hill simulation for distance training

I think any of those would work, especially the drag brake.
Another thing you could do is ride with a small parachute in tow, some
runners do this for resistance training. it might throw your ballance
off a bit though.

The best thing to do would be to find a really big hill and ride it
over and over again.

Peace
Seamus

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Hill climbing doesn't only require exerting yourself more. You also
have to pedal on an incline. So, your pedals line up differently when
you climb, and so does your body.

I think your ideas will make you stronger and more ready to climb
hills, but the only way to improve your hill -technique- is to actually
ride on hills.

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if you have a treadmill maybe set it to the hill setting and ride on it?

--
mornish

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Brian O said:

You rode around naked on a unicycle in your basement? That's both mildly
creepy and hilarious.

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Your first suggestion should definitely help with the fitness level,
though it may lead to stinky brakes.

Your second suggestion will probably just annoy you and wear out your
tires faster.

Your third suggestion might be good in terms of balance training, but
probably won't have any effect in terms of riding hills.

There is no substitute to actually riding hills, and the best thing you
can do is go find some. I have the same problem, living in the Central
Valley it's very flat, nothing like the larger group of Bay area riders
who mostly have hills right out the door. I have to drive half an hour
or more to get to "real" hills. Depending where in the Detroit area you
are, there must be something you can head for, at least some of the
time. When in doubt, ride around where the rich people live; Bloomfield
and Beverly Hills. Or a little farther north, around the lakes there
are plenty of hills, though they're not mountains. For best results,
talk to your local road bikers. Ask around in the bike shops that cater
to roadies and they can probably hook you up with route maps or web
sites.

A drag brake won't simulate the narrower range of balance you have when
riding uphill, or any of the psychological factors of dealing with long
or steep climbs. Also there's no good way to simulate the downhill, and
that takes getting used to as well.

--
johnfoss

John Foss
Email: "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
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A good headwind is the next closest thing. Don't pass up the windy
days.

--
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Tailgate at your own risk...
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Do you live in an absolutely flat area? No little hills at all?

If there are any little hills, find the steepest paths up them, and
ride them repeatedly without stopping. That's good hill training that
is.

Joe

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Although maybe not the safest place to ride, you might try a local car
parkade that has numerous levels with lots of ramps.

--
Harley

Always remember: With patience and perseverance you can [censored] a hole
through a rock.
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tomblackwood said:

A good headwind is the next closest thing. Don't pass up the windy
days.

Tom's right. When you're training hard on a unicycle, don't pass
wind.

The thing about riding up hill is that the wheel doesn't roll so much
with momentum. On the flat, once you are rolling along, you can keep
spinning smoothly. On a hill, at the weak part of the pedal stroke,
the wheel slows down. Therefore, riding up hill is a series of
deliberate accelerations and forced decelerations.

The nearest equivalent is riding into a strong headwind.

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I've not lost the other wheel. I invested my tricycle in Northern Rock
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I think the parashoot would force you to lean forward more, partially
simulating a hill. The slightest gust could throw you off though (like
a care driving by).

For strength, riding standing up for long periods should work, or an
UW.

--
skilewis74

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are going within a hour, do it, and if you can do a trick 50-75% of the
time do it along the way.
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Big thanks to everyone who offered comments. I anticipated that nothing
can substitute for the real thing, I just wanted to see how useful my
ideas might be otherwise.

Parachute? I have trouble imagining any parachute that would stay open
and offer any resistance at the speeds of a runner or a unicyclist.

There are numerous small-scale hills I could get to. I guess they'll
have to do. I was hoping not to have to do it though, because my work
schedule makes it hard to fit in anything that requires some driving
time to get to. (in addition to the fatigue factor: I drive a few
hundred miles a day while on the job, I don't want to drive anymore
when I'm not working. This is the only time I envy office workers)

Mikefule said:

When you're training hard on a unicycle, don't pass wind.

If I were the kind who collects quotes to put in a sig line this would
have to go there. 😄

--
idiorythmic
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Practice with 89mm cranks. Even on slightly steep terrain you will feel
much more resistance. That's like swinging two bats, then one seems
easy.

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MuniAddict

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MuniAddict said:

Practice with 89mm cranks. Even on slightly steep terrain you will feel
much more resistance. That's like swinging two bats, then one seems
easy.

I think that's good advice. I recently got some 110s, and after a few
rides on them, my 130s felt like "muni cranks".

To stray only slightly off topic, I've been trying to work my way down
to shorter and shorter cranks. One of the things I've tried to do each
time I shorten is go back to the steepest hills I could do on the
longer size and try climbing them until I can do it reliably without
falling. I started with 150s, then went up briefly to 170s, then back
to 150s, then 140s, then 130s, and now just recently 110s. I was able
to get my 140s up everything I could on my 150s. I was able to get my
130s up -almost- everything I could do on my 140s. Generally I could
get up all the same short/steeps, but it was the long sustained climbs
(3/4 mile plus) that got me. I'm less efficient on the shorter cranks
while climbing. Now on the 110s, I haven't started testing them on my
favorite climbs yet. I've done some rollers, but have deliberately
tried to focus on just getting comfortable on the buggers. They seem
really short, and they scare me on any significant downhill. And on
uphills, it seems like even the slightest grade has me standing up and
using the handle. So back to Terry's point, yup short cranks make small
hills bigger.

But the best thing about his advice to practice on 89-ers is that maybe
you'll just get so good you never switch back longer.

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