Yeah, we all like quick fixes, right?
So…having trouble:
-Using too much energy to ride the unicycle?
-Can’t go too far without getting tired?
I’ve been there and remember that “stalling point” in my progress.
Well…there’s GOOD REASON, why it takes a lot of energy to stay on for beginners.
It’s to be able to STAY ON.
However, let’s just relax and take a look at that “extra” energy:
1.) You are hunching your upper body fore/aft for stability and aggressively twisting hips for balance.
2.) You are pushing down on both pedals with a lot of weight for balance.
3.) You are “wobbling” side to side, as you ride.
Well, what if you can fix one problem, and it “might” solve or minimize the other two?
Try this: Bring your knee’s together, so you are almost pinching the saddle.
Does that help?
Want to know why it works?
The cause of problem #3(wobbling) is because you are “sticking your knee’s out too wide”.
Each leg is about 20lbs or more, and that “weight” is moving up and down as you pedal.
The more it “sticks out” away from the center of the unicycle, the more it will increase “wobbling”.
So, bringing the knee closer to center makes sense, right?
Give it a try and see if that doesn’t help.
Ofcourse, the “just sit up straight and all your weight on the saddle” advice…might work, too. Yeah…Right…That works only if you can do every other “element” in riding dynamics, perfectly. So Silencio Virtuoso’s
I have to say I’m extremely pleased at the responses I’ve gotten here, and the suggestions for improvement. I will try them out and report on my progress. I’m not sure when, because when it’s cold outside, I freeze, though we might have a decent day to practice this week. A very sincere “THANK YOU” to all who responded.
We lost track because I didn’t have a chance to arrange a meeting before you went to Tadoussac, then came winter, and then COVID-19. I would really like to get together, but I think it will have to be in spring - I freeze when it’s cold outside, so I basically don’t ride when it’s under somewhere around 8C. I do try to put most of my weight on the seat, with varying degrees of success. I suspect my problem might be that every muscle in my body is tense, and I get tired after a short while. Thank you for your kind offer to try your studded tire, but I’m quite sure the temperature will stop me long before the snow & ice does. I was already resigned to a winter break, but Tuesday might be nice enough to go out if it’s not raining.
Try riding in colder weather. If you are like me on a uni you will generate a lot of heat. I’m normally in a T shirt during anything above about 6C (43F). When it is colder I have a sweat shirt that kind of wicks sweat away from the skin.
You’re right on the cusp. Keep going. I broke out from this point to riding 3/4 mile no problem. Once you get there going farther is just a matter of how soft your seat is.
If you are a reasonably fit 70 then it is likely that the “strenuous” is really just the symptoms of anxiety. Increased breathing/sorta panting, the sort of reaction you might get from almost falling off a cliff. Being fit does not preclude that.
Looking at the video I’d say that you are doing fine but it is still not a familiar activity as is, for example, walking. So physiological anxiety will be there. On the plus side, such anxiety releases catecholamines from the adrenal glands and THAT is the best thing to kill that fat we males tend to accumulate around our internal organs. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Be assured, it will go away as riding becomes more familiar. Your breathing will settle down along with the butterflies in the stomach. In the mean time, do just as you are - step off for a while. After all, it’s not a race.
For me I have more of a problem with higher temperatures than with lower. When it is near freezing, it takes 10-15 minutes to warm up and after an hour of off-road riding I am so hot that I sweat by the time I go home again. Last year an uni championships it was about 20 or more degrees. I felt I could have gone faster if it hadn’t been that warm.
Of course riding in the fields on flat roads with a cold wind is something different.
Combike, I think most peeps have said it all. You look very solid when you ride already. Just keep at it and your body will get used to the sway and be less cramped. I reckon after you do a few sessions of 400 metres and try to get on and off, you will also heat up.
