First spin feelings

You can also pump up your tire to high pressure to cut down the
friction.

To reduce hitting pedals to the ground, try to lean your upper body in
toward the turn as well, to cut down on the tilt angle of the unicycle.
It doesn't look (or feel) as nice, but it lets you keep pedaling. I
used to hit my pedal easily enough when I had 125s and a narrow
setup...

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johnfoss

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
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i have the same problem i have a qu'ax trials 2005 and my pedals hit the
ground all the time can you record that so i can see how you do that
and then i'll be able to do that too 🙂

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apadoxhr

10: apadox is legend;
20: GOTO10;
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I can spin/pirouette my 20" trials uni with no problem, although I have
to pump up the tyre rather considerably before I do, otherwise I can't
keep a pirouette going.

I also ride with my seat low, so maybe it's a matter of technique?

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unicyclistjoe

El Presidente of NZ Unicycle Federation
NZ's High Jump Record Holder
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I am glad you are having good luck using a trials unicycle. I found it
very difficult to keep a spin going for more than a couple of
revolutions, until I got a freestyle unicycle. The I was able to spin
5 or more times maybe around 30% of the time, but now the wheel keeps
locking up and I go into a mini piroette, rather than spinning.
🙄 This is the last major thing I need up to level 7, so it is
very frustrating not to be able to do it 🙁 so if anyone has any
suggestions.....

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sevenasterisks
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apadoxhr said:

i have the same problem i have a qu'ax trials 2005 and my pedals hit the
ground all the time can you record that so i can see how you do that
and then i'll be able to do that too 🙂

I borrowed a camera, and went to a place with enough light at midnight.
The underground appeared to be very interesting. I had my tire pumped
up to 2.4 bar and the ground was the most slippery i had ever tried. So
it was quite different of my first attempts and not actually better.

http://manu2015.free.fr/spin_attempts.avi
1min 15Mo, directly out from the camera.

I think i am not so far from doing it regular. I have just to practice.
Am i right ?

Manuel

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sevenasterisks said:

The I was able to spin 5 or more times maybe around 30% of the time, but
now the wheel keeps locking up and I go into a mini piroette, rather
than spinning. 🙄 This is the last major thing I need up to
level 7, so it is very frustrating not to be able to do it 🙁 so if
anyone has any suggestions.....

Yes, if you can do it on a Trials uni, you'll find it way easier on a
Freestyle.

For the problem above, all you need to do it slow down. Speed is one of
the factors in the equation of a spin. If you keep everything else the
same but slow down when you feel yourself hitting the center, you
should be able to keep your circle consistent.

Then tackle the pirouette, which is harder. Not only harder to hold,
but harder on your tire. Find a smooth surface to practice or be
prepared to buy more rubber!

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John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
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"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
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I watched the video (nice subway station!). Let me start by pointing out
to all readers of this thread how manu2015 has done several things
right. When asking for help on skills, most people start by not
describing the problem. They usually just ask "How do I do so-and-so?"
This doesn't help us coach them. Instead it usually generates
(well-deserved) advice to search and read, rather than expecting us to
write the same story again.

1. manu2015 started by describing the exact problem he's having. This
gives us a frame of reference for giving him useful things to try.

2. He described his unicycle, such as wheel size, tire pressure, crank
length; important bits of information to give useful answers.

3. Then he provided a video. Huge file, but good quality picture so we
could see what he was doing!

So, your grippy Trials tire is definitely a takeaway, when riding on
normal pavement. Your shiny floor fixed that though, and was more
slippery than what you're used to! That's what it's like in a gym or on
a (good) stage. To compensate for slippery floors, you can let air out
of the tire.

As for seat height, you can do it with the seat lower, but I'm sure a
higher seat will make it easier, as it puts you further from the axle,
which means you can lean over more easily.

In your video it shows you are at the point where mostly you need more
practice, as you expected. Most of your attempts seemed to end when a
pedal hit the ground, so try to avoid that. Learn how much you can lean
without touching down the pedals. Then just control the speed, as I
wrote above, to keep you from riding into the center of your circle.

Remember to have fun, and stop every once in a while so you don't throw
up. Good advice from the Uni-Cyclone (who still gets dizzy).

--
johnfoss

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
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I have just recently become fairly consistent at being able to do spins
on my Coker. My circles get smaller and smaller until they just
disappear and then I'm spinning on a single point. It feels pretty
weird to be pedaling and not moving anywhere, but rather spinning. I
was never able to do spins back when I rode a smaller wheel uni. My
_best_ Coker spins are probably limited to about 1 1/2 revs (once my
circles end and my spin begins) at the moment.

Being I usually have relatively low pressure and reading the previous
posts, I know increasing my tire pressure will probably help me. I
think the pavement at Grant's Tomb where I practice my spins is
relatively slick (compared to regular pavement, anyway) so I believe it
is probably ok. Riding a Coker, I don't have any problems with my
pedals hitting the ground, but the problem I do have - which will only
get worse as my spins improve - is that when I do a (good 1 or 1 1/2
rev) spin I get dizzy! Any suggestions?

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HardcoreCokerRider
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