Well I have been on here for a week and today I received my new Unicycle. I got one of those sweet orange 24" Nimbus Munis with the KH moment and hub. I have never ridden before and I couldn’t wait to get it put together.
I have been watching videos and reading other peoples learning journals. I have tried to get all I could from them and look for common themes and lessons to ingrain in my mind. After watching quite a few videos on Youtube I noticed one common theme on the 2 and 3 day videos. All of them that were riding were just starting off and taking a chance and not using a wall. The people who seemed to take the longest were using a wall or fence. I decided to try and be brave and just roll.
So with my 7 yr old son by my side for encouragement I hit the little park across the street and grabbed a lightpole, got on it and took off. I took off about 2 revs before I shot backwards off the uni an did a legs over head UPD. It’s ok because my head broke my fall and so far I was in the grass
I remounted and after that I started to get 2 to 3 revs before I would shoot off the uni from some direction. Then it picked up to 6 or 7 revs and so on. In about 20 minutes I had gotten going 20 ft down pretty well before shooting off the uni. I was in the grass at this point and I came to a point where I ran out of grass andf had to go across concrete and man was that easier to go on. I did a couple more runs in the grass until I almost forgot about the previous heels over head experience and went to the concrete.
My first try there was about 30 feet. I kept at it and was able to cross the plaza area in the park which is 60ft before I would do a Semi-PD. I am on break right now and trying to let my legs recover. I have been riding about 1-1/2 hrs today so far.
My main question I have is, how do I know if I am putting enough weight on the saddle. I feel like it is about 1/2 saddle and 1/2 pedals right now. I also have heard people say to lean forward but it seems like the uni is leaning back a little while my body is leaning forward. Is this what people meant by lean forward? I appreciate any advice and input on this. Thanks to all who have contributed to this forum and made such a great resource for us newbies.
But it seems you are doing ok, so go with what is working.
My advice is to run the tire as soft as you can. Sit on it holding something for balance, and twist from side to side looking at the tire. Soften it until it starts to crease and fold a bit, that is to soft, somewhere between that and 20 psi should be good.
Later on, you will have to run more pressure, to prevent the rim from bottoming when you hop or drop. Until then, a very soft muni tire will smooth out the ground for you, greatly aiding off pavement riding.
Thanks! I will mess with the tire pressure. I wasn’t inferring that wall riders are not learning the right way. I was just offering my observations from videos I watched and my experience with not using a wall. It was probably a little more hairy without the wall but it seemed to work ok in my case. I don’t think it is the way everyone should start. I think everyone needs to tailor learning methods to work for themselves. Like i said, I am very thankful for this great resource and the people here. Everyone has been really friendly unlike a lot of other forums out there.
You might have hit the record for learning! When I ride it feels like the seat post is leaning back about an inch and then I lean forward. I was told I lean forward too much but if I sit straight up, I cant ride. It might also be due to my skating as butt back, head forward creates the fore/back stability. If you are riding, I guess you have it so dont worry! If you ride relaxed, I think you naturally sit in the seat more.
Just curious, I guess you are under 30? I think girls in general tend to be more cautious since we are not built for war, and us older folks dont want to risk injury as much. Personally I cant risk a bad fall as I had a broken arm in a cast for 7 months and dont care to revisit it. I love the wall method, slow but safe. I’m still working on the sideways balance. I’ve practiced 4 hours and slowly making progress.
i just got my orange nimbus24 today,I can ride a 20 inch wheel like crazey,but Im struggling with the 24 wheel,going straight is fine,but Im havin probs turning,I also did a feet over shoulder fall today,I guess we just have to stick to it
The best advice is always the simplest, and often frustrating to hear. Just practice. But sounds like you’re already doing that, so there’s not a whole lot anyone here can tell you.
I am 34. I do a lot of skateboarding so falling isn’t an issue and I have done a lot of MTB riding on very rough downhill like trails. I think that may be why it is somewhat natural. I can reliably get across the plaza and beyond now. I am making it about 100ft every three tries now. I can do wide turns now but no really tight tuns yet. I am still in the flailing arm stage right now. I find if I can keep my arms out wide and still it is much easier to ride. I run into issues when I try to bring them in too close. Sometimes the unicycle seems to be riding itself and I am just there if that makes any sense. It is rare but it is most comfortable when that happens. I can’t wait til I am good enough for the yellow trails at the Santos MTB trails. Need a little more turn control. I want to try some freemounting but I think I need a couple more days of just riding. Thanks again!
Thanks Jerrick. I was thinking of raising the saddle a little to force myself onto the saddle a little more. It still feels like 1/2 pedals and 1/2 saddle. I definitely can see needing to look forward more.
Thanks!!
I JUST FREEMOUNTED and rode!!! I am so stoked. I can do it about 3 in 10 times now. Main things that helped me get it was to put the cranks at 7 so the uni didn’t shot back too far when I put pressure on the pedal. Also tilting the uni a little to the left helped offset the tendency to tilt over to the right when getting on it. Lastly, I try to keep it slow and smooth to prevent the uni from shooting out from under me. When I can put all these together I am off and rolling. I am getting about 250 ft each time now and making the corners. I’ll make a video of the freemount and ride tomorrow in the light. I really can’t repeat too much how much the info here has helped me progress. Day 2 down. I can’t wait until tomorrow!!
I couldn’t resist riding more and I have one more note. I find it much easier to freemount and ride if I am not holding onto the saddle. If I just slowly put my arms up for balance as I am mounting it puts me in the right position to go baby go!! (Sorry I am just really excited!!)
I know I am posting a lot but one more note. If I keep the pedals horizontal when freemounting instead of at 7 I can keep from hitting the dead spot when mounting and just get going. I catch the other pedal when the cranks are at between 7 and 8 now which puts my foot in prime placement for starting. I also need new MTB golves because my pointer finger is blistered from catching the saddle on UPDs and PDs. I think that and putting my MTB shorts on will make this so much more enjoyable. I am going to try riding off curbs tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes.
I have been unicycling for just over two years and when I was learning to ride I had some of the similiar questions that you have. First of all it doesn’t matter which way the seat leans, it is all about the center of balance. If the seat is leaning backward a little but you are leaning forward a little more than that will keep you going forward. Also If you are getting bucked off the unicycle then in my opinion you probably have too much weight on the pedals. Of course you need to keep some weight on the pedals especially when you hit a bump, but try to experiment with it and find out what is best for you. You did good to start off the way that you did. When I learned I tried having to friends walk on my sides and support me, that only teaches you to depend on them. Good luck and have a blast!
thats a nice uni, and good job! I’ve been considering getting one but I’m not sure what wheel size i want. I currently run around on a Sun - suits my needs for now but I would like to upgrade for some harder Muni stuff (I usually only hit soft/easy trails - nothing overly challenging)
