Ponderings from a very slow learner

Thanks everyone for the moral support. That’s one of the really great things about the people who inhabit this forum. I had a pretty good practice session last night and feel as though I made a little progess:) . Thanks Johnfoss for the 3 tips. I’ve been hanging around this forum long enough to have the seat position right and be putting my weight on the seat. My posture on the other hand can be less than ideal. I focused on that last night and I believe it made a difference. UniBrier, I assume you attached the underdog image so I could detach it and use it as my avatar. May I? The reason for my user name is that Underdog was one of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid.

Go for it, after all: “‘it isn’t stealing if I wasn’t going to buy it anyway’”

Too bad this one with Sweet Polly Purebread is too small:

underdog_6229.gif

Thanks.

Ah, Sweet Polly. Years ago there was an evening news anchor in Phoenix named Mary Jo West. She looked just like Sweet Polly.

Anybody ever wonder why Underdog isn’t still around? I haven’t even seen reruns in many, many years.

It’s the drugs.

(for you youngsters out there, Underdog always got his final burst of energy, to save the day, from his power pill. This was a little pill in his ring, which he never seemed to take until way later than he should have. While Popeye’s spinach was organic and healthy, the idea of taking a pill to make you a superhero was probably deemed not such a good concept for the kiddies.)

Congratulations on your continuing progress! Like someone else mentioned, you can also experiment with tire pressure and make sure you have a nice smooth riding surface. High tire pressure is better than too low, though really high pressure (60+) may make your wheel too squirrely. You want it to track relatively straight, but not resist steering corrections.

Ya know, I always wondered what that pill was.

Anyway johnfoss, tire pressure is one of those things I’ve never been sure of. I’m riding a Torker DX24 with a Kenda 24 x 2.3 tire on it. I’m 6’1" and about 195 lbs. What sort pressure would you recommend. I gotta feeling it’s a little soft right now but the last time I checked it I was running it at about 45 psi.

Thanks

Underdog, you definitely aren’t alone. I for one am a slow learner too. There is a wide distribution in how fast people learn. If you look at the top picture in <http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/agelearn_short.htm> you see two individuals whom it took 140 and 150 hours before they could ride 50 metres - you’ve passed that mark already. As John Foss mentioned, you may be doing something wrong. Posting a vid of your riding as Billham suggests may be a good idea, if you have the means for it, and your introvertness can stand it. Otherwise you might want to look at the beginners tutorial “Learning to Unicycle” downloadable from <http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/uni_beginners.htm>.

Some people have posted about their introvertness on this forum. That’s a small step for Mankind but maybe a giant leap for them. And I think there are quite some introverts that refrain from posting at all.

Hope this helps,
Klaas Bil

(I posted this 13 hours ago on the newsgroup but the gateway isn’t working properly. Once more. Some of the above may be doubling newer replies.)

Re: Ponderings from a very slow learner

“underdog” <underdog@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote in
message news:underdog.1f7qs7@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com
>
Another
> question, are any of you introverts who don’t like being the center of
> attention (I’m a little bit this way)? Because this is definitely the
> wrong sport for introverts.
>
>
I think introverts quite often will go for something a bit extreme,
unicycling being maybe one of the less frequent choices. It does them good,
and the attention they find they are unexpectedly getting helps them come
some way out of their shell. Its a good result.
Slow learners are not merely confined to the over 40’s. I too learn slowly,
possibly because in the past I have tried various other oddball “skills”,
found them to be a little lacking in me, and then had to repair resultant
damage. I don’t want to break something else, and so this is probably
reducing my bravado somewhat, and contributing to slow progress. I will
progress at a rate at which I know I can UPD safely, but will enjoy it
nonetheless.

Naomi