Freemounts ><
Can anyone give pointers on freemounting?
I’m going better riding, but before i wanna hit the streets I want to try get atleast adept at freemounts…
Can anyone give me pointers? Which leg I should use first?
At the moment i’ve been trying with both but can’t seem to see which I should focus on…
I’ve seen videos on how it’s done properly but I can’t seem to move seemlessly over the uni without the front pedal smacking me in the shins…
Anypointers would be great…
Thanks
If you have watched the videos and you know the basic technique then all I can tell you is to practice. It’s all a matter of getting the right amount of weight on the pedal, getting your weight onto the seat ASAP and the balance. I find freemount difficult (I am balancly challanged) and am still not very good at freemounting my 29er.
So I would say practice and patience, but perhaps someone else can give you some more practical advice.
Cathy
freemountung
Try using a stair or a piece of wood to stop the wheel from rolling.
then slowly try to jump on your Uni but in your head think of jumping over it.
Then move the wood or away from the stair and try it. This is how I got it down in 2 hours. And do not push on the rear pedal just use your weight to keep it only from moving.
Good Luck:) 
Left foot on pedal, then up.
Rather than applying much pressure on the pedal, try to hop up onto your seat and sit on it quickly. At the same time, get your other foot on the pedal and get ready to start pedalling.
I used to talk to myself in my head while learning to freemount. I’d say: “Get up! Now pedal!” It worked for me.
I learned with the static mount, which I found a lot easier than the rollback mount.
Just find a gentle, smooth slope (I used my driveway) and have your pedals in a vertical position, with the pedal corresponding to your strong foot in the 6:00 position. With the unicycle in front of you, place the seat in your crotch and put your strong foot on the 6:00 pedal, holding onto the front of the seat with your strong hand. In one, smooth motion, step up with your other foot, placing it right on the 12:00 pedal, and immediately start to pedal out of it. When you start to get going, remove your hand from the front of the seat, and off you go!
Obviously, every method you try will take practice, including this one. But this is the way I learned, and I liked it.
Good luck, and happy mounting!
This seems like it would require the gentle downhill because you’re starting at the dead-pedal or no-torque position. Gravity would have to get you going. From here I guess you could go to the 7:00 then 8:00 and on positions and go to level ground because you have some starting torque.
By the way, dudewithasock has an interesting Journal of a new Unicycler that outlines learning progress.
One of the easiest ways is to find a gentle downhill, driveway or such. This way when you step on the pedal the uni wont go backward. Then you can plant your other foot and go.
Whichever foot you put on the pedal first, put the pedal dead at 6 oclock, that way it wont move. I think static mount is easier than rolling at first.
Didn’t have a problem with it personally, Greg. I learned to push that pedal at just the right angle and force so I can pedal out of it fairly easily.
If you think the 6:00 position is a bit too hard, try putting it more like at the 7:00. Either way, though, I have never found freemounting from a horizontal crank position any easier.
Oh and speaking of my journal, I just made my last post in it.
cool, gonna have to go look at that dwas.
and about the freemounting, what I did to learn in aobut 20 mins was take 10 minutes to learn to mount properly (cranks horizontally) while holding onto something (a pole). Then, once you can do that without rolling the weak pedal back and getting a nasty pedal bite, go out in the great wide open and try it there. If you got the process down right, it should only take you 10 to 20 minutes to learn to freemount!
and good luck learning how, thats the fun part!
Re: Mounting…
These posts have been an interesting read for me. I own a unicycle
jointly with a group of friends. We all live quite close together
during our time at uni and then someone takes it home during the
holidays. About 3 of us have learnt to free mount pretty much
independently and we all do it differently from the way described here.
We tend to put most pressure on the lower peddle, then push back with
the upper for a quarter or sixth term and then ride away. Is that the
rollback mount? If so is pedalling straight forward easier?
I’ve also tried to learn the mount where you pass your upper leg round
the seat. I’ve not had much luck. Is that perhaps because I’m trying
to roll back where I shouldn’t be?
Any other tips?
Thanks,
Griff
If we look at the cranks as hands of a clock, then the cranks can be at 6 and 12, 9 and 3, 8 and 2, or whatever.
If you have a digital clock, you are doomed never to freemount a unicycle.
I taught myself to freemount in the 6 and 12 position, but always found it hard work and unreliable - even after about 15 years.
Then someone told me to try 8 and 2.
I now use something like 8 and 2, and mounting is easy and reliable.
The 8 pedal is the one slightly below horizontal, and should be the one towards you. I am right handed and right footed, and I nearly always mount with the 8 pedal to the left.
Put your seat in position between your legs.
Put your left foot on the 8 pedal.
Makes sure the 2 pedal is at the right angle for your foot to land on it.
Hold the front of the seat with your right hand.
Push slightly forwards with your right foot so that the 8 pedal starts to push up against the bottom of your left foot, then spring up into the riding position. There should be hardly any roll back at all.
This procedure puts you on the unicycle with your right foot in front, and the pedal somewhere between 1 and 2 which is a good position for that first power stroke.
Freemounting, still stands, riding slowly, tight turns, idling and reversing have overlapping skills. For example, if you practise riding slowly, almost stopping, then speeding up, this is good practice for the first few revs after a static freemount. If you can idle, you can be confident with a rollback mount. And so on.
Re: Mounting…
On 15 Jan 2006 09:12:43 -0800, higherspeed@gmail.com wrote:
>Is that the
>rollback mount? If so is pedalling straight forward easier?
Yes it sounds like you do the rollback mount. Only for a rollback
mount, most peope don’t step on the pedal at its bottom position but
somewhat more towards you, so that the wheel would actually roll back
if you step on the pedal. That way you don’t have to generate as much
forward momentum in your body.
Whether the rollback or the static mount is easier depends on the
person. Most find it easiest to the the static mount.
>I’ve also tried to learn the mount where you pass your upper leg round
>the seat. I’ve not had much luck. Is that perhaps because I’m trying
>to roll back where I shouldn’t be?
With that mount you start with your first foot on the pedal in its
bottom position right? To get going once you’re in the seat from that
starting position, it’s most convenient to push the top pedal somewhat
back to get ahead of the support point. Then you reverse the wheel
rotation i.e. ride away. It would of course be possible to mount
already slightly to the front so that you can directly pedal away, but
most people don’t do it like that because applying forward force from
‘dead’ position isn’t as easy as applying backward force.
i personally use the static mount, it works for me, and ive learned to static mount and ride as long as i want in 5 days now