Feisty's Progress and a hello

Off-topic
1

Hi All

I have been lurking and reading the forum front to back for a while now as I built up my first Uni and have started the fun (and painful) journey of learning to ride I though I would start a diary of my progress!

First up a big thanks in advance for all the information, riding tips that you guys have posted over the years as it has been a real wealth of information. Also thanks to Unigeezer for showing my Mrs and Mum that via his videos that Unicycling is more than just red noses and juggling balls (I asume that all Unicyclists ages start to reverse and we all regain 20 years of our youth?) :stuck_out_tongue:

I am 34 this year and have been wanting to ride a Uni for years, more so after I saw a Muni video on the mtbr forum a few years back. For me MUni seems like my natural evoloutionary route as I went from Freeride MTB, to a single speed and added a fixie road bike so a direct drive single wheeled mtb seems perfect! :smiley:

I have been riding a single speed for years and was doing 30 - 40 mile off road rides without much bother so the harder challenge of Muni is very appealing.

Not being one to do things by halves I built a MUni around a KH 24" on a Nimbus rim (saving for a Ti hub and a Large Marge at some point) and an HS33 and all the normal bits and bobs.

My friends and family think I am mad, my 3.5 year old thinks it is awesome lol

Day1

Spent 30min - 45min sitting on it and playing in th doorway between the front room and kitchen, initially it felt really wierd but being mindful to put all my weight in the sat etc I was soon feeling comfortable

After hopping about a bit I tried to forget what I was doing and watch TV, I soon found I was hardly holding on to the door frame wih one hand and was starting to idle roling back and forth a quater of a rotation.

So I though lets try moving a bit and steadying myself with my left hand on the hall wall I set off and got about 3 ish revoloutions down it before running out of room I hoped around 180 suporting myself on the wall (hopping about clasping the seat with your knees seems very natural but I can track stand a bike almost indefinately and hope up stairs etc) and set off back to the door frame, then the fun started I had spent the whole time with my dominant right foot forward and now I was starting left foot forward, I managed to catch myself but it was enought to have my daughter in stitches.

After regaining my composure I idled holding on in the door frame left foot forward to get used to that, after a bit I needed to sort the kids out so went for a go for broke and rode off hands free into the kitchen for a solid single rev before I had a ntuupd (not to unexspected unplaned dismount) :stuck_out_tongue:

So far I am happy, it is fun and a bit silly and whilst bloody hard 30 years of riding a bike seems to be helping. I am taking Thursday and Friday off work for dedicated paractice sessions and then also have the weekend.

Feisty

And finaly no thread is complete without a picture

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2

Hello & welcome. Keep practicing, you’re on your way. Nice starter Uni.

3

Cheers

There was some scope creep

20" feestyle Nimus on sale
to
24" Muni
to
24" KH

:stuck_out_tongue:

4

Hey,
Well done you. Sounds like you’re gonna get ‘it’ in no time.
What is a scope creep?
Lurve your muni!, ( it was okay to type that, my muni is in the other room, so can’t read the computer screen…:slight_smile: )

Alucard

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Sorry get that from work, it means the original plan got bigger and bigger!

Me being me I just bought what I wanted from the start as I always just end up replacing things I just bought with what I really wanted lol

6

ah, now I understand the rest of your thread.
I thought you were listing your other 3 uni’s.
I was thinking’ wow you’re keen’, mind you …
you Can never have too many uni’s.

Alucard

7

lol I would like 19 trials Uni at some point, my stumpy legs would struggle with anything bigger than the 24" :stuck_out_tongue:

8

Hello Feisty!
Welcome aboard!

Sounds like you are off to a GRAND start!
And a FINE looking uni you have too!

9

Thanks I enjoyed reading your old thread from when you first started.

I have to say the diversity of age and camaraderie shown in this forum and sport is fantastic, the mtbr forum was a bit them and us, suspension hates, rigid, geared hates single speed, 26er hates 29er etc

None of that here at all!

It is a shame that most of you lot are in the States but then I suppose you are such a vast country that it is not like you are all around the corner from each other anyway.

Decided I am getting too brave riding indoors and just dabbing the all then trying a few revs hands free so will wait till my day off tomorrow to ride outside with more room, although I will need a coat as it is raining here but I am used to that in this country!

I have to say having the brake helps mounting and getting positioned as a beginner, although I have been tinkering with free mounting as well but one thing at a time I suppose

Roll on tomorrow!! :smiley:

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Hi Fiesty,

You are RIGHT! This forum is made up of a whole lot of really helpful, considerate people!
Unicyclists are NICE PEOPLE!

You are also correct, we don’t all live right next door to each other. There is nobody near where I live at all. I’m trying to get a friend to learn, but she is really, really busy right now.

I wonder if you live anywhere near Alucard?

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Feisty. Using brake to freemount… gee I never thought of that! Actually, thinking about it, I don’t think I’d ever let go of the brake in time and I’d end up with no teeth.:smiley:

57Unirider. I’ve just looked it up on the map and Feisty lives about 300 miles from me.

ps ,just re read your post Feisty, you use the brake to keep the uni still while you get on it, that’s a good idea. There are plenty of helful posts about freemounting etc, in the forums and more getting added all the time. Go and have a gander, but I warn you…you’ll get carried away and be there for hours lol :slight_smile: I know I do.

Alucard

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But only until he is starting to freemount. Breaking makes it impossible to balance when mounting.

13

DOH! How thick am I?

Why did I think I would be able to hold the wheel stationary yet still move the frame???
I am going away now to hang my head in shame, I shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a unicycle.

14

Oh I will be free mounting properly I can assure you it is just helpful to use to position your feet etc when starting out

Even with the brake on your balance point should be the same rather than the Uni rolling out from under you you would just tip over. I just get on hop a little and get my feet in place get my weight on my butt whilst balance and let off the brake slowly and go into an assisted idle resting a hand on the wall.

Really it is no different from a wheel grab when mounting accept you are in the correct posture and position.

To me a jump mount seems the ticket I can stand bum off seat on the Uni and balance well even tried moving it in front of me to do some hoping (getting carried away again, I might have to learn to ride forward at some point lol), oh and it looks ace :stuck_out_tongue:

If you have a brake give it a try if nothing else it is something else to learn

As for today I managed to put some lovely tyre marks on the floor where I am riding up and down the hall on the wooden floor I can ride consistently with light touches on the wall now and again and I feel like I just want to go forward and do it faster (A controlled fast feeling not a panic out of control way). I ride down the hall then into the kitchen where I can almost do 2 revs no handed before I either jump off or crash into the sink!

Tomorrow is outside day YAY will be very interesting, 2 days off work just to learn to ride a Uni :sunglasses:

I will update you all tomorrow evening how it went, I may get the misses to grab some pictures of the inevitable arm flailing and UPDs’ :stuck_out_tongue:

15

Lucky you. Two days. Enjoy!

Alucard

16

Day 2

Well I am shattered, after about two hours riding in two sessions

I had to raise my saddle an inch and that helped keep the weight on the saddle but had to put a longer bit of hose on the Magura brake as it was a bit short. The anodising on KH saddle is pathetically thin so I have a mark from the initial seat height, I have to say I think I could probably lick it off !! :stuck_out_tongue:

First had a session in the back garden but that was a bit small and the path was very slippy so took an awesome UPD, was a bit of a shock as my body hasn’t moved on it’s own that fast and hit the ground that hard for years :stuck_out_tongue:

Out the front of my house there is a long stretch of path (about 80 yards or so) with a tall railing fence (not ideal) but is was fantastic to have some room to go for it.

Going up and sown dabbing my hand was fine although being a fence I am constantly aiming for a railing so not to put my arm through it which was stealing my concentration.

Constant chanting weight on the seat weight on the seat helped settle the Uni and keeping my arms up and out helped balance, I did find I was riding to stall point to stall point so tried to stay smooth and spin circles.

It got to the point I could dab my hand every two revolutions and after a bit I got a few 3 and 4 revolutions, in a way this seemed easier as you a balancing not leaning in towards the fence and you can flail both arms as well.

I managed to get a fantastic 6 revolutions without touching and a planned dismount which I was stoked about.

The faster I went (within reason) the easier it was.

Dead chuffed with no more than 3 hours in the saddle I have exceeded my expectations, whilst I was positive I would be able to ride from the start and am an all or nothing kind of guy I didn’t expect to take to it so well.

Oh and I had a missing a wheel comment with 5 minutes of leaving my house! :wink:

Hopefully tomorrow and the weekend will be just as fruitful but I am shattered to the max

thanks as ever for all the advice and tips these have been what has made my progress possible :sunglasses:

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Hi Feisty!

Nice Muni you got there, and nice progress in learning to ride it.

When my girlfriend and i started learning we did many hours of “assisted riding” (one riding, one walking by your side, barely holding your hand).
I soon discovered that i was better at riding when there was no support nearby. I mean, trying to mount and ride the bike without any possible support was more successfull than when trying to do the same near a wall or fence. As soon as there was something to lean on within reach i tended to use it, if there wasn’t anything i was forced to keep balance on my own and most of the times managed to do so.

Greetings

Byc

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THAT is what is so wonderful about the forum!
Everybody helps everybody!

Keep coming back!
Soon you will be making helpful comments for someone else!

Way to go Feisty!