I like to think that you have to fail at a skill a certain amount of time before you’re ‘allowed’ to get it right.
A karmic kinda thing.
The sooner you notch up your 1000 (to pick a random number) ‘failures’, the sooner the freemount faeries will allow you to freemount.
It’s up to you to decide how long you want to take to get thru the required amount of ‘failures’.
I toggled back and forth between failing at the static and then failing at the rollback mount. (I like variety.) In the beginning I was less crappy at the rollback, but at this point I have almost mastered being less crappy at the static freemount. Here’s what helped me:
First off, I lowered my standards. I am not 14. I can’t practice 3 hours at a clip… I have to work, grocery shop, feed the dogs, etc. I stopped being envious of Dudewithasock (well, mostly) and decided to be happy with my own pace.
Somewhere in here someone gave a description of stepping up on the uni when freemounting that made sense to me: Step on the back pedal with the same sort of fake-step you’d use when stepping on your friend’s stomach. I also experimented with the pedal height. I found that having the back pedal somewhere between 9 and 10 o’clock helps me not to put any weight on it. (Intellectually, I thought lower would be easier, but once again my mind was completely out of synch with reality!) Also, I slid my foot forward so that I had the arch on the pedal instead of the ball of the foot. Mixed results, but the idea is to keep fine-tuning.
I can’t really give any advice on the rollback mount. I had a sneaking suspicion as I practiced that one that I would learn how to unicycle backwards before I ever learned the mount itself!
Good luck, and keep us updated on your progress!
I had many long (150+ feet, which, for this beginner, seems long) rides today, and I even turned a corner successfully (mostly). So I know I have to start in on freemounting soon. I’ll be checking out all of the threads I can find on freemounting using the search function, but since this one’s current, and I can’t remember reading this question before, I’ll just ask it now.
I’ve been mounting with a support on my right side since I started. Should I learn how to mount and take off with the support on my left side before I learn to freemount, or does it really not matter?
I only ask because I tried it a few times, thinking, “well, what the heck, it’s the same thing only a mirror image, I should be fine,” and it was as if my body had never even been on a unicycle before. I almost fell over while I was still holding onto the support. It was about the same as when I started with the support on my right side, but, thankfully, I can barely remember that.
So anyway, I was just wondering if being able to mount with the support on the other side would make learning how to freemount any easier, or if I should just bite the bullet and start learning to freemount.
Rich
it don’t matta. Just go for it, balls out as they say, or at least I say
If it feels really weird when you try it with the support on the other side then it’s obviously something the body still needs to learn
That can only be a good addition to the step you take on your way to the freemount and it’s always a good idea to learn everything on both sides or with both feet.
Re: Freemount Woes
On Fri, 27 Jan 2006 19:03:50 -0600, RichVoice wrote:
>I’ve been mounting with a support on my right side since I started.
>Should I learn how to mount and take off with the support on my left
>side before I learn to freemount, or does it really not matter?
The mounting-with-a-support may lead to a foot preference that carries
over to freemounting. I remember that was so in my case. There’s
nothing wrong with that, especially if it is the foot you prefer
anyways. If you would prefer the other foot for freemounting, I think
you can attempt the freemount rightaway.
If you still decide to try the other supported mount before the other
freemount, please report back whether or not you think it was helpful.
Re: Freemount Woes
On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:46:40 -0600, icon wrote:
>
>Yeah; yawn, I know.
>
>From searching, I know that this is a much-covered topic. However…
>
>I’ve started trying to shake off the ignominious lamp-post. Going from
>advice on RSU, I started with a static mount, pedals at 2 and 8. No
>great joy; mostly I was just not able to push forward enough to start
>pedalling.
>I can do it (occasionally) if I lower the saddle, but I like the
>saddle where it is.
You are right, you should leave the saddle at the correct height
(unless you’re really desparate). You state that you are “just not
able to push forward enough”. That’s interesting, because a KEY thing
in the static mount is that you should end the mount slightly ahead of
the wheel in order to be able to ride away. So, what do you mean?
Don’t you have enough muscular power or is it a mental thing? If the
former, then ‘cheat’ by rolling back a bit while one foot is on the
pedal, then roll forward again with some force and use the momentum to
carry you up. If the latter, you must try and ‘go for it’. No
halfhearted mounting attempts, but really a determined thing.
Visualise yourself succeeding. As an exercise, try pushing too hard,
i.e. ending up too far forward - this will teach you the sort of range
of ‘allowable’ force.
>I then tried the roll-forward variant, to give me a bit
>more oomph. Over the course of dozens of attempts, I realised I had
>started to pull back on the top pedal as I got my weight on the seat.
>Hang on a mo’ - that’s what Charlie Dancey recommends in his book, but
>I’d dismissed it as too hard.
I’m not sure if you mean rollback mount, or rolling mount. In the
rollback, you need to pull back on the top pedal. In the rolling
mount, the wheel keeps rolling forward all the time. If it is
something else, please explain.
>So now I’m deliberately starting from a 12 and 6 position, easily able
>to get the height to get on the seat and pulling back on the pedal.
This mount is sometimes called the ‘beginner’ mount. It is not
generally recommendable as you end up in ‘dead’ position, having
little control. It will take extra time to ride away from dead
position, while in the meantime your ‘imbalance’ will increase, and
hence become more difficult to correct.
>The
>trouble is that 19 times out of 20, I’m ready to go in the front/back
>plane, but off balance sideways, invariably (mounting with my right
>foot low) to the left. Because my left foot (that I’m pushing off from)
>is offset to the left, there’s lots of scope for error).
Again, it seems to me that you’re not pushing off hard enough. You’re
right that if your left feet is still on the ground, you’ll tend to
lean to the left. So, your left foot should push off harder,
especially in the lateral direction, i.e. to the right. That should
bring you to the correct position sideways. In the learning process,
try going too far to the right. No bad things will happen, but it will
give you a feel for how much force is right.
>I’m starting
>to feel that I would be better learning to idle first - at least that
>way I could correct the lean!
It may help. In idling, sideways imbalance is corrected by steering.
Same as in riding. And, same as in riding away after a mount. I
wouldn’t entirely give up the freemounting practice if I were you, but
throwing in some idling practice can keep boredom at bay, and be
helpful at the same time.
I’ve tried to address your specific questions.
General freemounting tips in the pdf document downloadable from
http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/uni_beginners.htm .
I’m ashamed. I came back to this thread to post my findings after further freemount attempts, and discover that you’ve already guessed my weakness. It turns out that what I thought was a physical weakness (lacking the oomph to get ‘over the top’) was moral cowardice. My brain didn’t like the idea of being out of balance, and wouldn’t let my leg push hard enough. I’ve been working hard on overcoming this, and when I get it right it’s a great feeling.
[snip stuff about Charlie Dancey’s method of mounting]
If I understand correctly, the CD method doesn’t roll anywhere. The pedals start at 6 and 12, but you have to ‘slap’ the top pedal backwards as you mount, to give you the forward lean you need to get going. Having played with this mount, I’ve gone back to the static mount.
I’ve gradually moved further behind the wheel and more towards its centreline. This means I’m leaning lightly on the saddle to stay in balance, which gives me a good feel for how much force I can apply to the pedal (though I don’t actually let the wheel roll forward). Being more on the centreline also reduces the amount that the ‘push’ knocks me off balance sideways.
When I can freemount as easily as breathing, this degree of analysis will seem silly, but for now, I have to take what comfort I can!
Regards
John
Nothing sound silly while you’re trying to balance on top of one wheel.
The insane uncertainty of the learning process (when the only thing you’re certain of is that whatever you’re trying to do is impossible…) does fade but I don’t think it ever disappears entirely. There is understanding here…
You use the word ‘slap’ in your description of the roll-back mount.
I’m not trying to split hairs here, I just want to make sure that you’re not trying to do it with too much force. It’s not a ‘slap’. You place your foot on the top-pedal and pull it back 1/8-1/4 turn. That rolls the wheel out from under you to the back, therefore creating the forward-lean that is required to start riding. It is a calm and controlled movement and not a ‘slap’.
I don’t mean to play word games here, the word ‘slap’ simply indicates a style of movement (to me) that wouldn’t be conducive to a successfully roll-back freemount.
I recommend the roll-back as I feel it introduces you to the principal movement that will eventually become idling.
And you will want to learn to idle.
It’s not crucial however and learning any freemount is more important at this stage.
Learn the one you feel comfortable with, just do yourself a favour and learn it with the ‘other foot’ as soon as possible. Even before you can do it with your ‘strong’ foot is not too soon to start.
I read Charlie Dancey’s book when I was learning and I seem to remember his description did suggest “hitting” the top pedal with some force, rather than “placing”. I spent ages trying to do that, then gave up and found I could freemount with a static mount much more successfully.
You’re right. I’m also from the School of Dancy and I remember that it was a big issue to ensure that the top pedal was at the correct angle, slightly facing away from you, so that it presented the best possible target for the rearward travelling foot.
My comments above are based on subsequent experience.
Do you use the roll-back mount now Rob?
I’ve had a lot of trouble with freemounting (static mount), and I still do, but a semi-breakthrough I had the other day, was to always lean forward, and keep the time between mounting and riding as short as possible. A good way to work on that, is to see if you can find a fence about elbow level (while riding), and then mount with that as quick as you can, while touching the fence as little possible. Make sure you try to only use the fence to get on, and then pedal AWAY from the fence as soon as possible so you don’t instinctivly grab the fence if you start to fall. That’s the path I took in the transition to freemounting, and it worked very well for me.
Re: Freemount Woes
On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 07:33:07 -0600, icon wrote:
>When I can freemount as easily as breathing, this degree of analysis
>will seem silly, but for now, I have to take what comfort I can!
Most people will think that the degree of analysis is silly already.
But I’m with you. When I was in my beginner stages, I always asked Why
and How questions. Many regulars at the time thought that I was
over-analysing. But I felt it helped my practicing, and it (the
analysis) was fun at the same time.
I’m still a believer in the 2"x4"x6" block behind the wheel theory. Use it for a short while until you get used to the static mount concept, then ditch it or move down to a 1"x4"x6" before you ditch it. It helped me get my brain to realize that I needed to put less weight on the pedal as I mounted. (Which at 230lbs + the result of putting too much onto the pedal can be devastating.) 
Well I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I went out today for an hour or so, and didn’t resort to the street furniture at all. That’s not to say that I made every mount, far from it, but often enough.
I also learned that mounting uphill is significantly harder than downhill (or maybe that’s just psychological too?).
I was also mounting, riding a few yards just to show that I was ‘solid’ and then dismounting; I thought I’d better start dismounting uni in front. Hmmm. ‘Graceful’ it ain’t.
Thanks for all the encouragement.
John
There are all sorts of fun reasons why uphill is more difficult. ‘Smaller balance envelope’ being one of my favourite phrases.
This one isn’t psychological.
Re: Freemount Woes
On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 09:56:48 -0600, icon wrote:
>I also learned that mounting uphill is significantly harder than
>downhill (or maybe that’s just psychological too?).
Not really. You really need more oomph to get up higher. But you can
use this knowledge to your benefit too: mounting downhill is easier
than on the flat. Mounting on a very steep downhill can be a very
slow, easy and controlled process, the subsequent ride may be more
difficult though.
Uphill generally, or mounting only harder?
Do you mean specifically mounting uphill is more difficult, or riding generally? I’d like to make ‘smaller balance envelope’ one of my favourite phrases too; do say more! I’d assumed it was just the need to push that little bit harder that made it feel awkward.
John
Riding uphill generally presents a variety of additional ‘challenges’ to maintaining balance on a unicycle.
Mounting especially so as you have to generate forward momentum from a standing start while powering your way uphill.
There’s a lot more being said here.
In the meantime you can improvise with snippets like ‘shrinking balance envelope’, the deliciously dynamistic ‘diminishing balance envelope’ or the rather aptly abrupt ‘ejection from the balance envelope’.
aka ‘Falling on your arse’ or ‘UPD’, in polite company.
Oh, and ‘Unstable equilibrium’ just gives me chills.
I’m not sure what my “normal” mount is. It’s a sort of static mount but usually I don’t jump forward enough to keep the wheel actually static, so it becomes a sort of roll-back. I start with my foot on the bottom pedal at about 4 o’clock and the saddle in my crotch, then put slight pressure on the pedal (almost none on 20", bit more on 26") while jumping/stepping up and putting the other foot on the pedal. It ought to be a static mount (I think), but I’m usually quite sloppy and the wheel ends up rolling slightly forward and back, but not as much as for a proper rollback mount. I think it probably is a bit of a strange mount but it feels normal to me, it just evolved - the only comment I’ve had from another unicyclist was from Mikefule, who said something like “so you do a sort of rollback mount then”.
So the answer to your question is I don’t really know, but it’s certainly not the method described by Mr Dancey :o
Rob