I am getting geared up to start unicycling again after about a 10 yr layoff.
I have wrist wraps and elbow pads. I have the Kris Holm Percussion Leg Armor on my wish list at unicycle.com.
Any of you use anything for back/tailbone protection? I’ve been tempted to shove one of those old foam mouse pads down the back of my jeans, thinking that was better than landing right on tailbone
After wrist and shoulder surgeries, at this age, I’m lot more concerned about breaking things, besides the added diabetes/neuropathy complexities.
I still have my Torker 20" and 24" and will start learning again on those when I get all my gear.
Any suggestions from those that “have been there, done that”?
Along with all that other stuff, I’m also going to recommend limiting your speed. Keep it under 40, tops.
I know there are products on the market; search under mountain biking, though other sports may offer useful stuff as well. I remember that George Peck, in his 1991 video Rough Terrain Unicycling, used some camping foam, glued to the bottom of an old metal litter box (for his cat) as a back pad. That was back when you had to have proper unicycle axles custom made (or keep replacing them all the time).
If you never heard of George Peck, he’s (or was) the town Magistrate in Seward, and is one of the early proponents of what we now call Mountain Unicycling, or Muni.
lol, thanks John
I was first thinking to keep my speed same as age, but then realized that I’m not as young as once was, or as fearless
Ok, will look at mtn biking gear.
As for George, yes, I’ve heard of him but haven’t met him yet. Seen most of his videos, and his son’s video’s. I lived in Seward back in the 70’s and my daughter was born there. I love Seward and drive over every once in a while. One of my brother’s has a boat in a slip there at the small boat harbor that we go out of the bay for halibut fishing.
im 57 and got back into it after 43 years.
out of shape and have neuropothy in my feet.
when i first learned there was no internet.
your mind will know what to do but your body might not.
the upside is you know you can do it.
the down side is you will still probably have to be patient while your musseles remember and strengthen.
advice #1 dont try to hang on too long, if its getting ugly let it drop and start over.
i learned this the hard way. broken wrist, steel plate, 8 weeks off the Uni. #2 watch U-tube videos on learning to ride . it will refresh your memory and probably shed some new techniques on you.
there are hundreds of them, use them to your advantage.
other than that the one thing that other riderd are going to tell you is practice,
practice, practice. seat time is your friend.
best of luck,
Aaron
Thanks Aaron for all the info.
The neuropathy is in my feet also. Pain gets excruciating at times and some numbness is setting in. However, my A1C is 6.5
Been watching lots of videos while waiting for safety gear.
My wrist had 2 pins inserted while healing from break. I have 5 screws in one shoulder keeping it all together, and other shoulder needs work.
Then there is the arthritis…and on and on.
lol, can’t wait for the “golden years” Must be pretty nice
Strongly agree. Fail early, fail often. Don’t try to be a hero. Your sense of when things are too far gone to save is probably pretty dependable. We used to say that chicks dig scars but for some reason that doesn’t come up as often these days.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time looking at protective gear although I’m still going pretty minimalist so far. It’s actually pretty intimidating with so much out there to pick from, especially if you broaden the search and look outside cycling gear. I’ve wondered for example about things like the football “girdles” sold by Nike, Under Armour, etc. It’s a long way from the old three yards and a cloud of dust days. They seem to offer good hip and tailbone protection and the prices appear reasonable. Also some hockey stuff…
I don’t see any mention of helmets here but I sure hope you have a good one. I’ve known two people who died from head injuries incurred when they fell while walking. One freak accident can do it.
Thanks LE for the sites. Didn’t think about those at all.
As for helmet, my friends say there’s no need
In all seriousness, I was just looking at some full face helmets on Amazon.
I used to have a nice biking helmet, but it’s nowhere to be found after the move and I now like the idea of full face protection.
Being retired and living on soc sec, I gotta pay attention to prices, but looks like some good ones to choose from.
I wear Kris Holm Gloves, leg armor and helmet pretty much all the time. I have only needed it a couple of times but since you never know when that is I was glad I had them on.
I had some scary UPD’s doing muni. I never got hurt bad but was really lucky. Here in Missouri it is hilly and rocky and I came off last year and went flat on my back,. It bruised me up pretty good so I bought some hillbilly shorts from UDC. They are not as restricting as they look. I only wear them if it is pretty rocky or technical. The next time was this spring when I came off the front, caught myself before I face planted with my nose and teeth about 3” from a jagged rock. I have purchased a full face helmet, haven’t used it yet but I will when the weather cools off and I can get back in the woods.
That is a matter of opinion. It is a personal decision. I hit hard enough just a couple week ago at the gym when I came off doing backwards practice. The back of my helmet hit so hard that the ratchet strap you tighten it with stripped out and won’t tighten.
I have gloves and just ordered the leg armor. Elbow protection is from sixsixone. Even have some wrist wraps from them also.
Now just to wait for everything to get here so I can start riding Going to be interesting to see how far along I get before temps go below 0F and/or we get snow.
I have 20 cm square pieces of 25 mm thick high density closed cell foam in calico coin bags on my hips under my outer shorts. The tops of the bags fold over the waistband of the shorts where they are covered by my sweater.
Closed cell foam doesn’t absorb water so the whole assembly can go through the wash and dries very quickly.
I started wearing them after falling sideways onto tarmac from my 24 during a botched takeoff. On that occasion I could feel the pain for at least six weeks.
Since then I’m sure they saved me on at least one occasion where I went straight down on a hip after my 29er slid out in mud on a concrete path through a tight bend. I really smacked the concrete coming down from that height and it still hurt for a couple of weeks but I hate to think what it would have been like without the pad.
The pads go from the side and partway around the back. We are surprising good at falling on what is protected so I tend to roll a little to the side when I fall. I have had a couple of slides down the road at over 20 kph.
I think they also helped recently when I came of the back of my 36er on a steep downhill in pouring rain.
A month after taking a forty year break from unicycling, I felt off my unicycle and landed chest first on top of my elbow pad. The elbow pad was fine; however, I cracked a left rib. Now, when I ride my local mountain bike path, I wear some light chest protection. Click here. It adds some protection and has soften the blow on two occasions. I only wear it on the trails.
As for the tailbone, I cut up an old yoga matt and shove a folded piece of it down the back of my riding shorts. (Inspired by the George Peck video and after falling taking a hard fall on my butt). Hip protection sounds like a good idea; however, since I haven’t hit my hip too hard, I guess I’m not motivated enough. I gotta learn the hard way.
Besides for everything else that has already been mentioned, the only other piece of gear I wear all the time are my Five-Ten high-tops. After learning the hard way and twisting my ankle once, I wear them all the time on the trails.
Next purchase will be five yards of bubble wrap.
Be well and wear enough protective gear so that you can ride another day.
Pinoclean, here in Alaska the sword isn’t optional
As for the rest of the gear, well, that’s what I was thinking of when I asked about safety gear
Unisphere, agree about the bubble wrap. Always wanted to meet George, but seems every time I go to Seward, it’s hurry and get boat loaded…“fish on” 20 to 25 mile boat ride out past the bay to get to our halibut fishing grounds.
OneTrackMind, very interesting protection. Thanks. I have some arthritis in my hips also, so I do think about hip protection.
Appreciate all the help. I’ll be glad when all my gear arrives so I can start riding again.
Ten-year lay off!!..why on earth do you want to risk life and limb now! Darn! if you UPD let that be a lesson…give it up before you REALLY injure yourself. Unicycling is hazerdous to life, especially at our age.
What is it with this macho bunch of pensioners who think they are still young!?
Well…Hell yeah, go for it. Set a target and try to achieve it. Let’s say, 50 mile round trip, twenty five miles without dismount, etc, etc.
Too much? OK few hundred metres around the local park, exciting kids on their monkey bikes by reaching the lower branches of the park trees.
[QUOTE=oldfatboy;1686585]
Thanks LE for the sites. Didn’t think about those at all.
As for helmet, my friends say there’s no need
In all seriousness, I was just looking at some full face helmets on Amazon.
I used to have a nice biking helmet, but it’s nowhere to be found after the move and I now like the idea of full face protection.
Being retired and living on soc sec, I gotta pay attention to prices, but looks like some good ones to choose from.[/QUOTE
Please get a helmet, I did, and the one day I did not wear it, a strangely unexpected mishap meant me falling into a rolling body, mess. I was not very bodily hurt, but the left side of the forehead collided with ‘Terra Firma’, and I bled like a good’un. It pained me for days. Like you I take an age to repair due to age, so take care…
Power to your legs though, excellent behaviour.
Just as an aside my surname happens to be Seward…!!
monocyclism, that cracked me up
Right now, I’ll be happy to just ride around the parking area. However, I do have some routes that I’d love to ride around. Basically, a bike path between two local towns.
Regina, I am getting a helmet. In fact, going to buy a full face helmet. I had a helmet, but it got lost (along with some other things) in the move to Alaska.
One good note, I was able to make a one full revolution on the 20", without touching anything, beside a counter in the kitchen area. That’s all the room I had, but was happy with that. Maybe it will be somewhat like riding a bike and won’t be so difficult to start riding again.
older guy than me. I’ve just recently started to ride unicycles after being away from them for over 40 years. I purchased a cheap uni from eBay 24" it had the thin tire on it. I’ll say this the thin wheeled unicycles are so much harder to keep your balance on than the fat wheel trials unicycles or the mountain unicycles. You might try a few walking staffs, just to get started, The longer you spend in the seat the sooner you’ll get that balance point back. Like some body mentioned before. When you lose that balance point take your feet straight to the ground and forget about the uni. For me what I’m finding out, You have to get on them every day. like the old saying ( you don’t use it you, you lose it.
