I finally ‘mastered’ the basics of riding a double-wheeler today. I took
unix2 to Central Park expecting to go not much further than I’d recently
been able to ride at home (which was only about 7 revs). And even tho I
had no tall and long fence to help me, I managed to ride for about 400 or
500 feet. I could stop, shift in place, turn, turn on purpose, and even
dismount on purpose. Other than the freemounting idea (that’s still way
off) I could pass a unix2 level one test. It’s still quite weird to ride
it, but I was psyched that I was able to hop right onto a regular uni and
ride with ease.
I’d say that it took me about 6 hours to learn, spread out over two weeks
(because of the really bad weather). It’s definitely worth it because it’s
a blast to ride. I had the unforch experience of having to stop suddenly
at one point and discovering that the bottom wheel wanted to keep going.
Luckily I got out of that one nicely. I must say that I no longer fear the
unix2, but I do respect it. To wit: I no longer put on a helmet every time
I even look at the beast. No I ride it with wrist guards but with no other
protection. Part of the trouble is just getting used to falling correctly
(basic idea: freeze one of your feet on its pedal so you know where the
uni is going to land).
Hope this helps.
David Stone