Scott’s right - I’m trying to roll backwards, but stopping too soon.
I made a point of trying to roll farther back today at lunch, on my
freemount attempts and on my wall assisted ones (trying to make
it a fluid motion, but there’s still a hesitation near TDC/BDC)
What do y’all think of the Curb Mount method?
Seems like you should do what works best for you. I started with roll-back mounts like you’re doing and still do them. If curb-mounts feel better to you, go with that.
Like the other poster mentioned, you want to avoid pedaling forward when you’re at TDC. Use your top foot to roll the wheel backwards a little more with a slight push, stop, then start pedalling forward with your down foot. It seems complicated, but for me it came easier than the “regular” mount.
That’s exactly what feels most natural to me.
BTW - YOU GUYS WERE RIGHT!!! :D:)
I stopped holding on to the walls. In about 25 minutes I got to 4 revolutions
and had to move to a larger space in the abandoned building.
I eventually got several 6 and 7 revolution rides and at least one good solid
8 revolution ride. That’s about 50 feet! if the tire is 24 inch diameter.
Probably 60 feet really. I actually ran out of room at the end of that
ride, but was probably about ready to fall anyways, so I stepped off.
I found myself even steering to avoid screws and other hardware on
the floor when I was riding - I need to get a broom in there. It is
a demolition / construction site and not super well lit - but it’s smooth
and indoors from the rain.
The problems I’m encountering: My ankle keep catching on crank at the
axle end of the crank. Sometimes the heel of my shoe catches on there
too. I need to get some more narrow shoes - the ones I wear have a
wider sole for stability. But my ankles hit a lot of the time, even though
I make a point of putting my foot about 3/4" out from the crank (about
even with the edge of the pedal, so that I can see the shaft of the pedal
where the flats to install it are). I end up having to point my toes inward
(actually point my heels outward) which puts weird stress on my knees
(I’m naturally crow-footed or whatever it’s called when your feet point
toes outward).
The other issue is that my seat keeps getting crooked when I crash
because I twisted the head off one of the allen bolts in the seat clamp.
I replaced it with a phillips screw for now, but 1 & 1/2 crews isn’t as
tight as what I had before. I will have to go to the hardware store for
a 5mm x 25mm cap head allen screw - which means a specialty hardware
store (Metrics are not as common in the U.S.).
But that’s a simple equipment issue and I can handle it easily.
With today’s breakthrough I think I might be riding consistently real soon.
I liked your video Mark. You are well on your way. Took in my old Schwinn 24" to have it sandblasted and powder coated. New tire is ordered and should be here Friday. Cant wait to get back on it.
Good job Mark. Keep at it!
Thats awesome. Soon you will be turning circles and riding backwards through your abandoned building 
This is where it starts to get really fun.
I hope your son is doing well also. Even if you do get ahead of him, I bet he will catch you up soon, kids learn fast..
And about the ankles, you will just have to learn how to move your feet farther from the cranks, your shoes shouldnt affect that too much. Its mostly just becoming comfortable with the uni. You will learn to be able to adjust your feet on your pedals after you start riding, it wiil become more comfortable. Its another thing that just takes time.
The ankles I just have to adjust my foot position for, but I’m already
pretty far outboard with my feet.
The heel catches on the shoes I use at work (running shoes
with a wide footprint), but not as much on the ones I use at home.
I had another ride of about 50 feet and stopped because I was out of space.
Then when I got home (a little while ago) I rode on the street in
front of our house (a private road), which is very uneven.
It ttok a lot of getting used to. I was pretty satisfied when I rode
through a hole about 1" deep (it’s a smooth hole - just a low spot
where the ground under the asphalt settled - about 18" in diameter
and probably 1.5" deep). Just a mild depression, but enough to mess
up my rythm and upset my stride.
The key was to stop letting it inmidate me and just power right through it.
(It seemed like I ran straight at that hole almost every time!)
…‘target fixation’…gets everybody!!
Sorta, yup. It was like I mentally fell rather than mentally rode right
through it and fell before I even tried. It’s a good example of why athletes
do visualization before attempting a task, especially something technical
like snowboarding in a halfpipe competition.
My shoes weren’t helping either.
The pavement was wet, so the soles of my shoes were wet and
kept slipping on the pedals - which is good in one way - it shows that I’m
doing circles when I pedal rather than pushing down on the pedals.
I found that when I got metal pedals with pins, the wet wasn’t an issue at all for me any more. I don’t know if you’re at the stage where you’re prepared to start spending money on upgrades but more grip on the pedals is always a good thing.
I’m not ready to put metal pedals on yet - I already beat up my shin about twice a week.
Today’s ride went really well. I made 12 revolutions and ran out of room.
I also had my first successful free mount. I only went one revolution
after I got up, but it could have worked out farther with just a hair more
luck & confidence.
I need to start learning how to turn. Target fixation is a real problem now…
and when I start to think about direction I psych myself out and fall before I even try to turn.
When I got home this afternoon there was still some daylight left,
so I practiced another 40 minutes.
On out bumpy asphalt driveway I managed to go about 95 feet twice!
I could have gone farther if it wasn’t uphill and getting steeper as I go.
At first I kept veering right, towards my driveway. The road has a
slight slope in the crosswise direction - only a beginner unicyclist
would ever notice it. I started forcing myself to look towards
the other side on the high side of the road, and lo and behold
I started going that way (just like motorcycling, BMX, auto racing…)
I need to find a large open area, or a long level road & learn how
to steer better.
You’re making great progress.
It’s been said many times on here before but when you do move to pinned pedals, wear some leg protection. From someone that learned the painful way. 
+1 same here
to be honest, I’m a big fan of plastic pedals, I ride the big wheel with em, even if it’s wet outside. Plastic pedals allow for you to reposition your foot easier, and they don’t dig into your leg, and above all that, they’re lighter weight.
not to mention cheaper, so if you break them, no biggie.
I would like some better plastic pedals. I swear, I’ve been thinking I may run them on the muni when I get it. Certainly if I’m not wearing leg protection. I don’t like to have to worry about that all the time, I just want to get on the uni and go : P
If I had to put on Bike SHorts, pads, helmet… I might not ride on
the occasions like yesterday when I had a just bit of daylight left.
It turned into 40 minutes, but I didn’t expect that.
I might drill & tap my plastic pedals and put some mild pins in them,
or file down the material between the cleats / treads on the plastic
itself to make that more pronounced.
I have a bunch of metal pedals from BMX, including aset of triple
traps that look like some sort of weapons.
There are some ultralight pedals (magnesium or titanium)
From my experience from the wet weather we have here, metal pedals with the pins are convenient to have. But the damage on the leg is not worth it if you arent wearing pads. Even though I do really recomend at least some shin protection. Its pretty easy to get on and off, and it can really save your legs. Mine are covered with scrars, I didnt learn too quick 
I Also prefer plastic pedals, they are cheaper and lighter. Its also a lot easier to adjust your feet on the pedals.
On your uni, if it is the same specs as usual, should have decent pedals, but not the best in the wet. If you go on unicycle.com there are some better pedals for 9-12 bucks… plus a little shipping of course… and you can get some fun colors if you want.
Pedals For Sale | Unicycle
Hope you have been enjoying the good weather. I have been loving it, nice to get outside and uni again in dry weather.
The weather is great.
I went and practiced in the abandoned building. After 10 min I neede a bigger area.
I found one about 120 ft and after a few runs went across that.
Practiced for awhile.
When I got to my rig (Ural) to put the Unicycle in the sidecar, I decided
“What the heck” and tried riding the road (inside the gate). It took me
about 5 tries to get a good start, and then once I got in the groove
I went 250 feet! 
I probably could have gone farther, but my legs just got so tired that
I wasn’t able to pedal smoothly anymore (even though I made a point of
putting my weight on the seat).
My directional control is really improving, but I still can’t do a turn…
all I can do is keep myself in a straight line… but I was able to stay
in the oncoming traffic lane so that I could watch for vehicles (there
weren’t any).
I’ll call today’s ride a success.
Great job!
When I got to this point I started progressing really quickly. Hope it goes the same for you!
Thanks!
Even today felt like I was progressing much faster than ever before.
Right now, my knees and my quads are going to be the limiting factor.
My quads will improve with conditioning. My knees may be a problem.
I expect that as I improve in riding skill I will be more efficient, which
will help, but my knees may still limit me (especially my right knee).