Hi,
I’m new here and to unicyling, but after about 3 weeks, I CAN RIDE!!!
I still need to learn some basics, but one problem I ran into those days is
speeding in down hills or roads… what is the best way to slow myself down
and not throw myself from the Uni?
10x.
Oded.
Try not to get going too fast until you’re more used to going down
hills. If
you do get rolling and need to slow down, don’t try to do it suddenly.
Gradually put more pressure as the pedals come up the back side of their
rotation and slow yourself down.
John
macman wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I’m new here and to unicyling, but after about 3 weeks, I CAN RIDE!!!
> I still need to learn some basics, but one problem I ran into those
days is
> speeding in down hills or roads… what is the best way to slow myself
down
> and not throw myself from the Uni?
>
> 10x.
> Oded.
Also, grab the front of the seat and pull to keep the pedals from launching you off of it.
All,
I am at a much more basic level. I’m still working on being able to say I can ride. 
I can go up to 70-80 feet but at that point there is a slight incline, and there are some rough spots (I’m new enough that I’m still cycling in the same area all the time). When I get to the slight incline, I am not sure what to do.
It seems to me that I need to lean backwards on upwards inclines and forwards on downward ones. Is this correct, or am I totally messed up here?
I’m hoping to be able to ride out of my starting area (I’m practicing on a college campus next to my house), but I have to be able to (a) traverse slight hills and (b) steer reliably ( 
) before I can break out.
On the steering issue, I can make corrections within 15 degrees sometimes but rarely more sharp than that.
Lewis
Lewis-
I think this is backwards. In the limit, going up a very steep hill, one would be leaning far forward.
Try going the other way starting at the incline side of your riding area. If you still need the curb to mount, take a brick or something with you if there’s not something over there to help you.
I found riding over gently sloping regions from all directions to be very instructive while learning new things.
If you can turn 15 degrees when you intend to turn then you are steering. You’re just in a dragster with a huge turning radius. Yeah, that’s it Lewis…you’re in a nitro-methane burning rail.
When I first made it to the incline, I tried leaning forward since that is what I do on a bike. I didn’t lean much but I fell. Perhaps I just leaned too much. When I leaned back, I didnt fall, but I only barely leaned back.
I will try it both ways. I will also try starting at the incline and going back. Maybe I wasnt clear, but curb mounting is the one I CANNOT yet do … I’m too wobbly. I start best using a wall, pillar, rail, or heavy tall garbage can. 
However, there are things I could possibly start from, on the incline side.
Well, I say 15 degrees and maybe it is. It is hard to judge. The path that I cycle is a 3 or 4 foot wide broad concrete sidewalk/path that leads away from the gym. It starts curving immediately but it is gradual, so I am having to adjust the entire length of the ride. So, yeah, I guess that is steering.
But I feel like I presume too much by claiming to steer. I know that when I want to make an abrupt change, it is a critical moment from which I seem to only have about a 1 in 3 change of recovery, more like 1 in 4 if I am on grass (sometimes I drive out onto some short fine grass along my path).
But, yeah I guess if I can go along a 70 foot curve, there is some kind of steering involved; I just cant wait until I can slow down at a critical point and do a 90 degree turn.
Thanks!
Lewis
On Mon, 28 Jan 2002 20:52:55 GMT, doosh@inl.org (Tom Holub) wrote:
>Your spine and the unicycle should always point towards the center of
>the earth. So you lean forward on uphills and backwards on downhills.
>It’s like walking.
> -Tom
No, the unicycle and the spine are actually not vertical when riding
on a slope. As a matter of fact, the centre of gravity of the rider +
unicycle should be vertically above the contact point between tyre and
riding surface. But this contact point comes forward if you are riding
uphill, therefore you actually lean forward with respect to a vertical
line. This is only a fraction, though, of the total amount of forward
leaning (i.e., with respect to the riding surface). Same story,
mutatis mutandis, for downhills. All in all, you always lean “into the
hill”.
(The above assumes that you are riding at constant speed on a constant
slope.)
“To trigger/fool/saturate/overload Echelon, the following has been picked automagically from a database:”
“Guantanamo Bay, OPS 2A building 688-6911(b), NIJ”
Very true. For example, mid way up the incline of which Lewis speaks is a 2" rise/lip in the concreate. You could aproach this many ways- however, the most basic:
Garner additional spead several feet from the rise. At the last moment shift the uni to the front to impact the lip before your center of gravity. This will cause the tire to compress as it conforms and lofts over the lip- loosing spead in the process. This, combined with the bounce back from the compression will pitch you up and back forward of the wheel into cruzing position.
Depending on the rise, the amount you retreat your center of balance may be unsustainable for any extended period. It helps to let your legs act as shock absorbers on impact, as the seat may pogo you off the pedals as you are pitched over the lip. Hold the seat with one hand.
Christopher
In article <a348k0$gei$1@laurel.tc.umn.edu>,
Animation <forum.member@unicyclist.com> wrote:
)It seems to me
)that I need to lean backwards on upwards inclines and forwards on
)downward ones. Is this correct, or am I totally messed up here?
Your spine and the unicycle should always point towards the center of
the earth. So you lean forward on uphills and backwards on downhills.
It’s like walking.
-Tom
On Mon, 28 Jan 2002 20:05:48 +0000 (UTC), Animation
<forum.member@unicyclist.com> wrote:
>But, yeah I guess if I can go along a 70 foot
>curve, there is some kind of steering involved; I just cant wait until
>I can slow down at a critical point and do a 90 degree turn.
>Thanks!
Slowing down and then steer by sudden twists is only one way of
steering. I think you’re also ready to try a more gradual steering
technique, by leaning slightly into the direction in which you want to
steer. As by magic, the unicycle will turn that way.
“To trigger/fool/saturate/overload Echelon, the following has been picked automagically from a database:”
“Guantanamo Bay, OPS 2A building 688-6911(b), NIJ”
I just wanted to say that I think it can only be a 1" rise/lip, and the actual rise itself is not one inch vertical, but one inch at an angle. I say that because I managed to just power through it twice, as if it weren’t a lip at all. However, both times I became wobbly enough that I fell with a revolution or two past the lip.
Lewis
This is the main thing- at serious spead, the wheel WILL force you off the seat and pitch you forward, and constant effort will be required to stay on top if you are breaking.
I highly recommend the use of cleated pedals. Shooting down hill at high spead is not a safe first gliding experience. I know.
Some thoughts for safe decents:
Ride first at a spead you can totaly controll- get the measure of what the hill will take. This meens being able to comfortably stop or dismount at any time.
Add a modacum of spead, then break back to the total controll spead- this will allow you get a feel for the amount you wil have to resist pitch off when bleading speed from the hill.
As speed increased, minimizing wheel wabble will allow you to safely reach higher speeds with significantly less effort.
Remeber that your safe stoping distance radically increase with spead and aspect of hill. Attempting to come to a sudden stop WILL pitch you into the air. Progressively pull energy out of the decent like a trucker pumping breaks.
Match your fatigue level to your max safe speed.
I exceeded 20 mph on Sunday. The decent started resisting acceleration untill controll was assured, then let a bit more speed develope. I focused on controlling this speed before adding more. At some points I actualy pumped additonal energy into the wheel, then concentrated on limiting wheel wabble. If your feet feel like they are not well engaged with the pedal as they move from the top to forward position ( like they are being pushed off on top and drop out from under on the way down) then you are on the edge of totaly loosing controll- decrease speed imediately. This state is often characterized by rapid wheel wobble.
By progressively adding speed, I can obtain higher speeds- slower.
If you are considering persuing high speed decents, I highly recommend a full face helmet, leg, arm, wrist AND hip protection- not to mention a break.
Have fun!
Christopher
Ya: your center of gravity was pitched forward. If you don’t antisipate this, you are forced to compensate with increased spead.
Christopher
generally i just flex my legs, and ride slowly, but it depends on the steepness of the hill