As you may have guessed from the heading, I’m new to the unicycling =
list. Which makes sense as I’m also new to unicycling. I’m 14, and I just
got my first unicycle about a week ago. It’s a = Torker, with a 24" wheel.
I can sort of ride it. Sort of would be the = operative phrase here. Does
anyone have any advice on how I could keep pedalling? What I mean = is, I
get on, ride five to ten feet, unconciously stop pedalling, and = promptly
fall off. I do manage to catch the seat, though. Has anybody = else had
this problem? One of the difficulties I’ve had is that I was = unable to
find a really good place to practice, and have to settle for = mounting
using the back of our car (which fortunately is quite tall) and = then
just riding off across the rather rough and uneven sidewalk (or = else
into our rosebush - OUCH!). It seemed to be working; I’d made a lot = of
headway, but now I’ve sort of hit a plateau. I know I can’t expect = too
much after a week, but it really is frustrating (especially when I = hear
about all the nifty things to do . . . once I learn to ride). So = any
advice will be gladly (and graciously) accepted.
wiretapper@earthlink.net writes:
>As you may have guessed from the heading, I’m new to the unicycling list.
>Which makes sense as I’m also new to unicycling. I’m 14, and I just got
>my first unicycle about a week ago. It’s a Torker, with a 24" wheel. I
>can sort of ride it. Sort of would be the operative phrase here. Does
>anyone have any advice on how I could keep pedalling? What I mean is, I
>get on, ride five to ten feet, unconciously stop pedalling, and promptly
>fall off. I do manage to catch the seat, though. Has anybody else had
>this problem? One of the difficulties I’ve had is that I was unable to
>find a really good place to practice, and have to settle for mounting
>using the back of our car (which fortunately is quite tall) and then just
>riding off across the rather rough and uneven sidewalk (or else into our
>rosebush - OUCH!). It seemed to be working; I’d made a lot of headway,
>but now I’ve sort of hit a plateau. I know I can’t expect too much after
>a week, but it really is frustrating (especially when I hear about all
>the nifty things to do . . . once I learn to ride). So any advice will be
>gladly (and graciously) accepted.
>
>Thea
Sounds like you’re off to a good start. That’s basically how I learned,
and it worked (with lots of persistance). There are plenty of better ways,
but in the absense of friends to stand beside you for an hour or so, yours
will do. Just keep at it.
It helped that I would set goals for myself (“Can’t go upstairs till I’ve
gone three revolutions”). I got it in about three days at 3hrs/day. Pretty
boring at first, but the rewards are fantastic.
David
PS: My first practice area was even weirder: from my desk to my bed.
Thea,
I second that…persistence! And even more so, patience! We learned in our
living room from riding from the piano to the couch last January (snow and
ice on the driveway) and there were many times we felt like giving up,
even took out frustrations on the uni’s occasionally. But, even though the
learning process may seem like an eternity, it actually progresses quickly
especially for the younger folks. One thing that I feel really helped us
was to track and mark new record distances ridden, even if it was only a
few feet. We used tape on the carpet. We started a club recently and have
a base of kids just learning to ride. Over the span of only one week,
we’ve got some kids who are riding many feet before unintentionally
dismounting. Each new ride is exhilarating for them! Now we use sidewalk
chalk to mark new distances. Once the learning process starts, it has no
where to go but up! We also focused on riding first and then moved on to
other skills like free mounting one the riding was down pat. I have to
agree with David, the rewards are indeed fantastic!
All the best to you and your efforts, Bruce http://move.to/daup
> Wiretapper wrote:
>
> As you may have guessed from the heading, I’m new to the unicycling
> list. Which makes sense as I’m also new to unicycling. I’m 14, and I
> just got my first unicycle about a week ago. It’s a Torker, with a 24"
> wheel. I can sort of ride it. Sort of would be the operative phrase
> here. Does anyone have any advice on how I could keep pedalling? What I
> mean is, I get on, ride five to ten feet, unconciously stop pedalling,
> and promptly fall off. I do manage to catch the seat, though. Has
> anybody else had this problem? One of the difficulties I’ve had is that
> I was unable to find a really good place to practice, and have to settle
> for mounting using the back of our car (which fortunately is quite tall)
> and then just riding off across the rather rough and uneven sidewalk (or
> else into our rosebush - OUCH!). It seemed to be working; I’d made a lot
> of headway, but now I’ve sort of hit a plateau. I know I can’t expect
> too much after a week, but it really is frustrating (especially when I
> hear about all the nifty things to do . . . once I learn to ride). So
> any advice will be gladly (and graciously) accepted.
>
> Thea wiretapper@earthlink.net
Where do you live?
Most unicyclist I know give free lessons. Great way to get started is to
spend an hour or so with someone who can offer some points.
RossB
Wiretapper wrote:
> As you may have guessed from the heading, I’m new to the unicycling
> list. Which makes sense as I’m also new to unicycling.I’m 14, and I just
> got my first unicycle about a week ago. It’s a Torker, with a 24" wheel.
> I can sort of ride it. Sort of would be the operative phrase here.Does
> anyone have any advice on how I could keep pedalling? What I mean is, I
> get on, ride five to ten feet, unconciously stop pedalling, and promptly
> fall off. I do manage to catch the seat, though. Has anybody else had
> this problem? One of the difficulties I’ve had is that I was unable to
> find a really good place to practice, and have to settle for mounting
> using the back of our car (which fortunately is quite tall) and then
> just riding off across the rather rough and uneven sidewalk (or else
> into our rosebush - OUCH!). It seemed to be working; I’d made a lot of
> headway, but now I’ve sort of hit a plateau. I know I can’t expect too
> much after a week, but it really is frustrating (especially when I hear
> about all the nifty things to do .
> . . once I learn to ride). So any advice will be gladly (and graciously)
> accepted. Theawiretapper@earthlink.net
------=_NextPart_000_0045_01C119D1.6C129160
charset="iso-8859-1"
I would suggest soft chanting: pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
= pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal. 
“Wiretapper” <wiretapper@earthlink.net> wrote in message=20 Does anyone
have any advice on how I could keep pedalling? What I mean = is, I get
on, ride five to ten feet, unconciously stop pedalling, and = promptly
fall off.=20
------=_NextPart_000_0045_01C119D1.6C129160 Content-Type: text/html;
charset=“iso-8859-1”
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN”>
<HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4616.200"
name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I would suggest soft chanting: =
pedal, pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal, pedal,=20 pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,=20
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal, pedal,=20 pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,=20
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, =
pedal, pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,=20 pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal,=20 pedal, pedal,
pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, = pedal. =20
:-)</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20 style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px;
MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DV>“Wiretapper” <<A=20
href=3D"mailto:wiretapper@earthlink.net">wiretapper@earthlink.net</A>>=
wrote=20 in message </DIV>
<DVI><FONT face=3DCentaur size=3D2>Does anyone have any advice on how =
I could keep=20 pedalling? What I mean is, I get on, ride five to
ten feet, = unconciously stop=20 pedalling, and promptly fall off.
= </FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
------=_NextPart_000_0045_01C119D1.6C129160–
I live in Northern California, near San Francisco (well, about 30 to 40
minutes from it, actually), in the East Bay. Around 15 minutes from
Berkeley. I’m sure there must be some experienced unicyclists around, but
I don’t know any personally.
Thea wiretapper@earthlink.net ----- Original Message ----- From: “Ross
Bradley” <rbradley8587@qwest.net> To: <unicycling@winternet.com> Sent:
Tuesday, July 31, 2001 10:30 AM Subject: Re: New to Unicycling List
>
>
>
> Where do you live?
>
> Most unicyclist I know give free lessons. Great way to get started is to
> spend an hour or so with someone who can offer some points.
>
> RossB
>
> Wiretapper wrote:
>
> > As you may have guessed from the heading, I’m new to the unicycling
> > list. Which makes sense as I’m also new to unicycling.I’m 14, and I
> > just got my first unicycle about a week ago. It’s a Torker, with a 24"
> > wheel. I can sort of ride it. Sort of would be the operative phrase
> > here.Does anyone have any advice on how I could keep pedalling? What I
> > mean is, I get on, ride five to ten feet, unconciously stop pedalling,
> > and promptly fall off. I do manage to catch the seat, though. Has
> > anybody else had this problem? One of the difficulties I’ve had is
> > that I was unable to find a really good place to practice, and have to
> > settle for mounting using the back of our car (which fortunately is
> > quite tall) and then just riding off across the rather rough and
> > uneven sidewalk (or else into our rosebush - OUCH!). It seemed to be
> > working; I’d made a lot of headway, but now I’ve sort of hit a
> > plateau. I know I can’t expect too much after a week, but it really is
> > frustrating (especially when I hear about all the nifty things to do .
> > . . once I learn to ride). So any advice will be gladly (and
> > graciously) accepted. Theawiretapper@earthlink.net
>
> Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
>
> <!doctype html public “-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en”> <html>
> <body bgcolor=“#FFFFFF”> <br>Where do you live?
> <p>Most unicyclist I know give free lessons. Great way to get
started
> is to spend an hour or so with someone who can offer some points.
> <p>RossB
> <p>Wiretapper wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE><style></style> <font
> face=“Centaur”><font size=-1>As you may have guessed from the
> heading, I’m new to the unicycling list. Which makes sense as I’m
> also new to unicycling.</font></font><font
face=“Centaur”><font size=-1>I’m
> 14, and I just got my first unicycle about a week ago. It’s a Torker,
> with a 24" wheel. I can sort of ride it. Sort of would be the operative
> phrase here.</font></font><font face=“Centaur”><font size=-1>Does
> anyone have any advice on how I could keep pedalling? What I mean is, I
> get on, ride five to ten feet, unconciously stop pedalling, and
> promptly fall off. I do manage to catch the seat, though. Has anybody
> else had this problem? One of the difficulties I’ve had is that I was
> unable to find a really good place to practice, and have to settle for
> mounting using the back of our car (which fortunately is quite tall)
> and then just riding off
across
> the rather rough and uneven sidewalk (or else into our rosebush -
> OUCH!). It seemed to be working; I’d made a lot of headway, but now I’ve
> sort of hit a plateau. I know I can’t expect too much after a week, but
> it really is frustrating (especially when I hear about all the nifty
> things to do
> . . . once I learn to ride). So any advice will be gladly (and
> graciously) accepted.</font></font> <font face=“Centaur”><font
size=-1>Thea</font></font><font face=“Centaur”><font size=-1><a href=“mai-
lto:wiretapper@earthlink.net”>wiretapper@earthlink.net</a></font></
font></blockquote>
>
> </body> </html>
In article <002201c11a02$49eb51e0$a2d1fc9e@8r7z201>, Wiretapper
<wiretapper@earthlink.net> wrote: )I live in Northern California, near San
Francisco (well, about 30 to 40 )minutes from it, actually), in the East
Bay. Around 15 minutes from )Berkeley. I’m sure there must be some
experienced unicyclists around, but I )don’t know any personally.
The Berkeley Juggling Club has several unicyclists. It meets at 5:00 PM on
Fridays, on the lawn west of Evans Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. -Tom
The plateau you’ve reached is probably due to the rough terrain that
you’re riding on. When I first learned to ride it was a short time between
going 5 to 10 ft. and going 50 ft. I used a dormitory hallway. I find it
much harder to ride on a sidewalk than on a more even surface.
Also a 24" wheel may not be not ideal for a young teenage girl. I think
you will need more muscle strength and control to keep a larger wheel
turning steadily. You may consider switching to a smaller wheel as a
last resort.
Perfect.
Next (or any) Sunday, take Bart to the City and get on the 38-Geary; get
off at Balboa and head south 9 blocks to Golden Gate Park to a place
called Rossini field. It’s near the north east end of the park in the
vicinity of the ‘rink’ where people figure skate on rollerblades and
rollerskates.
In Rossini field, you will find jugglers, unicyclists, boomerangers,
paddle ballers, baton twirlers, diabloists, hippie stickers, knife
throwers, etc., etc., etc. Someone is always willing to share and show -
free of charge.
There used to be a guy named Arthur Chandler who frequented the place
with his wife and two boys. In one afternoon he changed my life by
teaching me how to do a basic three-ball cascade. He used to drag a
wheeled garbage can filled with juggling props and other implements to
the field just to share with anyone who seemed interested. If he still
hangs out there, thank him for me. He certainly won’t remember me but
I’ll never forget him.
Whatever you do, don’t wait until you’re ‘good enough’ to ask for help.
That approach is a waste of precious time.
You live near the greatest city on the west coast. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!
RossB
Wiretapper wrote:
> I live in Northern California, near San Francisco (well, about 30 to 40
> minutes from it, actually), in the East Bay. Around 15 minutes from
> Berkeley. I’m sure there must be some experienced unicyclists around,
> but I don’t know any personally.
>
> Thea wiretapper@earthlink.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ross
> Bradley" <rbradley8587@qwest.net> To: <unicycling@winternet.com> Sent:
> Tuesday, July 31, 2001 10:30 AM Subject: Re: New to Unicycling List
>
> >
> >
> >
> > Where do you live?
> >
> > Most unicyclist I know give free lessons. Great way to get started is
> > to spend an hour or so with someone who can offer some points.
> >
> > RossB
> >
> > Wiretapper wrote:
> >
> > > As you may have guessed from the heading, I’m new to the unicycling
> > > list. Which makes sense as I’m also new to unicycling.I’m 14, and I
> > > just got my first unicycle about a week ago. It’s a Torker, with a
> > > 24" wheel. I can sort of ride it. Sort of would be the operative
> > > phrase here.Does anyone have any advice on how I could keep
> > > pedalling? What I mean is, I get on, ride five to ten feet,
> > > unconciously stop pedalling, and promptly fall off. I do manage to
> > > catch the seat, though. Has anybody else had this problem? One of
> > > the difficulties I’ve had is that I was unable to find a really good
> > > place to practice, and have to settle for mounting using the back of
> > > our car (which fortunately is quite tall) and then just riding off
> > > across the rather rough and uneven sidewalk (or else into our
> > > rosebush - OUCH!). It seemed to be working; I’d made a lot of
> > > headway, but now I’ve sort of hit a plateau. I know I can’t expect
> > > too much after a week, but it really is frustrating (especially when
> > > I hear about all the nifty things to do .
> > > . . once I learn to ride). So any advice will be gladly (and
> > > graciously) accepted. Theawiretapper@earthlink.net
> >
> > Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
> >
> > <!doctype html public “-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en”> <html>
> > <body bgcolor=“#FFFFFF”> <br>Where do you live?
> > <p>Most unicyclist I know give free lessons. Great way to get
> started
> > is to spend an hour or so with someone who can offer some points.
> > <p>RossB
> > <p>Wiretapper wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE><style></style> <font
> > face=“Centaur”><font size=-1>As you may have guessed from the
> > heading, I’m new to the unicycling list. Which makes sense as I’m
> > also new to unicycling.</font></font><font
> face=“Centaur”><font size=-1>I’m
> > 14, and I just got my first unicycle about a week ago. It’s a Torker,
> > with a 24" wheel. I can sort of ride it. Sort of would be the
> > operative phrase here.</font></font><font face=“Centaur”><font
> > size=-1>Does anyone have any advice on how I could keep pedalling?
> > What I mean is, I get on, ride five to ten feet, unconciously stop
> > pedalling, and promptly fall off. I do manage to catch the seat,
> > though. Has anybody else had this problem? One of the difficulties
> > I’ve had is that I was unable to find a really good place to practice,
> > and have to settle for mounting using the back of our car (which
> > fortunately is quite tall) and then just riding off
> across
> > the rather rough and uneven sidewalk (or else into our rosebush -
> > OUCH!). It seemed to be working; I’d made a lot of headway, but now
> > I’ve sort of hit a plateau. I know I can’t expect too much after a
> > week, but it really is frustrating (especially when I hear about all
> > the nifty things to do
> > . . . once I learn to ride). So any advice will be gladly (and
> > graciously) accepted.</font></font> <font face=“Centaur”><font
> size=-1>Thea</font></font><font face=“Centaur”><font size=-1><a href="m-
> ailto:wiretapper@earthlink.net">wiretapper@earthlink.net</a></font></
> font></blockquote>
> >
> > </body> </html>
> >
On your comment about wheel size:
24" unicycles that are supplied with 150mm cranks (which is the normal
for Taiwanese models) have an almost identical ratio to that of a 20"
with 125mm cranks so the force to drive it is the same. The extra
momentum in the larger rim helps with riding rather than hinders it for
most learner. This is not always the case with learners but most learners
are heavy on their feet and the extra weight in the rim helps this. The
bigger wheel is also a lot more tolerant of bumps in the ground. The
problem in the larger rims comes in quick turns where there is more
momentum and that the rider has to ride faster to reach a minimum riding
speed, so learning holding a wall is harder… the “go for it” technique
or having a unicycle rider holding your hand tend to be the best help I
have found with bigger wheels.
Keep on practicing and find smooth ground!
Roger
The UK's Unicycle Source
<a href="http://www.unicycle.uk.com/">http://www.unicycle.uk.com/</a>
----- Original Message ----- From: “Import Car Fan” <dsholt@hotmail.com>
To: <unicycling@winternet.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 1:04 AM
Subject: Re: New to Unicycling List
>
> The plateau you’ve reached is probably due to the rough terrain that
> you’re riding on. When I first learned to ride it was a short time
> between going 5 to 10 ft. and going 50 ft. I used a dormitory hallway. I
> find it much harder to ride on a sidewalk than on a more even surface.
>
> Also a 24" wheel may not be not ideal for a young teenage girl. I think
> you will need more muscle strength and control to keep a larger wheel
> turning steadily. You may consider switching to a smaller wheel as a
> last resort.
>
>
>
>
>
I’m a soccer player (for almost nine years) and a dancer, so I’ve got
pretty strong legs. I don’t think strength is going to be a big issue. But
thanks for the advice. ----- Original Message ----- From: “Import Car Fan”
<dsholt@hotmail.com> To: <unicycling@winternet.com> Sent: Tuesday, July
31, 2001 5:04 PM Subject: Re: New to Unicycling List
>
> The plateau you’ve reached is probably due to the rough terrain that
> you’re riding on. When I first learned to ride it was a short time
> between going 5 to 10 ft. and going 50 ft. I used a dormitory hallway. I
> find it much harder to ride on a sidewalk than on a more even surface.
>
> Also a 24" wheel may not be not ideal for a young teenage girl. I think
> you will need more muscle strength and control to keep a larger wheel
> turning steadily. You may consider switching to a smaller wheel as a
> last resort.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I’m a soccer player (for almost nine years) and a dancer, so I’ve got
> pretty strong legs. I don’t think strength is going to be a big issue.
> But thanks
Those two activities should leave your body well prepared for
unicycling. I’d be interested to know if you get sore muscles in your
learning process, and in what areas? Average people tend to get sore in
the lower quads, sometimes the calves, and (if seat too low or bad
posture) lower back.
> > Also a 24" wheel may not be not ideal for a young teenage girl. I
> > think you will need more muscle strength and control to keep a larger
> > wheel turning steadily. You may consider switching to a smaller wheel
> > as a last resort.
I can’t agree with this wheel size advice. Unless the rider is physically
too small to fit the wheel comfortably, the weight and leverage difference
between a 20" and 24" wheel are not enough to have more than a minor
difference on learning speed. I think the difference is more mental.
The first time I ever rode more than 100’ it was on a 24" wheel, after
which I went back to struggling on my 16" Troxel…
Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone jfoss@unicycling.com
www.unicycling.com
“We’re fat . . . and old!” – Ken Krakat, on seeing me for the first time
in over 10 years, along with other former Redford unicyclist Hans Mills
So far, I don’t have any sore muscles. Granted, I’ve only been at it for a
week and a half now, approximately. I think that dancing and soccer do
help with leg muscles, and I’m an archer, which definately leads to good
posture, and probably prevents any back pain.
----- Original Message ----- From: “John Foss” <john_foss@asinet.com>
To: “‘Wiretapper’” <wiretapper@earthlink.net>;
<unicycling@winternet.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 10:45 AM
Subject: RE: New to Unicycling List
> > I’m a soccer player (for almost nine years) and a dancer, so I’ve got
> > pretty strong legs. I don’t think strength is going to be a big issue.
> > But thanks
>
> Those two activities should leave your body well prepared for
> unicycling. I’d be interested to know if you get sore muscles in your
> learning
process,
> and in what areas? Average people tend to get sore in the lower quads,
> sometimes the calves, and (if seat too low or bad posture) lower back.
>
> > > Also a 24" wheel may not be not ideal for a young teenage girl. I
> > > think you will need more muscle strength and control to keep a
> > > larger wheel turning steadily. You may consider switching to a
> > > smaller wheel as a last resort.
>
> I can’t agree with this wheel size advice. Unless the rider is
> physically too small to fit the wheel comfortably, the weight and
> leverage difference between a 20" and 24" wheel are not enough to have
> more than a minor difference on learning speed. I think the difference
> is more mental.
>
> The first time I ever rode more than 100’ it was on a 24" wheel, after
which
> I went back to struggling on my 16" Troxel…
>
> Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone jfoss@unicycling.com
> www.unicycling.com
>
> “We’re fat . . . and old!” – Ken Krakat, on seeing me for the
> first time
in
> over 10 years, along with other former Redford unicyclist Hans Mills
I’d like to see some kind of combination of those skills…
Wayne.
> I think that dancing and soccer do help with leg muscles, and I’m
> an archer,
On Tue, 31 Jul 2001 08:52:02 -0500, Bruce Edwards
<REMOVE.TO.REPLYyoopers@inwave.com> wrote:
>Over the span of only one week, we’ve got some kids who are riding many
>feet before unintentionally dismounting.
I gave my first unicycling workshop last week, three uni’s and 6 learners.
The youngest of these, a 14 y.o. boy, pedaled for up to 30 ft after about
two hours of solid practice. A gym was only available for one hour (more
time was not allowed for the workshop as it was embedded in other
activities) so he continued the next day on a “brick road”. Then he asked
how to freemount and after a demo came close to success on freemounting
too. Then he asked where to buy etc. Another addict!
Once again, thanks to Roger for his e-mailed advice on how to conduct
the workshop.
Klaas Bil
“To trigger/fool/saturate/overload Echelon, the following has been picked
automagically from a database:” “Sudan, Oval Office, classified
information”
hey, it seems like you and me are a lot alike. im 14, a soccer player and a relativly new unicyclist. i actually learned when i was 9, but i didnt really stick with it. i went to the nuc this year and was really amazed at some of the things you can do on a unicycle. all i can do is ride (turning is probably my best trick). i was mad at myself for not pushing myself more when i first learned. when they did games there, i was put in a group with 6 and 7 year olds who were still better then me. anyways im kind of getting off the subject. the best advice i can give you is practice. the people who have already replied (who have a lot more experience then me) seem to have gotten this point across and given you any other advice that i can think of so i guess thats all i have to say for now.