Daniel et al. – Thanks to all who responded to my inquiry about
purchasing a used 24-26" unicycle. I bought a 24" Black Torker whilst
I was in Fargo yesterday, and have been beaverin’ about the task of
learning to ride the thing. So far I’ve invested 'bout an hour
attempting to ride with my left hand on the railing of the patio deck
last evening, and spent another hour this morning trying to ride the
inside perimeter of a local tennis court. I get the feeling that I’m
making some progress, though I have to concentrate pretty hard–so
much that I was pretty perspirey after each session–to (1) keep my
back straight and (2) put my weight on the saddle, not on the pedals.
(Thousands of hours bicycling has probably ruined me for unicycling!)
After a couple of hours practicing, I’ve a comment and then a quick
question about leg extension and placement of the foot on the pedals.
As a cyclist, I ‘clip-in’ to my heel-less shoes near the ‘ball’ of the
foot. But fiddlin’ with this uni, I feel that I have more control on
the unicycle when I wear a heeled shoe and make contact with the pedal
in the arch portion of my foot.
Here’s the question: Is there a preferred or recommended way that I
should place my feet on the pedals to maximize balance, control, and
smooth cadence?
My sense is that riding this contraption is heaps harder than riding
my track bike–my hard-learned cyclin’ skills don’t seem to transfer
well in the process of learning how to master this unicycle. For
example, after over two hours pedaling, I can sometimes go about 2-3
crank revolutions before I feel the need to prevent a fall. Is this
pretty typical? Candidly, I’m feelin’ like a six year old, even
though I’m 51 and have been bicycling since I was six.
Thanks for any hints you’d care to share! --carl (A new uni from
North Dakota)
>
> Thanks for any hints you’d care to share! --carl (A new uni from
> North Dakota)
Carl, I’ll turn 43 here pretty soon and just started riding in July. It’s
amazing to ride today and recall the struggles of the first two weeks or so.
These days I’m able to mount and ride a mile or two without dismounting
quite easily. I’ve been working on rolling over speed bumps and scrap
lumber.
I’ve only one hint cause I know that like me you’ve read all the tips and
faqs you could find. JUST KEEP AT IT. It’s just going to take a bit of
time for the neural connections between your butt, your brain, and your legs
to figure out what needs to happen. Till then, try to relax and let the uni
fall as it will. I’m also amazed at how much abuse the uni can take and how
much one can beat up a seat in that first few weeks. I’d suggest taping the
front and back of the seat to protect it a bit especially if you’re
practicing on asphalt or concrete.
In the beginning I road around the inside of a tennis court hanging onto
chainlink fence. It helped me figure out how to get on and peddle around
the court grabbing chainlink but that’s essentially what I learned… to
hold on to something. In hindsight I did this longer than I should have.
As soon as you can get several revolutions with assistance of a person,
wall, rail, or fence then start working on going it alone. I found an
empty parking lot that had quite a few light poles. Once I started getting
in a few revolutions of freedom and UPD’d, the next light post was only a
few yards away. You will hit the ground a lot. And in the most unexpected,
ungraceful ways. Wear at least a helmet and wrist guards.
OK well maybe that was more than one hint. Take Care. Have fun. It’s
worth it.
-Cubby.
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JUST KEEP AT IT. It’s just going to take a bit of time for the neural
connections between your butt, your brain, and your legs to figure out
what needs to happen…I’d suggest taping the front and back of the
seat to protect it a bit especially if you’re practicing on asphalt or
concrete…I found an
empty parking lot that had quite a few light poles. Once I started
getting in a few revolutions of freedom and UPD’d, the next light post
was only a few yards away. You will hit the ground a lot. And in the
most unexpected, ungraceful ways. Wear at least a helmet and wrist
guards.
Cubby-- Thanks for the swell advice! I guess it does take some time
to ‘rewire’ the ol’ neuromuscular physiology for pedalin’ a unicycle.
The light pole notion seems like a doable idea! I’ll give it a try
afetr a few more days grapplin’ with the McKinley chainlink fence at
the local tennis court! I’ll tape-up the plastic on the seat
too–smart idea! Finally, I purchased a set of used wristguards, and
elbow and knee pads at a local thrift store. Wearing that gear
(including my bicycle helmet), I feel like a gladiator. Learning to
ride a uni must be ‘bout as abusive as playin’ rugby in the Walmart
parking lot! Thanks for your advice, Cubby! --carl
Carl; I know if you’ve read through the posts here the number 1 thing that is suggested is to “put your weight on the saddle” , and that is true once you get the hang of it. As a 40+ guy myself coming from years of bicycling (sorta like you) this advice did not work for me initially, the high center of gravity (coupled with ingrained “bike balance” mentality of having most of the weight supported by your legs) made me nervous and wildly unstable. I found I made better progress in learning by gradually increasing the “saddle pressure thing” as I felt more comfortable. Also, I learned quicker once I gave up trying to ride alongside anything while holding on. It was better for me to hold onto my car to get up and on, then head straight away from it (and step off and let the uni crash behind me) and repeat. Lastly; I found a saddle height far lower than my normal bicycle saddle height works best for me.
I know that lots of the others here won’t agree with all this (especially the saddle weight part) but everyone learns in different ways.
MUNIYETI wrote:
…Lastly; I found a saddle height far lower than my normal bicycle saddle height works best for me.
The saddle height is really important. I practiced with a too short seatpost and it took quite a lot of time. Too high is also not a good option. While holding on to a light pole, wall or similar roll one pedal down. Saddle height is right when your leg is almost straight, but you shouldn’t have “force” the leg down, like while riding a bike. Your foot should be horizontal, if you know what I mean.
I know if you’ve read through the posts here the number 1 thing that
is suggested is to “put your weight on the saddle”…this advice did
not work for me initially, the high center of gravity (coupled with
ingrained “bike balance”
mentality of having most of the weight supported by your legs) made me
nervous and wildly unstable. I found I made better progress in
learning by gradually increasing the “saddle pressure thing” as I felt
more comfortable.
Muniyeti-- Oh, I certainly agree with you! As a cyclist I rarely put
the whole of my weight on the saddle–one’s weight is transferred to
the bicycle through the feet (to the pedals) and hands (to the
handlebar) rather than to the saddle, and this is especially true when
starting. (And starting is the first hurdle of mastering the
unicycle, I think.) The weight of the bicyclist, the distribution of
his or her weight (or the center of gravity?), relative to the angle
of the seat tube and crankset, is waaaaay different than that of the
uni rider! Old habits die hard!
Day 3: I spent another hour at the tennis court this morning. After
about 45-minutes of rather sluggish progress, I was finally able
to–in an accidental flash of luck, I think!–pedal 5 or 6
revolutions! Gads! I was balancing, not touching the fence with my
gloved left hand, and was really moving. Then I got scared, perhaps
because of the speed on the 24" wheel, and I launched myself forward
and off the uni like a gazelle. It’s not much. But for me the 5-6
pedal strokes was a wildly important Day 3 milestone. I sure do a
heck of a lot of perspiring whilst fiddlin’ with this Torker. What a
workout! I don’t think there’s a relazed muscle in my body…not even
my eyelids! This is perhaps why it’s taking me so long to get the
hang of it. I have a hard time relaxing. Riding a bike is very
relaxing. Not so, yet anyway, on the uni! Toodles! --carl
Carl Barrentine wrote:
Day 3: I spent another hour at the tennis court this morning. After
about 45-minutes of rather sluggish progress, I was finally able
to–in an accidental flash of luck, I think!–pedal 5 or 6
revolutions! Gads! I was balancing, not touching the fence with my
gloved left hand, and was really moving. Then I got scared, perhaps
because of the speed on the 24" wheel, and I launched myself forward
and off the uni like a gazelle. It’s not much. But for me the 5-6
pedal strokes was a wildly important Day 3 milestone. I sure do a
heck of a lot of perspiring whilst fiddlin’ with this Torker. What a
workout! I don’t think there’s a relazed muscle in my body…not even
my eyelids! This is perhaps why it’s taking me so long to get the
hang of it. I have a hard time relaxing. Riding a bike is very
relaxing. Not so, yet anyway, on the uni! Toodles! --carl
I’d recommend you stop holding to the fence, now that you can do a few revolutions. You may end up with a nasty habit of leaning to one direction. I practiced by getting up while holding onto a wall and rode away from it. Just like Cubby said, start holding to a light post or something like that and ride away from it. This way you get more practice on balancing and propably learn a bit faster. And remember, never look down. Look at the same point all the time.
And about that sweating part, you’ll learn to relax while practicing. When I made my first about 400 meters (1/4 mile) ride, I sweated about 4 litres. Or more. This was while learning to freemount. Now I can ride continuosly about 2 miles and it’s quite easy.
I must agree with you, in my experience i have noticed that when the contact is in the arch of the foot you become more in control, i know have pinned pedals, and those don`t allow foot movement once placed, so unless the arch of my foot lands on the pedal, i dismount or try to correct this, i have also noticed it when teaching how to ride to others that the rides become somewhat smother.
if you check some of the threads about shoes you may also notice that most of us prefer the ones with flat soles, i belive this is directly related to the topic.
>after over two hours pedaling, I can sometimes go about 2-3
>crank revolutions before I feel the need to prevent a fall. Is this
>pretty typical?
You are doing well. For an estimation as to how long it will take you
to learn, visit <http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/agelearn_short.htm>.
(The page could just use a plug.)
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
If the crank is moving then it really sounds as if it’s loose. - onewheeldave trying to pinpoint the cause of a clicking crank
>I know that lots of the others here won’t agree with all this
>(especially the saddle weight part) but everyone learns in different
>ways.
I for one DO agree. There are a few advices that are often given by
experienced riders to newbies. Weight on seat is one of them, look
into the distance is another. Adhering to these advices usually make
riding easier once you can do it, which makes people assume that it
will hold for a beginner as well. But I remember that at least for me
it didn’t, and I won’t stress these issues when teaching someone.
I’ve learned at age 47 which was 3 years ago.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
If the crank is moving then it really sounds as if it’s loose. - onewheeldave trying to pinpoint the cause of a clicking crank
Congrats! Sounds like you are making great progress.
Already mentioned:
Eyes out (not looking down).
Weight on seat
Not yet mentioned (and, my opinion, more important than weight on seat):
both arms out for balance
I concur with other feedback: once you’ve gone a few revolutions, it’s time to quit using support for riding, and only use it to get started. Note: when using support it does help if you you can switch sides to prevent lop-sided learning; that is, ride with fence on your right, then ride back with fence on your left.
I have a friend who just learned using a curved fence, he’d ride with it on his right curving right, then on his left curving left. What I found interesting: as soon as he got his balance figured out and only needed support for the mount, he had exceptional direction control (for a beginner).
As with any new physical skill, especially when it involves moving your whole body, it takes a while for you to figure out which muscles you need, and how much you need of each. As you get better, you’ll be able to focus down and have a nice, relaxing ride. But it will always take a little more (physical + mental) effort on the unicycle, because you have to cover everything that’s not covered when you have two wheels and the ability to coast.
All the best riders use the balls of their feet over the pedal axle, except for in some specialized situations, such as extreme hills. But for the beginner, this doesn’t really matter. Until you get where you can toddle around, put your feet wherever they are comfortable.
I assume your track bike has two wheels?
Riding a track bike gets you used to the concept of a fixed gear, but the gearing is miles away from the leverage you have on a unicycle. Plus that whole one-wheeled thing…
Sounds like you’re doing just fine. For “a youth of 51,” I think you’re way ahead of the learning curve! Adults tend to analyze too much, when all you really need to do is keep trial-and-erroring.
I use the balls of my feet to pedal.
When I was a beginner, I used the arch.
I didn’t really make the transistion until I could take my foot off the
pedal entirely.
I think the reason the arches feels better is the foot is less likely to
slip off, but you get better control with the ball, and more power to the
stroke, just like a bicycle.
It’s just a beginner thing. You don’t have to sit on the seat to ride, and
should be able to transfer your weight from seat to pedal, just like you do
on a bike. You just have to keep in mind, with a unicycle, your skeleton and
muscles complete the structure, with a bike the structure is complete (read
stable) without you. So you have to feel things more than with a bike.
Have fun!
“Carl Barrentine” <lucretius40@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:ab99c953.0310041558.31a83bdc@posting.google.com…
> daino149 <daino149.undhw@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote in message
news:<daino149.undhw@timelimit.unicyclist.com>…
> > Black (Stealth) Torker all the way! I just rode 40 miles on mine!
> >
> > Daniel
>
> Daniel et al. – Thanks to all who responded to my inquiry about
> purchasing a used 24-26" unicycle. I bought a 24" Black Torker whilst
> I was in Fargo yesterday, and have been beaverin’ about the task of
> learning to ride the thing. So far I’ve invested ‘bout an hour
> attempting to ride with my left hand on the railing of the patio deck
> last evening, and spent another hour this morning trying to ride the
> inside perimeter of a local tennis court. I get the feeling that I’m
> making some progress, though I have to concentrate pretty hard–so
> much that I was pretty perspirey after each session–to (1) keep my
> back straight and (2) put my weight on the saddle, not on the pedals.
> (Thousands of hours bicycling has probably ruined me for unicycling!)
>
> After a couple of hours practicing, I’ve a comment and then a quick
> question about leg extension and placement of the foot on the pedals.
> As a cyclist, I ‘clip-in’ to my heel-less shoes near the ‘ball’ of the
> foot. But fiddlin’ with this uni, I feel that I have more control on
> the unicycle when I wear a heeled shoe and make contact with the pedal
> in the arch portion of my foot.
>
> Here’s the question: Is there a preferred or recommended way that I
> should place my feet on the pedals to maximize balance, control, and
> smooth cadence?
>
> My sense is that riding this contraption is heaps harder than riding
> my track bike–my hard-learned cyclin’ skills don’t seem to transfer
> well in the process of learning how to master this unicycle. For
> example, after over two hours pedaling, I can sometimes go about 2-3
> crank revolutions before I feel the need to prevent a fall. Is this
> pretty typical? Candidly, I’m feelin’ like a six year old, even
> though I’m 51 and have been bicycling since I was six.
>
> Thanks for any hints you’d care to share! --carl (A new uni from
> North Dakota)
