Well, I’ll still take all the encouragement I can get! After my exciting Sunday of trail riding, I was able to get out after work to spin around today on a flat walking trail. It is as if I had never learned to free mount. And on top of if, I was flailing wildly to keep balanced for a good bit of the ride. Good grief. Based on all the reading I’ve done of threads over the years, it seems that this apparent loss of skill is somewhat normal. I will be very interested to see what my next outing is like. I sure felt like a failure today, but I guess I’m not if I’m still out there.
Don’t let it bother you a bit. We have good days and we have bad. It was a little to cool to get outside today so I went to the gym to work on skills. Had trouble with transitioning seat in and out. Sunday I was doing it at will. So I snaked through the cones and worked on backwards riding instead. Had a blast!
Don’t sweat the days you are “off” and enjoy the days you are “on”. 
I guess we really are on parallel courses, and it IS nice to see that I’m not alone with some of these experiences. I went through almost the same thing you did today.
I was able to freemount my 24" muni on the very attempt when I got it two weeks ago, but today I was having all kinds of problems. I too went for a ride on a flat area (concrete trails), and I had some difficulty. I had gotten to where I could ride backwards for a ways, but today it was all but impossible. I don’t know what was going on, but I wasn’t firing on all cylinders, that’s for sure.
Regardless, I was undeterred! In fact, I went on a little “munithon” today and stayed out from about 1pm until 6pm and covered 10-12 miles. I didn’t ride the whole time, and I rested here and there and chatted with a lot of folks and made some new friends. I’m paying for it, though! My legs are gone and for some reason, I can barely type my hands are so tired!
I did find, however, a lot of opportunities to work on some of my off-road skills. I rode on a multi-use trail by the flood zone of a major creek that runs through my town, and there’s a park the entire way for almost 4 and half miles (that’s about 7 and quarter kilometers). There was lots of grassy hills and obstacles to practice on, and I greatly improved in one area I used to be pretty good at, and that’s hopping to get up and over things.
I used to be able to hop up on curbs, but as I got older, out of practice, fatter, etc., I lost the ability to hop very high, and while I have gotten much better over the past few months on flat ground, I haven’t been at all confident about it, and even though I attempted to hop over or on stuff, I would just fall. It’s a mental thing.
Well, today, I finally overcame that. In a lot of places on this concrete trail, the grass is below the height of the trail, or there’s a gap. Sometimes I can ride over it when trying to get from the grass back on the trail, but sometimes I fall. Well, today, I was able to just hop over it! Even though I was having issues with basic stuff like freemounting, at least I greatly improved at something that was really important to me, so I’m super-happy I didn’t give up today! Whatever mental thing was keeping me from doing this has either disappeared or has greatly diminished. Any time I can see improvement like this, I’m really happy, so NEVER give up, even on a off day!
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Yeah, sometimes an off day is just a matter of warming up and getting into rhythm…sometimes it takes me 2 hours:p;)
Hmmm, maybe I just don’t ride long enough each time to work out the bugs… not enough hours in the day. <sigh>
Today was much different than yesterday. I almost didn’t go out at all. I am still nursing a sprained big toe from the day of trail riding. I just can’t help myself, so out I went. I typically go to a small recreational park close to my house. The flat paved path glides along a small river for about a half mile. The path then follows the street, which completes the loop (clearly a very short path). After graduating from the tennis courts and quarter mile track at the nearby high school, I turned my attention to this path. As I have mentioned before, I struggle on this path. The camber leaves me twisted one way, then the other when I switch directions. So, today instead of fighting the camber, I pointed my unicycle into the grass. There’s plenty of it. I have tried this before, but made it only a few short feet before dismounting each time. But, today something clicked and I leaned forward and kept my momentum. My first try took me about 15 feet, my longest to date. My second try took me almost all the way across the field. Then I just kept at it, and even was able to free mount some in the grass, also a first for me. There was one point at which I managed to grab my seat to brace for some tire ruts that would have thrown me just a few days ago. Oddly, and to my surprise, I would prefer the grass to the tilted paved path.
Any day on a unicycle is a good one. But, I do have to admit that the small steps forward feel better.
Awesome! And I agree that any progress that you can see is exciting, especially when it surprises you when things just seem to magically start working right.
I have found grass very hard to ride through unless the ground under it is very smooth and the grass is something like bermuda that’s well maintained. For most of the grass in parks around here, that’s hardly ever the case. Not only does the grass add resistance, it hides the ground under it, so if there’s a dip, bump, or clump of grass, you don’t know it’s there until you’re riding over it.
I’m new to this off-road stuff, but I think it’s been good training to ride through grass. I’m doing a lot of it up and down hills that are pretty steep as well. Since it hides things, I UPD frequently in areas that are exceptionally uneven, especially going uphill, but to date, I haven’t gotten hurt (I’d much rather fall on grass than most other surfaces I fall on), and I’ve found that slowly my body is learning what to do, and a lot of it is developing the stronger muscles needed to crank up and over those bumps and uneven parts.
Sounds like you’re doing good! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Bradford. You keep sharing too. I had to laugh out loud when I read about your 6 hour Munithon the other day. I think you have surpassed my level of obsession and enthusiasm. I’m not sure my friends would believe such a person existed 
Looking forward to hearing what you do over the weekend on your wheel.
I really only rode for about 5 of those, and I took a lot of breaks and socialized along the way. One guy with a drone and a GoPro camera took aerial video of me riding and let me download it to my phone, which was really cool! To be honest, I think I over did it, though. I was terribly sore afterwards (and not just my legs, ouch! 
), and the next day I did absolutely nothing.
After a day off, I rode again yesterday for a couple of hours, and it took a little while to get warmed up. My legs were really sore until they got warmed up, about 30-40 minutes. During that time, I was practicing my hops and had a spectacular UPD. I was trying to hop up on a low (it’s maybe 2-3 inches off the ground) concrete pillar with a manhole cover on the top. I did make it up there and then UPD’ed and landed hard, flat on my back on the manhole cover. I thought I would be toast, but it actually popped my back and felt really good. How funny is that? I feel like I went to the chiropractor, and even a day later, my back feels great and is straighter than in has been in a while! There’s no bruises or abrasions either. How weird is that? (Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home, lol!)
5 hours is still impressive. I have to say my legs are fried at the end of an hour. I’m hoping this gets better. I actually am going to start mountain biking
(2 wheeled) once a week with some friends just to help get my legs back into cycling shape.
Good for you practicing the hopping. I’m too scared to try that yet.
I went out today for my second Muni ride. However, I did choose a really benign trail that follows the Davidson River in the Pisgah Nat’l Forest. It is a combination of dirt, loose rocks, and finely crushed gravel. I figured I would have some tree roots and larger rocks to navigate, but as I said, it was pretty benign. However, that being said, it was perfect for me today. Since my first trail ride last Sunday, my freemounts have taken quite a hit. I had become pretty comfortable with them. This last week, though, I have reverted back to freemounting with dismal results. Somewhere in a recent thread, I read that when we start working on more skills, the ones that we have newly formed might suffer a bit. I’m hoping that is what’s going on. Plus, while out last Sunday, I injured my left foot. Though not a serious injury, it has been tender and I think I try to protect it, resulting in a drop in successful freemounts.
One aspect of today’s ride included a number of “bridges” or platforms on the trail. The transitions from the bridges to the trail were small ramps, around 18"-20" long. Initially, I dismounted in order to walk onto and off of the bridges and re-mount. However, I started to realize the missed opportunity of challenging myself. So, once I felt sufficiently warmed up, I started to attempt riding through these transitions. Initially, I only did this when there was a hand rail for the “just in case” moments. After a few failed attempts, I started to get a better sense of the mechanics required for this kind of obstacle. Speed is a huge factor. I tend to slow down when I get tentative. That, I found out doesn’t work so well. And, I learned to start bending a little bit at the hips in order to lean forward slightly. That also helped. All in all, it was a good day on the “trail.”
This week, now that I have found a pair of catcher’s baseball shin/knee guards that will work, I plan to really attack the grass, and to start introducing a bit of climbing into the mix. We’ll see how this goes.
Is that the toe you referred to in a previous post? Occasionally, I kick the ground pretty hard with the toe of my shoe. For this, I’m happy with my 5/10 shoes. For a while I experimented with some lighter-in-the-toe shoes, and I still have a black and blue toenail to remind me that wasn’t a good idea.
I feel bad, considering your tag line (regarding new clothes), to be suggesting you get more gear. Good shoes are important, though. Stay safe!
Regarding your “dismal” mounts, I think that, as we get tired, our balance suffers. An example: It’s hard for me to go from practicing strenuous techniques, like jumping … into one-foot-riding, which is a delicate technique. I have missed mounts near the end of long mUni rides, when I’m feeling tired.
I suggest practicing mounting at the beginning of your workout, when you’re feeling fresh. There’s no shame in performing an assisted mount, later on, when you’re getting tired. Over time, mounting will improve, and it won’t take so much energy. It took me a long time before I could perform a proper static mount.
Good luck!
Ha ha, yes this unicycling has opened a can of worms for me. I’m a pretty frugal person, and I especially don’t invest a lot in good clothes. I work in a cabinet shop and I build furniture in my own shop. I tend to ruin everything, even the good stuff I don’t intend to wear in the shop. So, it is ironic the amount of gear that I have been purchasing to stay safe. And, in fact, I just opened the Five Ten high tops that I ordered after my foot incident. And, yes it was the base of the big toe…still a bit sore. The shoes are too small, so I am sending them back for a bigger size. I will be glad to get them. That will be the final purchase… except of course for the 26" Oracle which I am hoping goes on sale before I break down.
Yep, yesterday the freemounts were horrible from the beginning. They improved a bit. Then as I fatigued I started twisting again. I wanted to keep riding, but that’s how I hurt myself last week. Couldn’t get enough, so rode more, and fell in eyesight of my truck just before finishing. I have to remember that I am not a spring chick anymore. I’ve always been one to push myself more than I should, in work and play. I’m finding that I just can’t do that anymore. Unicycling highlights the need to respect my limits while trying to push them at the same time. It’s a fine line.
Thanks, your feedback is always spot on.
This week has been a good one for the uni & me. I finally got the Five Ten high tops I’ve been waiting for, as well as the shin/knee guards. Now that I’m really covered, literally from head to foot, I feel a bit more brave and have been trying things I wouldn’t have without all my armor. The biggest thing that has changed is the fact that I am riding almost predominately on grass and easy trails of some sort. What a huge difference this is making. Today, I went back to Bent Creek with a friend who is also learning to unicycle. We rode the gravel/dirt road inside the arboretum. I have found large gravel the hardest of any surface to ride on, and that’s what we started on. After a while, I started to get into a rhythm, and then the road changed to more of a hard packed dirt road mixed with small gravel. By the time we hit that, something just seemed to clique again. I found myself absolutely flying on the road. It was pretty amazing. I felt like I was balance perfectly, and the pedals were spinning with total ease, and fast. I don’t usually experience this. I tend to be a bit hesitant. And when I’m going fast, I’m usually squealing a bit because it isn’t intentional and I’m out of control. So, the biggest improvements I noticed this week was that I’m getting back to feeling good about the mounting. And, I can keep my hand on my saddle for pretty significant periods of time. Not quite sure what to do from there, but I can see that I’ll figure it out with time.
I am interested to know how others started to learn how to come out of the seat to climb. My climbing is getting better, but I am going to be limited until I can figure out how to stand. I have a few acres across that street form me that a neighbor’s kid rides his dirt bike on. Quite hilly, and I realized the other day, quite perfect for me to hop on and give it a shot.
Let’s hear it for 47 year olds! I am glad to hear you’re picking up the necessary safety gear, and that it’s diminishing the fear of trying new stuff.
You mentioned getting in the zone on dirt mixed with fine gravel. There are some similar paths in my neighborhood, and I remember, when I was a novice, things feeling “right” on this type surface, as well. I think the reason is: Any left-right twitching of the tire causes the tire to skid forward a tiny bit, rather than steering you off to the right or left. The result is that you ride straighter.
Regarding coming out of the seat to climb, you might try the following: try sitting on the back of the seat, rather than in the scooped, central part of the seat. If you are sitting too far forward on the seat, the pulling force of your hand on the seat-handle is diminished. When your butt and hand are more in an opposite position on the seat, the mechanics of leverage work better. Also, sitting on the back of the seat with a hand on the seat-handle…more closely mimics what it’s like to use a handle, which I strongly encourage you to eventually transition into. When I started using a t-bar/shadow-handle, I ended up tilting the seat-nose more upward, and now I consistently sit back further on the seat. To slide back on the seat, you’re going to have to “push” down and forward on the handle, rather that “pull” it backward. I have wide-ish hips, and personally, sitting in the scooped part of the saddle created too much wiggle room, diminishing the control I could exert with my butt. Saddle sore is much worse when your weight has fallen into the scooped part of the saddle. I think the whole principle of KH’s new Fusion Zero saddle is related to this logic. I am okay for now sitting on the back of a traditional saddle; works for me; but I suppose at some point I’ll be trying the Zero.
I’m throwing a bunch of ideas at you, but, again, you’re already doing great, and as long as you keep thinking about the mechanics involved and practicing, you’ll be fine. It’s great to read about your progress. Keep up the good work!
It’s good to read the suggestion about where to sit on the seat. Once I was able to peddle unassisted for more than 20 revolutions, I attempted to adjust my seat as suggested, to get my weight on the back of the seat. So, perhaps my instincts are good. Tomorrow, I am going out for a mix of logging roads and a real single track trail. Yahoo! And, I also know that since I had such a good ride yesterday, that tomorrow may be a completely different experience. But, no matter what, it’s all good. For the first 2 months of learning, I stayed in the same place…same tennis courts, day after day. Every time I ventured away to a different place, it messed with me and my riding suffered. So, lately I have been trying new places almost every ride. That has helped tremendously.
I have to laugh every time I start to ride. It’s the same experience. I never freemount when I first start. I use something as an assist. I usually go a revolution or 2, come off, and remount. After about 2 or 3 tries, I’ll get on my way. It’s like I have to convince my brain that I actually know how to ride this crazy thing. So, tomorrow I am going to see what happens if I just act as if I know how to ride. Because I do. Now I just have to learn how to ride better
It is funny you say that. First I had to learn to keep one hand on the saddle and now I feel like having less balance when having both hands in the air. But sometimes for climbing I feel like having more control with both hands in the air and some de-weighting the saddle. I also try keeping two hands on the saddle, but I can only do that on flat asphalt and not for very long.
But it seems like you’re going great, riding on grass and gravel. Uneven terrain is good training for balancing.
Yes, the hands on the saddle thing seems like such a difficult, almost impossible skill to acquire. I can’t figure out which hand is best. Seems like my right one. Though, I am ambidextrous. Seems like that would be better, but it gets confusing.
I went out today and rode logging roads and a short single track section. I thought this would be the perfect trail for me. From the perspective of my mountain biker self, it is a virtually flat trail with absolutely no rocks or roots. However, from the perspective of a beginner unicyclist who is attempting to ride Muni, it might as well have been Long’s Peak in Colorado. I was happy though, nonetheless with the fact that I stuck with it, and even tried several spots more than once. I think though, in the future I will go with someone instead of going it alone. I have been fortunate while learning to ride that I really haven’t had too many spills. Before getting out on the trails, I can remember going down 3 times. Of course my unicycle has not faired so well. However, since trying trail riding, even as easy as I’m starting, I am falling, a lot. And in very strange ways sometimes. And, so far it’s predominantly on downhills, and some uphills with rocks or roots. I feel that being able to hold onto the saddle will help with this. Like you, right now I have both hands in the air on climbs, and am somewhat de-weighted. But one little bump, and I’m off. I did notice today that there were a few times when I started to lose my balance, and without thinking, I reached down and corrected by grabbing the saddle and making an adjustment.
I watch tons of you tube videos to dissect what people do. It amazes me to see people riding so relaxed, with both hands resting on their saddle. I just wonder how long it takes to get that comfortable?
You should just keep at it. I really love unicycling. It is the one sport I’ve ever been addicted to and I first learned it in July 2015. I just rode 10km in 40 minutes this morning. That was just asphalt, but I changed to shorter cranks (127mm) and wanted to see if it made a difference in speed. When first testing it out on a parking lot, I could somehow keep both hands on the saddle for a few 100 metres. It felt much stabler.
The more saddle time you get, the more comfortable you will feel. I also noticed that when losing balance, you can actually do quite a lot to regain your balance again before UPD-ing.
When we learn to unicycle, our hands are flailing wildly in the air. We don’t care, because we are so stoked to be riding on one wheel. Later on, the novelty of riding diminishes, and we are still left with the flailing arms. Now, we start to get annoyed. Later, we succeed in calming down our flailing arms, but we’re still struggling with camber. Both these issues, flailing arms and camber, are related to hands on the seat/handle. I’m going out on a limb, here, but I seriously wonder if the above scenario…is responsible for many riders quitting, spending less time on, or relegating to novelty status…unicycling. Which is why I encourage everyone to work in the direction of hands-on-the-seat.
At a certain point in my progress as a novice, I learned to ride much more slowly. I’d essentially bought myself more time to respond to changes in pedal-resistance and changes in the landscape (I think John mentioned in another thread that learning to ride very slowly was an important skill). There are speed bumps in my neighborhood. Riding over them, slowly, helped me learn how to deal with uneven terrain. We need to learn how to respond slowly and deliberately, before we can do it quickly. UPDs frequently happed when we don’t have adequate time to respond to some change.
I should spend more time watching riding videos. I have trouble processing what I’m viewing, and I have to rewind a bunch of times when someone does a trick. You can’t exactly tell what riders are doing with their hands on the seat/handle, because it’s mostly isometric, and it doesn’t involve a lot of motion. If you see any videos which illustrate techniques you’re struggling with, please post them.
Keep riding!
Riding without flailing will not usually come naturally. Some experienced muni riders still flail and swim down the trail. Many still flail with one hand.
Usually one needs to FORCE oneself to not flail or swim while riding. Try riding with first one hand and then the other on the seat handle, or on the thigh of your leg, and then in a pocket.
Then try clasping both hands together first in front, and then later, behind you.
I find it usually necessary to consciously ride without flailing or I’ll start up again when in a challenging spot on the trail.
For instance I ride skinnies clipless. During the winter I got out of practice and was flailing with one hand. These last few rides I’ve been working on riding the curb with both hands on the saddle again. Now I’ll ride the curb continuously for several hundred feet with both hands on the saddle again.
Try to find satisfaction in any small accomplishment. When we measure our accomplishments over a day or two we usually fail to notice how much we have changed over the weeks, months, and years. Remember that if you’re looking for instance gratification the unicycle will not usually provide you with much joy. Try to find joy everyday in doing challenging things on your unicycle and it will provide a lifetime of new things to try and do. It’s worked for me for over a dozen years of fun and challenges. I still am not a great unicyclist but I’ve done some great things. I’ve accomplished things I never dreamed of a few years ago. It all required persistence.
Enjoy,
JM
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