Ok, so I could do it before, then I quit riding for a while (About a year.), due to the lack of a working unicycle or any funds to fix it or buy a new one. Now I just can’t get the hang of it again. My problem is that my hops aren’t high enough out of the pedal grab, and I can’t seem to hop any higher. I need advice on which way to lean, how much to lean, and the technique for hopping. Also, I need a little help with hopping with my seat in front. I can do it, but it’s not even as good of a hop as I can normally do.
Just practice, all your really doing is jumping a few inches to get your tire on, when jumping onto the object to do the grab, was probably way larger then the hop to get to rubber.
Dont tense up when you do it, you just gotta do it, and it really is that easy. Leaning, you dont need to lean over that much, about an ince or two to the side is enough for me to get the tire onto the object.
Which way are you jumping up from a pedal grab? I know you can just jump straight up and get it, but lately I have been doing another way, where you swing your pedal back then use that momentum and get the tire up, kinda like an ollie using your pedals. Both ways work, you should give them a try if you havent tried one of the ways.
Find something that is only like 4 inches higher than your cranks to practice on. That way you can just do it and not be really scurred of falling. Hop to pedal. Balance. Then put your free foot on its pedal and bring it up to vertical. Don’t put any weight on it though. Then in one move you have to turn the cranks a little (between 30-50 degrees I would say) so that the free side is higher. This makes it easier to get up because it takes up vertical distance. As you are doing that jump a little bit with the foot that is on the ledge. Lean in and land. If you actually try it you will start getting them soon.
Thanks for the help, I’ll spend time today continuing to work on it and try to follow what you guys are saying. I don’t really have any fear of falling, I just can seem to get the mechanics of it. I think part of the problem I have is that I put pressure on my free pedal, which pushes me away from the ledge. I also think that I might need to lower my seat, because I don’t have much room to give myself leverage using the seat.
If you would have read the “Help on Crank Grabs” thread in this forum, you’d have all the information you need… check out my post (#3) for some step-by-step tips on going from crank to rubber.
I would have read that had the title had any reference to what I really need help with. I can do a crank grab just fine, and the title didn’t say anything about what I really need help with. So, thank you for the link, but don’t try to correct me of a mistake that I didn’t make.
Hmm, I thought you needed advice on which way to lean and how much to lean, and some tips on hopping… which is why I linked you to my post in another thread.
DarkTom, thanks for your wonderful insights on hopping technique.
i can crank grab and hop up
but i cant pedal grab yet
what i see on videos is that when someone do a pedal grab and hop up they just make the free pedal change de position…
almost a flip on cranks…
and some peoples just hop up…
When I pedal grab and crankgrab, right before I make the jump, I lean in to the ledge/whatever quite a bit. This makes my weight move to the planted pedal which helps me jump higher and more consistently. Also you don’t have to hop sideways since the unicycle will just fall under your center of gravity. So lean in and bend your planted leg at the knee, then spring upwards. I don’t really use the pedal for all its worth (ie I don’t spin the wheel that much), it’s only like a 9 inch jump. Try to stay relaxed and do everything with your planted leg. I found in the beginning I was trying too hard and my free leg made the wheel move in odd ways, sapping power from my jump.
The pedalgrab requires a sort off snap movement from the cranks.
It looks a bit like a olie on a skateboard.
When you grab your pedal on the object, put all your weight on the grabbing pedal.
Balance untill you are comfy on that pedal.
Then pull your cranks that they are horizontal (if they waren’t before).
Now bend through your knees and lean a little “into” the object.
Then with a quick snap movement you pull the uni up the object.
You have to pull the non-grabbing pedal a little higher then the object and then you snap out off you bend position, all in one movement.
When you land on the object your pedal will go back to there horizontal hop position automatic.
This is how I do it and my explanation may not be that good, but I hope it helps you.
The best way to learn it is to try it untill you land it.
