Say WHAT!!?!?!?!?
Thats HUGE!
Today I spent an hour (combined) clinging to the walls of the hallway
to the bathrooms in the Gymnasium of the church where my kids’
basketball games are. I had time before/between games because of
team pictures today.
Now I am chafed and sore and feeling like I’m not much better
at attempting to ride a unicycle.
I did get almost a full revolution w/o touching the walls once.
I have no concept of how anyone could possibly ever get up
onto a Unicycle w/o two walls in a narrow passageway for support.
This is going to take time and determination.
Not the most beef I’ve eaten in one sitting, but it got me a free T-shirt and my picture up on the wall of the restaurant. But I’ll admit the last few bites were a bit of a struggle! I ate most of it in twenty minutes but took about a half hour with the last quarter or so. Definitely for special occasions only!
one foot riding
I learned to ride one-footed at a modest level with my right (good) foot, then got frustrated and did other things for a few months. Now I have started learning to ride one-footed with my left foot and it is coming along. I got three revolutions a few times today and it feels like I am developing some control. My right foot is much better but still not secure. I can ride 10-20 revolutions regularly, but I often end up bailing. I assume it is one of those “more practice” issues.
I find one-foot idling is a good place to begin, and both my left and right foot idling is getting better.
You can do it! The best part about riding a unicycle is that time and determination are all it takes. You don’t have to be coordinated, agile, or have good balance. Although patience doesn’t hurt! I am a fervent “no-waller” so take my advice with a grain of salt, but if you can ride almost a whole revolution it’s time to get away from the wall! It’s OK to use the wall to mount but try riding away from it for a change. The most important skill to learn is how to step or fall off the unicycle onto your feet without injury. Try not to land flat footed or to lock your knee. Ideally you’ll land on the ball of your foot with knee slightly bent. Mount and press one pedal down and then fall forward onto your other foot. Once you have that down try one pedal on each side and then falling forward. Continue in that vein and take it easy! Over time the right muscles will be tuned up and the patterns will be laid down in your brain. No need to rush it! Not everyone needs or wants this laid back approach, but it works for me. And stalactites! Once you’re comfortable riding ten revolutions or so you can work on freemounting.
Finally managed to break the hub on my club freestyle after using it as a trials uni for the last couple months. The hub was bending and it was only a matter of time before it gave way.
Here are a couple of pics:
Going to invest in either a Nimbus II or a Koxx Devil as my next uni
Mark 42,
Here are my motivational thoughts:
Unless you are 15 years old, learning to ride a unicycle is all about determination and patience, not natural ability. Every step of the way for me has been like learning to do the impossible. Once I was a competent rider, it took me daily efforts for about 2-3 months to learn how to idle well. It truly seemed impossible. Now I look at almost all unicycle skills as learnable as long as I have the desire to go for it.
Remember that a unicycle is a ridiculous contraption - one of the stupidest forms of transportation ever devised. But those who learn how to ride one have a ridiculous amount of fun! There’s a reason I never see other unicycle riders out and about.
Don’t think down on yourself if you think its taking too long. It’s not a race. When you do achieve the ability to ride, you will be able to do something 99% of the population cannot do.
My tips:
Follow Waaalrus’s good advice.
Wear protective gear for your shins, head and wrists.
Take the sink or swim approach. That means only use a wall or similar to mount. Once you attempt to ride then you’ve got to go for it.
If 1 revolution is your record, then make your goal 1 and 1/2 revolutions. Any progress is progress.
Commit no matter how long it takes. You’ll be glad you did once you get it - and you will get it!
Waaalrus - Eating that burger is an amazing feat! I’ve been planning on doing that at our local huge burger joint but they do it in 1 pound sizes. You get your picture on the wall for eating 1. A handful of people have eaten 2. They get 8x10 size pictures. 2 guys have eaten 3 and were rewarded with poster size pictures on the wall. I noticed neither of those guys were large. When the waitress answered my questions about the poster size pictures, she noted that one of them took several attempts and implied that he vomited at one point! I love stuff like this but I would definately be very amused if I saw someone vomit attempting to get their picture on the wall.
I just turned the corner with my 1 footed riding with my left so this is still fresh in my mind. To me the skills needed for 1 footed riding are comprised of: balance, timing, and foot control. For the balance part you need to be able to get your foot up on the frame and be able to balance just pedaling with one foot. This is slightly different than regular riding and comes with practice. Timing takes a bit of experimentation, concentration, and practice. Foot control was the last thing that came for me. I could get up to about 20 revolutions regularly but didn’t have the same foot control that I had with my right foot. Basic foot control is being able to press down and let the pedal come up naturally. But eventually you’ll get to the point where you’re not just pushing down, but pulling the pedal back at the bottom. When you can do this your revolutions will increase.
Thanks! I was surprised I struggled a bit with it. I wonder if it was larger than they quoted me on the phone. It was 2-3 times as thick as regular burger and quite large across. I’ve eaten 3 5x5’s from a CA/NV burger chain called In-N-Out before with no problem. That’s 15 quarter pound patties, or 3.75 pounds of meat. Where’s this place you’re taking about? I’ll go pretty far out of my way for these kinds of things (there’s a place in Reno, NV that has a big burger but it’s as thin as a regular burger). I’ll have no part of vomiting!
Today I:
Rode 1 footed 40 revolutions (left)
Did 13 idles with my hands behind my back (right)
Did 21 idles with my hands behind my back (left)
Waaalrus,
Bub’s Burgers is in Carmel, Indiana. Here’s their website:
http://www.bubsburgersandicecream.com/
Since you are into this so much, I’ll point out that Bub’s “Big Ugly” burgers weigh 1 pound after cooking. That’s a nice fact to know for those who’ve eaten one. I’ll also add that they have wallpapered the entire restaurant with pictures of people who have eaten them, then removed all the pictures and started over. Obviously it’s a great gimmick for business! I assume the pictures for people that ate 2 or 3 have stayed on the wall - kind of like a hall of fame.
Thanks for the link! If I’m ever within couple hundred miles of there I’ll have to give it a shot. I bet that’s the thing that’s been confounding me. The burger I had yesterday was 2.5 pounds after cooking. Eating three “Big Ugly” burgers would probably be pushing (or beyond) my limits unless I seriously trained for it. But I think I could handle two with no problems.
Waaalrus,
If that time comes then get in contact with me. I’d go there with you.
Today I:
Transitioned from idling to 1 footed idling then back to riding. I was able to do this several times. Good stuff!
Mark 42–waaalrus and Super G are dead on right with their advice. Where you are now, I was a couple of weeks ago–hanging on to a support for dear life. I used that support till I got a little bored with it and then let go. It wasn’t easy and I was scared witless at first. I kept falling off but I kept getting back on the uni and, like magic, things started working.
Practice, practice, practice…and wear good protective gear.
Today, I…
Practiced my static freemounts till I was getting 3 out of 10 successful on my left and 5 out of 10 on my right.
I also increased my distance riding from about 300’ to about 500’ at a stretch with a nice slow and deliberate pace. The only thing that kept me from going further was the ache in my quads.
Turns are not great but are getting better.
I can’t idle yet but I feel that it will come soon…with practice.
This is starting to be fun.
my ego has been well and truly boosted, While on my practice ride I was working on jumping up a 4 foot wall (pedalgrabbing, I’m not THAT good yet). After a few failed attempts and some slurpy drinking I found myself being eagerly watched by first a few teens and then a group of about 10 cyclists! Needless to say I made the jump and continued to jump up and over the garden to land on the other side
a few of them wanted to try it out. I held back a few chuckles and watched them have fun 
Sure thing!
Today, I…
regressed.
–couldn’t ride more than 300 ft.
–had very few successful freemounts (either foot)
–had three major spills while mounting
–kept veering to the left and struggled with turning to the right
–was too tired to practice idling
Not a great day.
Today I managed to ride a right hand circle - could only do left before. Next I have to get a figure 8 down.
Tried to mount the unicyle with my other foot (always use the left) - big fail! Something else to wok on.
Had to shovel the driveway to ride this morning as it snowed last night.
Also managed to get some more blood out of my shin as a result of the pedal slamming into it on a failed free mount. Hope those shinpads come in soon.
Joe
Setbacks are inevitable.
I’m quite sure everyone has off days.
You’re still waaay ahead of me!
Every day that has unicycling and no major injuries (to you or the machine) is a great day! Try to enjoy how well you can ride more. You are already awesome! It’s not a contest. If it seems like you’re regressing or you’re getting tired that’s just your body’s way of telling you to relax a bit. I like to listen to music or audio books and I practice where I can see gently rolling hills dotted with live oaks. The sun’s usually shining, then gradually getting lower and I enjoy the difference in light and shadow and the colors of dusk. Even when I am at the very beginning, getting-nowhere stage of learning a new trick I am enjoying myself completely. Learning to do something that seemed utterly impossible at the beginning is the definition of unbridled joy. Patience! I posted this little poem a while ago in this thread, but I need to work on a new one which captures this joy:
Unicycle Mantra
People will scoff.
I will ignore them.
Your parts will break.
I will replace them.
I will rise each time I fall.
I will heal each time I hurt.
I will fail.
Until I succeed.
Ibedon,
We all have off days. I recognize them quicker now and back off my learning agenda and just try to have fun. Tomorrow is a new day.