So here’s an idea… if somebody asks how to do something, we can show them with a video of yourself doing it. They can see different styles of the skill being displayed.
The same goes for putting your own video up and asking for a helpful critique on how to get better at that skill.
I’ll start with my idling video and I’ll take any advice.
Second will be my slower style of hopping. Again, I’ll take any advice.
#1. Is embedding videos on this site a new feature?
#2. I have no advice on the idling, you do it much better than me 
#3. When I hop I hold the handle on the seat. I think maybe it will allow you to lift the wheel more if you do that? I think I’d also have the cranks more flat too, but I would have to video it! (It’s raining in Sydney. Again).
It’s not new, any supported media link will display a player. Plus you can upload your own videos, but with a 4 MB limit, so it’s more practical to host them somewhere else. Those on the first post are hosted on Imgur.
I see no obvious problems in either of those videos, so what would you be trying to do better?
Hopping with your handlebar setup looks slightly akward, because your hands are up very high, but you are making it work and setup is always a compromise.
I personally wouldn’t be happy with always having to have my elbows this bent, but I’m sure you arrived at that position for a reason.
I don’t have a handle on the seat anymore. I use the handlebars 100% of the time.
I think the uneven cranks are because of my bad right knee. (I’ll try hopping with the other foot forward and see what that looks like)
Anything.
I’m not going for maximum height, distance, etc… but I am trying to do the skill purposefully and with as little effort as possible.
I did try the seat handle and a short handlebar for several months each, but every time I adjusted the handlebars they were getting higher and a little further ahead.
This is where they ended up.
When sitting they are more like bicycle handlebars for comfort and handling.
When standing I’m in a “ready to do anything” position. I can push down, pull up, or re-direct my handlebars without changing my upper body position too much.
But this is the point of this thread.
To see other riding styles and techniques.
Everybody says to level up you should go riding with other unicyclists.
So if we can’t do that then why not share by video?
If a picture is worth a thousand words then your videos could save us a lot of time.
Making a “proper video” where you want to “educate” the viewer, especially a non-unicycle rider takes a great deal of work. So much work that the “act of film making/videography” must be more important.
That is why I do not make any video’s yet of my riding. I will one day, but that is if I can find another person who is interested in videography. I value “riding” more than documenting what I am doing, although I enjoy understanding the mechanics of certain unicycle dynamics.
To make a proper video you must think about these concepts:
Phew…that is a lot of fkn information, right? I am tired typing this and I just want to go and ride.
Anyways, that is what I would demand of myself, if I were making an instructional video.
…slam
Absolutely, I tell people to post a video of them attempting the trick they are asking about all the time, making a thread as a go to for this is a good idea!
I’d say that the arm is the strongest when the elbow is almost fully extended (at least it feels to me that that is the case). So the ideal height for the handlebar is as low as possible, without having to bend over when you are standing up out of the saddle, in my mind.
But it is really hard to argue with: “this is what feels best to me”, since that is the most important thing in the end.
If you are noticing that you are always hopping backwards on the first few hops, I’d look into getting your cranks more horizontal (or maybe better to think about it as getting more forward on the unicycle and standing more on your front foot). But I would assume that that’s just down to the slight downhill and your particular point of balance at the moment in the video.
Here is a video when I first started riding a 36er after a 50 year break from uni’s. The hopping was not intended and just a natural reaction to complete a mount.
Even the simplest unplanned and unedited video is just like a photo, except multiplied many times. If a photo is worth a 1000 words, a video must be worth a million.
I don’t know if this is super helpful, but whenever I freemount, I look straight ahead as soon as my second foot is on the pedal. This helps me set my course so I don’t fumble around. Looks really good though! Hope this helps.
This was my 7th or 8th try getting down both sets of stairs and I still felt very unstable. Any advice for how to get down smoother?
I changed the link to a OneDrive link because google drive wasn’t working.
Disclaimer: I can’t/won’t/haven’t tried riding up or down more than one stair.
Looks like you’ve got a good start already.
Practice with a few hundred more and your body and mind will be able to relax while doing the motion instead of being so tense.
A larger wheel will of course make it easier and smoother too.
Thanks, I’m getting a 29” muni soon so I’ll see how it performs.
You’re idling actually looks really good. I can’t idle very well, but whenever I’m learning a new skill in general, I try to do different variations of it; experiment with a really wide and long idle (kind of like you just did) and then maybe try short quick movements back an forth. That should get you really comfortable. Hope this helps
I was lucky enough to find a nice place to practice at a park, recently.
There was a patio slab of concrete that had about a 9" drop from concrete to firm dirt/grass.
I learned a few things:
a.) It’s easy if you land with pedals at 3 & 9 o’clock position, but that is often “random”.
b.) It’s the other clock positions of your crank that can throw you off.
c.) So, manually roll back the unicycle from the edge to different crank positions.
d.) I found that when my left foot(non-freemounting foot, or weak foot) was near 3, 4, 5, 6 o’clock, it felt the most “sketchy”. So, I did a lot of repetitive sessions at that position.
Also, the best place to practice multiple stairdrops is somewhere like a hospital or senior citizen center. There are so many “low steps” like 3-4" with plenty of hand rails(if you need them). Also, these steps were like 1 or 2 ft long before the next step. Bonus. Great place to practice, but keep an eye out for security guards and infrared cameras(if practicing at night).
enjoy…slam!