I am responding to a general note from Lars, who is endeavoring to ride
about 5,000 miles across the US.
lars@onewheel.org writes:
>EQUIPMENT: The big unicycles have arrived and we’ve got most of the
>modifications done. Brakes, handlebars, odometer, “Grandma’s feather
>seat”,
>shorter cranks, and now clip pedals too. The 28” Semcycle rides 9 miles
>an
>hour and feels similar to the ride of my 7 mph Schwinn that I used all
>winter. The 36” Coker rides 11 or 12 miles an hour, and it is very,
>different. That big wheel has so much inertia and is so smooth that I
>feel
>like a train going down the highway. When my feet are clipped into the
>pedals, riding is a high focus thriller.
@@@
> I’ve got a couple learning curve
>falls to my name already, but making steady progress with the new pedals.
>“Don’t worry,” Tyler said, “after a couple weeks of riding every day on
>your
>trip, everything will be instinct.” I like this coach.
@@@ OK, I just want to make sure I understand. Are you actually using
toe-clip pedals or anything which could keep your feet from getting off
the pedals as soon as you start to fall?
I don’t know if anyone out there uses clips with a Coker, but it would
seem sheer lunacy to me. I have had falls off a Coker at speeds right up
with my maximum running sprint, and if I had been clipped in, there is no
way I would have avoided SERIOUS injury or death, and I am not kidding.
Paralysis seems about 10,000 times likelier with toe-clipped Coker riding.
Lars, I hope I misunderstood, but there is no way you want to ride even
500 feet (let alone 5,000 miles) while using toe-clips.
By the way, 11-12 mph on a Coker should eventually be an average, not a
max. Perhaps consider shorter cranks. With 4.3" cranks, I average 12-13mph
on a long ride home (13 miles in 1:02 last time), and that’s including
city riding and red lights. You could easily maintain 14-15 mph for over
an hour once you get in great shape, and a few hours of that, a long
break, and a few more hours of riding would give you more time with the
family. It takes quite a while to get accustomed to shorter cranks (like
100 miles or more) but is well worth it.
David Stone
Co-founder, Unatics of NY