Hi there!
I’m a contact juggler from Missouri who bought a Torker Unistar LX 24" a couple years back. I never really had a chance to learn or practice with it (mainly because I spend all my time juggling/working …) but I’ve decided to do a big push to become a competent unicyclist.
My current aptitude lies somewhere between moving the cranks a quarter turn to a half turn and then falling off after flailing my arms widely. I consider this great progress after several sessions of figuring out how to get on the seat successfully. I managed to move a full rotation and a quarter turn or so tonight before falling off tonight, but that’s about as far I’ve gotten.
I do have a few questions though.
I’ve read on a few sites that with the LX I should upgrade my pedals ASAP. I’m not sure why, or even what qualities to find in a pedal. So if anyone can elucidate it would be much appreciated.
Also, I’ve noticed the seat, although pretty cushy, leaves my inner thighs kind of sore. Is this normal until I get used to sitting on a uni or should I be looking for another seat? Perhaps one with a narrower body?
I’m sure the only beginner tip worth offering (as with juggling…) is to keep at it, but as far as my equipment goes if anyone has advice I’d love to hear it
Hi
I bought my first 20" uni (a cyclone) in June this year and had similar problems with a sore inner thighs and beyond… I can now ride to work and back a 10km commute on my KH24!The sore inner thigh problem is gone…it may be because of the better seat on my KH, or it could just be that your body adapts to whatever you throw at it! Possibly there is a lot of chafing when you are first learning - getting off and on heaps. Maybe if you wore bike shorts you can avoid buying a saddle for a while? I also have a Torker, a AX29 and the pedals are useless! They busted after only a ride or two and have no traction at all if they get wet! I bought some basic wellgo pedals from my local bikeshop which are really good for the price I paid $20NZ.My KH came with metal pedals with pins but REALLY hurt when you start freemounting. I also like the MCNEIL guage BMX pedals. I’ve put those on my Torker with great results!
Find a wall or try using some hiking sticks, then practice every day until you can ride free. Don’t sweat the little stuff, you’ll get more comfortable over time.
Unicycling is one of the hardest sports to learn, you need months, years, and still it is very hard, so don’t be in a hurry. Dedicate at least 15 minutes to practice each day for a couple weeks, you’ll get it.
The pedals on the LX aren’t that bad. They aren’t the strongest and are incredibly slippery when wet, but they should last long enough to decide if you want to keep unicycling, so I say save your money for now. I think these pedals are good for learning because it is easy to reposition your foot while riding, and they don’t have spikes to tear up your shins. I rode my AX24 (basically an LX with a better frame) quite a bit, and the pedals are still like new.
For me the problem with the LX saddle is the location of the seam. After practicing a while, you learn how to position yourself on the seat. It was mostly a problem for the first 15-20 hours of practice and on my longer road rides. Bike shorts help. My brother tells me this was considered the most comfortable seat until the KH seats came out. I upgraded to a (used) muni with a KH Street seat, but a new cover on the LX seat would probably be good enough.
It takes quite a while to be able to start riding. It took me ten hours to be able to consistently make it past the first down stroke. Then it only took a couple more hours to be able to ride around the park, then another 20 to mostly get freemounting. The big first step was to realize that I would land on my feet when I fell.
forget the seat and pedals right now. go buy some bike shorts(padded) at your LBS(local bike shop). find a wall and take it slow. after getting comfortable on a wall, find two posts that are 5-10 feet apart and practice riding between them. this is what i did, and it forced you to be able to ride a short distance. then youre golden.
…) but I’ve decided to do a big push to become a competent unicyclist.