Progress
Yabba Dabba Do! 
I did 5 unassisted freemounts today followed by riding away (well… as far as the opposite wall in my classroom) on the 20 inch. Big HUGE news, IMHO. I need a bigger smiley face!
I was reading posts about how to go about it, and someone suggested a rolling mount. I sort of put a roll into it while my back foot was on the pedal before jumping. That seemed to make a big difference.
Hey OD Friends!!
I continue to be sooo impressed, inspired and encouraged by all the progress everyone is making!! I am finally back to UNI and our growing commUNIty after being sidelined much longer than expected by my discombobulated toe. Good thing the Learning Journal thread has been so long lived (thanks NSYO!) and keeps adding new members as my early com-padre’s have left me in their UNI dust!! You GO Gang!!!
Very happy to report that I got in my very first completely un-supported “ride” yesterday (no more railing, fence, shoulder to lean on)! Very short but sooooo SWEET! Can’t wait to get back out there!!! Only made it a distance of a couple meters at a go on average, but it felt really good. That bit of success and all of your accomplishments make much MUCH more seem just a practice, practice, practice away!!
Nice going on tackling the mount today 57UR!!!
Happy Peddling All!
Kickstand, Welcome back to here and to health! A Huge victory for you, keep it going!
57UR, NICE!! Read, read, read, then figure out what works for you. I still couldn’t properly explain what I do to freemount, except sometimes I cheat by pushing my heel into the crank to hold position. A bad habit I need to unlearn.
Scott and NSYO, thanks for the turning advice. I figure now is as good a time as any to start practicing turns. Left is ok, right is terrible. I still need about 30 feet to accomplish a turn. Big figure eights lead to small figure eights?
I ventured across the street to a strip mall to meet friends for dinner. Put on a little show that included a freemount, staying upright, and successfully making a 30 foot turn. Rode home after. Hoping to win some converts.
Ride on!
Kickstand: Great to hear from you again! I also had to stay off the uni for a bit, after surgery, I know how frustrating that is. Great to hear you are back and at it!
PAX and MAW have had some epic rides together, most recently on our 29’ers on a local rail-trail. After 20 miles my legs were jello (I’d like to blame my 150mm cranks vs. his 125mm, or maybe he’s just in better shape!); back at the cars he had to tease me a bit, asking whether I was going to hop around on the 20" (as I often do). I replied with an emphatic ‘no thanks’! 20 miles of fast easy pavement was different than 8 miles of Muni - different muscle groups hurt that were not used to that sort of riding. Oh and the firm saddle that is so great for Muni is not such an asset for road riding.
Welcome to all the new crew! NSYO must be very happy seeing his thread still thriving in the same friendly sharing spirit in which he started it.
I’ve noticed some discussion of wheel size etc. recently - here’s my 2 cents. In the 24 vs 26 vs 29 category, the biggest differences I’ve noticed are in the tire and crank length. A similarly equipped 24 and 26 are almost indistinguishable. 29’ers almost always tend to feel faster because they usually come with narrower XC-style tires that roll faster. Thus my theory is that a 29’er and a 26’er with similar tires will feel similar. The difference between a similarly equipped 24 and a 29 is big enough that you might notice. Of course the 20" and 36" are totally different beasts, no matter the tire.
For what it’s worth, here’s my short story. I learned from scratch, starting last November, on a 29’er. I’m 165lbs, 5’10". I decided on a 29’er thinking it might optimize distance and offroad riding potential. As it turns out- I could not have guessed better. With a 2.1 XC tire, I can do some intermediate Muni and still go as fast as I care to on dirt roads and pavement. It is plenty maneuverable. The bigger size forced me to master free-mounting immediately.
About 2 months in, I acquired a 20" that really helped me learn skills like hopping, that then transferred to the bigger wheel.
My story is not typical. Most don’t recommend learning on a 29’er. Shows you how stubborn I am.
So what’s my point? Equipment doesn’t matter (for the most part). Persistence and desire are the most important things. 20,24,26, even 29 are all great to learn on. (36er is probably tough to learn on, but don’t let me tell you what you can’t do! )
Obvious caveats are physical size - if you’re 5’4" with short legs, of course you’ll be more comfy with a 20 or 24.
Anyway. I’ve not posted in a while, hence the verbosity. PAX already linked the video from our last excellent Muni ride, so I’ll just attach a photo from today,
86 degree Muni ride at Accotink, flowers, green appearing on trees, loving it.
Hello KS, and welcome back! It has been a long recovery, but it is great to hear that you are back on your feet, and back in the saddle. Congrats on a great ride today!! Woohoo 
57UR–on your static mount, what is the position of your pedals? From your post it sounds like they are at 6 & 12 (clock position), which would explain why you need to do a back pedal first. If your starting position is closer to 3 & 9 (assuming your right foot is back) then your back foot would be at somewhere between 3 & 4 and you should be able to just jump/step up onto the front pedal at 9 or 10. I don’t know if I misunderstood your post, or if any of this is making sense. I hope so! But in your last post you said you had 5 mounts, and your description is similar to my mount where the wheel is not completely static, but there is some forward motion.
Anyway, you did it!! And that is all that really matters. 
Nice work
MAW - nice Green pedals 
I did the one long ride a few weeks ago on the 36er where I went 13 miles, but there is no way I am ready for 20 yet. PAX and MAW are pretty tough going 20 already, and TS is incredible riding 13ish several days in a row. I hope to hit the 20 milestone by the end of May. And you are all doing these distances on 29er’s! My last 3 36er rides I have been able to average 8 mph, but none of them have been ‘long’. Mostly still working on form, control, and relaxing in the saddle more. I need to get out with Bert–it really helps to have a partner.
Yesterday marked 7 months since I started to learn, and started the Learning Journal. Never would have guessed then where I would be now, or that this would have turned into the awesome group it has. Thanks everyone for making it what it is, and for being such a huge help to me so far. Looking forward to a lot more as I still have so much to learn. I appreciate the friendship.
Today I went 4 miles; 2 loops on my 2 mile running track around a housing development. It has a lot of uphill and downhill with a lot of turns, particularly a bunch of 90 degree corners. It is primarily level but there are quite a few bumps, rough spots, and cambered/tilted surfaces to make it plenty challenging. No daydreaming on this ride 
Afterwords I went about another mile; over the pedestrian bridge, down the long sidewalk the the Junior High, a loop around the school, and a bunch of technical turn work in the parking lot including figure 8’s and zig-zags using the parking lines. All of this on the 36er. Total distance was about 5 miles, and I only had 2 UPD’s so that was cool.
Still working on form, and still having to fight the torso-twist though it is getting better slowly. I was able to ride holding the handle for most of the ride, and did a few short sections with both hands on the handle.
I think it will be a fun spring and summer working on both the MUni and the 36er. Wish I could get out there to Maryland to ride the rail trail! But I think the MUni trails here in Utah will be awesome. I will have to get un-lazy later and post some video of the trail riding once it dries up a little.
G’night all. Sorry for the novel :o
Nice trail, nice video! Cool that you were all on different size wheels; 24-26-29. MAW, your video editing abilities are impressive. Maybe I can send you some footage later for finishing?
Nice hops, and loved the crash reel at the end too.
Greetings! Sounds like everyone is in good spirits. Temps here in Central Pa have improved over the last week, although it is still mostly cloudy and rainy. Even though, I still went out for a muni ride on Saturday to the trails we MTN bike on. It was 6 miles of pretty technical single-track and I was either walking the uni or on my face. Was a very good work out and I had fun on the sections that I could ride, but I sure was glad when it was over. I’ve decided that “Muni” for me will probably consist of smoother trails without large logs and “tombstones” and less elevation change. With that being said, I’ve stuck to the streets and sidewalks of Altoona for the past several days and today changed my N26 back to the Hookworm tire. I figure any light muni I do will not require the knobby so I’ll be just fine on the Hookworm or the 29er.
I think what I do intown can be considered “street” uni and I find that I enjoy it the most. This is best done on the N26 with the Hookworm. Lots of hopping up steps, riding down steps, riding curbs and walls and weaving in and out of parking meters. I pull the occasional 180 when I see my son’s friends on their bmx bikes - they “oooh” and “aaahh”. Today at work, a girl told me that one of her Facebook friends asked her if she has seen the nut riding around town on the unicycle (I AM the only “nut” in Central Pa that rides around town on a uni). She said she told her very proudly that she knows me personally. So I got that going for me.
The 29er is still best for riding around town (longer distances) and the 36" is absolutely the best on rails-to-trails where there are no obstacles, intersections or traffic and I can really haul it.
If I had it to do over again, the only thing I would change is that I would get the N24 instead of the N26. Not much of a difference in size, but I thought I was going to do more muni than street. But I think I’m making the N26 work for me - it’s all what you get used to.
Leg Cramps?
Do any of you suffer from leg cramps? Sometimes mine are awful. They usually happen at night about when it’s time to get some good sleep. It seems like the more uni or bicycle exercise I get, the more the cramps are a problem.
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
Stretching before bedtime. A hot bath before stretching is really great if you can. And increasing your overall water intake daily. A good, though lofty goal, is to divide your body weight in half and try to drink that many ounces per day. Do you take in foods or supplements with more electrolytes, particularly potassium?
Potassium deficiency is supposed to be one cause of leg cramps. Both bananas and “Emergenc-C” drink have potassium in them and may be helpful. Most rehydration drinks have potassium, but I try to avoid ones with lots of calories.
I will occasionally take an advil before bed if I think I overdid it that day. It does not specifically help leg cramps, but it may ease general aches and pains.
Scott
Thanks!
Thanks for the cramp advice Scott ttocs and NSYO. You have reinforced some things I have been told in the past. Interestingly, I have just started the Emergen-C in the last week, but I was not thinking about it for cramps. Come to think of it, the cramps do seem to be less severe this week even though the exercising has been bumped up a bit. Thanks for ALL of the advice. I need to be more consistant with actually DOING all of that, especially the stretching and keeping up with the water intake.
freemount practice
Quote from NSYO:
57UR–on your static mount, what is the position of your pedals? From your post it sounds like they are at 6 & 12 (clock position), which would explain why you need to do a back pedal first. If your starting position is closer to 3 & 9 (assuming your right foot is back) then your back foot would be at somewhere between 3 & 4 and you should be able to just jump/step up onto the front pedal at 9 or 10. I don’t know if I misunderstood your post, or if any of this is making sense. I hope so! But in your last post you said you had 5 mounts, and your description is similar to my mount where the wheel is not completely static, but there is some forward motion.
(How do you get the quote in the little box. When I pressed the quote button it did not do what I thought it would, so I started over and did a cut and paste.)
Actually, according to what I read, my starting position for the freemount seems backwards in every way from what most people are explaining.
My right foot is VERY dominant, but I seem to need to let that foot do the jumping and forward push on the front pedal, because that’s how I start rolling almost 100% of the time (even from a standing wall mount), and that’s what feels comfortable. I know I should practice starting the ride with the other foot, but I always want to just GO.
For the freemount the wheel is not at 6 and 12, but more like you describe. Even with the top pedal already forward, my right foot (the jumping foot) seems to automatically pull the wheel back under me. The slight roll forward helped that a lot. I also have to keep reminding myself not to put weight on the left foot while I roll and jump at the same time.
If the foot on the back pedal is slightly up, is that 4 (maybe 5) or is that 8 (maybe 7)? I’m having difficulty figuring out which way the “clock” is facing. Is the front of the clock around to my left, or to my right?
I am practicing the freemount between two counters that are about elbow high. (I want to get the mount down fairly consistently before I try it out in the open. I’m tired of landing on my tail bone and, to be honest, I’m a bit afraid of breaking the thing - the tail bone. My luck has held up so far, but somewhere back in this thread, I read about somebody breaking their tail bone. I don’t need or want THAT.) So… The counters are close enough that, yesterday, I think I would have had a few more successful attempts, but I ran into the counter. Three successful attempts yesterday, compared to 5 the day before. Today I will have more time, so I should get some better results.
I’m not falling off when I’m just riding. I have a good, smooth dismount off the back almost 100%. When I start learning something new, then I start falling again. I know that’s the way it is, but if I can keep that from happening, I will feel a lot better about it. Thus… the counter practice for the freemount.
Thanks everyone!
This is not only my favorite thread…
it’s my favorite place on the entire internet!!!
And avoid alcohol…sorry to be a killjoy but it really dehydrates.I know someone who’s awake and pacing around all night with cramps after only one dram
Hi Martha, You have probably read this topic: EASY freemount for Newbies really works!
I learned to freemount with the tyre grab method descibed here and can recomend it… Have fun, Joseph.
tire grab
Thanks jojoxie. I have pondered the tire grab option. I can’t imagine how anyone could tire grab mount a 20" or even a 24". On my few feeble attempts, I am leaning so far over (to grab the tire) there is no way I could actually jump up into a rolling position while still holding the tire. I watched (the girl who is so good at that… can’t remember her name) and thought it was neat, but I think she was on a much bigger tire.
Can you really do a tire grab on a 20 or 24? I must be doing something wrong.
Thanks!
Here’s my version: http://vimeo.com/12389076
As you can see I am right footed and hold the tyre with my left hand. I start with the right pedal at 6 o’clock and roll the wheel to 9 o’clock as I lean forward to grab the tyre. once the tyre is held firmly the uni won’t go anywhere allowing the left foot to find the pedal. Only letting go of the tyre when ready, It’s easy to bail at this point if for any reason you are unhappy.
I learnt with a support to my right but only grabbing it at the last moment (if at all). It took around half an hour to learn (on firm grass) and I’m a slow learner. I learnt on the 24 but the next day was able to do the same on the 20. When you lean forward to grab the tyre you are in the ideal position to ride forward. Good luck.
Press the quote-button on the post you want to quote. The text will begin with [ QUOTE=57UniRider;1441745 ] and end with [ /QUOTE ] (without the blanks).
Same here. I cannot figure the clock-thingy out either.
Best regards,
Sanne
Orange Juice is extremely high in potassium. I can’t drink it before bed due to reflux, but any other time is great. I usually have OJ and a banana or two every day.
Slim Fast (or generic brand) is also high in potassium. I use it as a meal supplement not a meal replacement, and it is great when you are exercising a lot.
On the quote thing, it is as Sanne said. I just keep only the parts that I want to quote between the opening and closing ‘tags’, not the whole quoted post. Also if you want to do multiple quotes from different posts you can click the little icon right next to the “Reply” button that has a little piece of paper with a big double quote on it. You can select as many of these as you want, then when you click “Reply” anywhere all of them will show up in your edit page. Make sense?
Mounting: The tire grab is fun for bigger wheels (I use it sometimes on the Muni 26, especially on uphill mounts, and sometimes on the 36er), but is pretty hard on a 24 and even harder on a 20 so I don’t even try to use it.
My left foot is the stationary one and I step up onto the other pedal with my right foot. Sounds like what you are doing 57UR, is that right? So my left foot is back with the pedal a little below the level position and the right pedal is forward a little above level. As I lean and step/jump up to the forward pedal I let the wheel roll forward a little so that when my foot lands on the pedal it is about level. If it is below level when your foot hits it then start with the back pedal a little lower. I also always make sure that the pedal itself is aligned with the crank arm so that I have the best chance of getting my foot in just the right position. Nothing worse than bad foot position! And it seems that getting on, with both feet in good position, is one of the hardest things to master. Hope this makes sense and helps.
Great video jojoxie! What a beautiful area to live in You ride very smoothly.
57UR - what I was trying to describe in the last post is what jojoxie does in the video minus the tire grab, and with my feet opposite his.
I thought 46 was getting a little ‘old’ to learn the unicycle, but it is clear from you two, and several others that we hear from here on this thread, that it is still pretty young ;). You are an inspiration to me! Gotta love it
