> Oh yeah, and double-double tying your laces is plenty. Not.
On that note, I recently realised that I always tuck in my shoe
laces when I put my shoes on, even when not planning to ride.
Force of habit, I suppose.
So I’ve wondered if other people are the same. Is this a reliable
unicycling shibboleth? Should I look at people’s feet to spot
other unicyclists? It’s got better range than a secret handshake,
but I am certain to walk into a lamp post…
Perhaps I’ve just seen too much Sherlock Holmes.
Arnold the Aardvark
PS: I like the word ‘hurtling’. Do I really hurtle? I thought I picked
my way with care.
Try this for maximal humorous effect: wear Doc Marten boots with extra extra long brightly coloured laces tied in a multiple slip bow for decorative effect, then ride at the head of a procession into a main arena with an audience of thousands. Ride along the front of the crowd waving and smiling, blissfully unaware that one of those laces has attached itself to the pedal spindle and is slowly but surely binding your foot permanently to the unicycle.
Now, maintain your dignity whilst picking yourself up and extricating yourself from the tangle with thousands watching.
Been there, done that: Thaxted Morris Ring Meeting a few years back on the Pashley UMX 20.:o
I tuck the laces in too. I did it first about 7 years ago when I was 13 and thought I was the coolest kid ever because my laces didn’t flop around. I hadn’t even heard of unicycling at that point. Lucky for me the habit stayed.
Many people have warned of the perils of shoelaces getting caught. As a new rider, I thank you for the warning! Falling with an ankle bound to the crank sounds like it would cause nightmares as well as pain (no? then imagine if it happened to both feet at the same time… yikes!). And you wouldn’t call that a UPD – I don’t think that it’s technically a dismount if you are still attached to the unicycle.
Anyway, I recently discovered why my shoelaces sometimes become untied. I was unknowingly tying a granny knot (go ahead, laugh). Basically, a shoelace is tied like a square knot – you know, right over left, left over right (or the opposite). The second part, of course, is done with loops. Any other this-over-that combination is unstable and will come loose.
So, please make sure you are tying a proper knot (then double knot and tuck in). I can’t be the only one doing it wrong. And the moral of the story is that it’s never too late to learn new things. At age 37, I’ve finally learned how to tie my shoelaces AND I’ve almost learned to ride a unicycle.
after about 3 times of falling off due to some freakin shoe laces, i now double double double double, etc., knot my shoe laces. it helps. nothing worse than ppl seeing me fall off after a nice run. makes me look really bad. i dont like to look bad.
>And you wouldn’t call that a UPD – I don’t think that it’s technically
>a dismount if you are still attached to the unicycle.
Usually you are not attached to the unicycle in the first place,
regardless of whether you are riding or not. Of course you are
/touching/ the uni when you ride, but then when you step off but hold
onto the seat you have yet dismounted for sure (IMHO).
>after about 3 times of falling off due to some freakin shoe laces, i now
>double double double double, etc., knot my shoe laces. it helps.
>nothing worse than ppl seeing me fall off after a nice run. makes me
>look really bad. i dont like to look bad.
Alternative:
Tie laces normally and tuck all the ends under the bottom or 2nd bottom
row of lace. The look of the laces is professional and sharp people may
even deduce the purpose of tucking the lace ends under lace rows.
>Tie laces normally and tuck all the ends under the bottom or 2nd bottom
>row of lace. The look of the laces is professional and sharp people may
>even deduce the purpose of tucking the lace ends under lace rows.
That way of tucking in is identical to what my feeble attempt at ASCII
art tried to convey. However, I just checked and the forum software
semi-intelligently (because wrongfully in this case) garbled it by
eliminating my thoughtfully positioned multiple spaces
ASCII art(ists) would thrive better in dumber environments…
