I’ve just started trying this seat-in-front malarkey. Is it just me who finds it about as stable as a very unstable thing having a bad day while perched on something else that’s also unstable? I can just about manage a few little hops but it’s an awful lot of effort keeping the thing going, and looks, well, rather ridiculous, so I’m told. It takes both hands and a crazy grimace to keep the uni straight…
I presume it gets easier?
I’m trying to nail pedal grabs… I can get onto the pedal and crank quite effectively, but that last jump is just too scary. Such a narrow bench… nowhere to land on the feet… <yoda> much pain I see… </yoda>
What worked well for me was practicing for 15-20 minutes. After that I took a few days off, and then went back to it. During the off time my body thought about what to do to make it more comfortable and easier. Whenever I go back to trying seat in front stuff it gets easier and easier with time as the body remembers skills.
I’ve found that leaning forward much more than you think is helpful in riding seat out front. It’s scary because you feel like you’re going to eat it at any second but it helps.
Hopping seat in front can feel pretty awkward and unstable at first, but its really worth getting good at, IMO. Learning to ride seat in front is key, and learning to seat drag can add more stability. Once your good at it, it can be more comfortable and stable than hopping seat between the legs. It allows you to pull the seat up above your crotch to get the wheel on top of an obstacle, and to throw the unicycle away more easily if something goes wrong. It also makes hopping up from pedal grabs easier.
But, many people swear by seat between the legs hopping, so mine is not the only side of the argument.
I’ve been seat out hopping for quite some time now. I just spent the weekend working on pedal grabs though, and am getting comfortable with them. I got the hang of the first part after a few tries, but the second part is scary. I finally got it on the second day, and hollered like crazy. Last night I was successful at pedal grabbing onto the back of a small utility trailer. I’ve got some bruises on my inner thigh from the seat, and a bad abrasion on the side of my leg from tire contact. OUCH What finally pushed me into pedal grabbing was seeing the kids in the mUNIac video doing it after only riding a couple months. Now I feel like a true “Muni Jedi”. Joe in Iowa
Ooo, marvellous. What’s more is that I’ve finished attacking my seat so it doesn’t chew through my fingers after not very long.
I used Yoopers (I think…) method of getting the handle bolts off… although being a poor student without dremmel or equivalent I had to cut a groove in the bolt using a small hacksaw blade. This, as you can expect, took blummin’ ages, and has left my left thumb really rather sore. But it’s worth it in the end…
I could do seat out in front on my first try (even went off a approx. 12 cm curb while riding for the first time.) I’m sure it had something to do with the seat on stomach practice i had done before. Anyway, i still haven’t nailed a single pedal grab. (!?) and was wondering if you had any advice. I’m right footed but i hop with my left foot forward. i can hop about half a meter high by pulling the seat up higher when it’s out in front and almost hopped directly onto a platform about that high (didn’t quite make it.) But i still can’t seem to nail pedal grabs and i can’t figure out what’s wrong.
Umm, err, I dunno really, I’ve only tried for a few minutes today. However I’m obviously weird; I tend to hold the seat in my left hand and wave my right arm around manically. Which makes your technique rather challenging…
However I did find the leaning forward more bit worked well… I dunno whether it’s something to do with a lower centre of gravity or with it being more central over the uni but all of a sudden it became a bit easier.
Not easy enough for me to be able to do it for very long, mind, and it’s still knackering, and I always end up hopping backwards… but it’s definitely Getting Better ™.
