Thanks
Thanks Bear. I’ll make a concious effort to try that. Another thing that gives me fits is starting on an uphill. Even the most gentle grade is too difficult for me overcome.
After a ride of only five miles last night I woke up with a very sore lower back and an equally painful knee. It’s been six years since my most recent (3rd) knee surgery. I expected the knee problem but not the lower back. It bothered me so much last evening that I had to stop periodically to rest it. It would help if I lost about ten pounds.
Wow! This ‘geezer’ thread has made it to 3 pages.
I’ve noticed, in general, that we geezers do take a little longer to learn stuff. There are probably lots of reasons for this. Young people are fearless, they don’t instinctively know that riding a one wheeled contraption is impossible, they heal more quickly, etc.,etc. It took me months to learn to ride. Then, once I could do that, I worked on free mounting. That took only a couple of weeks. Other skills seem to come a little faster (well, except idling. I still suck at that) as my balance improves and sense of being on the uni becomes increasingly more natural. I ride every single day.
I’ve been nailing my freemounts for probably over a year now on my 24. And I’m just about there on my 29er. I only miss once in a while on the bigger one. Anyway, I learned to freemount with one hand on the saddle but I needed to take it off just as soon as I got up on the uni so I had both arms out for balance. I quickly changed to a ‘no hands’ mount just so the balance part was already there. I rode with both arms flailing for a long while. And then decided that I needed to practice riding with one hand on the saddle. It took a while to feel comfortable with riding like that but now I can ride for miles like that. Which brings me back to free mounting. I can now free mount just fine with one hand grabbing the saddle and ride out of it that way (either hand, it doesn’t seem to matter). I still tend to prefer no hands but either is comfortable for me now.