I am getting to where, much of the time ,I can freemount with a 4X4 behind the wheel.
PROBLEM; Without the 4X4 I get nowhere. Not even a hint of getting on the uni. ?Any advice?
I think I know your problem. Without the 4x4 when you step on the pedal with your lead foot the wheel rolls back and you step over the other pedal with your other foot. Sorry for the confusion there. Just think instead of bringing the wheel under you…, you go over the wheel. When you put your lead foot on the pedal don’t put your weight on it, until you can put it evenly on both pedals. Try to make it so the wheel doesn’t move ( as opposed to rolling back) and you just lift, kinda like a jump but not quite, on to the seat.
I had the same problem until I saw someone else do one, so try and find a video of one or see someone actually do it.
Hope this helps,
David
Any further questions and just reply back.
I’m about to make a little video tutorial on various forms of freemounts. It should be done in the next few days. I’ll put it up for download and it will eventually also go on http://tutorials.unicyclist.com (you can see a sample of what it will ook like at - http://www.freewebs.com/andrewcarter/template1.htm).
Something to think about for now though is when you’re doing the mount, really focus on bending the leg that’s connected to the rear pedal. Without bending that leg, static mounts are a lot more difficult. Also, try to shirt your whole body forward with a bit more force so you don’t have to rely on the block of wood. One thing that may help you is to set yourself up in front of a wall or something and try to just sit there on the unicycle with only the rear foot on the pedal. Push against the wall a bit, and you’ll be forced to apply only a bit of pressure to that rear pedal to stay in the one spot. Hopefully that will help a little.
Andrew
Try putting your rear pedal at 6 o’clock (straight down). With your weak foot on the rear pedal, allow the uni to roll forward a little as you hop onto the front pedal at 2 o’clock. This method gives you a little forward momentum and helps to “lighten” the load on your rear pedal. This procedure worked very well for me when I was learning to freemount 
Re: FREE freemount
Swap out the 4x4 for a 2x4, then later a 1x4!
When teaching the kids, I got them to start against a sloping kerb, and gradually move along it so the ‘block’ became lower. When you can do it on a 1x4 or less, it’s an easy step to using nothing.
Re: FREE freemount
On Wed, 19 May 2004 20:38:56 -0500, “1wheel” wrote:
>PROBLEM; Without the 4X4 I get nowhere. Not even a hint of getting on
>the uni. ?Any advice?
In addition to the other good suggestions: try a 3X3, then a 2X2, then
a 1X1 (or similar, you get the idea). Mounting on a downslope may help
too.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
be sure to remove the saddle and simply sit on the seat post. this is far more comfortable - tennisgh22 on the comfort of Savage unis
Excellent idea! I’ll add that to my copy of our ‘Learning to Unicycle’ document to go on tutorials.unicyclist.com if you don’t mind.
Andrew
If you’re trying to do a static mount (ie so the cranks/wheel stay still unitl you’re fully on), a good analogy is to think of that thing kids do where one lays on the ground and the other makes as if he’s going to step on his belly and walk over. The way the leg has to be completely unweighted is the same kind of thing you need to do with your foot on the rear crank.
Another tip, especially with bigger wheels (muni, 29-ers etc) is to push the wheel slightly forwards just prior to jumping on with the front foot; this counteracts any weight you put on the rear foot- but don’t overdo the push, otherwise you’ll end up going over the front.
I’m just starting to gain some consistency w/ my freemount and this really helped me. I had a friend show me how which really helped. I find that if I can push just hard enough to get the back foot moving up just slightly I have a much easier time riding off. Good luck. Practice, practice, practice and remember, there are probably as many different ways to learn to ride as there are riders. Consider all the advice, try different stuff and find what works best for you.
Thank all you all for the advice. I will be reading it over several times.
I crashed , sideways, last eve and now have a brused hip so I will have a couple days to plan my next move on the uni. Nothing serious. I am still walking but sitting on a toilet seat is a bummer.
Jumping on the seat sounds like a killer. Those “hanging things” can be very painfull. Using my 4x4, I set the seat in firm, wiggle as necessary, and kind of hop up.
O well; Thats the way it is riding a pointed stick with a wheel on the bottom. 
Re: FREE freemount
On Thu, 20 May 2004 02:36:03 -0500, “andrew_carter” wrote:
>> Mounting on a downslope may help
>Excellent idea! I’ll add that to my copy of our ‘Learning to Unicycle’
>document to go on tutorials.unicyclist.com if you don’t mind.
Andrew, I don’t mind at all. What’s more: it IS in the document, at
least in the version that’s available from my site. I don’t know
whether I added it or you wrote it in the first place.
I occasionally make small edits (which I think of as improvements) to
the doc on my site without asking your permission. Hope you don’t
mind.
If we want the docs on both of our sites synchronised ( which I think
would be nice) we have to work out something.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
be sure to remove the saddle and simply sit on the seat post. this is far more comfortable - tennisgh22 on the comfort of Savage unis
Ah, I didn’t realise that. I have got the most recent version as I downloaded it from your site when I couldn’t find my copy on this computer.
Andrew
Static mount video tutorial…
I did some filming today for tutorials for static mounts, roll-back mounts, rolling mounts, side mounts, suicide mounts, and idling. So far I’ve made a static mount video tutorial. I hope it helps a little. There’s a 2.1MB and a 4.9MB version available at http://gallery.unicyclist.com/album112 (I’m uploading it now so it will be there in a few minutes). I’ll edit the rest of the footage soon enough.
Andrew