Old Problem, New Request

gnonim said:

There are a lot of threads out there which talk about the mechanical
issues, which I thought I had, but it turns out it's just me. I had a
world class unicyclist try out my Torker DX and she said it seemed like
all was in working order. I didn't want to harass her with a ton of
questions, so left it at that. Then I got the KH24 and have the same
feeling as on the Torker.

Since the problem is you, the only thing you can do is practice, which
you've been doing. It sounds like the problem now may be that you're
practicing bad form and never improving. You might try changing crank
length or riding different terrain, anything to force your body out of
its bad habits. You could practice riding with one or both hands on
the handle too.

Also, it sounds like your pedal stroke is asymmetrical because your
feet do different things. One footing is good, but also consider how
your feet feel different when you pedal. If you're emphasizing one,
practice emphasizing the other.

Ride faster or slower. Practice basic skills like idling, one footing,
maybe backwards riding. Basically, just try doing things differently.
It should work itself out.

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Eddbmxdude said:

Put your seat on straight!

I always have thought it's kinda retarded that no unis have a slot with
a ridge that keeps the seat on straight. I know this could become an
issue if you wanted to switch your seat to ride backwards, but at least
for new riders (like me) I think it would help. I adjust my seat all
the time, and it never quite feels straight.

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I've had this happen when I had feet in different places on the pedals,
also when the seat wasn't high enough, so I wasn't putting enough
weight on the seat.

Also, some people are naturally a little twisted and need to turn their
seat slightly to one side or the other (which makes their unicycles
horrible to ride for other people).

Oh and look at whether you're twisting your body or tensing up and try
and relax it and look straight forward.

With me it happened a few times when I was new and then just went away
with riding.

Joe

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Kevkahuna711 said:

I always have thought it's kinda retarded that no unis have a slot with
a ridge that keeps the seat on straight. I know this could become an
issue if you wanted to switch your seat to ride backwards, but at least
for new riders (like me) I think it would help. I adjust my seat all
the time, and it never quite feels straight.

Is apparently cos it would cost a lot more to machine, and be hard to
get the tolerances high enough to make it fit well. It would be a
bugger if your post got stuck in too, as you wouldn't be able to twist
it to take it out.

Joe

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Kevkahuna711 said:

I always have thought it's kinda retarded that no unis have a slot with
a ridge that keeps the seat on straight.

When a seat post makes a tight fit with a frame, rotation of the seat
is often necessary to move the seat up or down. A keyed seatpost would
make this rotation impossible, hence it may become very difficult to
move your seat without mechanical help.

Also, manufacturing a keyed frame and matching seatpost would be a bit
more costly than what's available today.

The point is moot. It doesn't really matter if your seat is off by one
or two degrees... it shouldn't affect your riding. It's quite a bit of
silly fun, actually, to ride a uni with a "swiveling seat".

P.S. "Kinda retarded" isn't the best choice of adjective. Try harder
next time.

--
maestro8

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My guess is that you're right handed and, being so your, left leg is
stronger but less co-ordinated than your right leg. It sounds as if you
are pushing harder with your left leg and tending to turn left. Your
left foot is sliding toward the outside of the pedal indicating further
that you are not only pushing hard with your left foot you are also
pushing out with your left foot. How do you correct this problem? Be
aware of it? I wonder if you could replace your left pedal with a pedal
spindle or a slippery pedal for a while. This would make you keenly
aware of pushing outward with your left foot. I don't know if it would
speed up a solution to this problem or not.

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-Greg Harper

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harper said:

My guess is that you're right handed and, being so your, left leg is
stronger but less co-ordinated than your right leg. It sounds as if you
are pushing harder with your left leg and tending to turn left. Your
left foot is sliding toward the outside of the pedal indicating further
that you are not only pushing hard with your left foot you are also
pushing out with your left foot. How do you correct this problem? Be
aware of it? I wonder if you could replace your left pedal with a pedal
spindle or a slippery pedal for a while. This would make you keenly
aware of pushing outward with your left foot. I don't know if it would
speed up a solution to this problem or not.

I'd agree with this. What may also help is to try focus on keeping your
left knee pushing slightly inwards when you're pushing down, however
you don't want to exaggerate that movement too much as you may end up
putting a lot of unnecessary strain on your knee. Try keeping your
inner thighs closer to the saddle, thereby pulling your knees in.

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I have this problem as well, despite having ridden for something like 35
years. However, it happens only in some contexts these days. I mostly
ride muni, and have 24 and 29 KH munis. I don't notice any of this when
riding the 24, but I do "lead" with my left side. If I'm grinding up a
hill, I'll hold on with my right hand and hold my left hand out in
front of me. This feels normal to me, but I'm not sure if it's the way
others also ride or not. W

When I ride the 29er on singletrack, I generally have no issues
whatsoever. Adapting to the trail keeps me moving all over, so I don't
notice any particular tendencies to lean one way or another (although I
still lead with the left on climbs). The problems happen when I ride
fire roads or paved roads on the 29er. Road crown does a number on
me--especially if the crown rises to my left. It feels (although
doesn't look) like the uni is trying to achieve a perpendicular plane
with the road surface; it's like it's trying to tilt to the right under
me. If I ride on the other side of a road (so the crown rises to my
right), then there's no problem.

Because I don't ride on roads much, it's not that big a deal anymore
(except for winter, when my local trails close when wet and I'm stuck
on fire roads). I've tried all the foot placement remedies, seat
adjustments, and so on, but to no avail as yet.

What I suspect may be true is that this is just how I ride (and I
probably have some bad form issues going on, as Phlegm suggests), but
when out on a singletrack trail I don't have time to think about/notice
it; I tend to find road/fire road riding a bit boring. Maybe that's why
I like muni much more than other forms of riding.

At any rate, good luck. The suggestions to keep trying new things that
are challenging are great--they'll likely take your mind off the issue.

--
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*==========================
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"The Revolution is just a t-shirt away."
--Billy Bragg
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I had the same problem for more than a year, when I started unicycling.
Then it went away and came back, when I got my 36. I am quite sure the
problem is most often not with the uni but with the rider. We are all
asymmetric and it takes a lot of unicycling till we use our body more
symmetrically. Some suggestions:

See if the uni is all straight and there is nothing loose. Have a good
rider try your uni, if he feels no problem, the problem is most
probably with your riding.

Sit straight, breath to a spot behind your sternum. Keep the head
straight and upright. Try to relax while riding.

See how you push with your legs. The problem you describe often comes
from pushing with one leg and holding back with the other leg on each
pedal revolution. Try to do it the other way round. When you got the
feel for it, push and hold back with both legs equally. Thinking "left,
right" while pushing might help with this.

If you are sitting twisted and one shoulder is backwards, imagine you
have a backpack hanging on the other (front) shoulder. Push that
imaginary backpack back with your elbow. Voodoo - but it helped for
me.

I still have this problem sometimes, mostly when the conditions are
adverse like strong headwind. It is more like a cramp in the mind and
body, when I relax, it goes away. Eventually it gets better and better
with practice. Actually it is not really a problem, if you ignore it,
it gets bored and goes away.

The suggestions helped me and they helped others. I think it is a
common problem and unicycling is the solution to it. 🙂

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somtimes seat post brackets are at a bit of a tilt to the right or
left....
it sucks

--
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SF Riders...Thats the Struggle

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I had this problem when I went from a 20 to 26" uni. everyone told me it
was me, and that i'd get used to it... but it turned out to be the
tyre. the center knobbles were quite pronounced so my natural 'slight'
lean to the left meant the tyre sat on the road with a definite lean to
the left. dunno if that's your problem. but worth checking or trying a
lower profile tyre.

STM

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I have the same problem sometimes mostly on pavement and cambered roads
but sometimes for no reason at all.I think the problem is mostly in my
head though because when I'm offroad on my muni it never seems to
happen.I think because I end up so consumed in navigating the terrain
that I tend to ride by instinct instead of thinking about it too much.

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I had the same problem you had when I switched from 20" to 29".

For me riding on sidewalk that tilts towards the road as opposed to
tilt away made me feel uncomfortable. Also riding on the crown of the
road (opposite direction of traffic) made me feel uncomfortable. It
felt like the larger wheel was forcing me to follow the crown and
tilting the unicycle to one side.

Over many kilometers one leg became stronger, back muscles and balance
over came the tendancy.

One thing that helped me was to increase the tire presure. This caused
my tire to have a bit more crown of its own.

Suggestions:
Try to increase tire presure.
Try riding on opposite side of crown on road (empty deserted road).
Try twisting seat in opposite direction to offset twisted feeling.

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I still have "the leans". To the left, same as you. But it got better
when I practiced going backwards alot, where symmetry was even more
essential. Seemed to physically translate when I went forwards again.

Might also try Harper's new "accelerated" riding style.

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A lot of great advice on this thread.

I had a problem like Harper mentioned. One of my legs was just too
dominant. Practice helped correct this as my other leg got stronger
over time. I also practiced pedaling with very little force from the
dominant foot. Not one footed by any means but just barely applying
pressure. It seemed to do the trick.

--
Unibugg

johnfoss said:

If riding the unicycle seems impossible at first, that only proves
you're human. 🙂

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Thanks everyone for the replys and great advice. I was reluctant to
even post this question, but am glad I did as there are several things
for people with this issue to try, continue doing, and just some
generally good inspiration.

Unibugg said:

A lot of great advice on this thread.

Definately agree with you on that one!

Unibugg said:

I also practiced pedaling with very little force from the dominant foot.

Been working on that for the past several weeks and will keep at it.

phlegm said:

...You might try changing crank length or riding different terrain,
anything to force your body out of its bad habits. You could practice
riding with one or both hands on the handle too.

Also, it sounds like your pedal stroke is asymmetrical because your
feet do different things. One footing is good, but also consider how
your feet feel different when you pedal. If you're emphasizing one,
practice emphasizing the other.

Ride faster or slower. Practice basic skills like idling, one footing,
maybe backwards riding. Basically, just try doing things differently.
It should work itself out.

Thanks for the advice and training ideas.

harper said:

My guess is that you're right handed and, being so your, left leg is
stronger but less co-ordinated than your right leg. It sounds as if you
are pushing harder with your left leg and tending to turn left. Your
left foot is sliding toward the outside of the pedal indicating further
that you are not only pushing hard with your left foot you are also
pushing out with your left foot. How do you correct this problem? Be
aware of it? I wonder if you could replace your left pedal with a pedal
spindle or a slippery pedal for a while. This would make you keenly
aware of pushing outward with your left foot.

I'll give it a shot putting a flat slick pedal on that side, definately
worth a try, and thanks alot for the assessment. I'll be thinking about
those issues as I'm riding.

JohnnyReggae said:

...focus on keeping your left knee pushing slightly inwards when you're
pushing down... ...Try keeping your inner thighs closer to the saddle,
thereby pulling your knees in.

I'll also give this a shot, thank you.

pkittle said:

When I ride the 29er on singletrack, I generally have no issues
whatsoever...

I also notice it alot less when riding singletrack, except when
powering up steep sections. It's nice to hear your assessment as a
long time rider, gives me some hope that I'll still be able to
progress!

hans said:

...Have a good rider try your uni, if he feels no problem, the problem
is most probably with your riding.

Did it, and she saw no problems, it's definately me. Happens on both
my DX and the KH.

hans said:

...The problem you describe often comes from pushing with one leg and
holding back with the other leg on each pedal revolution. Try to do it
the other way round. When you got the feel for it, push and hold back
with both legs equally. Thinking "left, right" while pushing might help
with this.

If you are sitting twisted and one shoulder is backwards, imagine you
have a backpack hanging on the other (front) shoulder. Push that
imaginary backpack back with your elbow. Voodoo - but it helped for
me...

That seems like a great way to look at it also, thank you for the
advice.

legtod2 said:

...Suggestions: Try to increase tire presure...

I'll give this a shot, I run low pressure off-road, but never up'ed it
now that I'm riding on pavement in the winter, thanks.

unisk8r said:

I still have "the leans". To the left, same as you. But it got better
when I practiced going backwards alot, where symmetry was even more
essential. Seemed to physically translate when I went forwards again...

I've just begun working on backwards and idling, will keep at it!

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I noticed this specific problem on two out of three of my unis, a 24"
and a 29er. I rode each down the center crown of my street and noticed
the pull - can't remember if it was to the left or right. I could ride
slightly to either side of the crown and feel more or less pull. When
balanced, I would expect to feel an equal and roughly opposite amount
of pull depending on which side of the crown I ride, but a minimum
amount as I ride the flat center of the crown. In my case, some mods
to each uni improved the problem significantly. It is not necessarily
just a rider problem, although I'm sure that could be a factor for
some.

On my Torker DX 24", the wheel was not 100% true with the frame, with
the tire being closer to one side. I thought this might be why it was
pulling to one side, so I added a small shim to the end of the frame
where it contacts the bearing. It took me a few tries to get it right,
however this centered the wheel and made a big difference in my case.

In the case of my 29er, shimming the bearing seemed to make no
difference. I then tried swapping the cranks (left crank onto right
side and visa-versa) and then reinstalling the wheel the opposite
direction in the frame such that the right crank and pedal were still
on the right side when pedalling forward. I guess the wheel or tire
must have had a slight imbalance since this solved most (not all) of
the problem. At least it made it rideable, where before it was too
distracting to lean that far to one side just to go straight.

Anyway, that is my experience. I'm sure a few out there will think I'm
a bit wacky.

-Aaron

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FlyByTire

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I also experience this problem. I think that if you do a thread on torso
twisting you will find old threads of mine onthe subject. This issue
pops up every so often and is a very coomon problem on larger
unicycles. I only had this problem on my KH29. Never on my KH24, Onza
24 or KH20. A couple of months ago I did a 50km ride on my KH29 and did
not have this problem at all. this morning I commuted into work and had
the problem. Go figure! Make sure that your saddle is on pretty strait.
A few degrees tilt will not make a difference. Also make sure that your
feet are place symetrically on the pedals. Don't have one foot snug
against the crank and the other foot an inch away. This is hard for
beginners that have a hard time adjusting thier feet after they
freemount. As you ride more the problem will go away for the most part.

Unicorn

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yunisyko said:

somtimes seat post brackets are at a bit of a tilt to the right or
left....
it sucks

I agree. Check that the bracket has not been welded on at a slight
angle (tilt). I've had this same problem with two seatpost and when you
ride it feels like it wants to go left or right depending on the tilt.
When I put in a new *straight* seatpost my problem went away
immediately. You could also try putting a washer or two under one side
of the seat to level it up.

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TattooedBandit

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