Getting off the wall

Basically, as you learn and get better, your strokes will be alot
smoother. Starting out, I was choppy at best till I managed to ride
around a bit. Pedal as you would a bicycle. Only difference is you have
one wheel (minus giraffes)...and no handle bars (unless you have a T7
or something similar)...and no chain or gears (again, minus giraffes
and gunis)...and no brakes (muni excluded)...and no reflectors (unless
you want it to be pretty)...or those pom-poms sticking out the handle
bars (nifty!), too. You should see it smooth out in time, and probably
won't notice unless you are OCD about it.

Just keep at it and before you know it, you will be asking about the
difference between a 29er and a coker (36er). And welcome to the club!

--
Rubix

Unicycle
Not just for clowns anymore!
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I would start letting go of that wall and pedal without assistance. YOU
MAY FEEL LIKE YOU ARE STARTING AT SQUARE ONE BUT AS SOON as you get one
rotation without help you will find you will get more real fast. Stick
with it. You will be riding in no time. The key to success is
perserverance.

--
rem48
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I'm not sure if you already know this, but try not to think too hard..
Look straight into the horizon and be sure not to stare at the ground
😄
(This really helped me)

--
NKahler

😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄
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What worked well for me is that i put my tire up against the curb, so
the tire was on the street, and the back of the tire is touching the
curb. i would then just mount it, and see how many revs i could get
before falling off.. i did this for about an hour or two each day, and
learned how to ride consistantly in 5 days. It's smooth sailing from
there. Keep at it. Hope to see some videos soon!

--
beeper

Ride with fear, and shed a tear. Ride with confidence, - What rhymes
with confidence?
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Hi all,
thanks for the replies. Another question: All of my falls (thank
heavens only 3 bad so far), have been with the wheel going out the
front. These have caused the peddles to nail the back of my lower
calves pretty hard. I can live with my butt hitting, but the back of
my legs hurt. Any tips?

--
jeffrollins
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jeffrollins said:

Hi all,
thanks for the replies. Another question: All of my falls (thank
heavens only 3 bad so far), have been with the wheel going out the
front. These have caused the peddles to nail the back of my lower
calves pretty hard. I can live with my butt hitting, but the back of
my legs hurt. Any tips?

Do your pedals have pins on them? If so.. Maybe you can get leg armor
like these ones that I found really 'cheap' (http://tinyurl.com/29bbxx)
but they only have it in Small and extra large...

And if you get hit in the shins you can wear soccer shingaurds 😄

ps. you may also want to wear gloves or wristgaurds for falls

--
NKahler

😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄 😄
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Thanks NKahler, I do wear gloves. The garage wall is not smooth and it
helps when I land.:eek:

--
jeffrollins
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Look for a longer piece of wall to ride along. The best is a tennis
court or other fence with pavement next to it. Ride along the
wall/fence until you get bored. Then start veering away from it.

We adults tend to overthink this stuff. Don't. Try to approach it like
an 8-year old. You fall off (should be onto your feet most of the
time), think about which direction you fell off, then go again.

Repeat.

--
johnfoss

John Foss
Email: "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
-----------------------------------------------

"I bruised my tailbone the other day, it's a real pain in the ass." --
Forrest Rowell
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beeper said:

What worked well for me is that i put my tire up against the curb, so
the tire was on the street, and the back of the tire is touching the
curb. i would then just mount it, and see how many revs i could get
before falling off.. i did this for about an hour or two each day, and
learned how to ride consistantly in 5 days. It's smooth sailing from
there. Keep at it. Hope to see some videos soon!

Today I taught a 14-16 year old kid to ride in *UNDER 30 MINUTES* with
this method.

After about 40 minutes, he was riding well over 100'...

I was just telling him what to do to ride, while I was doing manuals on
his BMX because I think it's fun to see people learn to ride a
Unicycle.

--
Borgschulze

'deviantART'
(http://borgschulze.deviantart.com/)'Gravity'
(http://videos.observedtrials.net/Gravity.wmv) is -not- the
issue.
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if you try to ride faster, you will see that you and your uni get a bit
more balanced. its like a bike: to ride VERY slowly is pretty hard.

try on you are on the right way...

greetings
xanthaloop

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xanthaloop
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If you're falling off the back, you're not leaning forwards enough
(statement of the obvious 🙂 )

Most people hardly ever fall off the back in normal riding. Think of
riding as a process of pedalling to keep the wheel under you to stop
you falling off the front.

It sounds as if you're not going fast enough - a brisk walking pace is
a good start.

Try to find somewhere flat with a railing alongside it. That way you'll
get some rythm to your pedalling and have the confidence to let go -
maybe for a fraction of a revolution at first, but later for longer
periods. Also, go both ways along it so you don't rely on one
particular hand supportng you.

And keep practicing 😄

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martin.phillips
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Focus on keeping your weight on the seat.
Choppy pedalling is quite often a sign of having too much weight on the
pedals.
The foot then seems to stop as you get to BDC (bottom dead center).
This can cause you to have a UPD (UnPlanned Dismount, we are
unicyclists, we don't fall off, we have UPDs, FYI).
To ensure you have your weight on the seat, get on the uni, hold onto
the wall, get the pedals parallel to the ground and 'almost' try to
lift both feet off the pedals simultaneously.

And if you aren't 22 anymore, a pair of wrist-guards will do you no
harm during the learning process (and beyond).

Welcome to the unicycle.

PS: How tall are you?
Where are you from?
If you can find riders in your area it might help to speed up that
learning process just a smidgen.

--
GILD

'three short gs and a long e-flat™'
(http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/beethoven_sym5_1.wav) - 'unihoki'
(http://www.sinco.hu/data/pic/size_1/session_061007_26.jpg)
'if i'm murdered, don't execute my killer.'
(http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/1539/)
'harper' (http://tinyurl.com/c9epx) 'mikefule'
(http://tinyurl.com/yh6vna) 'bluntrm' (http://tinyurl.com/2bq8ol)
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jeffrollins said:

These have caused the peddles to nail the back of my lower calves pretty
hard. I can live with my butt hitting, but the back of my legs hurt.
Any tips?

A few people I've taught did not actually sit on the seat, and most of
their weight was on the pedals... meaning it was hard to get smoother
strokes, and when they came off, the pedals would smash into their legs
due to all the weight they had on them.

NKahler said:

I'm not sure if you already know this, but try not to think too hard..
Look straight into the horizon and be sure not to stare at the ground
(This really helped me)

I found it much easier to looks at the ground to start - I don't know
why though. I think it may be because if you're looking down then you
can see whats going on 😄 I think people look down when they learn to
skate too, maybe it's a confidence thing.

--
jamessd

My videos:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WpBvnO6wVG0#GU5U2spHI_4

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=mtnedg1YS8c
Add me: [email hidden]
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i had a nasty scrape on my calf. now i prevent that by wearing soccer
shin guards backward. 661 also makes 'ankle biters' that have saved me
some pain!

--
shorewoodmayor
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GILD asked my size, location etc. I am 5'8", live in Salt Lake City,
Utah and am 47.
Hope this helps for any future tips. I will be back, am going outside
to bruise myself. :o Jeff

--
jeffrollins
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I read the great advice you guys gave. Thanks, I really am putting too
much weight on my pedals. I think this is shifting my weight back and
making me land on my rump. I just came back in after a few UPD's
(Unplanned Dis-Mounts). Well, I really do not lean forward enough.
Thinking about the weight more on the seat and less on the pedals has
thrown me back to step1. I only fell backwards once. (I know sport a
bandaid on the right elbow). But now I am back to only 2 or so
rotations with the wall. Help!😕

--
jeffrollins
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jeffrollins said:

I read the great advice you guys gave. Thanks, I really am putting too
much weight on my pedals. I think this is shifting my weight back and
making me land on my rump. I just came back in after a few UPD's
(Unplanned Dis-Mounts). Well, I really do not lean forward enough.
Thinking about the weight more on the seat and less on the pedals has
thrown me back to step1. I only fell backwards once. (I know sport a
bandaid on the right elbow). But now I am back to only 2 or so
rotations with the wall. Help!😕

Just keep trying. You don't need to focus to much on having your weight
on the set right now, because after you learn you will be able to
switch to that easier, so keep some weight on the pedals, and some on
the seat until you are proficient enough to keep it all on the seat.

Don't follow the wall either, push off from it, and ride away from it,
that way, when you fall, you don't rely on something to grab onto, and
it all comes down to you.

--
Jerrick

~*~!I ride for Christ, Fun, Challenges, and a lot
more!~*~
'!Gallery!' (http://tinyurl.com/gf2g9)
'!MRIS!' (http://tinyurl.com/jjjnz)
'Easy Tire Removal Guide.' (http://tinyurl.com/rd9ru)
My sponsor '~!SIXSIXONE!~' (http://sixsixone.com/)
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I only learned this past summer, so I understand your pains. As many
before me have hopefully already stated:

~It may not make much sense now, but, you will learn to keep your
weight on the seat. Not because it is the right way, but because it is
actually easier.

~Also, it is better to fall forward then backwards. So if you feel you
are falling backwards too much, lean forward to a point that you may
think would be too far.

~Looking straight helps, I'm not sure why, but it does.

~Learn to get on, and fall off forwards. This is important. You will
be doing a lot of this, might as well do it safely.

~FINALLY and MOST IMPORTANT You have to WANT to do it. You have to
really BELIEVE you can learn how. With this kind of attitude, this
desire, you can learn at least 10 times faster than someone who could
care less about what he/she is doing.

Welcome to the World of Unicyclists,

-Aaron

--
AaronTrilby

" :eek: DUDE!! IT'S A UNICYCLE!!!!"
If a bicycle is called a "bike", is a unicycle a "unike"? 😕

*><> UNICYCLE FOR CHRIST<><*
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So far everybody has been giving you great tips. One other thing is keep
on going. Never take a week off. Think positive.🙂

David

--
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