Being that I’m new and just learning I thought I would explain the problem that
I ran into yesterday and see if ya’ll might be able to tell me what I’m doing
wrong. The problem is simple to explain…
While riding (before falling) I’m going to my right. If I stayed on long enough
I would just keep going in a large circle. I try to go straight and even
straighten myself up but just end up going to my right.
Is this something that I will be able to correct as time goes on or can someone
tell me what I may be doing wrong so I can being to try to correct it now.
I believe that you are pushing harder with your right leg than with your
left(therefore leaning right). This will correct itself with practice, when
balance overtakes the sheer effort of staying up as the main thing controlling
your direction.
I would focus on not pushing as hard with your right foot…
Being that I’m new and just learning I thought I would explain the problem that
I ran into yesterday and see if ya’ll might be able to tell me what I’m doing
wrong. The problem is simple to explain…
While riding (before falling) I’m going to my right. If I stayed on long enough
I would just keep going in a large circle. I try to go straight and even
straighten myself up but just end up going to my right.
Is this something that I will be able to correct as time goes on or can someone
tell me what I may be doing wrong so I can being to try to correct it now.
> I would add something else important: keep all or almost all your weight on > the seat,
Lots of good advice so far. The above is always true because when learning a new
skill, the tendency is to use too much muscle power. On a unicycle this means
the weight is not on the seat. Much of your feeling of balance comes through the
seat, plus when the force on the pedals is less, it’s easier to even it out.
Try turning to the left. By the time you figure out how to turn left, the
problem will probably go away. What you’re looking for is somewhere in the
middle.
I think this is pretty common. Don’t worry about it too much- it will most
likely just sort itself out. I had the exact same problem with gliding and I
think it had something to do with not having my butt square on the seat.
-Kris.
— Steve Conley <tcs@bellsouth.net> wrote: > Hello all, > > Being that I’m new and just learning I thought I would explain the problem > that I ran into yesterday and see if ya’ll might be able to tell me what I’m > doing wrong. The problem is simple to explain… > > While riding (before falling) I’m going to my right. If I stayed on long > enough I would just keep going in a large circle. I try to go straight and > even straighten myself up but just end up going to my right. > > Is this something that I will be able to correct as time goes on or can > someone tell me what I may be doing wrong so I can being to try to > correct it now. > > Thanks for the help, Steve Conley - Tennessee
I suffered from this a lot when I was learning to ride. I think it could be just
that one side of your musculature/physical co-ordination is naturally better
developed than the other, whether you’re right- or left-handed/footed.
i.e. one side tends to “lead”. On a bicycle, the handlebars even out any
differences a lot, but on a uni it’s got to be more evenly balanced in
order to ride straight. What Hugh says about balance taking over is right.
Just keep riding and it’ll pass - it’s been ten years since this last
happened to me sober
JN
At 08:19 02/06/00 -0400, Steve Conley wrote: >Hello all, > >Being that I’m new and just learning I thought I would explain the problem that >I ran into yesterday and see if ya’ll might be able to tell me what I’m doing >wrong. The problem is simple to explain… > >While riding (before falling) I’m going to my right. If I stayed on long enough >I would just keep going in a large circle. I try to go straight and even >straighten myself up but just end up going to my right. > >Is this something that I will be able to correct as time goes on or can someone >tell me what I may be doing wrong so I can being to try to correct it now. > >Thanks for the help, Steve Conley - Tennessee >
The first thing to check is your seat alignment, it should be parallel to the
wheel. If you are just learning you have probably been dropping the unicycle and
you may have twisted the seat out of position.
Next, check to make sure that the wheel is true and that the top of the wheel is
in the center of the fork. If the wheel is tipped you will find yourself
turning. Usually you can fix a problem like that by placing a shim above the
bearing on the side the wheel is tipped toward.
Also, if you are riding on the road it may be the slope of the road that is
causing it.
If there are no mechanical reasons, then I think your problem is just part of
the learning curve. Almost everyone finds when they learn how to turn that it is
much easier to turn in one direction versus the other. For me it was to the
left. When I first started riding further than 10 ft I was also drifting like
you, but to the left. I think what was happening to me was that I was nearly
always making small left turn corrections to keep my balance when I was riding
and it resulted in the drift to the left while I was riding.
I practiced riding next to a fence on my left side to force myself to ride
straight and it finally went away after a few days. Also take note of your
posture and how you are sitting on the seat.
My wife is learning to ride and she has the same problem. I do not understand it
and I checked the unicycle and rode it myself and could find nothing wrong. I
was not really able to help her.
All you need to do is ride some more and this problem will disappear. When my
son was learning, we said he could call himself a unicycle rider once he could
ride 100 feet. When he made it, it was about 2 1/2 times around in a wobbly
circle to the left in the street. It took him maybe 2 more days to be able to
go straight.
When I was learning, I could go straight or turn left, but for a little while
turning right was much harder.
Good luck,
Nathan
“Steve Conley” <tcs@bellsouth.net> wrote in message news:3937A646.775F@bellsouth.net… > Hello all, > > Being that I’m new and just learning I thought I would explain the problem > that I ran into yesterday and see if ya’ll might be able to tell me what I’m > doing wrong. The problem is simple to explain… > > While riding (before falling) I’m going to my right. If I stayed on long > enough I would just keep going in a large circle. I try to go straight and > even straighten myself up but just end up going to my right. > > Is this something that I will be able to correct as time goes on or can > someone tell me what I may be doing wrong so I can being to try to > correct it now. > > Thanks for the help, Steve Conley - Tennessee
In message “RE: I keep going to my right. Why?”, Rick Bissell wrote… >I’d check for mechanical reasons first. > >The first thing to check is your seat alignment, it should be parallel to the >wheel. If you are just learning you have probably been dropping the unicycle >and you may have twisted the seat out of position.
I would add something else important: keep all or almost all your weight
on the seat,
>Next, check to make sure that the wheel is true and that the top of the wheel >is in the center of the fork. If the wheel is tipped you will find yourself >turning. Usually you can fix a problem like that by placing a shim above the >bearing on the side the wheel is tipped toward. > >Also, if you are riding on the road it may be the slope of the road that is >causing it. > >If there are no mechanical reasons, then I think your problem is just part of >the learning curve. Almost everyone finds when they learn how to turn that it >is much easier to turn in one direction versus the other. For me it was to the >left. When I first started riding further than 10 ft I was also drifting like >you, but to the left. I think what was happening to me was that I was nearly >always making small left turn corrections to keep my balance when I was riding >and it resulted in the drift to the left while I was riding. > > I practiced riding next to a fence on my left side to force myself to ride > straight and it finally went away after a few days. Also take note of your > posture and how you are sitting on the seat. > > > >
Unicycle17 wrote: > > My wife is learning to ride and she has the same problem. I do not understand > it and I checked the unicycle and rode it myself and could find nothing wrong. > I was not really able to help her. > > Idaho Joe
In message “Re: I keep going to my right. Why?”, Steve Conley wrote… >Jack Halpern wrote: >> >> >> I would add something else important: keep all or almost all your weight on >> the seat, >> > >Jack, > >Thanks for the suggestions! Being a newbie I would just like to get this >question out of my system. After all, they a dumb question is one that’s never >asked :o) > >All your weight on the seat? Does this mean to stay in an up right position? >No leaning forward, sideways, back? Am I right on this? Close?
More or less upright. You may need to slightly lean forward when accelerating or
to recover your balance. Just sit relaxed, as if on a chair, and don’t strain
your leg muscles too much.
