Yeh, when I try donig this it’s not at all smooth and I’m almost using my arms to twist myself around. How do you do it? I also get really dizzy. One fun thing I’ve been doing is grabbing a shopping trolley and spinning around on the spot it helps you make smaller circles. When you do it, if you’re going fast enough it pulls quite hard on your arms. I got the trolley off the ground for a while once. It’s a really strange feeling.
Since we usually go to a carpark for our weekly unicycle rides a fun thing to do is grab a trolley each and have everyone trying to hit one person’s trolly with theirs. I reckon it helps for controlling the uni in tight situations and for riding backwards in circles and so on. Give it a try, it’s heaps of fun.
It is easiest to spin on a slick tire (either one that is made that way or one that you have worn all the knobbles off) and on a relatively smooth surface. I reckon smooth concrete or wood. Grass is good for practising and falling. I got this tip from a Random unicyclist I encountered outside a Supermarket. He said that the best way to spin is to hit something. You ride up to a Power Pole or a wall or a fence or whatever and whack it (or push off) with your hand. It sends you spinning and with a bit of manipulation you can control the spin for however many rotations you like and then ride out of it. It is possible to do it without the pole but if you have never done spins it can be a good way to get the feel of it. The guy leapt on my unicycle and showed me some rapid spins. I tried it and I wasn’t too bad at it for a while, but I got a bit bored of it and spinning on concrete has a habit of eating up tires. I can’t remember clearly but perhaps a dizzy incident which resulted in me plummiting into the concrete could have also put me off doing them.
Mike King does that whack and spin thing in Unipsycho extreme video, while riding his Hunter with Gazz on a dirt road. He goes up to a tree, whacks it and spins around twice and rides out of it.
I don’t know much (no limitations placed on that statement). The slick floar at the First Congo is WAY easyer than pavement. Shorter cranks seem to make for a smoother circle and less pivoting on the inside/down foot (sharp angles baaaad).
Some folks may twirl or fling their arms to start, but I think this is only effective for riders that have mastered the skill and can perserve the energy while transition into the spin (read: not me). The cool thing about spinning is that that wierd balance point between falling in or out of the spin is a natural place to gravitate tword.
If you REALLY wana learn, you need to talk to Connie Cotter (one of the nimble snow maidens of the TCUC)- and that meens going to Minnisota for the Nationals. She fixed some of my goofy posture, and this has helped a great deal; it seems that I was imitating the wrong portion of the Princess Dianna twirl. Put your arms straight out as you ride into the spin with the outside hand elevating and the inside lower and advanced… finger tip to fingertip should still form a straightish line. The lower hand will lead around the turn, and you can focus on it as though chasing it around the arc. Check out Bill’s copy of ‘One wheel, no limit’ for far better illustrations than my words… or better yet, head to the Twin Cities and get it straight from the source.
Posture combined with concentrating on smooth, pivot free spinning will help much. As you pick up speed and the arc of your wheel tightens, it will become a point and you’ll be doing that french word. This is the wierdest thing: don’t stop peddeling- you’ll continue to peddel as the wheel spins on a point.
Looking at your leading hand in the spin will help with dizzyness. I’ve little idea on how to help with spinning on a point- like wheel walking, I do it as long as possible (not very) and am reluctant to transition back to spinning or normal riding -I usually bail to open floar and watch the gym spin 'round as I lay on my back. Connie demonstrated ‘pointing’ while spinning, where her focus stays fixed on a point while spinning- giving the disconcerting appearance that body is spinning round -n- round while her head, owel like, rotates freely and remains stationary on top. Spooky (I was ready for her eyes two glow red and a booming voice to proclaim ‘The cyclist is MINE!’).
BTW: Tom’s trying to draw me back in. Bad Tom, bad.
