A few years ago–ok several years ago–when I was a university kid, a friend of
mine and I used to get together with our unicycles. For me, it was a little
awkward at first for me to get off my regular sized unicycle and ride his
giraffe, but I seemed to be able to ride it ok. However, when I climbed off his
giraffe and tried to get back onto my “normal” unicycle that I’d been riding for
years, it took me several minutes before I could ride it again. It was like
going back to when I was ten years old.
How do you psych yourselves into making these changes back and forth easily, or
does it just become natural with time like learning to ride a unicycle in the
first place.
RE: Switching between a giraffe and a regular unicycle
>From: Daniel Dick <ddick@us.oracle.com> A few years ago–ok several years >ago–when I was a university kid, a friend of mine and I used to get together >with our unicycles. For me, it was a little awkward at first for me to get off >my regular sized unicycle and ride his giraffe, but I seemed to be able to ride >it ok. However, when I climbed off his giraffe and tried to get back onto my >“normal” unicycle that I’d
been >riding for years, it took me several minutes before I could ride it again. It >was like going back to when I was ten years old. > >How do you psych yourselves into making these changes back and forth easily, or >does it just become natural with time like learning to ride a unicycle in the >first place.
There are a few factors that can be different from one cycle to another:
Wheel size. If you are used to a certain size, you expect your cycle to
go a specific amount of distance with each pedal or idle. This is most
noticeable when you need a quick balance correction. In this area, back
in 1983, it took me a whole year to get comfortable doing Freestyle on a
20" wheel instead of the 24" that I was used to.
Crank arm length. This will make your feet feel akward, because they'll
be making different sized circles. This type of thing is less noticeable
on a bicycle, because all pedaling sends you forward, and there is no
other balance control provided through the feet.
Gearing. If the giraffe is geared up or down in any way, it's the same
as switching to another wheel size.
Tire pressure. High pressure makes the cycle very "turny" and "spinny"
(look those words up!). If you suddenly switch to one that's in need of
air, there will be much resistance each time you make turns or balance
corrections.
It's all in your mind. Hey, it could be.
Anyway, with time and practice, most of this problem will fade away, and your
brain will be able to switch from one familiar cycle to another very quickly.
Now for the ultimate challenge, try switching from a 20" with 5" crank arms to
my 45" big wheel, with 6 1/2" crank arms!
John Foss, President International Unicycling Federation unifoss@cerfnet.com
>From: Daniel Dick <ddick@us.oracle.com> A few years ago–ok several years >ago–when I was a university kid, a friend of mine and I used to get together >with our unicycles. For me, it was a little awkward at first for me to get off >my regular sized unicycle and ride his giraffe, but I seemed to be able to >ride it ok. However, when I climbed off his giraffe and tried to get back onto >my “normal” unicycle that I’d
been >riding for years, it took me several minutes before I could ride it again. It >was like going back to when I was ten years old. > >How do you psych yourselves into making these changes back and forth easily, >or does it just become natural with time like learning to ride a unicycle in >the first place.
I just rode my first 6' giraffe about 2 days ago. It was fun being that
far off the ground and still in control (sort of). I know exactly what
you mean by feeling funny on a normal uni again. The giraffe has a 20"
wheel, and my uni is a 24". It took me a minute or two just to get used
to being close to the ground again. I've been riding the giraffe more
and more, and it seems to get easier to make the transition from one uni
to another. I guess it's just something you have to get used to.
- John Larkin
- jlarkin@hmc.edu
Re: Switching between a giraffe and a regular unicycle
>How do you psych yourselves into making these changes back and forth easily, or >does it just become natural with time like learning to ride a unicycle in the >first place.
It just becomes natural with practice. Don't worry about it, and ride
both unicycles a lot.
Your mention of psyching yourself for your giraffe reminded me of
something. Almost a year ago, when I bought a giraffe after not riding
one regularly for 15 or 20 years, I discovered that I couldn't free
mount it. This was quite discouraging, even intimidating. I tried, and I
fell; I tried and I fell; etc. Eventually, I started getting up a
reasonable percent of the time, but I still chicken out and curb mount
whenever I know anyone (particularly, my wife) is watching. I need to
follow my own advice, and ride it more often.
Craig Milo Rogers