I’m a San Antonio pal of “Kenny” in this forum, and I’m new to this.
I bought a 20" TORKER off of Kenny last year, in hopes of learning to ride a Uni to improve my balance for MTB riding/racing.
Kenny can mouch that I’m a pretty good “hammerhead” on the MTB, but it’s a year later, and after off-and-on attempts, I still can’t get up and moving on my Uni. In fact, I just got in from the back yard, where I use the fence as a guide.
Any help from you guys would be great. My goal: is to get a Knobby-tired Yuni and ride around the neighborhood, run errands, and ride trails!
i found riding on the concrete is way easier thasn in the grass when learing. a very skight downhill spole helps too. And if you have old ski poles- use them when you are learning and get off bvalance you can correct yourself. lastly, sit up straight and dont try to flail your arms.
My friend who got me started with uni gave me this pointer:
RAILING
I seemed to learn fairly quickly on a nearby flat, paved path with long railing. The railing helped get me additional time upright and pedaling. I think you might learn quicker with more time in the saddle and believe that a railing helps.
You did not say how many hours total you have spent.
I would say, practice on the sidewalk, way easier than grass/dirt.
I disagree with the previous posters, use a garbage can, car, mailbox, whatever to mount, then let go and try and ride. Don’t give up!!
FLAIL your arms as much as you want. This definitely helps to keep balance, sit up straight as much as you can!
I am 40. I learned over labor day weekend. Within about 2 weeks I could go about 150 ft and within a month, I made it around the block, yes with UPDs, but still around the block. It has been 3 months now, and I go for about three 6 mile rides a week. I have a 24 torker and a Coker.
b
Some people can’t learn like that. I used a railing. How much can you flail your arms in one second or less? If you fall right off, over and over again, then you will not spend much time practicing riding. You will practice picking up the unicycle and climbing on. But we all learn differently. A slow learner (like me) should probably use a railing.
Good luck, Rick. This is how we all started. Some of us are lucky and the rest of us take time to learn.
There’s some handy stuff you may find helpfull on mine and Andrew Carter’s website: www.unicycle.2ya.com
It’s got tips on basic riding/learning how to ride, and then when you get better some more advanced stuff.
Hey Rick.
Glad to see you’re asking advice from the “all-knowing Gods of unicycling” Let me know when we can get together and I’ll give you some lessons. Now that you’re ready to commit, I’ll let you borrow one of my other unis. I’ve got an extra 24x3 Muni that is loaned out at the moment, but I should be getting it back after Christmas. I’ve also got a 28" with 170 cranks that may fit your lanky body a little better than that 20" you’ve got right now.
As Pete said, check out www.unicycle.2ya.com, there’s some really good tutorials there
On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 16:02:14 -0600, “rswiegert” wrote:
>Any help from you guys would be great.
You could go to <http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/uni_beginners.htm>.
Towards the bottom of the page are two links. One is to a Word
document “Learning to unicycle”, it is essentially the same as appears
on the website that munimanpete referred to. The other is a link to a
page predicting how long it will take you to learn riding, depending
on your age etc. That’s meant as encouragement.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
“Deflating pi does not reduce calories, it just concentrates them. - billham”
Roger that Kenny…Knowin’ me, I’ll buy the 24x3 from you too (give me motivation to keep at it)!!… Heh heheheh
Thanks for the info and the insight
I’m taking your advice of stayin gupright, a slight forward lean, and making sure to “fall to the front”. Yeah, I’d like to get together…I saw Jeff @ Britton’s Saturday, and he offered as well.
I’ve been working at it this weekend, and will do some more today (we’re on half-day schedules through the Holidays
Put your weight on the seat and remember to keep it there. Tell yourself over and over again “keep your weight on the seat.”
Look forward a bit, not down at the wheel. Remind yourself to keep your weight on the seat.
Try to make smooth, round pedal strokes. Remind yourself to keep your weight on the seat.
Grab onto something convenient and launch out into an open, paved area and fall. Don’t chicken out and step off, ride until you fall. Each time you fall you learn to make a correction. Each correction you make, the more your body learns how to handle them. Remind yourself to keep your weight on the seat.
When you make corrections, you do so by applying extra force to one or both pedals. This has taken your weight off the seat. Remind yourself to keep your weight on the seat.
Let me know when we can get together and I’ll give you some lessons. Now that you’re ready to commit, I’ll let you borrow one of my other unis. I’ve got an extra 24x3 Muni that is loaned out at the moment, but I should be getting it back after Christmas. I’ve also got a 28" with 170 cranks that may fit your lanky body a little better than that 20" you’ve got right now.
