Re: Stopping a 28" uni
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Stephen Gun <guns@camtech.net.au> wrote:
>I’ve just bought a DM 28" for commuting. The speed is terrific, but I am having
>trouble stopping within a reasonable distance (without dismounting). Can anyone
>give any suggestions on stopping techniques? Is it practical to use brakes
>without slamming your face into the road?
I don’t recommend brakes because the hassle of setting them up and the amount of
practice required to successfully make an emergency stop will probably not give
you satisfying results. As the wheel gets bigger and the crank arms get shorter,
a unicycle will have more momentum and require more effort to stop. you could
use longer crank arms to increase your leverage, but they would also decrease
your speed.
Here’s what I do: On my 45" big wheel (6.5" cranks) if I have to make a panic
stop, I know I can’t come to a quick stop in a straight line. So if there’s a
place to do it, I make a quick 90 degree turn to the side and really dig in the
tire. This can give you a much quicker stop, as long as you have room to do it.
>I highly recommend a large wheel to anyone. Having ridden distances up to 10km
>on a 20" uni, the 28" one is so much more relaxing, it rides over bumps better,
>and pedalling it doesn’t seem futile. Another problem I’m having, though, is
>it’s become really hard to ride the old 20" uni! 
Save the 20" for freestyle, teaching people to ride, and letting your friends
use when they’re visiting from out of town.
John Foss reply to: unifoss@calweb.com http://www.calweb.com/~unifoss/
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Bank SA Newsgroups: rec.sport.unicycling Subject: Stopping a 28" uni From:
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