@Blueblade I tried to find the video about how to static mount which helped me a lot, but I really don’t remember which one it was. The main point was to first train to step over the unicycle with the second foot without trying to hit the pedal but instead step on the ground on the other side. Instead concentrate on the movement of the saddle over the unicycle - if this makes any sense. Only when you get the feeling for this movement, start trying to hit the pedal, not the ground on the other side of the wheel.
But that’s mainly for static mounts. TBH, I still don’t manage rollback mounts very well and therefore prefer static mounts.
Thanks all for all the great suggestions! I did get to try the “less pressure on th pedals” while holding on a wall… it did make a difference, hopefully I can manage the same while actually riding.
I am going to spend time practicing freemount, on both sides (I had been sticking to the "easy"side only). The point about going over to the other side to start with I think might help. I have been tending to not commit enough and or get a bit of rotation from too much pedal pressure so just trying to rock over linearly first might help.
Unimyra’s video makes it look so easy and slow motion! For me it feels like a rush, try to get that foot on a pedal asap before i fall, usually in an awkward position then i try to correct while pedaling off if I can manage to try.
Maybe this is the problem. Don’t hurry, take the time you need, nobody is chasing you. If you do it more patient, you can focus far better on your technique than on trying not to fall off while making a careless mounting move.
You can also divide the mount in 2 sub-task that you can focus on independent from another. (Like with juggling: I always teach the kids to focus only on how to throw the ball right. When the throwing is good, catching is a piece of cake. If not, cathing will be really hard.)
Hold that foot on the pedal, push you up from the ground and practice to lift your center of gravity properly over the center of the wheel. With time, you can do this slower and slower. And then step two: placing the 2nd foot on it’s pedal, will be easier as you can focus on this movement not being in a rush and already having to deal with all the effects of the improper movements you made before.
Finally got a chance to try out some of these things.
less foot pressure: this really seemed to help a lot with putting more weight in the saddle especially trying to focus on less pressure on the back foot as it is rising-- but it was much harder to do while actually riding than holding on to something. Regardless, my distance almost doubled to 400m (while less out of breath) and I was also able to ride down a ~5° hill for the first time too. Actually I am going to call this riding 0.4 km, that sounds better!
unimyra’s video really helped, especially the part putting weight on the saddle with one hand, it really helped slow things down so i could place the second foot on the pedal in a much more controlled manner instead of more or less trying to jump on it before and hope i got it straighta nd centered. I was able to almost ride off most times this time, with both sides, when it was maybe a 1/10 success (if that) before, and only on my dominant side.
The static mount definitely seems like a better first mount for me than roll-back. It rolls back alright… quickly and shoots out the back!
Finally some more progress after feeling stuck at a plateau for months!
This is a couple days late, but where are you located? I’m sure a lot of people on this forum would be into meeting up for a day of unicycling, if they were nearby you. From my experience teaching people vs. how I went about learning, having someone present to tell you what’s going on is really, really beneficial and can save you a lot of headaches and a lot of hours.
Not quite, but close! I had watched a tip by @UniGeezer of practicing using cinder blocks with a paper plate, trying not to smash the plate, and trying to jump up/over, so that helped think about not pushing down on the back foot so much as preventing that pedal from rising…but it still seemed to happen a little too fast.
But then Unimyra’s tip about putting pressure on the saddle really slowed it down and I feel I am very close to being successful with that one, it suddenly feels like a slow and controllable rock up with plenty of time to position the second foot, even if I don’t quite have it down yet.
I will give the rollback mount some more attempts using your tip. I do my assisted mounts with the pedal @6:00, then roll forward so it’s @9:00 before letting go and riding off, so maybe your suggestion will feel more natural. My previous failed roll back attempts were tying to start rear pedal about 8:00 and pushing that pedal to rolk the uni under me, which always resulted in it just shooting out the back once I was close to having the uni vertical.
The dead zone is responsible for most of my dismounts so I have been afraid of it unless holding on to something, but the way you describe sounds much more promising.
Anyway, thank you for the suggestions!
Not sure if that was at me, but I am about 35 miles southwest of Seattle. Unfortunately, I rarely get a chance to get out much the last few years… housebound most of the time due to my son’s health problems.
Otherwise, meeting up with others would be very cool. Getting out for a few minutes here and there to try learning this unicycle is one of the ways I am trying to keep my sanity!
I’ll say two things here. One, I’m unfairly biased towards the 9/3 mount, and two, slamdance is unfairly biased towards the rollback mount Putting weight on the saddle is key, you’re not quite just jumping off of one foot. That’s one of the reasons why Terry (UniGeezer) made an updated video about it. I think the standard is far easier and simpler (a good indication is that it’s the standard, but then again don’t quote me on that because we all ride unicycles and that is definitely not the standard).
You can see in the top right of the post, it shows your name and an arrow and means I’m replying to you.
If you do want to contact a couple people to check if they have a chance to meet up with you (if you have the time), you have two options that I know of:
Noli Ergas: thenoli(at)gmail(dot)com
Isaiah Leitz: doesn’t list contact info, but you can give him a PM on this forum and see if he still comes online.
Those guys are both located in Seattle. I found this on the Open Unicycling Map, you can check there if you want by clicking the globe in the top right corner of the forum to the left of your profile picture.
I’m a fan of the rollback mount too - but I don’t hate the static mount, it’s just that rollback clicked in before for me. And it allows to mount into an idle too. I also find rollback much easier when facing uphill - though static is way easier facing downhill.
Now that’s really interesting! When I’m mounting on a steep uphill I usually just mount facing down and then hop around, which sometimes doesn’t go so well. That in itself is a good reason to try the rollback mount, which is something I may do… possibly.
I’m definitely going to try your method because, well, I would like to know how to do both mounts eventually and I’m not really successful at either yet-- so might as well try it!
Especially if there is a newer technique that might be the difference-maker that I haven’t tried yet. I would like to be able to do at least one, because I am really getting sick of taking a long walk back to a handhold every time one of my runs comes to an end.
Here are a couple suggestions for learning a proper static mount. They are based on what worked for me. Your mileage may vary.
Practice on a 20". Point the toe of the foot on the first pedal toward the ground and try to push your foot backward, toward yourself. Don’t judge your mount on whether or not you ride away from it. Rather, focus on doing it slowly while keeping the pedals in a fixed position. Practice on grass, where the response will be less twitchy and where falls won’t hurt you. Practice riding to a complete stop, then dismount slowly off the back starting with the front foot; this emulates, in reverse, the static mount. Practice idling. At either end of the idle is a static position. Try placing both hands, pushing down, on the grab handle while mounting. They will help you maintain consistent weight on the seat. Lean forward at the hips to get your center of gravity more over the hub. Try mounting seat in front with both hands on the seat pushing down while you lean forward. Though you won’t be able to ride away from this mount, your hands will get better tactile feedback about how much weight you’re putting in the seat.
Thanks! For a change, i mostly practiced mounting today, instead of mostly riding. I noticed a few things.
the thing that was helping slow down the mounting: putting weight on the seat with one hand, is also holding me up. I noticed not having that hand free makes me feel less stable. I tried riding with one hand holding the saddle and noticed it seems very awkward, only being able to flail one hand about, especially with my non dominant hand holding the saddle. I think I need to practice riding while holding the saddle with one hand more (with both sides) to get more comfortable riding one handed.
I am really awkward with my non dominant leg. I was trying to practice equally on both sides but clearly I am much better one one side (proof I should practice on the weak side more!). I am much more comfortable with the dominant leg in 6:00/idling position than the other leg too, which I think is limiting me for mounting. Even wall/pole assisted mouning feels awkward using my non dominant leg first.
the rollback mount still feels much more difficult than the static. I will keep practicing it some because I think it will be helpful being more comfortable with that starting in somewhat of an idle idea, but it definitely feels harder. I think I would have a better chance trying the walking/rolling start over the rollback one.
I think investing some time in idling practice like you suggested will help too. I was also trying to practice riding extremely slow to get more comfortable in that balancing in one spot momentarily concept.
mounting seems like it is just as hard to learn if not harder than riding!
You alreay said in a previous post that you practise mounting equally with both legs. That lead me to try mounting with my weak leg last week and I failed miserably. I didn’t even get close to a successful mount, even though I can rollback, jump and static mount quite succesfully with my strong leg.
I’m wondering whether learning to mount with your weak leg is even worth it…
Yeah, i thought I was closer than I am too…
Before I was practicing mounting on the grass… I was doing good getting on, but not taking off.
Feeling more confident, i started practicing on pavement since that is the end goal… Much harder! It doesn’t stay put, twists easier and my weak side feels substantially more awkward as a result.
I think my grass mounting practice has run its course for now, turning into more of a hindrance than a help, but it did help me get more familiar with the mechanics such that I feel comfortable practicing on pavement from now on at least.
You make a good point though… how important is that ability? I preface that with I want to muni, so I was guessing it is more important there where you might be in an unusual terrain situation where the other side would be better.
Putting weight on the saddle is key, you’re not quite just jumping off of one foot. That’s one of the reasons why Terry (UniGeezer) made an updated video about it. I think the standard is far easier and simpler (a good indication is that it’s the standard, but then again don’t quote me on that because we all ride unicycles and that is definitely not the standard).
