Trying to think of suggestions for safe dismounts in backward riding, but it’s been a long time since I messed around with a lot of backward. We used to do a 50 meter backward race! That one was somehow easy to eliminate around the time of the early Unicons, while the Slow Races have been impossible to kill. Maybe the danger was more obvious in the Backward races than the inability to judge objectively in the Slow…
I think it’s all about being ready to get your feet out behind you. Since you’re learning, you want to be ready to bail. And since you’re not a teenager, you probably don’t feel the need to ride the uni into the ground. So, being ready to bail “early” will help of course. And when you do, try to pull that first foot nice and far back before putting it on the ground. This will give you an edge over falling over backward.
It sounds so easy when you say that, but now that I started practicing, I feel my feet are too stuck on the pedals. I should probably put more weight on the saddle. I also noticed that when hanging backwards, I forget to pedal, which is an important ingredient to actually riding backwards Luckily there is still a nice wall I can hold on to.
I’ve noticed that the feel of idling comes more naturally when also focusing on riding backwards, but there my hips are too stiff still and I’m not yet sure how the back and forth motion will stop me from falling to the side. Again, thank you dear wall for keeping my balance.
Thanks. Usually I do just as you described. Occasionally I just get fouled up with a foot caught on a pedal throwing the unicycle back and under me. So I can either end up on my back or tangled in the unicycle. But it hasn’t been too bad. I make a thud and a loud groan, but no real damage.
Far from it (53 years old ). I’m more than happy to sacrifice the unicycle at a moment’s notice. Sometimes I just seem to get in the way of it.
As of today I think I’m declaring that I can “ride backward”. It’s a very fuzzy line of course, but more often than not I’m pedaling 30-50+ pedals, doing some basic steering, and usually making good corrections in both speed and steering.
Still a long way to go. Nowhere near riding my backward figure-8 yet. But no longer just trying to get in 2 or 3 pedals.
Not much to add really.
Interesting point about the lots of short sessions, but I’m sure that means lots per day!
I found it relatively easy to learn idling once I got a 20", after about 6 years of riding… One thing that did surprise me was how much I had to raise the seat from what I was used to. Over a period of three weeks I think I raised it about 20mm. ( I measure pedal BDC to seat top by the way, saves having to think about crank lengths) I then ended up raising the seat height on all my unis.
After about 10 months I can idle no problem, but I can only get a full circle backwards very occasionally, and only to the left. Long way to doing figure of eights…
BTW my 20" has 145mm cranks and they seem a bit easier to learn with too, cf the 114s on the uni I practice on at the gym.
So small wheel, long cranks and a high seat is my suggestion
When you can ride 30-50 pedals back, you can consider yourself to be able to ride backwards. Why would you ever need to do more? I mostly want to learn to ride backwards to get a better balance.
I still have to find out how not to fall sideways when idling. I hope someone can tell me that, especially since you’re supposed to keep your upper body in the same place, mostly.
As someone that is not able to idle I feel uniquely qualified to answer this
It looks to me like you have to twist to the left or right for each forward or backward thrust as required to keep the wheel beneath you laterally. That certainly makes sense to me. As with riding forward or backward you control your longitudinal balance by pedaling, and your lateral balance by changing the direction of your path. It’s a classic inverted pendulum problem - but with two different actions for the two degrees of freedom.
In other news, I did my 26th 15 minute session today. Instead of trying for longer rides backward I started working on my transitions. By the end of my session I could get a forward to backward transition maybe half the time. I also got a couple of backward to forward transitions, but got a lot less practice at them. On one ride I managed both.
What about holding a mirror to see where your going? As long as you don’t have to turn it might be handy. Maybe even attach it to your helm
when I try to picture that, you might actually end up looking like a big insect with mirrors on sticks on either side of the helmet.
It would probably be more helpful to save good, detailed descriptions of how to idle for a thread devoted to that; it could be a good resource for future riders.
I always use a mirror for Road riding. It’s a little one that attaches to my sunglasses. Not super-useful for a backwards-learner, as it only gives you a tiny view and you have to hold your head still to see what’s going on back there. Better to check your environs before starting. If you are getting good–making lots of revolutions–you should start working it into a large circle (or other shape) so you can keep track of your riding space more easily.
I just finished my 4th 15 minute session working on transitions. My forward-to-back transitions are beginning to get somewhat consistent, and my back-to-forwards are improving, but not at all consistent yet.
Ultimately I want to learn to do either one on either foot. Hopefully this will mean I will learn to idle with either foot low. Can most people idle with either foot or is it more common to have a preferred foot?
It is most common to have a preferred foot (just like a preferred hand), but anyone who spends a little time on it can get perfectly comfortable idling with either foot. I would consider it a basic skill, as it can come in very handy being able to switch to the other foot if needed.
Thanks. I’d really like to be able to switch directions quickly from either direction with either foot. I imagine that sort of dexterity would be very useful for something like uniball (even though I don’t have any big plans for playing uniball).
I have 2 weeks holiday amd decided to focus on learning to ride backwards. In 2015 I lost interest. It was the year that I learned to ride unicycle. I see my posts were only 3 months after I started it all. Now I feel much more comfy on a uni and mastered a UW. So I figured riding backwards would be a skill that is attainable. Ive had 3 sessuons of an hour and several times managed 2 rotations and occasionally 3. Yesterday when doing 3 it clicked for a moment.
I ride along a fence and different from when learning to ride forward, it doesnt act as a magnet as I lose balance either away from it and towards it. A few times I managed to do an idle even though Im not practicing that. Transitioning from riding forwards to a stop and turning into backwards motion I find very difficult. It is easier to get into a hop when slowing to a stop.
Some questions:
I practice on a trials unicycle. Would a freestyle uni be better to learn with because it has less friction?
When riding forward I mostly keep both hands on the seat. Will riding with both hands in the air give additional balance when riding backwards in the beginning? I still felt wobbly.
No I don’t think so. Just pump up the tire to the maximum. As long as your tire isn’t soft, you should still be able to make the necessary small twisting adjustments for side to side balance.
Yes I think you should hold your hands up and do whatever helps keep you going, just like when learning to ride initially. I still do this. I think all the usual tips for learning apply: sit up straight, don’t look down, weight on the seat, etc.
You’ve got to get that pendulum feeling like you’re idling. It should feel like one motion from forwards to backwards. Don’t emphasize the stop in the middle. Getting the right amount of backward lean so that you can ride with control takes practice.
I remember jumping off a lot because I felt like I was going to fall backwards. It takes time to get comfortable with that. You have to convince your brain to relax that falling backwards instinct.
I have wide hips and poor side to side stability with the saddle. That deficiency accelerated my progress toward holding onto the seat and bar ends. My lack of stability while riding backward is even more pronounced. I spend a lot of time practicing backward riding. I don’t hold my hands out for balance any more. I used to do it seat-in-front. I got pretty good at riding long distances and doing figure eights SIF. More recently, I have been practicing backward riding in the “four points” position. I am able, with great struggle, to ride around the perimeter of an outdoor basketball court and do backward figure eights (not too small) in the “four points” position.
Yesterday I took my 24" for a ride. I stopped at a baseball diamond and practiced some backwards riding (four points). It was more than a little bit harder on the 24", compared to my trials. The crank to wheel ratio on my 24" is almost identical to my 19". But changing direction, during idling or going forward to backward, felt more resistant. Most people, IMHO, are going to be better off practicing bw riding on a smaller wheel.
While practicing bw on my 24", I reflected on how important my foot position was. I wanted to be as practically close to the toes as possible: 1. For control (being close to the toes helps with control in most situations. 2. For the eventual dismount, it’s easier to jump off when riding near the toes. 3. Riding near my toes moved my center of gravity back.
@Setonix I suggest you learn idling and backward riding at the same time. Spend less time going for your best bw distance and more time practicing changing direction. You are on the cusp of getting this. If you can UW, you can do anything!
Today I practiced more than an hour and I managed 7 pedal strokes a few times. I also tried idling, which needs a lot of practice still, but somehow worked out a few times as well. Then I tried at a different spot to hold on to a post and then push off backwards where I also managed to ride 7 pedal strokes when there was nothing to hold on to, so I was forced to balance in the middle. I felt I made good progress, though many many times I only managed 1-2 pedal strokes. I will just have to be patient.
Luckily there is still a nice wall I can hold on to.
). I’m more than happy to sacrifice the unicycle at a moment’s notice. Sometimes I just seem to get in the way of it.
