On Wed, 5 Jul 2006 20:30:28 -0500, digigal1 wrote:
>I easily get my butt up from somewhere
>behind the seat, my right foot onto the front pedal, forward momentum
>perfectly in line with the universal laws of physics, and pedal away.
I don’t think it’s really possible for anyone, you
are just making it up.
Seriously, that’s good work! Pity that you sort of loose that exercise
possibility…
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
“I’m slowly but surely stealing Wales and bringing it back to my house on the wheel, frame and cranks of my muni. - phil”
another problem specific to some old geezers freemounting big wheels: orthostatic disorders may happen.
that’s the case for me in summer: I suffer slight blackouts and heart sudden acceleration when going up a big wheel a bit too suddenly So that complicate matters further. The rolling mount I practised in winter needs to be changed to a very smooth static mount during the summer.
I too find it far more difficult to freemount my 28" than my 20". A short time ago I asked my wife to film me starting out on the 28" so I could analyze what I’m doing. At the end of the short clip the mount is repeated in slow motion.
Note: I do not hold onto the saddle when starting. I’m sure that would make life easier but it’s just the way I prefer it. The only “key thought” I keep in my mind is to avoid pressuring either pedal until I’m firmly seated on the saddle and balanced.
To some extent, freemounting is a personal thing, but based on that video clip, I would recommend starting with your rear pedal closer to the ground, and pushing forward a little more when you mount. That should make the jump a little less daunting.
One thing about mounting a big wheel is that the larger the wheel, the more weight you can put on the back pedal as you’re climbing up. I’ve freemounted a 1.5:1 geared Coker (54" effective wheel), and on that thing you could basically use the rear pedal as a step, because it takes so much energy to get the wheel to move from a standing start. That same effect occurs on standard 36" and 29" wheels, though to lesser extent in each case.
So that complicate matters further. The rolling mount I practised in winter needs to be changed to a very smooth static mount during the summer.