Hey that’s what I want to do, get rid of those micro adjustments to balancing. I always feel like I am really just pretending I am in control…
Having discovered that changing a tire is not a ‘hit the quick relesase’ and do your stuff I have had to think about my set up anyway. At least I didn’t put the wheel on back to front, didn’t realise until after I had tightened everything up that it is possible on a uni… Anyway I have moved the seat up another 5mm.
The smooth pedaling is something I definitely want, I’ve had times when I have been riding along and almost stopped for no reason that I could discern, just everythign stopped going, legs etc… Unlike running this is not a game I can daydream while doing yet.
I’m pleased for you yUniKoner, you are doing what I want to do.
Thanks. I had already decided that V-brakes was the way for me and I will be using the hardware store method of mounting them since adapters are a beotch to actually find on internet. (I won’t want to use the big center hangar.) I’m pretty good cobbling things together and I’ve got enough OCD that they usually turn out well.
So I don’t need clearance over a fat tire why have extra complexity of hydraulics. Worst that happens with v- brake you tie the broken cable up and finish ride the old fashioned way or at worst walk down hill.
FYI - walking backwards down a hill is more knee friendly if like me you suffer from achy knee syndrome. (pain under kneecap)
Today, I turned. I was able to do laps around a small parking lot in both directions. Turns are slowly becoming smoother as I am able to settle more of my weight into the uni and lean. I also managed to ride down my road, about 300m.
Hi UniMD,
you’re in business now. There’s a thread somewhere for the people who ride 100 miles. In two weeks you will be doing two or three km without a upd (most of the time). Have fun
Still having problems with creaky knees. Found my max seat height because after my last ride the back of my knees were sore. Only 1/8" made the difference. But it also might have been agravated by my really tight calves from doing some knee rehabilitation stuff. Seat didn’t ‘feel’ too high so maybe calves had something to do with it. Either way Im close to my max seat height. A higher seat makes knee movement smaller and engages a different quad muscle. The Vastus Medialis for anyone who cares.
What sucks is the knee stuff keeps me from working on idling since each rev includes a braking action and that really pings the knees. Sigh. But I’m getting there with my exercises and stretches. Just going slower than I had hoped.
If you can go to a shorter crank length, that will reduce the range of
motion, but will increase the force required (and vice versa depending
on which is stressing your knees)
It’s pushing (only on hills now) and braking motion, so short cranks=good.
Im at 125’s now. Which I moved down to from 150’s. Not really interested in going shorter than that any time soon. I think that’s a good compromise length between control and riding faster (with smaller knee movement).
Improvement is coming. I’m really just knocking out the last few twinges behind my kneecap now. Hard to even call it ‘pain’ anymore.
Today while riding 29" I took off camelbak, unzipped a pocket, put my sunglasses in pocket, zipped pocket back closed and put camelbak back on (and did up all the straps).
That made me feel good.
Knees felt fairly good. But not quite there yet. Tomorrow will be stretches and exercise.
Today, I rode in a figure of eight. I’m not sure if it was less than 3m per circle, but its a start. My turns are still jerky a lot of the time. I turn to open my torso up on the direction I want to turn and bring the uni around each pedal stroke by about 30-45 degrees.
Do 90 and 180 degree turns just come as natural extensions of the same motions I’m already doing or is there some other trick?
Yes, I’m going to practice these more once I rotate my tire. I can do a passable backspin, but need to get the frontspin down. I’m not great at transitioning from face-up defense to going for the rebound in uni bball and a frontspin might be a better way to get there.
There’s basically 2 techniques for turning, leaning and twisting. Watch videos of really good freestyle riders and you’ll see very tight turning skills (up to and including pirouettes) that rely mostly on leaning. Twisting is useful but looks jerky when done by a beginner learning how to turn.
My advice, that I got from others, is to practice in a large space and go in big circles as smoothly as possible. When you’ve got it smooth, make the circles smaller. Keep making the circles smaller until you are spinning in place. Practice in both directions obviously.
Today I managed to go 50 feet on my unicycle twice in twenty minutes! I’m happy! And I’m finally learning how to turn ever so slightly to correct my angle, too! (I’m on a driveway so it’s easy to drift off into the grass and fall due to its relative thinness.)
and i landed a trick that i dont know the name of …