i recently figured out that the foot on the crown is rather crucial to one foot idling and i find myself using it quite a bit to help with stability and balance
two questions
do u use the same amount of force against the frame when u ride one footed?
how do u generate balance when riding/idling foot extended?
thanx
Re: one foot riding…
GILD wrote:
> i recently figured out that the foot on the crown is rather crucial to
> one foot idling and i find myself using it quite a bit to help with
> stability and balance
That won’t always be the case. With practice you’ll find that it’s
almost as easy with the foot extended. I’ve read here that some people
find “foot extended” easier than “foot on frame” because they can use it
for balance. Not me, though.
> do u use the same amount of force against the frame when u ride one
> footed?
No. The foot on the frame can help with stability but the motion is all
down to the pedalling foot.
> how do u generate balance when riding/idling foot extended?
A nice smooth pedalling stroke - with no pressure on the pedal as it rises.
I’m only just starting to work on riding with one foot extended. I can
do a few revolutions - but the thing I’ve noticed most is how much it’s
helped my riding with one foot on the frame.
Regards,
Mark.
it’s way easier to one foot ride from 2-foot riding, not from one foot idling.
You obviously found where the crown is by 1f idling, just ‘memorize’ where your foot is, and flick it there when you are rdingin (slowly) and try to keep up the momentum. as soon as you get on epedal stroke (like learning to ride) you’ll feel what you need to do
1f idling is easy from 1f riding though
My experience is that one-foot riding is much easier when done at normal riding speed rather than “slowly”. Learning came quickly to me only after I bit the bullet and lifted my foot off the pedal and immediately stuck it on the crown while at cruising speed. Slow riding came later.
I learned one foot idling with the free foot on the crown. At first, i used the top of the crown as a ‘lever’ to help me regain balance. With practice, I’m now sure that all of the work is done with the foot on the bottom pedal. Like basic riding, it starts as an uncertain and jerky process, but practice makes it smooth and almost instinctive.
Then I learned one foot riding, and I learned it starting from the one foot idling position. The problem is that first full circle. I do the back stroke to bring the working pedal up to just above level (say 2 on the clock face) and take it from there.
The easy mistake is to push the pedal really hard to get lots of momentum. What then happens is that the pedal hits ‘bottom dead centre’ and stalls under the pressure of your foot. Learn a lighter touch, adding momentum to the pedal as it passes from about 1 to about 3 on the clock face.
Idling with the free foot not on the crown is a fairly easy progression from idling with it on the crown, once you are confident. Try taking the foot off the crown as the pedal rises at the back, and the uni moves forwards and leans back. I found it best to take the foot off the crown for 1 or 2 pedal strokes, then 3 or 4, and so on. Someone else in the forum said it is better to learn to finish successfully than to continue each time until you fail.
I find that it’s best if the free leg is ‘locked’ into position (with my alleged muscles) so that it doesn’t swing *independently * of the body.
I am in the process of learning one foot idling and one foot riding. Currently I can only one foot ride with my foot extended. For whatever reason, I can’t seem to do it with my off foot on the frame. Future goals:
One foot idling
One foot riding/idling with foot on frame
One foot riding/idling with sub dominate foot
Wheel walking
Coasting
Wish me luck,
Daniel
I learned 1 foot on a slight downslope. I would mount against a wall, so that my energy wasn’t going into mounting. From this position I would take three strokes down of my control foot (left), then lift my other foot (right) and put it on the frame. The point was to build up enough speed. Speed is very important when you are just learning this skill. Also, leaning forward, or extending your arms forward really helps.
Getting the foot on the frame took me at least two days of practice, several hours a day. I figured this was important as the easiest standard skill is with the foot on the frame. With your foot extended or hanging off to the side, balance becomes more difficult.
Once I would get my foot on the frame I would count the strokes. The stroke where I lifted my foot didn’t count, since my other foot was still on the pedal at the time of the push.
Try to get one stroke, then two. Four seems like a huge number. Six and a little is 10M, but I always focus on distance before trying to get out of the skill.
While foot on frame provides a great deal of stability, eventually the ankle against the seat post will aid in performing turns, circles and figure 8’s. I just want to figure out how to do 1 foot skills with the foot off the frame.
I worked on 1-foot on a downslope as well. It’s makes learning way easier than on flat ground (i.e. gym hall), because gravity helps you to keep momentum/speed. I also second the ‘leaning forward’.
At the beginning, I just lifted my left foot off the pedal for the odd pedal stroke. Then I just had my left leg hanging at the side while 1-footing for a few revolutions. Eventually, I built up enough courage to place my foot on the crown. From then on my progess speeded up tremendously.
Currently, I work on the transition 1-foot-idling to 1-foot riding. To me it seems as if you have to push down quiet strongly and lean forward in the initiating stage. While the pedalling foot goes through the six o’clock position I try to bring my upper body back over the axle (otherwise you will just fall off to the front). These days I manage the transition 2 out of 3 times successfully.
As to the ww: this is way harder to learn! After working on it for 6 weeks I manage hardly ever 10m. But I know that I will eventually master this skill as well.
Go for it, it’s fun
Cheers,
Franz
Re: one foot riding…
My breaktrhough moments for one foot skills come when I get a chance to ride indoors on a nice smooth floor. Practicing on concrete or pavement doesn’t cut it for learning the skill.
I just started practicing one foot riding/idling with the foot extended. I’m finding that balance comes from the hips, sitting firmly on the seat, and some strategic force on the front sides of the saddle with the inner thighs.
I’m getting a handful of idles in with foot extended and I’m getting some left and right circles in when riding foot extended. Not consistent with it yet. I want to get to the point where I can idle with my free leg crossed on my riding leg.
ah you crazy kids!
must say this is all rather daunting when you find basic idling and backwards riding ni on impossible.
o the joys of continual practise and bettering your previous ride!!?
thanx kids!!
lots to chew on
>I would mount against a wall, so that my energy wasn’t going into mounting.
i do this with the giraffe when i’m working on raffie-skills because i find the (unsuccesfull) freemounts to be quite tiring
i’ve never had the problem with mounting the 20"
is this a beginner issue?
HeJ
I have tried one foot riding and have been practising a while. I just wanted to know if it is easiest to have your foot resting one the crown. I have been practising with my free foot just bent backward. Should i switch to another way of pratising? Thx
Re: HeJ
Riding with the free foot on the crown is easier once you manage to learn how to get your foot up on the crown. When you’re first learning the skill, just getting your foot up on the crown is challenging.
If you have a round crown you can use a hose clamp or some grip tape (like what’s used on skateboards) to give your foot something to hold on to.
Thanks, thats a great idea I’ll give it a shot.
Re: one foot riding…
john_childs wrote:
> I’m getting a handful of idles in with foot extended and I’m getting
> some left and right circles in when riding foot extended. Not
> consistent with it yet. I want to get to the point where I can idle
> with my free leg crossed on my riding leg.
Idling with your free leg crossed isn’t that much harder than leg
extended. It just seems harder because you’re putting yourself in a more
precarious position if you need to bail out. Idling with arms and legs
crossed is a bit harder - takes a lot to keep your balance when you
can’t flail about.
Regards,
Mark.