I am getting much better at just jumping off, and you are certainly right about that being better than falling off.
Actually, I do my best to avoid falling at all, which may be one reason for my slow progress.
After getting the actual riding down pat, I remember actually FALLING off, rather than jumping or stepping off, only a few times. Most were during attempts at turning, but one was early on when I was attempting to keep going up an almost imperceptively shallow incline (I hadn’t even realized it was an incline, so I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t able to keep going). The uni just seemed to stop, I couldn’t make it go any further and WHAM, before I even knew what was happening I was on the concrete. I think now I would know to jump at that point. However, just a few days ago, the attempted turn after I was already exhausted landed me in an unexpected heap on the ground in similar dismay. (I know I shouldn’t have attempted the turn while I was exhausted, but I was SOOO close!)
Grass?!
I’ve read that suggestion several times. The grass around here is so dense, I have not been able to pedal on that surface… at least not in the areas I have attempted. It’s too soft and, at the same time, rough and bumpy. However, I will check out some grassy areas again.
Downhills… on the grass.
Hmmm… Now there’s an idea. I have not tried inclines except for quite shallow ones.
I’ll be looking for a good grassy incline that isn’t too steep, but Southwest Louisiana is pretty flat.
I learned on grass, in my backyard. First riding around a trampoline while holding on, then attempting to cross the yard to the fence on the other side. Our backyard is full of little bumps and holes - so it took a long time to learn, but falls were not that serious - although I would suggest wrist guards (or the KH pulse gloves) to protect your hands being bent back.
This did 2 things - it cushioned my falls, and when I finally did progress to my driveway, I was really good! Well, at least I didn’t fall like I did on the grass.
+1 to learning to “jump off” or controlled dismount. I would say, after learning to ride in a straight line, controlled dismounts should be the next skill to learn. They can save you from injury, save your uni from damage, and make you look like you know what you’re doing
Haha nope I don’t know why it’s there, my old boss/friend had it on the end of his email and I just used it. I’d love to change my name but I don’t know if it’s possible (at least I can’t figure out how to do it).
If you wanted, instead of legit bike shorts, you could get bike liners and wear normal leg gear over them.
The liners are like wearing padded underwear on your unicycle… or maybe it’s like your saddle is wearing a diaper? Either way, they’re good and inconspicuous. They might not PROTECT you as much as the others, but comfort wise they are just as good.
The liners are also cheaper.
Just my 2 cents.
I finally orderd the Hillbilly pants in the picture posted by wsettle.
Thanks for posting that link wsettle.
They arrived. They are just a tad big, but I have figured out how to make them work. They make me look like I gained about 50 pounds overnight, but it does seem like they would be good protection for hips and rear.
Hopefully I won’t think I need them for very long.
They are HOT in this southwest Louisiana HEAT!
I just want to get turning down a little better, and then they will probably be taking up space in a drawer somewhere.
