idling on a coker?

Unicycles and Equipment
1

Ah, who doesn’t love stop signs? Here’s a question, what should I work on
most: the idle, or the amazingly graceful freemount?

Currently, I can get in about one complete idle on my coker before it
makes me dismount. So, at most stop lights, I just dismount. When the
light turns green, I run across, wait for the cars to zoom past me, then
mount and ride. I can mount successfully probably 9 out of 10 times, but
I’m not comfortable enough to mount before going across the street.

Any tips for learning either, or is it just go into the parking lot and
repeat until perfected? For idling, what amount of the wheel tends to be
used? On my 20", I tend to use at minimum 1/3 of the tire with each idle.
I can’t decide if I should go with more, less, or equal for hte coker.

Jeff Lutkus

Free e-Mail and Webspace - http://Unicyclist.com

2

Idling a coker is definately worth learning for city riding. It does wear
the tyre quite a bit in one particular point, you have to remember to
rotate it every so often. It’s easier if you use a bit more pressure on
the top foot than you would on a normal unicycle, rather than just
pushing with the down foot. I do quite big idles usually, although if the
traffic is going to be close to you, you might need to develop a smaller
idle I guess.

If you’ve got the confidence, a rolling mount or jump mount is probably
very good for starting in traffic, might also be worth learning this,
although I’d always idle.

Most importantly if it’s a regular ride, learn your route and look ahead
for lights that are about to go red or have just gone green or whatever
and modify your speed accordingly, if you know a route well you can often
just ride very slowly on up to a red light or rush through before the
lights change and not ever have to idle.

Joe

“Jeff Lutkus” <lutkus@unicyclist.com> wrote in message
news:20010703045643.BE9F636F9@sitemail.everyone.net…
> Ah, who doesn’t love stop signs? Here’s a question, what should I work
> on
most: the idle, or the amazingly graceful freemount?
>
> Currently, I can get in about one complete idle on my coker before it
makes me dismount. So, at most stop lights, I just dismount. When the
light turns green, I run across, wait for the cars to zoom past me, then
mount and ride. I can mount successfully probably 9 out of 10 times, but
I’m not comfortable enough to mount before going across the street.
>
> Any tips for learning either, or is it just go into the parking lot and
repeat until perfected? For idling, what amount of the wheel tends to be
used? On my 20", I tend to use at minimum 1/3 of the tire with each idle.
I can’t decide if I should go with more, less, or equal for hte coker.
>
> Jeff Lutkus
>
> _____________________________________________________________
> Free e-Mail and Webspace - http://Unicyclist.com

3

My Coker has 175mm cranks so it’s REAL easy to idle. Freemounts are easier
when the seat’s lower, but I usually am so tired (it’s usually about
6:30AM when I start out) I cheat and use a tree or the stop sign or some
guy walking past or whatever’s handy. I’ve ordered 155mm ones so it’ll
probably be a little harder for me to do both.

I learned riding backwards first, then idling sorta came naturally. Here’s
what I do when I’m learning anything new: I don’t fall off (or dismount,
whatever you like to call it,) when I’m learning. I know that sounds
weird. What I mean, is do one idle, then keep riding in a straight line
like normal, to get my balance again. If I fall off and have to get back
on each time I want to do one idle it really puts a dent in my confidence.
When I was learning I rode in a straight line for a few feet to start off,
idled for as long as I could within reason, and then kept going forward. I
stay on the unicycle the whole time, so it’s quicker and more fun. OR if
you HAVE to get off, do a planned dismount, don’t just wipe out. Looks
better for when anyone’s watching, too :slight_smile:

'Course, I don’t learn freemounting that way…

Graham W. Boyes

“Jeff Lutkus” <lutkus@unicyclist.com> wrote in message
news:20010703045643.BE9F636F9@sitemail.everyone.net…
> Ah, who doesn’t love stop signs? Here’s a question, what should I work
> on
most: the idle, or the amazingly graceful freemount?

4

I learned to idle when I had 6" cranks and it is slower and less secure
than on smaller unicycles. And it takes up more room in the street. Now
with 5.5" cranks, it is a little harder, but on the way to work today, I
had a chance to try it at a red light and it worked - very slowly. I am
rocking back almost a half revolution each time and keeping the action
gentle, and the wheel moving in a straight line back and forth. Like
everything, it takes practice.

Another option is doing slow little micro-hops. This works pretty well
with a Miyata seat/handle. You can work on hopping as infrequently as
possible, barely off the ground. The ultimate would be an unassisted still
stand, but I can’t do that yet.

                            Good luck,
                              Nathan
5

Greetings

In message “idling on a coker?”, Jeff Lutkus wrote…
>Ah, who doesn’t love stop signs? Here’s a question, what should I work
>on most: the idle, or
the amazingly graceful freemount?
>
>Currently, I can get in about one complete idle on my coker before it
>makes me dismount. So,
at most stop lights, I just dismount. When the light turns green, I run
across, wait for the cars to zoom past me, then mount and ride. I can
mount successfully probably 9 out of 10 times, but I’m not comfortable
enough to mount before going across the street.
>
>Any tips for learning either, or is it just go into the parking lot and
>repeat until perfected? For
idling, what amount of the wheel tends to be used? On my 20", I tend to
use at minimum 1/3 of the tire with each idle. I can’t decide if I should
go with more, less, or equal for hte coker.

Here is what I wrote on this about a year ago:

Jack Halpern wrote:

> Don’t “idle”, which involves rocking back and fourth, but “ride”
> backward and forward half a turn at a time. That is, your upper body
> moves in parallel with the wheel, unlike in true idling where it stays
> more or less in place while the wheel moves like a pendulum underneath
> it. Once you get used to it, you can mix the above with some real
> idling. Try it and you will see.

John Foss added:

> I agree with Kevin’s assessment. Idling a big wheel is a lot more
> involved than idling a little one. But it’s a good way to improve your
> skills. Jack Halpern’s explanation of how he does it was perfect. You
> actually stop, ride backwards a bit, stop, ride forward a bit, etc. It
> takes up a lot of room and isn’t convenient for red lights or other
> places where you might not have a lot of room.

Perhaos this info should be added to the unicycling FAQ…

>Jeff Lutkus
>
>_____________________________________________________________
>Free e-Mail and Webspace - http://Unicyclist.com
>

Stay on top, Jack Halpern Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc. Website: http://www.kanji.org

6

Greetings

In message “Re: idling on a coker?”, Nathan Hoover wrote…
>I learned to idle when I had 6" cranks and it is slower and less secure
>than on smaller unicycles. And it takes up more room in the street. Now
>with 5.5" cranks, it is a little harder, but on the way to work today, I
>had a chance to try it at a red light and it worked - very slowly. I am
>rocking back almost a half revolution each time and keeping the action
>gentle, and the wheel moving in a straight line back and forth. Like
>everything, it takes practice.

I wonder if you use the technique of “riding” back and forth, rather than
truw rocking, or perhaps a combination of bot?

>Another option is doing slow little micro-hops. This works pretty well
>with a Miyata seat/handle. You can work on hopping as infrequently as
>possible, barely off the ground. The ultimate would be an unassisted
>still stand, but I can’t do that yet.
>
> Good luck,
> Nathan
>
>

Stay on top, Jack Halpern Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc. Website: http://www.kanji.org

7

You’re right - it really is just riding back and forth slowly.

—Nathan

----- Original Message ----- From: “Jack Halpern” <jack@kanji.org>

> In message “Re: idling on a coker?”, Nathan Hoover wrote…
> >I learned to idle when I had 6" cranks and it is slower and less
> >secure
than
> >on smaller unicycles. And it takes up more room in the street.
> >Now with
5.5"
> >cranks, it is a little harder, but on the way to work today, I had a
chance
> >to try it at a red light and it worked - very slowly. I am rocking
> >back almost a half revolution each time and keeping the action
> >gentle, and
the
> >wheel moving in a straight line back and forth. Like everything, it
takes
> >practice.
>
> I wonder if you use the technique of “riding” back and forth, rather
> than true rocking, or perhaps a combination of both?

8

You’re right - it really is just riding back and forth slowly.

—Nathan

----- Original Message ----- From: “Jack Halpern” <jack@kanji.org>

> In message “Re: idling on a coker?”, Nathan Hoover wrote…
> >I learned to idle when I had 6" cranks and it is slower and less
> >secure
than
> >on smaller unicycles. And it takes up more room in the street.
> >Now with
5.5"
> >cranks, it is a little harder, but on the way to work today, I had a
chance
> >to try it at a red light and it worked - very slowly. I am rocking
> >back almost a half revolution each time and keeping the action
> >gentle, and
the
> >wheel moving in a straight line back and forth. Like everything, it
takes
> >practice.
>
> I wonder if you use the technique of “riding” back and forth, rather
> than true rocking, or perhaps a combination of both?

9

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Idling seems tough on the 5" cranks on my coker. I’ll have to try Jack
Halpern’s suggestion. I just realized though, that I can turn in small
circles, about 2 to 4 feet in diameter. If you have a clear patch at the
red light of say 6’ by 6’, try making little circles until the light
changes. With good tire pressure, it’s not hard with a little practice. A
half revolution on a Coker seems like it’s about 5 feet, so circles might
actually take up less room. Joe Merrill

–part1_df.1706c7bb.2873cd57_boundary Content-Type: text/html;
charset=“US-ASCII”

<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>Idling seems tough on the 5"
cranks on my coker. I’ll have to try Jack <BR>Halpern’s suggestion.
I just realized though, that I can turn in small <BR>circles, about
2 to 4 feet in diameter. If you have a clear patch at the red
<BR>light of say 6’ by 6’, try making little circles until the light
changes. <BR>With good tire pressure, it’s not hard with a little
practice. A half <BR>revolution on a Coker seems like it’s about 5
feet, so circles might actually <BR>take up less room. <BR>Joe
Merrill</FONT></HTML>

–part1_df.1706c7bb.2873cd57_boundary–

10

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This was good advice - worked like a charm. I spent about 30 minutes
getting used to riding back and forth slowly. Once I could do that, actual
idling came easily. By pulling up on the handle at the front and back of
each idle, you can control it quite well. Thanks

Joe Merrill

> Jack Halpern wrote:
>
> > Don’t “idle”, which involves rocking back and fourth, but “ride”
> > backward and forward half a turn at a time. That is, your upper body
> > moves in parallel with the wheel, unlike in true idling where it stays
> > more or less in place while the wheel moves like a pendulum underneath
> > it. Once you get used to it, you can mix the above with some real
> > idling. Try it and you will see.
>
> John Foss added:
>
> > I agree with Kevin’s assessment. Idling a big wheel is a lot more
> > involved than idling a little one. But it’s a good way to improve your
> > skills. Jack Halpern’s explanation of how he does it was perfect. You
> > actually stop,
> ride
> > backwards a bit, stop, ride forward a bit, etc. It takes up a lot of
> > room and isn’t convenient for red lights or other places where you
> > might not
> have
> > a lot of room.
>

–part1_fd.893a74a.28753eab_boundary Content-Type: text/html;
charset=“US-ASCII”

<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica>This was good advice - worked like a
charm. I spent about 30 minutes getting <BR>used to riding back and
forth slowly. Once I could do that, actual idling <BR>came easily.
By pulling up on the handle at the front and back of each idle,
<BR>you can control it quite well. Thanks <BR> <BR>Joe Merrill <BR>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2><BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style=“BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px
solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px”>Jack
Halpern wrote: <BR> <BR>> Don’t “idle”, which involves rocking back and
fourth, but <BR>> “ride” backward and forward half a turn at a time.
That is, your <BR>> upper body moves in parallel with the wheel, unlike
in true <BR>> idling where it stays more or less in place while the
wheel <BR>> moves like a pendulum underneath it. Once you get used to
<BR>> it, you can mix the above with some real idling. Try it and
<BR>> you will see. <BR> <BR>John Foss added: <BR> <BR>> I agree
with Kevin’s assessment. Idling a big wheel is a lot more involved
<BR>> than idling a little one. But it’s a good way to improve your
skills. Jack <BR>> Halpern’s explanation of how he does it was perfect.
You actually stop, <BR>ride <BR>> backwards a bit, stop, ride forward a
bit, etc. It takes up a lot of room <BR>> and isn’t convenient for red
lights or other places where you might not <BR>have <BR>> a lot of
room. <BR></FONT></HTML>

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