Hey, so I have been riding a 24 inch Torker unicycle for about 5 years. I want something new and exciting, and am looking at getting a giraffe. But here is my questions:
How do I learn to free mount a giraffe, or is it even possible?
How do I learn to safely ride a giraffe?
How do I learn to safely fall off a giraffe and catch it so it will not hit the ground?
I don’t know ANY other unicyclists in my area cause I live in a small town, so I need some tips! Any tips on how to learn a giraffe would be appreciated!
The answer to all 3, particulalry 2 and 3, is just try it. Find somewhere you can reliably climb on your giraffe and take it for a spin, it’s easier to ride than a normal uni. Initilly dismount off the front, make sure you are riding in clear ground as theoretically you can damge your back if the wheel shoots backwards and then jams on something. Hold on to the back of the saddle when you do it else you’ll end up with your arm jammed between your legs.
I never understood this^^ Everytime I dismount off the back that Schwinn seat would put a slow-vice-crushing of genitals as the seat comes up your front side.
I always would check behind me, dismount off FRONT, nice easy landing on feet, and let the giraffe shoot out the back as I caught it. I know if that wheel hits something that stops it - it will SHOOT you off the front, but I would always check for obstacles and people and then just drop.
I live in fear off falling off the back of the giraffe.
Interesting, I’ve never had Frankie and the Twins get in the way of a raffie-dismount.
I just ride to a stop, you almost automatically start overbalancing backwards, wait till it’s far enough and just ‘jump’ straight down.
I find it awkwards to catch the seat when the uni is behind me and when I do dismount off the front, I quite often drop the raffie.
I’m not one to tell people they MUST do what I tell them to do.
I do however consider it to be ‘responsible’ advice to suggest dismounting off the back to new/inexperienced raffie-riders.
Once a rider has clocked up a couple of hours on the raffie (as I suspect you have Bondo), he’s free to make up his own mind.
Most people I know who have acquired giraffe unicycles say the fun/novelty wears off pretty quick and then they are stuck with a unicycle they don’t ride. Giraffes are not much good for anything except parades. At least that is what I am told. I do not own a giraffe and do not ride them.
[opinion] Instead of a giraffe, get a MUni or a 29 or a 36. [/opinion]
I rode mine, i thought it was awesome, i showed it off to family members and friends, then i just threw it up in the attic. I took the pedals off of it for Mondo. (i put them on my trials uni, they dont allow metal pedals W/O protectors are Mondo).
edit: and i took the seatpost off of it to use with my Nimbus frame.
Well, you guys could learn unispins on it like Cody, or perform often on it like me. They have their uses. Learn to juggle under the leg on one and you’ll get plenty of use out of it. (not that I can do that, yet)
The ‘Articles and Tutorials’ section of this site is hardly the ‘right’ place to post a question about unicycling.
But the site can be slightly confusing to a new user.
At least he got some feedback eventually.
I never read ‘Articles and Tutorials’, does that make me a bad person?
HAhha I perform on my raffy VERY often, I have learned to juggle drop one kick it up like a hackey sack and keep going…Along with under the leg…Stupid kid parties hahhaha
hahhaha