Unicycle-gonandunnit

Peter B said:

So far I've learned that when I next practice I'll wear long trousers to
protect the back of my legs, mitts and shoes.

Get yourself a pair of these -
<http://www.unicycle.uk.com/shop/shopdisplayproduct.asp?catalogid=111>

These wrist guards have saved me from painful grazes many times and
possibly a sprained/bust wrist on several occassions. You can get leg
protection from the same site listed above, but the stuff I have might be a
bit over the top for normal unicycling.

Graeme

Peter B said:

So far I've learned that when I next practice I'll wear long trousers to
protect the back of my legs, mitts and shoes.

When it comes to freemounts I'd suggest, albeit only temporarily while
you get the hang, thinking about some shin pads. My first few could be
summed up as thinking "right, I /mustn't/ get too much weight on the
pedal, or I'll just move backwards and the other one will swing up and
whack me on the shin" about two dozen times in preparation, followed
by... well, you can probably guess :-/

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Peter B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

After umming and arrghing for a couple of years and occasionally viewing

the

Quoted message said:

sites suggested by Nipples Colyer (BTW nasty cut on your neck Danny) today

I

Quoted message said:

walked into a bikeshop and egged on by Offspring exited with a unicycle
(paid for I hasten to add).
So far I've learned that when I next practice I'll wear long trousers to
protect the back of my legs, mitts and shoes.
--
Pete
http:[email hidden]/P

Welcome aboard 🙂
Incase you don't know here are a few sites that might help

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Unicycling

http://www.unicycle.2ya.com/

The second is really good and includes video tips of how to freemount etc.

Muni anyone?

Peter B said:

After umming and arrghing for a couple of years and occasionally
viewing the sites suggested by Nipples Colyer (BTW nasty cut on
your neck Danny) today I walked into a bikeshop and egged on by
Offspring exited with a unicycle (paid for I hasten to add).

Good man!

Quoted message said:

So far I've learned that when I next practice I'll wear long
trousers to protect the back of my legs, mitts and shoes.

Yes, tricky isn't it. :-)

--
Dave...

Peter Clinch said:

When it comes to freemounts I'd suggest, albeit only temporarily while
you get the hang, thinking about some shin pads. My first few could be
summed up as thinking "right, I /mustn't/ get too much weight on the
pedal, or I'll just move backwards and the other one will swing up and
whack me on the shin" about two dozen times in preparation, followed
by... well, you can probably guess :-/

Let me guess. You started with the cranks horizontal, then you put one
foot on the back pedal and tried to jump up onto the front pedal. As
you did so, the front pedal shot up and back to bash you in the shin.
I've seen it done so many times.

If you can do it then starting with the cranks horizontal is great,
because you can move off straight away without having to worry about the
dead spot. It's particularly useful for playing hockey, where you need
to remount quickly after a fall to get back into the game. But I'd say
the standard mount is much better when you're first learning to
freemount (Peter C may not need further instruction in this, but it
might help Peter B once he's riding).

Start with the cranks vertical. The pedal at the bottom should
correspond to the foot that you naturally climb on with first. For me
that's the left foot, for most people it's the right. Tuck the seat
under your crotch, then make sure the cranks are still vertical. Put
your first foot on the lower pedal, get yourself comfortable, then hop
up and put your second foot on the upper pedal. Push the upper pedal
back 1/2 stroke, which gets you away from the dead spot, then you can
start riding forwards.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with any sort of PPE for learning, except
for possibly a pair of high cut shoes or boots to prevent the pain of
bashing your ankle on a crank. I wear Harbinger wristguards for Muni or
when I ride the Coker, but when I teach someone to ride my first
priority is to make sure that they always fall off forwards and land on
their feet.

Riding a unicycle is a bit like being in orbit. You're constantly
falling forwards and pedalling to keep up. If you are riding forwards
then, as long as your balance is correct, you will never fall off
backwards. A beginner will be going slowly enough that there should
seldom be any problem landing on his feet. So, before you try to ride,
practice getting on (holding onto something at this stage, don't try to
freemount until you're happy riding), and falling off forwards, landing
on your feet.

When you're happy getting on and falling off forwards, then you can try
riding half a revolution. Don't try and do a full revolution, just do
half a revolution and then make sure you fall off forwards. Work up
half a revolution at a time, always falling off forwards and landing on
your feet, until you're happily riding 2 or 3 revolutions. By now
you're away, you can concentrate on going further and further, and you
should be in the habit of always falling off forwards.

Actually, I now very seldom dismount to the front. Dismounting to the
rear is more comfortable and more elegant, but also requires a little
more skill. Falling, OTOH, is still usually done to the front.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

Danny Colyer said:

But I'd say
the standard mount is much better when you're first learning to
freemount

Ah, so I learned to do it the hard way. Or rather, the even harder
way! D'oh! Still, I can do it now...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

Danny Colyer said:

But I'd say
the standard mount is much better when you're first learning to
freemount

Ah, so I learned to do it the hard way. Or rather, the even harder
way! D'oh! Still, I can do it now...

Actually, I was aware of both methods before I started to learn, and
learnt what Danny regards as the hard way more easily than the other
way.

regards, Ian SMith
--
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