Hi again guys! Just thought I’d give an update. I finally managed to get my unicycle built up, got some KH 8mm crank spacers from UDC China (thanks Alex :)) and added a 0.3+0.5 mm stack of M22 shim washers to achieve the total spacing needed. Also got some 7075 alu crank bolts and transparent pedals. Looks pretty sick.
My learning experience started on Friday. Did two 30 minute sessions in my building’s corridor, managing a couple of 3 full crank turns towards the end (my best for the day). Despite the advice of “just going for it” given in rich’s gif above, I found having walls within close reach was an incredible time-saver. Constant dismount-mount cycles consume a lot of time and waste energy if what I’m trying to do is get a feel for balance. However the corridor was too narrow at 120 cm and that was preventing me from progressing. I gave up for the day. That night my legs felt as though they wanted to keep pedalling, it’s as though my legs were still on the unicycle. I could feel the unicycle under me even thought I was just lying in bed. Groin area slightly sore.
Yesterday (Saturday afternoon) I found an alleyway about 20cm wider than my stretched arms can reach. I found this to be perfect for learning. It allowed me to launch off whilst still having the option of a friendly wall to either side to prevent UPDs. Any time I was definitely going to fall, I would just lean onto the nearest wall, straighten up and try again. Within about 15 minutes I was able to ride half the length of the alleyway without walls—about 10 metres. Once that happened my courage went up quite a bit, especially because I realised bailing was relatively easy, landing on my feet 100% of the time. I know that’s what everyone told me, but you have to experience it for yourself before the brain buys it.
With the fear of falling gone, I then went to a nearby road, and holding onto a wall, launched off into the open, no side walls. After a few attempts, I managed about 50 metres. Felt friggin’ awesome 
The ride was only 30 minutes, and it kicked my ass. My whole body ached by the end of the day.
This morning (Sunday) I went out again, for about one hour this time. Towards the end I was able to ride for about 100m with not much arm waving and managed to turned a 90 degree bend in a more or less controlled way. I was also able to free-mount once.
Hopping was trivial, maybe coming from a bike trials background helped.
Overall I’m pretty happy with my progress so far, and I’m finding unicycling to be very addictive.
I encountered a few setbacks though, advice needed:
-
Groin discomfort: This is the second biggest roadblock I’ve encountered thus far. According to various threads here on this forum, it’s caused by a combination of poor moisture control, inadequate padding, pants material, whether underpants are being worn or not, saddle geometry (width, etc), saddle orientation and saddle height. That’s a lot of variables with one common denominator—a sore groin. Just few minutes into my first attempt, my inner thigh area was already hinting at the problem, and the end of the ride was clearly marked by my groin’s ability to endure the burning. One thing that helped make the situation better was to adjust saddle height correctly. As it turned out, my saddle was initially about 5 cm too low. Will padded cycling pants eliminate the chafing?
-
Diamonds: We’ve all seen the picture. I have to literally grab and pull my diamonds up before every mount. Doesn’t look particularly classy and the extra step is a bit of a chore. Will tight-fitting cycling pants make this better or is it an issue with the saddle?
-
Sitting on perineum: Biggest roadblock for at the moment. I want my sit bone to be directly above the seat post. That requires the widest part of the saddle—the rear of the saddle—to be positioned also directly above the wheel axle. Unfortunately, my saddle is already is adjusted as far forward as it can go and it’s still inadequate. Currently the only way round this is for me to lean further forward, which brings the back of the saddle to where it should be (good) but the back of the saddle ends up sloping downwards and forward. As a result, I tend to slide forward into the saddle, further sliding prevented by my perineum hitting the upslope of the saddle. Sitting on the perineum is incorrect and very uncomfortable. Eventually I just end up semi-sitting and semi-standing, which is very inefficient. I am convinced this is a seat ergonomics problem. I know KH does a flatter saddle, that seems like it might do the trick. I would love some advice on this as it’s preventing me from enjoying my rides.
I’ll post some pics of my machine later 