The Best MUNI riders ??

[GizmoDuck]

@Keldridge

I think there just needs to be a better way for really good riders to ride together a lot. In lots of different kinds of terrain… More events like CMW and Moab could only help.

If we get UNICON XV to New Zealand in 2009/2010 then plan on coming to that. There will be lot’s of MUni! We’d like to put together a World 24hr Muni race and proper XC and DH events.

[danger_uni]

@hungry4uni

certainly kris holm, by far! o o

                                  \_____/

Thanks for the compliment, but I can’t imagine that this is right. With muni/trials/street expanding in so many directions now, I’ve done a lot of soul searching about what the sport really means to me, especially as I’ve now ridden offroad for over 20 years.

For myself, I’m most interested in unstructured, non-competitive, exploratory riding by myself or in small informal groups- new places, hard lines, pushing myself personally but not against others. This doesn’t lend itself very well to comparisions with others. I’d way rather see people talk about what is possible, rather than who is the best.

Kris

[chauncy]

@Goats_On_Unicycles

The best muni riders are able to rolling jump/drop both in their normal stace and switch and are able to make the trail one constant flow which is what I think a main charecteristic of muni is. Flow.

You just summed up my life philosophy!

[chauncy]

Yeah, I wouldn’t say anyone can really be best at Muni, most respected, or best known maybe. But actually finding, the “best”? I don’t think so. The whole reason I love this sport is because it’s so open for interpretation, everyone does it differesnt. As long as you’re having a good time, challenging yourself and trying new, different lines, you can’t go wrong.

Sean

[UniGeezer]

@danger_uni

Thanks for the compliment, but I can’t imagine that this is right. With muni/trials/street expanding in so many directions now, I’ve done a lot of soul searching about what the sport really means to me, especially as I’ve now ridden offroad for over 20 years.

For myself, I’m most interested in unstructured, non-competitive, exploratory riding by myself or in small informal groups- new places, hard lines, pushing myself personally but not against others. This doesn’t lend itself very well to comparisions with others. I’d way rather see people talk about what is possible, rather than who is the best.

Kris

Yep, I much prefer small groups or riding solo. It’s like if your playing golf with a huge group of 20 players, rather than the standard foursome, it bogs everything down and you just end up waiting forever for your next shot!

Same with stopping to do technical lines. 3 or 4 in a group is no problem, but much more than that everyone waiting to try the same line would take the fun out of it, at least for me.

[TimMcClain]

who cares who the best is??? its about fun

why ask that question…enough said.

[Goats_On_Unicycles]

@Unicorn

Goats writes:

He is correct for the most part but when there is a rock or a high root or a log in the trail that is over 8" it is not possible (for me at least.) to roll so why not hop it? I think that Natural Trials can definelty be included and has a place in MUni. It is just important not to let the Natural Trials dominate the MUni ride.

This Pecking hopping issue has been blown out of proportion.

As I have stated in the past I will roll anything that I can and even obstacles that are a bit beyond my rolling ability. (Even when I know that the result will be a dismount. How else am I going to improve?)
In Israel there is a lot of terraced hills. When you are going uphill and you reach a terace that is about a foot high and it is a 90 degree angle not sloped at all there is no way to roll it. Some might be able to rolling hop it but it is very hard to do when going uphill. Why not just do the sidehop and continue on. I have gotten pretty good at not letting the sidehop interfere with my flow. I do a small pre rolling hop with a 90 degree rotation and then do the sidehop sometimes even putting the -90 degree rotation into it. There is almost no interruption to the flow of riding.

I have started a thread in the past about rolling up sidewalk curbs because it is so much more energy conserving than hopping up. Presently I can roll up 7" to 8" sidewalks about 80-90% of the time. I can roll up much higher rocks if they are sloped a little bit. (I MUni with a KH24.)

Going downhill you guys are correct. There is very little that can’t be rolled. Unless there are space constraints. (A tree or boulder 3 feet after the drop.)
Or a steep incline after the drop.

Once again I repeat. I think it is important to roll whatever you can. However on the very technical trails there are obstacles where this is just not possible so if I have to pick betwwen a certain UPD and hopping and pecking then I will hop and peck over the tough obstacle.

I attached a link to a video that shows Kris pecking up a steep hill with tons of roots. It is the video that I emulated in order to learn how to peck.

Kris Holm Pecking

I also wanted to say that just being out in nature weather it be a woods or the desert or whatever is a large part of the fun of MUni. Many times during rides I will see obsacles and have a blast natural trialling them!

Unicorn

I think you might misunderstand me.
A good muni rider “hops” but S/he does it rolling and can do it in any stance. In my riding, I come up to lots of stuff that I need to jump onto. By rolling I think you think I mean riding over it, I’m actually talking about rolling hops which are a lot higher then static hops, look better and are more fun.

If you’ve a rock or tree three feet after the drop and there’s no way to get around them, adapt!!
For examble gap to the rock and ride off, tireplant the tree, whatever. Through some gnarly bike moves into it!!

[Unicorn]

Improving MUni Skills

I like what Kris had to say very much. It is such a feeling of accomplishment when you can ride over a difficult part of a trail that has been giving you problems for a long time! A large part of the fun in MUni is spending time with a few close friends who also enjoy the sport and exploring new places. It is so cool to be riding on single track in the woods and all of a sudden find a cave or come accross rare flowers or other interesting obtacles. The mastery of the municycle is very important but just getting away from the world, work, wife, offspings or whatever else and enjoying nature wether it be by yourself or with a small group of good friends is also very important.

Goats - You seem to be a good rider and have a lot of passion for the sport. It is to bad that we live so far apart. I would be honored to ride with you!

Unicorn

[Klucker1020]

Alright bear with me here…Muni Cross…(kinda like skiier cross or motocross)

So, here’s the idea…You pace 10 riders at the start of a technical section of downhill, most likely some steep rocky lines and some gaps. Then you let them all go at the same time, just as in skiier cross and snowboard cross. Just imagine that. It would really determine who’ sthe best because you would have to conquer the fastest lines available, while maintaining position and strategy in the group… Most likely a short ball to the wall downhill section to crown a winner. Ballin’

CHALLENGE!!! (I would give anything to see someone blackflip their MUNI off a tree…superman style…and land it and ride the rest of the section!!!Challenge

[mornish]

@Klucker1020

Alright bear with me here…Muni Cross…(kinda like skiier cross or motocross)

So, here’s the idea…You pace 10 riders at the start of a technical section of downhill, most likely some steep rocky lines and some gaps. Then you let them all go at the same time, just as in skiier cross and snowboard cross. Just imagine that. It would really determine who’ sthe best because you would have to conquer the fastest lines available, while maintaining position and strategy in the group… Most likely a short ball to the wall downhill section to crown a winner. Ballin’

you would have to have them do it 1 at a time and time them, because I don’t know many trails that have enough room for 10 people to ride and identical rocks all the way across.

[Klucker1020]

@mornish

you would have to have them do it 1 at a time and time them, because I don’t know many trails that have enough room for 10 people to ride and identical rocks all the way across.

No No man you got it all wrong…not on a single trail but on more of like a ski slope…downhill style…that way you could all be fighting for that fist line…genius…gonna try it with some of my mates once KRISMAS comes around…!!!