Hello everyone,
I have been reading your posts for a few weeks now, while I waited for my first unicycle to arrive. I was determined to learn to ride and I knew I would need all of the advice I could get. The unicycle (unfortunately I could only afford a cheap one, for now) arrived on monday and I went outside and started to try to ride it. After a few hours and a sore bum I could ride it a good 30 feet every go. I needed a wall to start though. I practiced again the next day and I managed to go the whole way along the length of a soccer field. Yesterday I practiced free mounting but I just couldn’t get the hang of it, so I tried idling and practiced turning. Today I manage to ride three miles at about 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile intervals and I picked up free mounting. Free mounting is still sloppy and sometimes it takes 10 tries to get it but I can. I just want to say that unicycling is amazing, the feeling that I get when doing it is astounding.
Sal Gionfriddo
p.s. I accidently created an extra account when signing up because it said there was an error if anyone could let me know how to delete the extra one it would be much appreciated. thanks.
Welcome aboard Monkey Juggler. Unicycling is amazing! I remember how fun it was the day I learned. Now lots of years later and thousands of miles later, it remains just as fun. I think about when and where I’m going to ride days before I go out. It a sport that seems to stay new forever!
[sp]I’m undetermined as to how impressed to be by your rapid progress. If you could clerify: are you a Monkey who Juggles, or a Juggler of Monkies?[/sp]
rhysling wrote:
>
> If you could clerify: are you a Monkey who Juggles, or a Juggler of
> Monkies?[/sp]
I juggled a Monkey once. You see, I was at this cat juggling festival
down in Mexico, and there was this guy with a Monkey… and well, after
a few tequilas…
I had mentioned that I was having trouble mounting and I still am. Just not to the same extent. One out of every seven tries now, besides a few lucky first attempts. I found that it is a bit easier to mount if I slowly jog behind the unicycle then hop up onto it and start peddling right away. I’m not sure if this is quite the rolling mount though, my peddles never go backwards but they do pause for a fraction of a second. Well hopefully I will have these down to every other try or so within a week, then I will feel comfortable cycling farther from home.
Questions: I remember reading somewhere that to become a level such and such unicyclist you must be tested by someone in the USA. How can I contact someone from that Association? Do you need to be a member? How much does it cost to become a member?
Thanks in advance,
Sal Gionfriddo, the ever elusive monkey juggler
[sp]Your doing great MJ- most people I know find a rolling mount (or proto-rolling mount) more difficult, since it requires faster feet! I say ‘proto’ since according to the powers that be (John Foss, the Quintesential Archive of Unicycle Minutia, or QAUM) the mount you are doing is actualy a jump mount, since the pedals stop as you make contact (I’m painfully aware of this phanomina, as 90% of my ‘rolling’ mounts are just dressed up jump mounts). Walking mounts can be an aid, since they help put you where you want to be, over the axel- and equaly important- stationary relative to the cycle. It would help to apply this to your stationary mount- aim your jump to stall over the axel with little or no forward movement; avoid jumping past the cycle. That magic moment when you are in 0-G leaves you plenty of time to place your feet. For those who are just getting used to this sort of thing, consider lowering the seat just a tad and doing a few test jumps with the idea that your feet may miss the pedals, until you get comfy- the ground will still be there to land on, and the lowered seat wont jogo stick you off.[/sp]
