There are several good ways for a beginner, but leaning is not really one
of them.
First of all, use a lamppost or street sign or other thin grabby thing.
Step on the pedal on your chocolate side so that the pedal is at 6 o’clock
(straight down). Then put Vanilla on the top pedal and, when ready, go
forwards. In truth, you don’t start at 6:00 but more like 7:05, and I am
not being silly – what I mean is that it helps to have Vanilla a little
forward of the other pedal so that going forward is easier.
When you get better, you can do the above sans post – just start with
Choco at 6:00, kick back Vanilla pedal a bit, right yourself, and then go
forward. It’s much like a side mount in that you kick back the pedal in
order to achieve a better riding posish.
Another method is to set the pedals at 3:45 (9:15?), hold the top of the
wheel with a hand (I use Choco Hand), and then get that other foot on and
start riding. This method does allow you to right yourself once both feet
are on pedals – just stay at 3:45 and twist around until you’re righted.
That’s not a bad thing to practice, by the way – UW stillstands. For many
people they’re easier than idling on an UW.
By the way, the coolest method for mounting that I have discovered is a
kickup mount. Start with the UW in the posish of a uni that you’d be about
to kick up. Then kick up the underside of the wheel with Vanilla while
pushing down a bit (only a little bit) on Choco. This is not as hard as it
seems.
Good luck!
David
Co-founder, Unatics of NY
1st Sunday / 3rd Saturday
@ Central Park Bandshell
1:30 start time after 11/1/01
> > Step on the pedal on your chocolate side so that the pedal is
> > at 6 o’clock (straight down). Then put Vanilla on the top
>
> What flavor corresponds to the rider’s dominant foot? I have to get this
ice
> cream thingy figured out.
David Stone wrote…
>Sofa.7571a@timelimit.unicyclist.com writes:
>>
>>How the hell do you mount the UW? Does everybody just lean on a fence?
>By the way, the coolest method for mounting that I have discovered is a
>kickup mount. Start with the UW in the posish of a uni that you’d be about
>to kick up. Then kick up the underside of the wheel with Vanilla while
>pushing down a bit (only a little bit) on Choco. This is not as hard as it
>seems.
I did a kickup mount on a UW at Unicon IV in Puerto Rico in 1988 – possibly
I may be the first one to have done this and I wonder if anyone knows of earlier
instances. For the record, to the best of my knoledge, I invented the kickup
mount for a regular uni at a USA meet in 1980 – possibly 1979/ – I think
John Foss knows the details.
It would be interesting to start a page wit details of how a uni skill was born –
who did it, etc. Probably John Fss knows more about this tha anyone alive.
I wonder wo invented gliding?
Stay on top, Jack Halpern
Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc.
Website: http://www.kanji.org
> For the record, to the best of my knoledge, I
> invented the kickup
> mount for a regular uni at a USA meet in 1980 – possibly 1979/
> – I think John Foss knows the details.
I have no recollection of a kickup mount in 1980. I first saw it in 1981 or
82, by Daniel Dumeng. I have credited him as the originator of this trick
for 20 years, with no one disputing it yet.
> I wonder wo invented gliding?
I would guess that the guys in Sweden who came up with coasting may have
discovered gliding. My friends and I did, possibly based on the pictures you
had in the newsletter at that time. I came to the 1981 NUM with some slight
gliding ability. But we didn’t have a name for it. Aaron Anderson, from
Seattle, came wearing a T-shirt that said “I glide 2”. The name comes from
him, to my knowledge.
John Foss wrote:
>
> > CHOCOLATE, ya #$%$# #$%&^!
>
> I’m a “#$%$# #$%&^” for not knowing the dominant side is chocolate?
>
> > Scott the chocoholic
>
> That explains it for you, but what about the more objective world? Vanilla
> ice cream outsells chocolate by a big margin…
>
> JF
That information is probably available on the Internet someplace. I used to
work in the ice cream industry, but no more. All I know is that the top ice
cream flavor is either vanilla or chocolate chip or something (with white
ice cream), and that chocolate follows several notches later. These are
probably US statistics, and not worldwide.
Needless to say, the whole chocolate/vanilla thing is tasty, but it’s
confusing when discussing unicycling. What’s wrong with dominant and
non-dominant? That’s what we used to use in the schools…
I agree. The ice cream is confusing, and at best, goofy sounding. It’s not cool like other extreme sports. If we are ever going to change the nomenclature of unicycling skills (which I doubt anyway) It think we should keep it in-line with skating, wakeboarding, snowboarding, etc. That means you have your regular foot, goofy foot, and if you’re doing a skill with your non-dominant foot, you’re riding switch.
David never did say which foot was consumed more in America. Er, well, try to figure out what I mean.
Based on 2001 supermarket sales of ice cream, the top five flavors in terms
of share of segment in the United States are: vanilla (28%), chocolate (8%),
neapolitan (7%), butter pecan (4.5%), and chocolate chip (3.5%).
When I worked at an ice cream parlor many years ago I would routinely ride
my unicycle (or a borrowed penny-farthing) to work.
-mg
“tron” <tron.7763n@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote in message news:tron.7763n@timelimit.unicyclist.com…
>
> I agree. The ice cream is confusing, and at best, goofy sounding. It’s
> not cool like other extreme sports. If we are ever going to change the
> nomenclature of unicycling skills (which I doubt anyway) It think we
> should keep it in-line with skating, wakeboarding, snowboarding, etc.
> That means you have your regular foot, goofy foot, and if you’re doing a
> skill with your non-dominant foot, you’re riding switch.
>
> David never did say which foot was consumed more in America. Er, well,
> try to figure out what I mean.
>
>
> –
> tron - -= J. Alan Atherton =-
>
> - J. Alan Atherton
> tron@unicyclist.com
> “Put your shoulder to the wheel”
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> tron’s Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/405
> View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/19079
>
Based on 2001 supermarket sales of ice cream, the top five flavors in terms
of share of segment in the United States are: vanilla (28%), chocolate (8%),
neapolitan (7%), butter pecan (4.5%), and chocolate chip (3.5%).
“tron” <tron.7763n@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote in message news:tron.7763n@timelimit.unicyclist.com…
>
> I agree. The ice cream is confusing, and at best, goofy sounding. It’s
> not cool like other extreme sports. If we are ever going to change the
> nomenclature of unicycling skills (which I doubt anyway) It think we
> should keep it in-line with skating, wakeboarding, snowboarding, etc.
> That means you have your regular foot, goofy foot, and if you’re doing a
> skill with your non-dominant foot, you’re riding switch.
>
> David never did say which foot was consumed more in America. Er, well,
> try to figure out what I mean.
>
>
> –
> tron - -= J. Alan Atherton =-
>
> - J. Alan Atherton
> tron@unicyclist.com
> “Put your shoulder to the wheel”
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> tron’s Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/405
> View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/19079
>
> That means you have your regular foot, goofy foot,
> and if you’re doing a skill with your non-dominant
> foot, you’re riding switch.
Switch sounds better than “doing it with your non-dominant foot” but I’m not
sure that goofy foot applies as well to unicycling. I understand it to be
something to do with your chosen way of placing your feet on the board. On a
unicycle that choice doesn’t really exist, so it’s the dominant side and the
other side. Is this true?
> Based on 2001 supermarket sales of ice cream, the top five
> flavors in terms
> of share of segment in the United States are: vanilla (28%),
> chocolate (8%),
> neapolitan (7%), butter pecan (4.5%), and chocolate chip (3.5%).
A total of 51%? I wonder what the other flavors are. Probably stuff like
Chunky Monkey and other designer stuff.
> When I worked at an ice cream parlor many years ago I
> would routinely ride my unicycle (or a borrowed penny-
> farthing) to work.
When I worked at my local ice cream store (1980-83) I used to ride my
unicycle to work the majority of the time (1/2 mile), and sometimes
practiced things like stillstands in the store. That was during the winter,
when there were few customers. I also did much of my initial learning to
juggle in there, with lemons!
In message “RE: ultimate wheel - mounts”,
John Foss wrote…
>> For the record, to the best of my knoledge, I
>> invented the kickup
>> mount for a regular uni at a USA meet in 1980 – possibly 1979/
>> – I think John Foss knows the details.
>
>I have no recollection of a kickup mount in 1980. I first saw it in 1981 or
>82, by Daniel Dumeng. I have credited him as the originator of this trick
>for 20 years, with no one disputing it yet.
Uh? We had a long discussion on this. I thought of it, siggested it to Daniel,
we both worked on it, but he got it a bit before me, I can dig up old email.
Maybe we should ask Daniel to confirm the facts/
>> I wonder wo invented gliding?
>
>I would guess that the guys in Sweden who came up with coasting may have
>discovered gliding. My friends and I did, possibly based on the pictures you
>had in the newsletter at that time. I came to the 1981 NUM with some slight
>gliding ability. But we didn’t have a name for it. Aaron Anderson, from
>Seattle, came wearing a T-shirt that said “I glide 2”. The name comes from
>him, to my knowledge.
>
>Stay on top,
>John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
>jfoss@unicycling.com
>www.unicycling.com
>
>
>“If we are what we eat, then I’m easy, fast, and cheap!”
>
Stay on top, Jack Halpern
Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc.
Website: http://www.kanji.org