175 cranks on a 24"?

Longer cranks would only help if you are practicing on a very steep
hill. Another way to say it is that the leverage you get with 152mm
cranks on a 24" wheel is plenty for idling on the flat. Be patient,
practice 10 minutes every day and you will get it. It takes a while, but
is really worth it.

Good luck,
Nathan

--
nathan - BIG rides: Muni & Coker
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A search will turn up loads on learning to idle; here's one: -

http://tinyurl.com/4lou9

I think that a search and accepting that idling just takes a while to
learn will be better than switching th longer cranks.

Also, post what you're currently doing to practise it, then people can
better advise you.

My main tip is, if you're currently using a wall to assist, then force
yourself to practise in the open; I spent ages rocking back and forth
with one hand against a wall and not really getting anywhere.

When I stopped using the support I cracked it in weeks.

--
onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"He's also been known to indulge in a spot of flame juggling - but it's
the Muni that really fires him up."

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Thanks, the thread was helpful. I will stop blaming the cranks for not
being able to idle.

Watching Andrew Carter's online video tutorial on idling I wonder if you
have to twist the hips constantly or only when you're about to lose
balance?

If I'm visualizing the hip twist thing properly, you do it to change the
direction in which the wheel is pointed. Slight changes like this allow
the wheel to keep rolling back under your center of mass. These are the
side-to-side adjustments that make idling work. If you watch someone
who's good and smooth at it, you may not be able to notice much hip
action at all.

--
johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!"
'IUF Rulebook' (http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/)
'USA Rulebook' (http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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If I remember the vid correctly, Andrew greatly exaggerated his hip
motion. Once you get idling down, your hip motion will be minimal. You
might look like Andrew initially.

Golden Chicken said:

*
Thanks, the thread was helpful. I will stop blaming the cranks for
not
being able to idle.

Watching Andrew Carter's online video tutorial on idling I wonder if
you
have to twist the hips constantly or only when you're about to lose
balance?
*

--
mscalisi - Not such a newbie anymore
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Hello all,

During my idling infancy (which I guess I have returned to, judging by
the layer of dust on the unicycles) I found that the 170 cranks offered
much more power to compensate for the constant mistakes that I was
making. With this added power, I was able to make many more corrections
(usually over-correcting at first) than I could with the 150's.

This allowed me to learn much quicker, since over-correcting provided
much more feedback than falling off did. For comparison, I had (and
still have) the Sem 26 (150's) and the Yuni 24 w/ Gazz (170's) (both
from Unicycle.com) that both had very similar tire diameters. I
practiced with both simultaneously (no, I can't ride them both at the
same time😉 ). I quickly learned that I was able to idle 3 or 4 times as
long with the 170's. Yes, there was more twist to deal with, but I
received much more feedback with regards to which correction was
necessary. Before long I was using the Yuni in the garage for aerobic
exercise (extremely fun aerobic exercise) when the weather was bad
(which was very often in Nashville). Thirty minutes of idling with only
a half-dozen or so falls was common. Even after getting comfortable with
the process, I still could not idle nearly as long with the short
cranks.
Just my 2 cents for the newbies. And since this may prompt some crank
changes by the beginners, PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

CRANKS ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP TIGHT, especially with the added
forces of idling with the extra leverage that the 170's offer. If you
change them, have an expert walk you through the process the first time!
And take notes! Once your cranks come loose, especially if they are
aluminum, they are often permanently damaged. Whether you change your
cranks or not, you should remove the crank nuts (with the help of an
expert) and apply Red High Strength Locktite to the threads, unless the
shop that you purchased it from has made a provision for this necessity.
If your pedals came with a blue thread locking material (already
hardened), which is rare (at best), this will probably keep them tight
(it's common with medical equipment, I haven't seen it on pedals). If
you're not changing the cranks, there's no reason to pull the crank.
Just Locktite the threads, and re-torque the nuts (again, with the help
of an expert).

Loose cranks are a major problem with unicycles, due to the application
of force in both directions. Save yourself some headaches, expense, and
long walks back to the parking lot, by tackling this problem in
advance.

Cheers

--
unibiker - What is that thing anyway?

Jeff Baker
[email hidden]

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(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albun01)
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