Hey.
I was wondering how often you get thrown of your coker ???. I`m training every second day minimum 1 hour and half and every weekend I go for several hours.
I have been practice on cokers nearly a year and have no problem at all, but sometimes with no reasons my coker get mad and kick ass and throw me off. Last time was today, I was speeding at maby 25 km/h on a straight road with some labourwork and then I hit a little hole and then I was airborn… I did some very speedy running but in the end I had to do a roll over and of course hit my knee, elbow, and wrist…
Is it quite normal, I have a score of ones a week, I mean the last weeks I have been thrown of one time pr. week. Maby I just need practice. :o
to be me or not to be me
Last week I fell and cracked a rib – but I’m still contemplating why I actually fell. In my case the road was smooth and level and there were none of the usual distractions like hoards of pretty ladies swooning at the sight of the one-wheeled hero.
So I think as I was riding I slipped into ‘day-dream mode’, didn’t so much loose concentration to ride because of the instinct in remaining balanced - I didn’t simply ‘forget’ to balance. I was cruising along fine enjoying the day then next I realised I was in for a UPD over the front! 
In retrospect, the uni had suddenly speeded up through some anomaly in the road surface – not a hole or rough surface more like a wave-like surface. Actually I realise now the uni had speeded up because I had instinctively corrected for the surface – but the ‘real me’ was still enjoying taking-in the environment! By the time (fractions of seconds) the ‘real me’ had come to its senses 
my ‘instinctive-self’ had sent my centre of gravity way over the front end with only time for the ‘real me’ (the one with bones to break) to consider the soft grass verge or the road surface as I fell.
I think I’m gonna have to have a conversation with ‘my self’ over this 
I was just thinking about bailing on a coker when I saw this thread! 
I don’t have one and just got a 29er but when going on rides I find I am concentrating on my balance all the time. Once my legs begin to tire (I am amazed at the distances some people ride!) my center of balance is moving back and forth more and I seem to spend the last part of my ride speeding up and slowing down. 
Is leg fatigue a factor when you UPD or is it concentration?
Distance is relevant stuff to me at present as I prepare for several summer riding events ranging from 17 miles to 40 miles
Depending on how I feel – mood, energy levels etc - I experience tired legs as you describe but normally I’m fine until about 25 miles but by 35 miles I’m max’d out with no energy left in the legs and can go no further.
The fall I describe in my post was done when I was as fresh as a daisy – loaded with energy – so it could be concentration. When the legs tire though, I begin to fall off anyway. Although on the Coker even with tired legs the wheel momentum seems to iron out the back and forth movement you describe. It’s just that for me balance becomes less intuitive and I have to dismount – so I guess that’s also concentration allied to physical tiredness.
My first 30 mile event is next weekend. Amongst other things, I’m planning to pack energy bars and liquid in the camalbac to get me through my ‘wall’ between 25 and 30 miles. The 40 mile event, Liverpool to Manchester, is going to be a test!! I’d like to use my age as an excuse for not being able to cover bigger distances but I expect there are dudes older than me who go much further. How do they do it?
I think a lot of this comes with practice and a learning a better “feel” of how the 36er responds to various terrain. I comfortably did my first 100km ride last fall and suffered NO UPDs the whole way. However, I think the key for me was that there were aid-stops around every 15-20 miles so I got a good chance to dismount and stretch my legs out, rehydrate and refuel. For me at least, taking frequent breaks helps refresh my mind and body since riding at speed does necessarily require a certain level of focus the whole time. So for me, on a long ride, I’d would at least take a break and get off the uni probably at least once an hour which was about what I did during that 100k. Okay, the other key, for me, is to carry a hydration pack while I ride filled with good electrolyte replenishment drink. Keep your electrolytes in balance and keep fueling either with real food, energy gels etc… Riding distance takes a lot of energy, much more than a bike! Good luck all!
the only time i fall on my 36er is when I am at max speed, it has happened twice now where I will be going at max speed and start leaning too far forward so I pedal faster to compensate but i cant go fast enough and apply myself to the ground, once on cement and once on dirt, either way, falling at 33-35km/h is not fun. It only happened when I was training for RTL.
Hey guys.
I have been thinking and for me the conclusion is, lack of concentration and sore legs, and I agree with some kind of “auto focus mode” 
and the feeling that you just kind of fly over the asphalt and nothing could happend to you.
I agree in the end of my training, there are more zik zac wobling and unexpectet manoeuvre and often I fall of in the end, so I just have to put one a hour more then it will not be the end :o Thanks …
Falls are not uncommon. More people need to learn to fall better.
You should not get hurt if your laces are not tied to your peddles or happen to have a large backpack on.
I know the feeling 
I usually say that a train of molecules inadvertently crossed my path
(in hackers’ slang : “spurious interrupt”)
the problem being that, being unprepared, I may not apply the emergency rules (rolling along) and I may fall “flat” on the ground… had some big rib bruises that way…
Didn’t I read a post about a fall you had that damaged your shoulder - and you had a rather large backpack on?
I spent the evening at the A&E department of my local hospital last night - prompted by increased pain and discomfort from my injury 6 days ago. I was worried that some sort of complication had developed - especially when I considered the position of my spleen under the area of ribcage I had injured. I came away a little less worried but still have to go back for a scan on the spleen.
Assuming I live, I have turned my attention to protection. At present I use Knee and shin guards as well as elbow and wrist guards. I have been looking at core-protection and 661 do some lightweight armour that doesn’t look too obtrusive. Here are some pics of the upper body protection that I might be happy to ride the road with. What do others think? Over-the-top? The vest style looks pretty casual but I never see any unicycling dudes wearing the vest body armour stuff - especially on road.
Yes, and I was the guy with the shoelace. Not the only guy who’s wrapped a shoelace, mind you, but at 25 km/h on a Coker it can be very bad if the lace doesn’t break.
The dangers of unicycling have changed in recent years, with the advent of unicycles that can go fast, and others that can be ridden on very rough terrain without breaking. Now there’s lots more ways we can get hurt. In Bluemanonuni’s case, he rode into a hole/bump rather than being mysteriously thrown off the unicycle, but the results can be the same. Riding at high speeds means harder crashes, whether it be from loss of concentration, unseen bumps or other factors.
For that reason, I don’t generally ride over 25 km/h and I’m happy with that. There’s a limit to how much you can protect yourself for dismounts that are too fast to run out of, no matter what you wear, though I’ve taken care to make sure my shoelaces are always “tightly” controlled before any serious riding now. I’ve also learned to slow down if I’m really tired, to make sure concentration doesn’t get me into trouble.
i’ve had my 36 inch for about 7months now and for the most part, i maybe fall about once a month now. I’m thinking that it’s from me always taking the challenging courses and just geting used to recovering from being offbalence. Though as you can see from my avatar, crap still happends :o I guess i was over confident and took a small downwards slope too fast and lost control and went over backwards into the only patch of mudd and scraped my arm good.
As for the body armor, those look awesome! but personally i feel they’re a bit much, especially in areas where it can get hot. I kind of like the constant danger of falling though
The thrown of a coker isn’t the most comfortable place to sit, but it certainly has a good view.
