The best training device?

Training for what?

While waiting for the answer I'm going to submit "Unicycle."

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I think a stick is best for all-purpose training.
You could use it for training to ride a uni, too.

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I used a shopping cart to learn to ride forwards and am in the process
of using one to learn to ride backward.

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use a wheel chair ramp with metal handrails on each side

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podzol said:

I think a stick is best for all-purpose training.
You could use it for training to ride a uni, too.

And for Morris dancing.

For all purpose functionality at a budget price, buy new Stick.

The best training for unicycling (except unicycling) is one of those
horrible cross-trainer devices where the feet go up and down, turning a
wheel via treadles, and the hands go backwards and forwards - but hold
onto the fixed handle in the middle. You are now supporting your
weight on slightly bent legs and doing a pedalling type of motion, not
unlike riding a MUni over rough ground or up MOPE.

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johnfoss said:

Training for what?

While waiting for the answer I'm going to submit "Unicycle."

a device for training new riders.

I invented a device that I recently patented.

Until I complete my licensing agreements I can't bring it public.

I have used the device strictly to conduct video focus groups locally
with the people I have already trained.

I am curious to see what other devices are out there that aren't yet
patented which will also do a good job to help decrease the learning
curve.

Thanks for your input,

Adam

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JustOneWheel said:

a device for training new riders.

Sizable cash incentives would probably work quite well... 😉

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Adam its good to hear your makeing progress i cant wate to see the
finished trainer good luck

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unicyclepa said:

Adam its good to hear your makeing progress i cant wate to see the
finished trainer good luck

Thanks Nick!

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Why would you want a training device? The challenge is the whole point,
when it becomes easy it ceases to have value. If you really have your
heart set on unicycling then you'll learn eventually, if you don't then
switch to something easier. Also 'training' sounds a bit militant, a
bit too serious, most people 'learn' to unicycle.

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A fence

Handrails

Ski Poles

All have been done and discussed at length here.

I like the shopping cart idea. I'm gonna try that for improving my
backwards riding (which still completely sucks).

Probably the most unique one I've heard was a friend of mine had a
daughter who, a couple of years ago,made a uni trainer using one of
those walkers that old folks use for balance. Only she retrofitted it
with wheels on all four corners. It was for a school competition,
which she won.

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johnfoss said:

While waiting for the answer I'm going to submit "Unicycle."

After hearing the answer, I will submit "Unicycle." The only thing one
learns by training with an aid, is riding with that aid. If the goal
is to ride unassisted, I believe one should train by riding unassisted.

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Just recently my favourite training gadget has been my shiny new Garmin
Edge GPS. It has a "Virtual Partner" mode which lets you race a course
against a previous time; it should really be called something like
"Virtual Evil Sadist Taskmaster Mode" because racing yourself is so
leg-achingly difficult it's either going to make me really fit or kill
me off completely. It's amazing how much harder it is to go even
slightly faster than your normal cruising speed; I've used it on the
bike before going up to the top of the Malvern Hills, and while giving
it everything I had I got to the top a mere 10 or so seconds in front
of when I took it steady.

I've used it for biking, unicycling and most recently running, where it
proved most interesting in recording the speeds at which I ran each
mile of my first half marathon last Sunday.

Phil

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maestro8 said:

After hearing the answer, I will submit "Unicycle." The only thing one
learns by training with an aid, is riding with that aid. If the goal
is to ride unassisted, I believe one should train by riding unassisted.

True, after a point. However, if I had been left to learn to ride
with out some sort of an aid (fence, in my case) to help me get a sense
of balance and control, I may very well have given up. And lest you
say I tend to give up easily, search for some of my early posts. I
took a VERY long time to learn and tend to be VERY stubborn. An aid to
help one gain a little confidence in their sense of balance can be
helpful. Anyone who is serious about learning to ride will, indeed
jump from the safety of the nest when they are ready.

--
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i think the best device is no device a all. i learned just fine without
one. or a parent. parents can be good for help mounting.

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maestro8 said:

If the goal is to ride unassisted, I believe one should train by riding
unassisted.

That sounds like teaching people to ride by having them push off from a
wall. But holding onto the wall, or fence, or better yet a spotter, is
a much better way to learn the balancing needed while not spending all
your time getting back on.

So now that we know the search is for training devices for *teaching
people to ride* it narrows things down nicely. Human spotter is the
best thing, but it's not a device. A railing is pretty useful, but is
also not much of a device.

I do agree with Maestro to an extent. If you learn to ride pushing a
shopping cart, at some point you'll have to un-learn some of the
posture and body position the cart requires. In other words, your hands
are more helpful if they're out to the sides rather than in front of
you. You will also tend to learn to ride with a bent back.

So what could Adam be working on, and why is he so afraid one of us
will start manufacturing and marketing it first? If it's something that
can be proven to teach people significantly faster, that will be
revolutionary!

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johnfoss

John Foss
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johnfoss said:

So what could Adam be working on, and why is he so afraid one of us will
start manufacturing and marketing it first? If it's something that can
be proven to teach people significantly faster, that will be
revolutionary!

It's kind of the "catch 22" of patent law. It's the 'non-disclosure'
clause that states something to the effect of, if you disclose any
invention that you're trying to patent, it is then considered "public
knowledge." If it's public knowledge or 'in the public domain' it
can't be patented.

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*-QUOTE-Why would you want a training device? The challenge is the whole
point, when it becomes easy it ceases to have value. If you really have
your heart set on unicycling then you'll learn eventually, if you don't
then switch to something easier. Also 'training' sounds a bit militant,
a bit too serious, most people 'learn' to unicycle.*-

What you are doing when you 'learn' to unicycle is 'train' your body
and mind.

The challenge should be learning specific skills, tricks, developing
different riding styles and not having to waste time learning how to
ride.

Take a poll, I bet at least 90% of those people asked would have been
more than happy to skip the learning to ride part and go right to
learning different skills, tricks and enjoy other types of riding
(MUni,Trials).

Just because most people don't have the patience and can't learn to
ride without extra help(training device/motivation) it doesn't mean
they should -*find something else*-, it means they -*need something
else*- to get them riding.

The reason us unicyclist's don't have more company to ride with is
because of the grueling learning curve.

You don't realize how many people buy unicycles and let them sit and
rot in the garage/basement because they didn't have the patience to get
past the initial part of the learning curve.

Think of how many bikers there would be out there if there were no
training wheels. More than there are unicyclist but allot less than
there are now.

In Japan there are more than a million unicyclist's why, because they
have people motivating and -training- them.

Motivation can be a substitute for -training- wheels but as we can all
see there hasn't been enough of that around the world.

To get the masses unicycling around the world it will take motivation
and/or the proper training device to help remove the initial part of
the learning curve.

I just wanted to see what types of training devices people have been
using in the past and what they are currently using today.

Thanks again for all your input.

Adam

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phil said:

Just recently my favourite training gadget has been my shiny new Garmin
Edge GPS. It has a "Virtual Partner" mode which lets you race a course
against a previous time; it should really be called something like
"Virtual Evil Sadist Taskmaster Mode" because racing yourself is so
leg-achingly difficult it's either going to make me really fit or kill
me off completely. It's amazing how much harder it is to go even
slightly faster than your normal cruising speed; I've used it on the
bike before going up to the top of the Malvern Hills, and while giving
it everything I had I got to the top a mere 10 or so seconds in front
of when I took it steady.

I've used it for biking, unicycling and most recently running, where it
proved most interesting in recording the speeds at which I ran each
mile of my first half marathon last Sunday.

Phil

that sounds like a lot of fun

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