beginner

I can't help you out on that but im sure there are people around who
need a riding partner and will help you learn for free. 🙂

KH.

--
juggle508

trey varial hickflip over an 8 set ummm... You really have to try
harder, i've done that down an 11 set. Sorry.
-Shaun Johanneson

-----Joshua 1:9------
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mru2 said:

i'm 52 years old but i want to learn to ride a unicycle,so i bought
one-(24 inch)-i spent 3 hours with it by myself and got nowhere-i need
to find someone in the st. louis ,mo. area who might take pity on me
and give me some help-otherwise,its going to take me forever to get the
hang of this-i been searching the web for unicycle lessons in my
area,but came up empty:eek: 😕 i'm anxious to learn this
fast-of course right now,here in st. louis,its rain and snow,so i
probably need an indoor training area-no hidden agenda here or
anything-i have a fiancee-i'm not trying to meet people,just need to
meet someone willing to help me learn to ride the unicycle-and will pay
u what? $50 i guess? for your trouble thanks,mike

Let me just say welcome to unicyclist.com my friend. Me and everyone
else on these forums will try to help you as much as possible with
whatever questions you may have.
*
1.* What exactly are you having problems with? If it's freemounting
(getting on the thing in the 1st place) Then here's a link that might
help
http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/freemount.html
and this
http://tinyurl.com/37up34

*2.* For learning try finding a gym or something similar and try
freemounting while holding onto the wall. When you're up, stay up until
you get a sense of balance. When do feel it, then you're ready to shoot
off into the unknown. This helped me alot

*3. *Sorry that i don't live in the St Louis area. If i did, i'd be
more than happy to come past your house 4 a visit and help you as much
as i can.

Hoped this helped you in some way. Sorry if i couldn't be more help. If
you have any other questions you want me to answer or anyone else for
that matter. Feel free to ask. 😄 😄

Take care and have fun
Hazmat

--
Hazmat

If you fail at unicycling or unicycle tricks, try again, when you try
again. You will never fail.
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Welcom!

I used this video from UDC
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=344

These forums were also a big help. The smoother the ground the better,
like a tennis court or gym floor (not gravel!) is helpful, but a long
rail is more important in my oppinion. If you are falling towards it,
push yourself away. If you are falling away pull yourself towards it.
With a wall you can only push away.

unicycletips.com has a lot of good pointers.
http://unicycletips.com/

Get the outside pedal in about the 5:00 position (CLOSER to you than
the axle). Step on that outside BACK pedal while stabizing yourself
with the rail/wall. Put your inside foot on the other pedal and pedal
backwards so the pedals are horizontal. For learning and general
riding you want to keep 89-90% of your wieght on the saddle. Always
keep a very slight pressure on the back pedal. Push down on the
forward pedal and get the cranks horizontal again.

1st goal: get a full half rotation w/o grabing the rail
2nd: 5, then 10 half rotations w/ grabing the rail in between
rotations
3rd: one full rotation, etc.
Make sure to become equally competant w/ the rail on either side of
you.
4th: ride the whole length of your rail w/o holding on
5th: gracefully dismount w/ the unicycle in front of you, improve to
80+% success on both sides
6th: ride length of rail 5, then 10 times.
7th: learn to freemount. Most feel the rollback mount is the eiasiest
to learn first. Other mounts some people think it's easier to do
first: static, rolling, or jump mount.

Start with Level one of the skills list.
http://www.unicycling.org/usa/levels/

--
skilewis74
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You see mru2, we're all like one big happy family working together here.
So feel free to ask whatever questions or problems you may have and
we'll answer as best as we can.

Take care
Hazmat

--
Hazmat

If you fail at unicycling or unicycle tricks, try again, when you try
again. You will never fail.
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A progress chart by Klaas Bil:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/agelearn_short.htm
And a roster of MO unicyclists
http://unicycling.org/roster/index.php?state=mo

--
BluntRM

'
Marxist Internet Archive' (http://www.marxists.org/)

'Unicycle for Class Consciousness' (http://tinyurl.com/yykmgo)
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Also, don't get frustrated after only a few hours. It takes most people
10+ hours to learn. Probably took me closer to 20 over 2 weeks.

Welcome to the forums... Keep at it! You'll get it!

Keld

--
Keldridge
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Use sticks, nordic walking sticks prefferably or just 2 broomsticks to
keep yourself on, it's a good way to learn though I've learned by the
basic fall and get up and fall again technique myself. There's a pic in
Uni somewhere but I can't seem to find any other pics. Basic idea is
that you can help your balance by using the sticks, kind of like
skiing.

--
DustinSchaap

FOUNDER OF EENWIEL.NL (\"HTTP://WWW.EENWIEL.NL\"😉
*Sponsored by 'MUNICYCLE.COM' (http://www.municycle.com) , 'QU-AX'
(http://www.qu-ax.com) and 'SEMCYCLE' (http://www.semcycle.com)*
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DustinSchaap said:

Use sticks, nordic walking sticks prefferably or just 2 broomsticks to
keep yourself on, it's a good way to learn though I've learned by the
basic fall and get up and fall again technique myself. There's a pic in
Uni somewhere but I can't seem to find any other pics. Basic idea is
that you can help your balance by using the sticks, kind of like
skiing.

if you try this method remember to wear eye protection, dont want to
lose one to the ends of those things.

--
Chris.James

"Thats my favorite thing about unicycling, I can eat oreos while
riding!" ~Me

"Darwin was once of the greatest minds of our time!...Then why is he
making out with Satan?" ~The Simpsons

"I'm riding a unicycle with my pants down...this should be every boy's
dream!"~Bart Simpson
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I learned by myself, 18 years ago, back when I was 19. I did it for 10
hours straight until I got it.

I just bought my daughter a uni so we've been practicing in the
basement. she's light so I am walking beside her with a balance pole.
As an adult you might need to find 2 patient friends who will let you
hold on to their shoulders. I may switch to giving her 2 poles to hold
on to. I've searched the web for a good training video and have only
found one on unicycle.com. does anyone know of some free training
videos? maybe on videos.google?

In the spring you can go to a tennis court, back patio or other flat
surface and practice. I recommend starting on a sloped driveway and
going down a slight incline. I put a block behind the wheel for
mounting, held on to the side of the garage, leaned forward and let the
wheel catch up.

mur2, I'm in the capital city of the state to your East. If you're ever
in the area feel free to stop by. I've never successfully taught anyone
and had nothing better to learn off of than what is posted on
uncycle.com

saraJEFF😄

--
sarajeff

saraJEFF
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My buddy and I (both around your age) learned on the local bike path.
This particular section has a steel rail about 4' high for a good long
ways. On the advice of a friend who alreay knew how to ride, we held
onto the rail for several days, just trying to feel the saddle under
our ass, while slowly rolling forward. After the 3rd day, we just
started letting go, after a day or so more, we never needed to go back
to the rail.
As everyone will tell you, you just need verticle time on the wheel so
your body can figure it all out. I found the long rail on a section of
our local path perfect for being able to sit on the wheel and stay up,
without actually being able to ride. I wore out a cheap pair of gloves
doing it, but now I can ride!

--
brossman
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Don't get discouraged if it takes a while. Those of us who are not as
young as the rest of us sometimes take longer to get the hang of it.
But keep going. You can do it! (If I can do it anyone can - I am a
total fraidy cat, have no balance skills and very little spacial
awareness).

I say again - keep trying. People can give you hints and tips to make
things a little easier, but it is only you who can learn to ride (if
you see what I mean).

--
cathwood

Cathy
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its like anything else, you have to stick with it. it took me a month or
so total before I could go around my coul de sac. mind you i wasnt
riding every day due to alot of reasons including inclimate weather.

i started off up against my fence in the back yard and quickly found
that grass doesnt really help you that much neither does falling down
backwards against it.

your best bet honestly is to simply find somewhere, WEAR A HELMET,
practice practice practice. just accept the falls and dismounts and
most importantly get back on. keep getting back on it. rome wasn't
built in a day.

i tried the wall riding thing but quickly found myself leaning towards
the wall. then i started just trying to ride away from the wall. then i
started using my car to mount and keep going over and over and over
again.

i remember the first time i got 4 pedal strokes i was really impressed
because i had tried soooo hard just to get those. and fallen sooo many
times.. then 10... 20... etc... each little barrier feels really really
good.

maybe give it an hour or two every day that you can.

--
Just Jake
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Just Jake said:

its like anything else, you have to stick with it. it took me a month or
so total before I could go around my coul de sac. mind you i wasnt
riding every day due to alot of reasons including inclimate weather.

i started off up against my fence in the back yard and quickly found
that grass doesnt really help you that much neither does falling down
backwards against it.

your best bet honestly is to simply find somewhere, WEAR A HELMET,
practice practice practice. just accept the falls and dismounts and
most importantly get back on. keep getting back on it. rome wasn't
built in a day.

AND wrist guards and possibly knee pads. A friend of mine wouldn't
wear my wrist guards and got too couragous, fell (before learning how
to safely) and broke his wrist. Now he won't make another attempt,
even with pads and a longer rail.

I think a rail is key.

Just Jake said:

i tried the wall riding thing but quickly found myself leaning towards
the wall. then i started just trying to ride away from the wall. then i
started using my car to mount and keep going over and over and over
again.

That's why you do both sides equally and eventually you don't need a
wall or rail. I did this and had a tendency to veer left, so I
practiced a lot of circles to the left and problem fixed (I started w/
a radius like 40 ft.).

Just Jake said:

i remember the first time i got 4 pedal strokes i was really impressed
because i had tried soooo hard just to get those. and fallen sooo many
times.. then 10... 20... etc... each little barrier feels really really
good.

maybe give it an hour or two every day that you can.

Yeah I focused on the small successes w/ the immediate goal of riding
the 2.5 miles to school w/in an hour. It took me just under two months
at 5 hours a week to learn the basics, at four months I could ride to
school, and at 5 I could do it at knight. I'm a pretty slow learner
apparently:o :p

--
skilewis74
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Try ski poles or a shopping cart to help you stay up and ride

--
Daytripper63
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In my family we have alway learned free mounting first, even though i
have heard it differently with other people.

My little sis just learned a month ago, it took her forever because she
like never practiced.

But shes 9 to if she can do it you can!

--
CKCrowe

180 flips 1-5 hours a day of unicycling!
DX user.
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Daytripper63 said:

Try ski poles or a shopping cart to help you stay up and ride

I thought this would be a good idea but never tried it until I could
ride fairly well, and it seemed much harder. I think it would have
been easier if I were on a 20 than a 24, had a smoother rolling cart,
and I was shorter. Having to bend over a lot and hold onto the cart's
bar was very difficult.

--
skilewis74
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I learnt about 18 months ago. I wasn't getting anywhere using walls or
railings (not helped by the lack of anywhere really suitable with those
features) and so I used a pair of crutches left over from the missus
breaking her leg many years ago. I very soon got to the point where I
could mount and cycle around the playground with the help of the
crutches, but it took ages until I got to the point where I could throw
them away.

The breakthrough came when I realised that I was pedalling too slowly,
and with the recognition that unicycling is a constant process of
pedalling to keep up with ones falling off the front.

I may be unique in that my first unassisted ride when I mounted with
the crutches and then dropped them was over thirty metres.

Keep practising. It took me nearly three months to get to that point.
If I can do it, anyone can.

Martin/

--
martin.phillips
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appreciate all your messages-i never mentioned the reason i'm going to
learn the uni is cause something happened to my equalibrium and
balance-i went to many doctors and had many m.r.i. x-rays,but they dont
see whats causing it-one doctor thinks i had an infection in a balance
nerve in my ear and it damaged the nerve-anyway he said one way to
improve my condition is physical therapy(the brain can learn to
compensate for the balance problem)-the hospital actually has a
physical therapy program for people with a problem like mine-its just
walking exercises and stuff like that at hospital-but i want to really
challenge my equalibrium,so riding a unicycle occured to me-i know i
can learn it-i'm just going to have to try harder then most people-my
balance isnt so bad that i'm falling down or anything,its just bad
enough to be very annoying-the uni i bought is a Summit brand-the seat
sucks-its small,skinny,and shaped like the letter "U",and made of hard
rubber-i definately need a more comfortable seat b-4 i try it again,so
i have a Kris Holm Freeride saddle ordered-should be here
tomorrow-when i get the new seat on and try riding,i'm going to
concentrate very hard on FALLING SAFELY WITHOUT INJURY,for those times
that i do fall-talk later

--
mru2
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One thing I found that helped me was to make sure that I had a firm
tire. You want to turn in the direction you are falling to correct
yourself, and this is hard to do with a flat tire that resists turning.
In learning, both me and my friend used the railing method and I highly
recomend it. After you can get 3-5 pedal revolutions I would suggest
leaning against a lamp post and then pedaling off, getting as far as
you can. Falling isn't a big deal as you land on your feet 99% of the
time. Expect to get tired quickly at first because you are tense but
after you get comfortable it takes no more effort than walking. A
helmet is always a good idea. Don't give up it's completely worth it
when you get it.

Good luck eh.

--
pinefresh

I'm too manly to type I just punch the keyboard and delete the letters I
don't want.
KH 20'' ordered w00t!
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