I agree with finnspin. Think more about getting your weight over the center of the unicycle. That will decrease the weight on the first pedal. Also, I think it’s unrealistic to expect you can learn to mount properly without passing through a stage of experimentation with less-than-ideal mounts.
I let a teenager try my unicycle the other day. I used a method I’ve used before to get him to safely ride a couple feet: hold onto the seat 2 hands SIF, start with the first foot in the 6:00 position, slowly bring the second foot up to the 12:00, don’t let go with the hands. He was able to ride a half rev within a couple turns. I asked him to try mounting on his non-dominant side, and I noticed something interesting: His center of gravity was significantly more forward while mounting on his dominant side…compared to his “weak” side.
You can test this with your own dominant / non-dominant sides by looking down toward the ground while mounting and determining how far forward you are. One of the secrets to a good static mount, for me, is pointing the toe of the first foot toward the ground and placing pressure on the first pedal in a backwards direction (not a downwards direction). The only way to accomplish this is by shifting your center of gravity forward.
IMHO, I think you should stop using a backstop and start experimenting with every pedal position between 6:00 and 9:00 (for the first pedal), then focus on doing whatever you can to not roll back during the mount. Just my two cents…
Yes! First foot toe down, pushing back is key to my static mount. Also putting pressure on the seat, which becomes a weight transfer onto the wheel as I bring my body over. At first I would put way too much pressure on the first foot and the uni would shoot backwards. I eventually got it by doing increasingly big hops with the second foot until I could bring it to the pedal while keeping the cranks horizontal.
thanks for all the sugestions which i am trying but still not doing to well with but i will keep trying! i start my sessions trying until i get disheartened then carry on with fun side of riding.
I think it’s smart to start with the hard stuff then move onto the easier stuff. For example, the last few times I rode my 20", I started with a short warmup riding to the park across the street. Then I practiced a jump mount where I jump onto the tire, pause, then drop down onto the pedals (in various positions) SIF. This is a new mount and I land it about 1/10 times. Then I wheel walk across the soccer field (I used to start the session with WWing, but I’ve improved and something harder needs to come before it). Then I practice forward and backward figure eights (SI, SIF, SIB), still stands and other freestyle stuff on the basketball court. Then I do some dirt/hill riding on the hilly part of the park. I end with riding backwards SIF down a grassy hill. If I wait for the end of a workout to try new/hard stuff, I am more tired and more likely to have a stupid fall in the process.
As a beginner, I focused on learning to mount pretty early on. Landing a mount was a treat, because then I got to ride away!
You have to practice delayed gratification to improve on the unicycle. Another rider stressed the importance of having fun. I have a problem with that word, because it can be interpreted as instant gratification. The problem with fun is that it eventually gets boring. The kind of fun that will help you improve is playful experimentation and a love for the process, even when you aren’t “getting it.” Not to argue semantics…I think unicycling is fun, but it would not be fun without some work.
Cool – three folk agreeing on something in three consecutive posts – there must be some truth in this. And I guess it is no wonder nor rocket science that learning new stuff works better when you are fresh and not exhausted.
Having said that about agreement, I feel slightly different on the fun aspect. I think most of us unicycle for fun, not? There are much more efficient ways of pedal-travel or to get exercise, so it must be that we like … whatever, the challenge of a new skill, the success in learning, or simply whatever we do, whether that is riding or improving. I’ve been cycling for 45 years now and still enjoy it even though I can not win a road race or hop over some ridiculously tricky obstacles but give me a nice day and a good path and I enjoy … just the ride. So, I think I can have fun being lazy with my old slippers on, and when I don’t like that feeling any more I can get different slippers or start a Merino farm to produce wool to re-line my old slippers.
I better get back to the uni-context now: fun is key. Sure there might be some work needed to have fun, but it shouldn’t be work only. If it was, I’d want paid (and I won’t ever – not with my riding). And sometimes it is best to leave practice aside and just enjoy what you (can) do?
What I am trying to say is that yes, practice is best when you are fresh, and practice increases skills, but why not also just ride for fun? (or practise for fun?)
As soon as I could ride 50’ my practice time was done.
From then on I would freemount, ride, and then dismount.
Then one day a still stand happened before the dismount.
So then, after every ride a single still stand was done and they got longer and longer.
Next was a half idle which then turned into an idle.
After that was riding backwards, which is happening now.
Point is that I only practice the one skill one time just before the ride’s dismount.
Riding is the important thing to me so I’m not to worried about acquiring new skills to up my skill level.
They’ll come up gradually and easier for me. (hopefully less injuries)
And sometimes it is best to leave practice aside and just enjoy what you (can) do?