This is my first post, and I am just getting into unucycling!
This christmas, I decided I wanted a uni so my parents said research it and find a good one. So we got a new 24 inch schwinn from ebay and I’ve been in love with it ever since.
I am getting frustrated latley just because I cant seem to progress anymore. I can self-mount, and i can stand idle and i have the balance down. I can go for a short distance, but it seems like I’m missing one final step. I have alot of trouble going in a striaght line too.
The 24 inch is not too big to learn on. You learned. Lots of people learn on 24 inch unicycles.
As for trouble riding in a straight line, that is a common issue with new riders. Keep riding. Don’t get discouraged. As you ride more, you will overcome the tendency to lean to one side. As for your distance riding, be sure to rest your body weight on the seat as much as possible and not on your legs. With your weight on the seat, your legs will not get tired so fast. Keep riding. It will get easier and more fun.
Yes, practice for sure is ultimately the way you will progress. But don’t practice to the point where you’re just getting more and more frustrated and angry.
If you’re freemounting (“self-mount”) and idling, then you have come along way since Christmas and many, me among them, took way longer than that to get either of those skills down.
So, once in a while, step back and take a day off. It is quite common to come back to something, after taking a brief break, with fresh enthusiasm and improved ability as your mind and body absorbed what you’d been practicing.
You might benefit from a few of the tips for “Basic Riding” at www.unicycle.2ya.com . While you’re practising riding in a straighter line and getting more comfortable with the unicycle, just alway remember that it will soon feel completely natural to you. It can get frustrating for some people, and they tend to think they’ll never get there…but you really will, and soon. It’ll be a lot of fun when you do too.
On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 15:13:23 -0600, “PinkBirdyLX” wrote:
>Also is a 24 inch too big to learn on? Thanks!
No it’s not. On average, people learn quicker on a 20" but many learn
perfectly well on 24". Crank length matters too, for a 24" 150 mm is
better than 125 mm (for learning, that is). Cranks are not expensive
and not very difficult to swap (but you need some tools and do it
correctly).
i suspect u may not have your weight as comfortably on the seat as u might want it to be
as a result, u’re riding a lil’ while and as soon as u need to correct your balance, u’re putting too much weight on your legs
this results in the bottom foot ‘stalling’ at the BDC (Bottom Dead Center)position which results in a UPD (UnPlanned Dismount )
go back and double check that your seat is at the right height
(when u sitting comfortably on the uni with your heel on the bottom pedal, your leg should be straight, but not locked)
a way to ensure that u have your full weight on the seat is to sit on the uni and hold onto a wall or a fence or a friend, and then try n lift both feet off the pedals simultaneously
obviously u don’t want to actually life your feet off the pedals, u just want to make sure that u have them as lightly on the pedals as possible
the ‘riding-straight’ issue is primarily one of practise
focus on rolling your feet around in circles on the pedals rather than just stepping down on them when they come around to the front
this should help smooth out your riding and should help with going straight
It sounds like you have a great start even if you don’t think so. I learned on a 24", I know you can too. Concentrate on the riding first and work more on the idling and mounting after you get that down.
Are you anywhere near Detroit? If so, come hang out with us at RTUC. http://www.rtuc.org
We’ll give you all kinds of riding tips and you can try out other unicyles.
)