Hey Bela,
Sounds really familiar…
… and I’m finding if I don’t do it every single day… like everything else unicycle related… I have to catch up with where I was before.
Thanks for letting us know how it’s going!
Keep it up… the numbers will increase. 
Hi 57uni,
how’s the mile record going? Hope you are getting out everyday for half an hour or so.
And yes, the more you ride the better, like everything. What are you riding nowadays, the 20 or the 24?
Cheers
James
A first!
I actually got a free mount today! Just one, but hopefully there will be more to come. My husband is pretty good with them now, and he is smoother too. I’m still working on relaxing so I can increase distance. We are practicing on sandy dirt and cement sidewalks. We’ve been getting positive feedback from the walkers and tennis players in the area. Lots of fun.
Hey Young at heart. Well Done You 
Great feeling eh?
When you nail your freemount for the ‘first’ time you know you’ll be able to do it again, and the ‘next’ time won’t be too far away. Way to Go!
Hello Everyone!
Hey Young at Heart!
Great to hear from you.
Allucard is right. Once you get the first freemount, you will get another, and another. SUPER!
Hi krjames!
Well, I thought the weather was finally super, but the wind down at the fishing camp decided it would like to pretend it’s hurricane season. So, no, I have not been practicing as regularly as I would like. During the last spurt of good weather (about a week ago), I was definitely playing catch up. But the riding is getting more relaxed. I have not achieved that non-stop mile, but I have a week break from school the first week in April. I’m planning on serious practice time… and hoping the wind and rain will behave themselves!
I still want a 22" uni !!!
I am still working on the 20" and trying the 24" on my trusty walkway where I am just about fearless due to the safety nets (wall and railing). I hope to ride down the street on the 24" that first week in April. It is confounding that it feels so big now after riding the thing like a dare devil a year ago (relatively speaking) !!!
However, I continue to practice the idling and…
thanks to jojoxie (!!!)…
…decided to try to figure out how to turn the thing around on a dime.
jojoxie… the video of you idling and hoping 180 to go back the other way is lodged in my head. I practice hops… and then try attaching them to idling and riding off. I have a LOT more practicing to do, but I can see it is possible. I did get the “hops, idle, ride off” several times. The reverse (ride, stop, hop) doesn’t seem nearly as easy.
The idling is progressing slowly. I got 41 rocks (back/front as 1) last week (once). The best count prior to that was 34 (once), and the best count before that was something like 21, which I can do much more frequently.
Daylight Savings Time is BACK!
That’s SUPER!
Happy Riding Everyone!
Hey 57UR…that idling sounds good, you’ve really cracked it. We want to see a video! I’ve managed to transfer the ride/stop/hop to the 24". It took a while…the momentum of the slightly larger wheel slows it all down. I think the trick with stopping and then hopping is to stand on the pedals as your cranks come near horizontal, put pressure on the back pedal and get a hold of the handle in one flowing movement, then straight into the hop, the first hop might still have some forward momentum esp. with a 24", just lean back into it.
Good luck and have fun with the wind 
Joseph.
Hi Jojoxie,
I remember commenting about you getting to 20 something on the idling. I thought, gee, if you can get over 20 it seems like you could just keep going indefinitely. NOW I get it. It doesn’t happen quite like that. The rocks feel great… and then the whole thing gets out of whack. Sometimes recovery is possible… sometimes not.
Maybe I can do that video the first week of April.
How far can you go before…
I am wondering how far people can ride before having a UPD or getting too tired to continue? Just wondering how I am doing compared to others. My husband is gettiing much smoother and can thus go farther. I’m still struggling to relax more. Thanks.
HeyYoung at heart
I quite often freemount, go forward 5 or six revs, then fall off. On a good day I can go about 1/4 mile. on a really good day it’s 1 mile.
I try not to compare myself with others, it’s too darn depressing :p. I figure it’s okay so long as I’m enjoying myself!
There are lots of things I know I will never be able to do, but I’m pleased at what I have achieved so far, and having fun along the way.
( Here endeth the first lesson 
)
I don’t get very far at all when I muni
I’ve often wondered how long the average muni ride lasts, in distance or time 
Re relaxing unibiddy, do you hold your arms out and wiggle your fingers??? I find that helps me a lot.
Hi Young at Heart!
Alucard is obviously quite a WISE uni rider! I don’t think I could have come up with nearly that good a comment.
It seemed like FOREVER that I could barely do a quarter mile, if that much, without being absolutely exhausted. Now… After some warm ups, I can do half a mile, usually. I say usually, but sometimes it is 3 or 4 weeks between serious effort, due to whatever. Then it seems like I have to play “catch up” again.
Young at Heart, It seems you have the pleasure, and at the same time, the frustration, of having your husband as a riding partner.
After reading this forum for almost a year now, I’m pretty convinced guys (in general) have more strength (and thus, maybe more NERVE) to just push through the hard stuff to the other side… Meaning they can keep pedaling long after older women (I’m especially talking about myself here) are flat exhausted. IMHO…In general, men have more muscle and may be less fearful of breaking something. Maybe I’ve come to that conclusion, because I was(?) am(?) so out of shape prior to getting the insane idea that I could ride the contraption around the block in a couple of months. … It took MUCH longer than that! … And much longer still to do it without a dismount!!
Keep at it Young at Heart!!! You are doing great!
…
Hey, this weekend I’m working on a couple things and have come up with some questions:
When idling, I’m wondering whether it is easier to HOP A 180 degree turn… Or do the turn with idles. Not sure what those kind of idles would be called, but I think I saw a word for it here somewhere… Where you idle and gradually turn around and go 180 degrees the other way.
Also… I am still thinking about a new uni. No, Alucard, I shall not kid myself into thinking a 29" will work just yet! (if ever!)
I’m considering the Nimbus Sport Racing 24" because it has a skinny tire among other things that would be an upgrade from my Torker LX.
I’ve asked the question in other threads, but what do you all think about that uni for me? The wheel is actually 25" so I don’t know why they call it a 24". I still wonder if the skinny tire would be helpful for turning… But would it be less stable otherwise. And someone said I would feel every bump.
Any opinions?
Would the ISIS Cranks make a lot of difference for me?
How about the seat? Is the one it comes with… A good one, or should I get something different?
I will post a link… In just a bit.
Thanks!
Here is the uni I am considering buying.
http://www.unicycle.com/nimbus-e-sport-24-inch-race-unicycle.html/
What do you all think?
Any other specific suggestions?
Thanks!
Where are the go faster stripes? It needs go faster stripes:D
It looks like it might go like stink, how will it handle pot holes and little things like running over bottle tops and other litter, that can’t be avoided?
Will it be easy to get a new tube or tyre when they wear out?
Am I right in thinking its’ tyre size makes it nearly a 26"
Am I also right in thinking that if is has isis cranks you could fit duals? and maybe start off with 150’s then move to 125’s when more confident???
Alucard and Young At Heart,
I want to amend my reply to your inquiry UniBiddy!
Hey, I like the way Alucard used your other name. It rolls off the tongue easier, and as I recall, you wanted to use switch to that one anyway.
Shall we use it on a regular basis?
I read my answer again, and I still think Alucard’s answer was much better. For one thing, I can’t always get down the road at least a quarter of a mile, especially if it’s been 3 or 4 weeks without some good practice.
I like the way Alucard said she sometimes freemounts and has to do it over again after 5 or 6 revs. I do that too (probably a lot more than Alucard!!!).
Also, I’m still on the 20", but I’m aiming for getting the 24" down the road again the first week in April when I will have more time to practice. Gee, I hope the weather is good that week!
I still want to know what everyone thinks about the Nimbus Sport Racing 24" (Would I be nuts to get one of those? What about turning; control; feeling every bump? Is the skinny wheel a good idea, or not? Is the seat good, or is there a better one?)…
…Also … is it easier to turn 180 degrees from an idle with hopping or turning gradually with idles.
I’m writing those two questions over again, because the page changed, and I didn’t want the questions to get lost.
Thanks Everyone!
Thanks girls for the info. I think my husband can go farther because he can relax more, so he isn’t fighting with himself. I’ve been trying to go around a pond (about a quarter mile) without being distracted by the local alligator, the walkers, cars, bicycles etc. I almost made it the other day, but my brother in law showed up in his car and proceeded to drive over to say hello. Off I went! It is a dirt road and it is good practice to go over the bumps ruts etc. The cement side walk seems much easier afterward.
I would say turning 180 with hops would be easier, I do it frequently whereas I’m not sure if I’ve ever used idles to turn around. The idea sounds awkward to me. If you have room just making a sharp regular turn is easiest. Once you get comfortable with sharp turns the width of a sidewalk is quite reasonable.
I think it’s advertised as a 24" since with the bigger rim and smaller tire the outside diameter of the tire is the same as your current 24" uni (a bit over 25" too).
I think the racing unicycle would be a bad purchase for you since you will notice:
-on a 1" tire bumps will feel VERY harsh
-the light wheelset won’t have very much momentum so when you go to roll over a bump/unevenness it will tend to want to stop.
-it will really want to zig-zag as you pedal, it’ll take a very gentle touch to ride smoothly
In summary, it might be a bit easier to turn and with some practice it might be faster than your current 24, I think it will be quite unpleasant to ride otherwise since it was built to be rode on a perfectly smooth surface.
If you want a bit of a taste of how the racer would feel, take your current 24 and pump it up to the very max pressure indicated on the sidewall.
And I think it would be a very bad idea too… grump grump. 
The reasons above are enough, but it is also good for nothing apart from racing… unless you want to wear skin tight lycra and ride on the track!!!
I would plan (as you appear to have) to get back on the 24 and ride miles this summer.
On the question of distance, firstly it’s a matter of relaxing (you will know you are getting there when you first experience the feeling of ’ I’m sitting on top of a pole pedaling like made and going faster and faster! 
) I was riding about 2 or 3 km before I really got that control. The second thing is straight fitness, probably once a week you should go out for a ‘long’ ride and eash week try to go a bit further. (like 5 or 10 minutes) And yes, it’s more than ok to have a rest day afterwards
But if you haven’t got to the ‘I can ride as long as I like’ stage do spend plenty of time just riding. Practising skills does involve a lot of coming off and getting back on, good for mounting practise but not for unconscious control and fitness.
And to repeat, no you don’t need to buy a new uni. I rode 20 km on my Qu-ax 24, took a while though… Probably for us, it’s more important to find somewhere suitable to practise, the less distractions the better.
Cheers
Very true, even some easy XC riding can improve your confidence when riding on paved roads resulting in a more relaxed ride.
Also riding same tracks with different unis can help. Paths i wasn’t able to ride on the 20" are no longer a problem once i rode them with the 26".
Greetings
Byc
I do not see any point to buying the 24" Nimbus racer. The hard, narrow tire is good for going fast on a very smooth surface, but that does not sound like your interest. I might suggest a 26" with a hookworm tire (smooth and large enough to be bouncy.) I do not see anything like that on the UDC website, although you could get a 26" Nimbus Muni and switch tires to a Hookworm. It would be a bit different than what you currently have and the large soft tire would make it easier to go over bumps in the road. You would be all set up for muni if you wanted to try it later.
As far as riding distance, I would suggest getting out every day. I am trying to increase my speed, and lots of riding helps. The other technique I am working on is to keep my feet very light on the pedals. If I step down hard on the pedals it takes more work and I can only use a low cadence–my weight is shifting with every step. Instead, I try to float my feet lightly on the pedals and spin very smoothly. That give me a much faster cadence and it is also much less tiring in the long run. (It helps to have short cranks, but you do not want to go there yet.)
Good luck with your riding. Spring is almost here!
Scott
Happy Birthday 57Unirider :D:D:D:D