Hi folks,… this is day 22…
So after good 3 weeks of unicycling I am really happy to be able to unicycle a bit offroad too… even if my unicycle isn’t made for that… it’s a 20" profi from QU-AX with very hard pressure in the tires (no muni unfortunately
However I didn’t care and just tried over and over again down that little slope we have just beside the basketball-place.
The cool thing is that I start getting the feel to really lean to the inside of the curves… it’s so much fun… I attached a photo from todays “workout”… yeah I still call it a workout as I am always totally sweaty after 1 hour
Thank you all for helping me so much during my beginning time of unicycling!!!
Have a good week all of you!.. I will unfortunately be in Sweden on a businesstrip and cannot take the unicycle with me…
Cheers from Zurich
[QUOTE=UPD;1686057…The steering is sort of like skiing or bicycling without poles or use of hands. The steering is upper body isolated and very subtle, with a slight shift of the weight, I believe on the hips. The upper body especially , I train my shoulders to stay still and square…[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the tips. I don’t ski but the bicycle part makes sense.
Thanks elpuebloUNIdo. That part about “hands-on-handle-bars-hips-shifting riding” seems to be consistent with what I’ve read. However I think in this thread and Dominik’s 20" unicycle, there is not going to be a real relaxed riding style without the gyroscopic effect of the larger wheeled and faster unicycle. I have see an untold number of videos of very relaxed larger wheeled uni’s but nothing to compare in smaller wheeled ones. In a whole internet search including this forum I’m surprised that there is not a separate thread on the gyroscopic effect of the larger wheeled and faster unicycles. It is the force that keeps the larger wheeled uni’s from just falling over sideways.
Jim
Joe,
Don’t tell me you are posting on this forum and riding the STP at the very same time.
Thanks for the detailed ideas. My current objective is to move from an arm balancing method to the more subtle control method. I did not realize that the road camber would have that much effect. I just need to get out and put on some miles.
Jim
this is nearly a lesson in vectorphysics / kinematics… great!
Well, you have been so very detailed in your post so one could nearly print it in a book for pros
I mean this full seriously… great post!
I think I understood your points but when unicycling yesterday I realized that it really is important to have a certain speed to being able to lean inwards so that the wheel / surface-angle gets less that 90 degrees.
I am 1.82m tall and learn to unicycle on a 20" modell… and I sometimes have the feeling that a bigger wheelsize would be better for me… the pedalmovements are getting so incredibly fast when you want to reach a certain speed…
Can this be the case?
Ok, I am only riding since 3 weeks now but I have so much fun on the unicycle so that I already think what unicycle would be perfect for me in the near future… because I absolutely want to get in to muniriding (and crosscountry).
The 27.5" size seems to be a good solution maybe?
What do you think?
Check out this 27.5" Link. The discussion covers a few points: The 27.5" isn’t really that, it’s a 650B, only 12mm larger in diameter than a 26". Depending on the tire, the outside diameter between a 26" and 27.5" may be minimal. Sounds like the bike industry is moving toward more 27.5" (650B) size rims, which should result in good tire selection for mUni.
Tholub mentioned a lower center or gravity for a 26" compared to a larger wheel. That change is significant for me when comparing my 26" and 29" mUni. I feel more connected to my 26", while I feel more perched atop, and more likely to be knocked off my perch… on the 29". I can ride in many conditions on both my 26" and 29", but I think I would not be able to ride them on the 29"… had I not first learned them on 26". There are still tons of tire choices for 26". The 26" size has been the most commonly ridden on group events, here in Southern California. There are many hills I can ride on 26" that I wouldn’t be able to do on a larger wheel.
If you’re looking at the Qu-ax 27.5" Muni, they are using a new type of crank/hub interface called “q-axle”. The industry standard for unicycles is currently ISIS. While ISIS is not perfect, you will have more crank choices and the ability to more easily swap cranks… if you stick with this specification.
so… I was 1 week on a businesstrip…unfortunately there was no unycycling
However… in the evenings at the hotel I have been looking at many interesting muni videos…
And yeah I really think that the 27.5" would be an amazing size for me (1.82m and 80 kg)… we’ll see… I will certainly go on training as much as possible on my 20" Qu-AX the coming weeks.
I have indeed ordered 2 alternative pedals to the original ones:
Kris Holms DX plastic studded
Odyssey twisted PC
It will be interesting to feel the difference!
My plan is to also buy a pair of real MTB shoes…
Thought about the FiveTen Freerider pro … unfortunately they are not available in Switzerland (unless online)… but We will start our vacation in the UK the coming friday… there I’ll be able to buy them… YES
I understood that a really good pedal feel is a combination of both good pedals and good shoes…
I own 5-10 Impacts and 5-10 Freeriders. They are very different. I use the Impacts for muni and the Freeriders on my 20". The big difference between the two shoes is the stiffness (or lack thereof) of the soles. The Impacts are stiff, good for long muni rides, where your riding style is heavy on the feet. The Freeriders, after a few weeks, were very soft and flexible in the soles. I’m able to feel the pedals underneath the soles of the Freeriders. I am more comfortable adjusting my foot position with the Freeriders. I have accidentally taken the Freeriders on long muni rides. They were comfortable enough, except for one thing: the soles of my feet were more tired after riding, because I had to more actively flex the muscles in the soles of my feet. As a beginner, I had many UPDs (not so many any more) which resulted in me kicking the ground pretty hard upon landing. The Impacts were definitely a better shoe for my klutzy learning stage. To address your quote, above, the Impacts are more of a real MTB shoe, to my understanding, than the Freeriders.
I stopped in the LBS (local bike store) the other day. They had a terrible selection of 26" tires. But there were many 27.5" choices. I normally order parts from UDC (unicycle.com). On the Internet, there are plenty of 26" choices for tires, but I didn’t realize, until the other day, how 27.5" is taking over the MTB world. Maybe it would be a good idea for you to go with the 27.5" (650B) size.
Wow… you seem to collect the fifetens … they are obviously good quality i guess…
Well thank’s for this details about differences in the impact and the freerider model. I quickly checked on the fiveten homepage and realized that they seemed to have changed modelnames.
I cannot find impacts anymore… suppose it is the Sam Hill 3… and the freerider has most likely got the name Hellcat???
And yeah the transition towards 27.5" is interesting…
I am pretty hard on my shoes. My first pair of Impacts were the older model. Within a year, the sole and the upper were separating. And I tear up the inside of the shoe where it rubs up against the crank. Then I bought a more updated model of the Impact. I had to apply a lot of shoe glue to keep them from falling apart. I still think, despite the problems, that 5-10s are good shoes. When a shoe is made to be stiff, like the Impact, it can tear itself apart over time. My (somewhat newer) Freeriders, on the other hand, are flexible, and they seem to be wearing much more nicely.
I think the older Impacts are still produced. They are, I think, more durable than the newer ones. Good luck!
hi folks,… today is day 23 since my start…
(had a break because of a 1 week trip to Sweden),
Well, I just came home from my unitraining… and yes, there is new progress which is such a lot of fun for me.
I for the first time managed to ride 1 whole kilometer without stop… and I felt quite relaxed even if the 22" uni just goes at the rpm limit when doing tours like this… I wouldn’t be surprised if I would dream about my desired 27.5 er tonight
It’s interesting… I remember having had similar effects in windsurfing and snowboarding… after a break of some days it always got a step ahead on the following training… as if the brain has continued training in the meantime… which maybe is true.
So I’m looking forward to the coming days…
I also started with my first trials on backwards unicycling today… just up to 2 whole weelturns… cool feeling indeed, I’m just a bit unsure about how to easiest get of in case of UPD
If you are concerned about falling on your tail bone, there are special shorts you can buy with tail bone protection. Put them under your regular shorts; they will make you look like you have a big butt.
Beginners tend to mount, ride as long as possible, then UPD. Now that you can ride long distances sans-UPD, you might focus more on mounting, riding for short distances, then making controlled dismounts. This should help you dismount more safely while riding backwards.
My favorite place to practice new stuff, where I know I’ll be falling down, is on the baseball diamond near my house. If I fall, I will slide a little bit when I land, rather than hitting the ground and sticking.
Glad to hear you improved after a break. I think that improvement would not have been possible, unless you’d already worked hard on the unicycle. Also, the experience you had in other balance sports must have helped. Last year, I took a three week break from unicycling after breaking my toe. When I returned, I wasn’t better or worse, but I did have fresh ideas about practicing, and I was happy to be riding again!
For learning to ride backwards I recommend adding elbow pads to your protective gear. When I fall off when riding backwards (which happens occasionally) I tend to land on my elbows. (The back of my head often hits the ground at about the same time, too, so the helmet is a good idea.) This is usually caused by not getting my feet off the pedals fast enough, so I end up not being able to get my feet underneath me to keep from falling. As you practice backwards riding you will have a LOT of dismounts, so basically you will get a lot of practice at this. Just something to keep in mind. It sounds like you’re kind of a “natural” at this, so you may pick up backwards riding without any problems at all.
Good luck!
good idea Lance!.. thank’s for the advice… I realized that now on my first backwards UPD
Well, yesterday I pimped my 20" Qu-AX Profi with a pair of Kris Holms stubbed pedals with metall pins (see photo)… and my god what a grip they have…
The change is enormous… once on the pedals the feet just can’t move anymore.
It feels a bit like riding another one step better unicycle.
I do have another new pair of pedals from Odyssey with plastic pins… a bit similar in shape but probably less aggresive in grip I suppose… will try them soon too.
Does anybody know why these pedals have that special twisted shaping?
Imagine standing hard on the skinny edge of a rectangular pedal when mounting. It will be unstable, then spin 90 degrees suddenly and your foot will land on the broader top part with a snap. This will probably throw you off (or bash your fun junction on the saddle!)
The twisted/parellelogram profile means if you stand on the edge it should roll 90 degrees smoothly and you’ll be straight on the tops. Much less potential for accidentally placing weight on the unstable thin edge.
The twist is likely an attempt to match the natural shape of the foot. If you were to place two bars across the foot about where the peddle bars would be you would find that they are not in the same plane because of the differences of the ball and arch of the foot. A twist is just a more ergonomic shape.
thank you Rich!
this is an excellent explanation… it’s pure physics indeed
Actually I should have been able to come to that conclusion too…
However… I got once more an expert answer on that forum… it’s amazing!!!
Today I had another consolidation training which means that I didn’t really get much further with new skills but kind of fastened the newly learned things.
Okay there was one thing that I realized today which I haven’t done before… it’s the possibility of riding better through the grass in a standing manner out of the saddle… but it’s quite exhausting.
When I tried grassriding before I always failed after some few meters but when standing I had much more power on the pedals to come through the uneven surface of the grass… cool another step further towards muni
Allright… tomorrow I’ll head to Wales for a 2 weeks summervacation… with my unicycle for sure…
I hope I’ll learn a lot there
And if all goes well I’ll be able to buy my first fiveten unicycle shoes… yeah!!!
To some extent, all riding (except on smooth surfaces) involves continuously transferring some weight between the saddle and individual pedals to traverse irregularities.
As well as pedalling, the riders legs act like an active suspension system, keeping the body moving through as smooth a path as possible while the wheel follows the terrain.
Imaging approaching a big bump. If you don’t adjust for it, it will bounce you off. So before arriving at it, you transfer more weight to the pedals to launch your body in a trajectory that has you arriving where you need to be when you are at the top of the bump without the sudden rise that the wheel must follow.
At the same time bend forward a bit. This combined with the extra force on the leading pedal drives the wheel out in front, increasing the rake on the frame. Now when the bump hits, the upwards force is not transferred straight up the seat post to the rider.
Ride with the balls of your feet on the pedals and let your ankles be mobile. When you hit a bump your ankles can respond much faster than your knees and let the wheel rise up. Similarly when you hit a hole. Let your ankles extend, otherwise your foot loses contact with the pedal.
The exact motions as you hit the undulation depend on where you are in the pedalling cycle. Only by spending time in the saddle and encountering a wide variety of variations will your brain and body learn what needs to be done.
Get this stuff into your head but don’t overthink. Like most sports activities, it is good to understand the physics but not obsess when you are actually doing it.
I found it interesting approaching kerb ramps where driveways traverse road gutters. After a few months riding experience I could sense that I was actively changing my approach so that I hit the gutter at some optimum part of the pedalling cycle but I couldn’t work out what my instinct was aiming to do. Only recently when I started riding the 36 with its longer cranks and slower movements did I realise I was instinctively aiming to have my left foot somewhere close to the bottom of the stroke as I hit the gutter.
The brain is a wonderful pattern recognising and responding device when given enough input to work with.
Actually after looking into the twisted pedals some more it seems that the surface that the foot rides on and the front and back surface that you would hit if the pedal was turned 90° are not twisted as all. The twist is on the left and right and and those surfaces should never have any foot contact. The left and right ends are twisted because the the toe end of the pedal is wider then the heal end. They may fit the shape of the foot a little better but likely makes no real difference. Just a marketing scam to make them different then others. I would not pay more for them.
