Learning Journal

Riding Advice
1549

I can certainly agree with that. I learned at 50. My wife bought me a uni for my birthday. I had already chosen which one to get, though, so it wasn’t a surprise.

It took me a lot longer to learn than most people - about twice as long - but it has been well worth it. I do miss my uni-hockey sessions when I can’t go, and, with the weather finally improving, I might be able to get outside to Muni.

I had a full medical recently, and the doc said I had the lungs of someone 20 years younger than me - (I just hope he doesn’t want them back!). He measured 110%-115% greater efficiency than was “normal” for my age.

So…

Jerry

1550

I will be increasing my protective gear next paycheck. I never needed elbow pads on my 24, but with 2 UPDs on my 36er, both times I’ve scraped my right elbow. Learn as I go.

1551

Since picking up a 36’r last week, I’ve updated my protective gear to include elbow pads and a helmet. (To go along with the knee pads and wrist guards I’ve been using.) I never used a helmet before because I never rode in traffic, and with the 3 or 4 mph cruising speed I never fell hard enough to hit my head. Now it’s a bit different. I’m pretty far off the ground, 10mph is pretty common, and I plan to go pretty long distances on regular roads, in traffic. I’m a little nervous about the increase in potential injury. So we adapt as needed. I still don’t have shin guards, that’s one spot I haven’t banged up so far.

1552

Lance,

A helmet gives you a nice place to park a mirror like this one.

I have this one and it works great to see cars coming from behind. It takes a few rides to get used to. I never ride without it. Even if I am not on a road it gives me a chance to see bikers or my kids trying to catch up.

The one drawback is the mirror falls off with the slightest bang. I had to buy a replacement mirror, but now I have a safety line of dental floss attached to it.

1553

Good idea, Jigy. I’ve thought about that, since I’m not very good at looking behind me while I’m riding. I think I’ll take that recommendation.
thx, LanceB

1554

Uni Lateral - Dancing injury? Yikes! I was involved in ballet for a while and even though we performed on stage in theaters, we were forbidden from ever using the old theater saying, “Break a leg.” For dancers, the mention of any sort of orthopedic injury was tempting fate. :slight_smile: Get well and back on your uni soon!

JerryAttrick - It’s great that you learned at 50! Maybe I’ve got a chance. I’ve never acquired physical skills like this as easily as many people either, but persistence makes up for a lot of that.

Btw, today I happened to find joggerdude’s topic for the first time. A lot of what I’ve been thinking and asking about here w/regard to protective gear was discussed just a few days before in that thread. There are some good comments here and some good ones over there too.

So I got out this evening for a couple of short sessions of rocking in place and creeping along a wall. It was spitting rain and a little bit chilly so I gave myself leave to do as much or as little as I felt like. I might have worked at it for 20 minutes each time with about 30 minutes of rest between. After trying a few different places, I settled on the brick patio behind the house. There’s a wall alongside that has a row of high windows, and the ledge underneath them (covered in pollen–ick!) is just the right height for my forearm to rest on when I’m saddled up. I did a lot of good practicing there.

No great successes or failures to report, just trying to feel my balance and learn when it’s time to dismount quickly, and which way to go when it’s that time. I left off the knee and elbow pads this time out but went with the rest of the gear. I only had one body armor check (BAC), when I stepped off out of balance and found myself headed for a patio table, and decided in mid-stumble that dropping on the spot was the better option.

So all in all it wasn’t bad. I’m a long way from riding for sure, but it went at least as well as I was expecting. I’m looking forward to trying it again tomorrow.

1555

Just checking in, no great breakthroughs to report but some progress was made.

I wasn’t able to practice on Thursday, but I got out for about two hours yesterday evening and for another hour or so today. I went back to creeping along the window ledge on the patio on Thursday, and after maybe an hour of that I started being able to imagine myself letting go and just riding it around. So I had to find some ways to demonstrate to myself how far away from that I actually was. :slight_smile:

The best of them was to set up two heavy plastic trash cans about six feet apart from each other in the driveway, then to mount up with a hand on one of them and just try to ride far enough to catch myself on (or crash into) the other one. Never made it! But I did get a lot of practicing done, and kept reminding myself to relax, to really sit on the seat, to look up, to keep my arms out, and all that.

It seemed like I was running into the most trouble at the six-and-twelve pedal position, maybe not having enough momentum to get past that dead spot, and also not having enough feel for my balance yet to push the pedal through it.

So I was back on the patio today working on that part of the pedal cycle, and making some progress in that area I think. I just stuck to wall creeping today, but also worked a little bit on creeping backwards. Two thoughts were at work here, the first being that in skating I never find much time to work on going backwards since I’m terrible at it and pretty good going forward, so skating forward is a lot more fun to do. But when I’m just creeping along the wall on the patio, there’s not a lot of difference either way and working on one was about as good as the other.

The other thought was that when I first tried creeping backwards, I noticed that I was just as panicky and helpless and out of control as I had been on Wednesday when I first climbed on it and tried going forwards. I could see that I must have learned something because I’m much closer now to riding in the forward direction. It was a good reminder of that.

Anyway, I’m definitely feeling the effects of the effort and all the tension and flailing and the awkward dismounts in all my muscles. In reality, in four days all I’ve really done is to go from not being able to ride a unicycle to not being able to ride a unicycle, so I can’t claim too much and I’m trying just to take it for what it is.

But I know I’ve improved a little bit at least, and I’m not in a race or trying to beat any deadline. I need to keep putting in a few hours here and there and continuing to be positive about it. And also to hang tough through all the rain that’s in the forecast for the next three days…

1556

When you’re just learning to pedal forwards using a support, always try to go a half-revolution at a time and only let your ‘rest spot’ be when your feet are at 3 and 9, never at 6 and 12 which is a ‘dead spot’ for unicyclists.

It’s a skill you’ll use later on steep hills on a MUni :smiley:

1557

Wow guys :slight_smile:
I’ve only been away for a few weeks and I’ve got loads of reading to catch up on.

Welcome to all the newbies :slight_smile:

Congrats to Animal Cage, THP and Unibiddy on the new additions. :slight_smile:
Unibiddy, you’ll soon get used to your new uni. I was using mine a few days ago trying to idle. The handiest thing about it is that I can just step away from it when I make a boo boo. My bum’s a lot nearer the ground :slight_smile:

THP your uni looks gorgous ! :slight_smile: I wouldn’t want to use that and risk getting it mucky :stuck_out_tongue:

I’ve been away on my hols so had some different uni rides. I’ve discovered that my 26” muni is way more fun going down hill on gravel dirt etc than trying to ride along the road. If only I could have the same uni with a smooth tyre :roll_eyes: .Don’t anyone dare suggest I swap the tyres over, I’d bu**er something up :wink:
Oooh, met a guy along a path who has a 20” and a giraffe in his attic…said as soon as his hols were over they were coming back down from the attic and being ridden :slight_smile:

Alucard

1558

Thank you Alucard, it has been an amazing unicycle to ride! I was well aware that my previous unicycle was holding me back, but i literally broke every personal best for trials i have had to date in about 20 minutes… I can mount like a monster, and have even learned a second form of mounting. It is an incredibly stable platform for everything and i am extremely happy i bit the bullet and purchased it. Despite some set back on the order having some mix ups Pete at Muni.ca was excelent, and corrected it as fast as possible.

@ Alucard - Changing a tire is extremely simple

Step 1 - place unicycle in car
Step 2 - Drive to bike shop
Step 3 - Enter bike shop
Step 4 - Purchase Maxxis Hookworm 26x2.5 and negotiate free installation for you.
Step 5 - Receive now changed unicycle
Step 6 - Wonder why you didn’t do it sooner

The maxxis hookworm has been an absolute blat to ride, it works well on every surface, except ice and deep mud… It does Muni VERY well and runs dead smooth!

1559

I ride a hoookworm when ever there is no snow for muni and street it looses a ton of rotation weight and RR

1560

: )

1561

Rofl @ thp:d

1562

Thanks for the tip! You’re right, I’ve noticed that I tend to want to rest at 6 and 12 since I feel safer with the 12 o’clock foot unweighted, so that I can step off any time I need to. I’ve read where people said they felt like they were “stuck to the pedals” and I’ve gotten that feeling with my feet at 3 and 9, with equal weight on both of them so that I couldn’t move either one. But I need to get over that, and hopefully I’ll start feeling more secure there with time and practice.

I’m going to take advantage of the rain and gloom today to recover and let my recent experience soak in. But I’ll work on that for sure next time out.

1563

Come to think of it, it probably would go on more easily if you butter it up. Or, as THP suggests, butter up the folks at the bike shop so they’ll do it for you. Or did you mean something other than “butter” there? :slight_smile:

I’ll leave the fellow with the giraffe in his attic for someone else to crack wise about.

Welcome back, and hello!

Tim

1564

:smiley: @ THP

LargeEddie :). Howdee, Yup, it was something a little stronger. :roll_eyes: I am not very good with changing tyres, I usually end up catching the inner tube and putting a hole in it.:frowning:

Maybe it’s a sign…keep the muni tyre on my 26” and get my 29” with my smooooooth tyre out of the attic and make another effort to ride it. Aye, sounds like a plan, give my 29” another try…:slight_smile:

Alucard

1566

I just knew it wouldn’t gather too much dust…I’ll send some Starmix your way after your first five miler on the 29"…Incentivisation :slight_smile:

1567

Oh jojoxie…oh…Haribo…yummeeeeeeeee. That’s like dangling a carrot on a stick.
It’s a deal :wink: Give me a few weeks, then I’ll forward my address.
I’d better get practicing…:slight_smile:

erm, is that 5 miles without a pud? or are puds allowed?

1568

Is that like a UPD, or are you talking about something completely different?

1569

Like Alucard, I regularly stop for a pud on longer rides - sticky toffee and custard is my favourite. I don’t like UPDs at all… :wink:

This helps me to maintain my trim, 200 lb figure coughs