hey, im new to the whole unicycling sport. i am a Marine stationed in Norfolk, VA. i just ordered my uni, i got a United 20-inch Trials Cycle with Monty Wheel and Miyata Saddle. my boy rides that and recommended it to me. well, any pointers for my first time? anyone in here live in norfolk or any surrounding areas?
Try Tammy and Tanya’s excellent site
These two give superb descriptions of how to approach learning to ride as well as how to develop skills. Their descriptions are simple and easy to understand.
Other sites for “how to” sections are
http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/howtoride.html
Also search the forums (yuck, that makes me cringe…I mean fora) using keywords like “newbie” or “how to”.
KEEP YOUR WEIGHT ON THE SEAT!!
Repeat that to yourself over and over and over again. And listen to yourself while you are saying it. And do it.
Welcome to the board and to the family of unicyclists. Hopefully you can come home for the weekend that uni.5 will be! Can’t wait for you to get riding down so we can take a few trips to the beach and what not. You can ride the Coker when you come down too. Good luck, stay determined.
Re: new…
harper wrote…
>
>Try Tammy and Tanya’s excellent site
>
>http://members.tripod.com/~MarshT/index.html
>
>These two give superb descriptions of how to approach learning to ride
>as well as how to develop skills. Their descriptions are simple and easy
>to understand.
>
>Other sites for “how to” sections are
>
>http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/howtoride.html
>http://wobbling.unicyclist.com/
>
>Also search the forums (yuck, that makes me cringe…I mean fora) using
>keywords like “newbie” or “how to”.
>
>KEEP YOUR WEIGHT ON THE SEAT!!
>Repeat that to yourself over and over and over again. And listen to
>yourself while you are saying it. And do it.
Excellent advice. I would add.
KEEP YOUR BACK STRAIGHT. DON’T LOOK DOWN.
Though keeping your weight on the seat is of utmost importance, in the last
few years I found that a very effective technique, for COMPLETE
beginners, is, paradoxically:
KEEP YOUR WEIGHT OFF THE SEAT AND STAND ON THE PEDALS
AS SOON AS YOU LOSE BALANCE
I am CONVINCED that this is very effcetive. I get people to ride using this technique
in around 30 minutes, where “ride” means three turns of the wheel.
Just my two devalued yen 
Stay on top, Jack Halpern
Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc.
Website: http://www.kanji.org
I wish I had a Monty trials uni way back when I learned how to ride. That will be a fun uni.
With a Monty uni my first concern is that the seat might be too low for an adult just learning to ride. The Miyata seatpost is rather short. Combined with a small wheel it makes for a uni that is probably too short for an adult beginner. Experienced riders typically ride a trials uni with the seat down low so they can get more spring in the legs for jumps. However, that seat position will make learning more difficult.
At the correct seat height your legs should be slightly bent (almost straight) when at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Put your heels on the pedals with the feet parallel to the ground (do not point the toes down). Your legs should be almost straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke, but not so straight that your hips rock up and down as you pedal.
If you cannot raise the seat high enough you can get a Miyata seatpost extension from unicycle.com ($22 USD). Another alternative is to find a bike shop or similar shop that can braze a sleeve and an extension on the Miyata post. The extension post should be 22.2 mm OD to match the 22.2 mm OD of the Miyata post.
john_childs
He’s close to the same height as I, and I have no troubles with the length of the Miyata seatpost. Should work out OK for him.
well, ill keep everyone update on what is happening with my uni. it should be in later this week, or maybe the beginning of next. thanks all for the advice and the other sites.
Welcome Aboard
TRexSI: Welcome aboard and congratulations, Devil Dog. Not only have you chosen an extreemly cool sport, but You have also managed to tap into the world’s most valuable vein of unicycling information available today.
You will quickly find the things that you learn here will accelarate your progress by leaps and bounds. The majority of information available here comes from either seasoned veterans or otherwise very talented riders.
I volunteered four-years of my time to that hard-charger Uncle Sam a while ago. I worked aircraft rescue and firefighting on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe. So, you and I, I’m sure, will be able to relate on more than one level.
NEVER give up. Carl
posture
i’m still finding good posture more helpfull than i ever believed
as a marine i guess the straight back idea must come quite naturally
i get good results from trying to keep a straight line connecting my ankles, hips and shoulders
keep a sense of humour about u and enjoy the learning process
i can’t even balance a checkbook and managed to do it
have fun!
onekwords: thats cool that you were in, a couple of my friends just went to hawaaii. one of my buddies up in D.C. is a firefighter for the Marine Corps, he loves it. What rank were you coming out? I hear that the firefighter MOS picks up rank fast.
GILD: were you in?
It’s awesome that there are so many different kinds of people all associated with this sport. Thanks again.
Re: new…
Also, as soon as you are able, try riding holding hands with another rider. It
will give you greater distance, and help you learn to recover from small
errors.
David Maxfield
my wife has just learned on a Monty Telford
Bainbridge Island, WA
TRexSi
Crash Crew was an outstanding MOS. I saw things I will never forget, learned a great deal and met many lifelong freinds. As far as rank goes, I made Sergeant in about three and a half years. Rank does seem to come faster in the air wing but it never comes any easier. I still paid my dues, and then some. I take it you are on the ground side?
In the relm of unicycling, I started about seven months ago with a 24" Schwinn, graduated to a 36" Coker shortly thereafter and just recently began working on the riding backwards thing. In the near future, I am going to aquire a 20" freestyle ride and then hopefully a lightweight geared cruiser sometime down the road.
Send me a link when you post your Unicycle.com gallery and until then…
Ride it like you stole it.
Carl
I am in the Marine Corps Security Forces Battalion. It’s a non-deployable unit, and we’re on the Norfolk Naval Base. I picked up Lance Corporal pretty fast, I’ve only been in for about 6-7 months now and I picked up PFC meritoriously by recruiters assistance and picked up Lance Corporal sortly thereafter. I graduated first in my class from my MOS school and got it meritoriously as well, along with Meritorious Mast and a couple other things.
UPS sent me an email today with my tracking # and my unicycle will be in tomorrow, it’s in Roanoake, VA right now!