Forwarded message:
> From B.Prescott@computer-science.hull.ac.uk Sun Nov 21 15:52 EST 1993
> Via: uk.ac.hull; Sun, 21 Nov 1993 20:05:16 +0000 From: Barry Prescott
> <B.Prescott@computer-science.hull.ac.uk> Message-Id:
> <9263.9311212003@nebula.hull.ac.uk> Subject: Wheel walking To:
> unicycling@santafe.edu Date: Sun, 21 Nov 93 20:03:54 GMT X-Mailer: ELM
> [version 2.3 PL11]
>
> Is it possible to learn to walk the wheel with a 20" wheel? I can ride with
> one foot now and am looking for a greater challenge.
>
> I am 5’ 10" and have size 8 (UK) feet (that’s 10.5" long), should it matter.
>
> How big is the arc of a wheel that is usable for pushing with the feet? At the
> back you are limited by the frame, and at the front by the wheel becoming too
> steep to tread. Call it a quarter of the full wheel, which is probably too
> generous.
>
> By my calculations a quarter of a circumference of a 20" wheel is
> 15.7". A 24" wheel would give you 18.8". I.E. not long enough for two feet
> aligned straight ahead. Therefore do you angle your feet in in a
> pigeon-toed style to get your two feet on the wheel at the same time?
It definitely is possible. On the IUF Skill Level tape one of the level 7 tricks
is to wheel walk in a circle. The rider is doing it on a 20" wheel. He never has
both feet flat on the wheel at the same time. When the back foot is on the
wheel, only the heel of the front foot is touching. One of the other riders
specifically recommends this approach, to get the front foot out of the way of
the back foot.
You might want to get the file on wheel walking from santafe.edu in the section
pub/Users/terry/unicycling. You may also want to get a list of the unicycling
skill levels from the same place.
Beirne bkonarsk@mcs.kent.edu