickly.
>
>It was surely frustrating, my legs were not burning or anything of that
>kind. It just felt like weak and my battery was drained, and I am
>“drenched with sweat from head to toe.â€
You’re doing really well. It took me three months to reach your stage (I
was 51). It really is tiring at first - I think not so much due to the
physical effort, as to the intense concentration and tension of those
first longer rides. I still get that sometimes on rough terrain when I’m
concentrating like mad. Before long, you’ll gain confidence and relax -
then it gets easier.
>
>About the seat height, I am not sure, the seat height on my bicycle is
>adjusted so my feet can touch the ground. On the uni it is adjusted to
>my inseam; ground not in reach! When I put the ball of my foot on the
>pedal I have a slight bend in my knee. Is that correct, what is a
>slight bend?
For me, as straight as you can get your leg without having to wiggle
your back end.
>Tense, anxiety level is high, and I cannot shake the high that riding
>gives me, sometimes taking my mind off of what I am going.
Those first long rides really do make you high! I was so knackered after
my first ride of 100 m that I had to lie down in the dark for an hour
with a beer!
Wassail!
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
>For me, as straight as you can get your leg without having to wiggle
>your back end.
Thanks, I will play with the seat height and see if it makes any difference.
>Those first long rides really do make you high! I was so knackered after
>my first ride of 100 m that I had to lie down in the dark for an hour
>with a beer.
We do not drink beer, but please have one for me.
A non-uni friend observing me practice commented, that my core was not erect, And I was leaning to far forward. I changed my position and it did feel better. He also, observed me paddling harder with one leg than the other. That is harder one for me because I have sciatica and the weak leg is numb. I will work on it but probably have to wait till the numbness to leave:(
I’m 57 and have been unicycling for about 5 months. I also think you are doing very well. Don’t get too psyched up over this as you will have enough frustration anyway. It’s very easy to get so focused on progressing that you turn it into a job and loose sight of that this is supposed to be FUN!!!
Hang in there, work on skills with a relaxed mind set and you will enjoy this immensely and be less likely to irritate the sciatica.
I suspect that the core strength you will develope in the learning phase will do amazing things toward relievind the sciatica. I have certainly noted much less back pain since starting to ride regularly.
We are designed to wear out, not rust down. I believe wearing out is better and it takes longer.
Try putting your heel on the pedal and adjusting the seat until your leg is straight. Then there isn’t really any question about what a slight bend is.
I also think that you are doing really well. Keep up the good work. Soon you’ll be talking about purchasing your second unicycle.
>Don’t get too psyched up over this as you will have enough frustration anyway. It’s very >easy to get so focused on progressing that you turn it into a job and loose sight of that >this is supposed to be FUN!!!
I am psyched because it is so much fun. I have always wanted to do this every since I was eleven years old. I tore apart a tricycle and made an ultimate cycle (putting a saddle was beyond my capabilities at that age). And needless to tell, I got many bumps and bruises for my efforts. Lately I came across unicycle information on the net, and started to think, I can do that and, here we are.
It is fun and exercise combined in one. I hope that I will be able to ride it a half mile to and from the train going to work.
>I suspect that the core strength you will develope in the learning phase will do amazing >things toward relievind the sciatica. I have certainly noted much less back pain since >starting to ride regularly.
I hope God is reading this, it sure sounds good to me!
>We are designed to wear out, not rust down. I believe wearing out is better and it takes >longer.
Well put, and well took.
I believe that we should Live before we die.
One on one:
>Try putting your heel on the pedal and adjusting the seat until your leg is >straight. Then there isn’t really any question about what a slight bend is.
That is the best explanation I have ever read. Thank you twice.
> Soon you’ll be talking about purchasing your second unicycle.
I do not think that I am into it that much, who knows though, All Things Are Possible.
I like this forum. You guys are giving me more insight then I could get elsewhere.
Here is a method for seat height adjustment that is often recommended for proper bicycle fit. The same method works for unicycles.
Hold on to a wall or fence
Put the back of both heels centered on the pedals
Your leg should be straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke
Pedal a few revolutions while using the wall or fence for support
If your hips rock as you pedal then the seat is too high
Set the seat height as high as you can while making sure your hips don’t rock.
The normal pedaling position is to have the ball of your foot over the center of the pedal. With the ball of your foot over the center of the pedal you’ll have a slight bend in your knee. That will be your “high” seat height. You may find that you like the seat height a little lower than that, but it will give you a place to start. I have my freestyle uni set a few mm lower than that “high” seat height mark. For Coker riding I generally keep it at or near the “high” seat mark.
For some styles of riding you want to be able to comfortably pedal with the arch of your foot over the center of the pedal. For that you’ll need to lower the seat height a few mm. For muni riding you’ll need to lower it a bit more. For trials riding you’ll probably want to lower the seat even a little bit more than that.
Probably more than you wanted to know about seat height.
Thank you, as things turned out the saddle height was where it should be.
Though, still am apprehensive and have many more skills to learn, I was able to go much farther than before, and was less worn out after a longer practice secession.
I learned at age 50. You are going through normal steps for learning to ride and you are doing fine. Hang in there. It will get easier as you learn to relax more.
Be sure to sit upright (not leaning forward) and hold your head up. Avoid looking down at the ground immediately in front of you. Focus your attention about 15 to 20 feet out in front and hold your head level. That will help with your balance. However, if you can ride 400 feet, your balance is good already.
Gold Star for you.
