My DM has finally arrived and looks fantastic. Previously I have only been able
to practice for a few minutes a week on a borrowed wheel. This was in a nice big
room with a parquet floor.
Now I can do a LOT more practice but would like some suggestions for suitable
venues. I’ve been thinking about the local supermarket carparks (better get some
knee pads) but would prefer to avoid the jeering public until my confidence
improves somewhat.
I love the newer DM contoured saddle. The protective chrome handles are much
more discreet than the ones I remember (from years ago) and even covered with
rubber to protect the chrome itself. Is it as tough as it looks? I’m likely to
give it quite a pounding in the coming months.
>>>> DMs are TOUGH cookie unis. They keep on going for Years. > >That’s why I bought it. I was mainly concerned about bashing the saddle to >pieces. Do most people add additional protection? And if so, what’s good? >
I learnt to ride uni on a DM 24" and beat seven bells out of the front crash
bar, when it got too bent i >bolted on a new one< saddle untouched, brilliant It got bent cos i really mistreated it, not due to any weakness in the
crashbar, i hasten to add!
: Now I can do a LOT more practice but would like some suggestions for : suitable venues.
If your not otherwisw engauged next weeknd you could do a lot worse than come to
the BUC in N wales, two days of dedicated uni space and time with lots of other
uniers around for inspiration and help. Take a look at the www page for more
info. http://web.onyxnet.co.uk/Roger.Davies-octacon.co.uk/buc6.htm
Failing that, tennis courts are good, so are those concrete 5 a side pitches.
Queit corners or playing field or parks, a long way from the kids play ground
are not too bad, better once the little blighters have gone back to school. I
put in a lot of practise inthe early days by riding to college, before I could
ride well. My clases started at 10am so mostly the pavements were empty and i
could use lamposts and the like to help me get on. I’m not advocating riding on
the pavement ( sidewalk) for ever but while you are learning your probadly safer
there, just remember it really belongs to the pedestrians and try not to annoy
to many of them.
: Is it as tough as it looks? I’m likely to give it quite a pounding in the : coming months.
DMs are TOUGH cookie unis. They keep on going for Years.
when I learnt to ride I just practised on the pavement outside my house. I used
my fence to mount. According to uk law you can actually unicycle on the pavement
you can even biycycle on the pavement if your wheels are 20" or less. the
reason for this is that a ‘cycle’ is defined as having two wheels or more. A
near-by park is also good, the one near me the keepers haven’t said anything
despite the ‘no cycling’ signs.
>Failing that, tennis courts are good, so are those concrete 5 a side pitches. >Queit corners or playing field or parks, a long way from the kids play ground >are not too bad, better once the little blighters have gone back to school.
I personally don’t advise prolonged practice on a tennis court. I play tennis
and know from experience that courts will wear rubber down to nothing. My
favorite place to practice is on the basketball courts at my local park. If you
plan on practicing manuvars such as sharp turns, make sure you find a surface
that is flat but not rough like a tennis court. Black top isn’t too bad. And
Sarah is right when she says to stay away from kids. They tend to flock to
unicycles. They all want to try riding it but my seat is too high. If you ever
want to recruit people to unicycling, make sure you have a quick release seat.
Sarah Miller <sarah@vimes.u-net.com> wrote in article
<1ke6q7.kj1.ln@vimes.u-net.com>… >>> If your not otherwisw engauged next weeknd you could do a lot worse
than come to the BUC in N wales, two days of dedicated uni space and time with
lots of other uniers around for inspiration and help. Take a look at the
I’d love to be there but transport is looking decidedly iffy (I’m not cycling
there ). We’ll see how things turn out.
Your advice on venues is about what I had surmised, though I don’t think I’ll
try riding to the office… I tried an empty car park last night but found the
surface a bit rough - with all my twisting around I’m sure it’ll wear the tyre
out in about a week.
>>> DMs are TOUGH cookie unis. They keep on going for Years.
That’s why I bought it. I was mainly concerned about bashing the saddle to
pieces. Do most people add additional protection? And if so, what’s good?
It got bent cos i really mistreated it, not due to any weakness in the