New Coker Owner Questions

I got my Coker about 10 days ago. As a new rider, I may be able to help
you out.

Quoted message said:

1) HOW do you freemount a coker? How long will it take me to learn to
freemount my new coker? I am tall 6'4", but that seat is really up
there. I typically freemount by putting the pedal at 6 and 12, step on
the 6 and lift myself up, then put the other foot on and go.

The problem with your method is that when the cranks are in the 6 and 12
o'clock positions, you have no leverage to move that super massive
wheel. On my other unicycles, I freemount by putting the pedal closest
to me in the 7-8 o'clock position. I step onto it making the wheel rock
under me and actually ride backwards about 1/2 revolution, then I crank
forward. I Find that it is easier for me to maintain my balance if I am
in motion, so this helps when I am freemounting. Now when I got my
coker, I found it very difficult to apply my old mounting technique
with this bigger, heavier wheel (much less responsive). I stepped onto
the pedal and laboriously rocked the wheel under me and a little bit
backwards. Then, I tried with all my might to start the wheel going
forward. Often times, I can't get it rolling soon enough and I loose my
balance. I am able to mount the Coker this way, but I have to be very
balanced and have enough energy to stop the wheel from rolling
backwards, once I get on, and start rolling it forward (With practice, I
am getting much better). I am trying a new mount that involves pushing
the coker in front of me and when the pedals get to their desired
position (not exactly sure where that is yet), stepping up onto them
quickly and ridding off. I try to step onto the pedal that is rising up
and get my weight onto the other one quickly. I weigh about 130 lbs so
the momentum of the wheel keeps it moving even when I get step on the
pedal, but i have to be quick to get some pressure onto the other pedal.
I am 5'10 and had to cut a lot of the seat post off. What crank length
are you using? I have the 150 mm on. The longer the cranks the more
leverage you will have to get that massive tire rolling quicker, and
less time to loose your balance.

Quoted message said:

2) What tire pressure do you run a coker at?

I have about 35 psi, but you may need more since you probably weigh more
than me.

Quoted message said:

3) What is the setting for circumference of a coker on a bike
computer?

I measured 282 cm and entered it into my computer.
You might find this thread helpful
http://tinyurl.com/6gld6

Quoted message said:

4) Should I attempt freemount first or should I use assist and ride it
first?

I would do both. By riding the Coker, you will gain better control of
it, and it will help a lot when you practice your freemounts.

Good luck. Cokering is like flying...So awesome. 😄

-Gabe

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Hi n9jcv! Congratulations on your Coker purchase!

I suggest that you learn how to do a "static mount" with your feet in
the (more or less) 3 and 9 o'clock positions on your 24" unicyle. There
are many threads on this subject. That type of mount works much better
with the big wheel. Actually, it works better with any wheel! With a
little practice, you'll be doing it in no time. I learned it in just a
couple of sessions, and have used it to mount the Coker without
difficulty.

Happy cycling!😎

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On a normal uni, most people do rollback mounts where you step on to the
pedal, then the wheel rolls back a little bit, and then you start
riding. That's almost impossible on a Coker.
The easiest one would be a static mount. Put the pedals at 3 and 9
o'clock, more or less. Then step on to the back pedal, put all your
weight on the seat, and step/jump on to the other pedal. I advise trying
it on a normal sized unicycle first.

check out unicycle.2ya.com for a video tutorial on static mounting.

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n9jcv said:

1) HOW do you freemount a coker?

There have been threads on this. Get some forward momentum in yourself
and the Coker, then step on the back pedal as it comes up and let the
momentum help carry you up. Some people have had success grabbing the
tyre during the mount.

Quoted message said:

2) What tire pressure do you run a coker at?

See 3).

Quoted message said:

3) What is the setting for circumference of a coker on a bike
computer?

Go to <http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/coker_rollout.htm>. It is the
definite source for Coker wheel rollouts, and also has some info on
tyre pressures people use.

Quoted message said:

4) Should I attempt freemount first or should I use assist and ride it
first?

I would ride first until feeling at ease on the large wheel. Later you
can concentrate on the freemount and not worry about the 'transition'
to riding.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
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n9jcv said:

*Ok, it arrived today, my Coker from unicycle.com

I have been learning to uni on a 24 torker for 3 months and can ride
fairly well. I do about three 5 mile rides a week. I can freemount
with my left foot.

1) HOW do you freemount a coker? How long will it take me to learn to
freemount my new coker? I am tall 6'4", but that seat is really up
there. I typically freemount by putting the pedal at 6 and 12, step
on the 6 and lift myself up, then put the other foot on and go.

2) What tire pressure do you run a coker at?

3) What is the setting for circumference of a coker on a bike
computer?

4) Should I attempt freemount first or should I use assist and ride it
first?

Thanks for any suggestions! *

Here are some video clips of Coker mounts and other stuff:
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/cokertricksters

Bruce

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Yester day it rained. Today it is 30 degrees, but no rain, so OUT I go
to learn to ride. I spent 10 minutes at first trying to freemount -
static at 3 and 9. No luck, but I need more practice. Then I went to
my mail box and used assist. The first 10 or so attempts at riding only
got 1, 2 or 3 pedal revolutions. I could not believe how much the coker
wheel momentum makes a difference.

Finally, I was able to stay on and ride. I guess I made it about 3 or 4
blocks, not bad for my first try. I was so excited. It is really high,
I am 6'4" and used to towering over others, but this was like I was 8
feet tall. I had to pay attention to my riding. The momentum keeps you
going and it take very little effort to maintain a 8, 9 or 10 mph. I
may have hit 12mph once and I decided that for my first ride, I should
keep it slow, as I had not yet upd'ed from a Coker, and had no idea what
it was like.

I did a few more rides, then lunch, then again after lunch I tried
again. I guess I did about 3 miles today, I have a bike computer and am
adjusting it, and the placement of the magnet.

Overall, I LOVE it. I cant wait until it is nicer and can spend more
time. I have been riding in the streets of my neighborhood, but it is a
bit scary on the coker when there are cars. I want to be able to go to
some bike trails and ride.

I still can not believe how HUGE this really is, yea I knew it was 36",
but it just seems soooooo HUGE!!!!!
b🙂

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How tight should the bearing holders be???

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n9jcv
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Congratulations! There is nothing quite like riding a coker. Welcome to
the club.

BTW. The wheel gets smaller as you get more comfortable.

n9jcv said:

*I still can not believe how HUGE this really is, yea I knew it was
36", but it just seems soooooo HUGE!!!!!
b🙂 *

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i mount at 4 and 10 o'clock. have my left foot on the lower pedal and
jump up as hard as i can with my right foot. it took some time to build
the muscle to mount smoothly and effortlessly. bringing the uni back
half a rev sounds difficult to me as the coker is so heavy.

as far as going fast i sugguest you turn softly. ive heard many-a-story
of people tacoing thier wheel. that is to say fold it in half form
turning too fast at high speeds. i believe the stock coker rim is made
of steele and therefore kinda crappy.

--
ticklemevaughn

mount up Pedro,
for tonight...
WE RIDE!!!
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You don't have to be that gentle with the stock wheel. To taco it, you
would have to be doing VERY aggressive turns at high speed, and even
then it's not likely unless you're heavier than most. I believe I a
couple people have tacoed coker rims doing somewhat aggressive MUni. You
could do mild MUni on a stock rim and be just fine.

Generally what kills a coker rim is when someone wants to see how far
they can push it.

ticklemevaughn said:

*i mount at 4 and 10 o'clock. have my left foot on the lower pedal and
jump up as hard as i can with my right foot. it took some time to
build the muscle to mount smoothly and effortlessly. bringing the uni
back half a rev sounds difficult to me as the coker is so heavy.

as far as going fast i sugguest you turn softly. ive heard
many-a-story of people tacoing thier wheel. that is to say fold it in
half form turning too fast at high speeds. i believe the stock coker
rim is made of steele and therefore kinda crappy. *

--
mscalisi - Not such a newbie anymore
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Gabe_H said:

Quoted message said:

3) What is the setting for circumference of a coker on a bike
computer?

I measured 282 cm and entered it into my computer.
You might find this thread helpful
http://tinyurl.com/6gld6

Just so you know: all information in that thread (and others too) was
used in compiling the spreadsheet on my Coker rollout page mentioned
in my previous post.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
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n9jcv said:

*How tight should the bearing holders be??? *

Just tight enough so that it doesnt slow the wheel when you spin it. If
you do it to tight the wheel wont spin as well and damage the bearing
(or so I hear).

--
Tim - Jelly Bean Eater

Tim 'Braun' (http://www.tim.com.mk/izdanija/1/189.jpg)

-"People who quote themselves are lame"- - Dave Lowell Taken from
Dave's sig line.

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mscalisi said:

*You don't have to be that gentle with the stock wheel. To taco it,
you would have to be doing VERY aggressive turns at high speed, and
even then it's not likely unless you're heavier than most. I believe I
a couple people have tacoed coker rims doing somewhat aggressive MUni.
You could do mild MUni on a stock rim and be just fine.

Generally what kills a coker rim is when someone wants to see how far
they can push it. *

I bent a stock Coker rim just by doing a clumsy mount. I mounted and
was leaning a bit too far to the left so I did a very very small side
hop to salvage the mount and ended up bending the rim. It wasn't a full
on taco because the wheel was only bent slightly out of true and I was
able to finish the ride.

The rim had to be physically bent to get it true again and the spokes
had to all be retensioned. Unfortunately, once a steel rim like that
bends out of true that spot of the rim will always be weaker. The rim
is never going to be as good as it was before the mishap. It is more
likely now to bend again at that same spot.

I don't consider the little hop that I did to be aggressive, but it was
enough to bend the wheel. The stock Coker rims cannot handle side loads
well. You can get away with a little abuse for a while, but eventually
it will catch up with you and you'll have a damaged wheel.

--
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I think that rolling mounts are the best way to get on a Coker, if no
mailboxes are available. Rolling mounts seem scary at first, but they
are easier because idleing is not required. I believe that they are
easier on one's tender spots as well. Try rolling mounts for ten minutes
once you are stable on the Beast.

35 pounds works for me. 40 is fine too.

Christmas is coming, an airseat might be on your list

carjug

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carjug
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What hub were you using? I wonder if the refurbished cokers with
schwinn/uni.com hubs would have bent in the same situation.

john_childs said:

*I bent a stock Coker rim just by doing a clumsy mount. I mounted and
was leaning a bit too far to the left so I did a very very small side
hop to salvage the mount and ended up bending the rim. It wasn't a
full on taco because the wheel was only bent slightly out of true and
I was able to finish the ride.
*

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mscalisi said:

*What hub were you using? I wonder if the refurbished cokers with
schwinn/uni.com hubs would have bent in the same situation. *

It is one of the skinny stock hubs used on the early batches of Cokers.
A wider hub, like the Schwinn or UDC hub, would be better. I don't know
how much better. All of the stock Cokers I have ridden have been built
with the skinny Coker hub so I can't offer a comparison.

I've seen a refurbished Coker with the super wide UDC hub instead of the
Schwinn or regular wide UDC hub. That was a bit of a surprise to see.

I was lucky that my little Coker mishap happend one week before I got my
uber Airfoil wheel so I was riding again in a week.

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I have the airfoil rim and the unicycle.com wide hub, so it should be
plenty strong. I rode 6.3 miles today, with a 30+ mph wind. The side
wind seemed to be the worst. At one point, it blew me off the road and
a upd followed.

Going into the wind was like going up a very big hill.

I can hardly wait for nice weather for a nice long enjoyable ride, even
today was enjoyable, but it would be so much better at 70 degrees and
sunny. It was 30 degrees and 30 mph wind today.

I have the KH seat, and it seems better than the torker lx seat. At
some point I may get an airseat, we will see. I tightened the bearing
holders just a bit.

I used mailboxes to mount all day today, did not try any more freemount.
I need a day without all that wind to try my freemount.

My wife thinks I have gone totally nuts, two unis, 4 bikes, roller
skates, she knows its time for trouble when she sees me dressing up to
go out!!!

🙂

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n9jcv said:

* I rode today with a 30+ mph wind. The side wind seemed to be the
worst. At one point, it blew me off the road and a upd followed.
Going into the wind was like going up a very big hill. *

Funny coincidence. I got blown off my Coker today too. The Seattle area
had a Big Wind Day, so this afternoon I set out on a ride with my son,
me on one wheel him on two. We were working our way up a long hill in
one of the neighborhoods...into the headwind of course so we were
probably only going about 4 mph...when we got hit with one of those
micro-bursts from the side. Knocked both of us over. A little further
on I got to ride right into a little "dust devil" that had formed in the
middle of the road. It wasn't a very strong one, so while it felt kind
of strange, it really didn't push me like I thought it would.

It was fun to try riding in Big Wind, but I'd hate to have to do more
than 5-10 miles of it.

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Tailgate at your own risk.....

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n9jcv said:

*I have the airfoil rim and the unicycle.com wide hub, so it should be
plenty strong. *

Ah, you should have said so before. With the Airfoil you can safely go
to 60 psi or even a little more. Experiment with the tire pressure to
see what works best for you. For pavement riding pressures around 50
psi seem to do well. For bumpy stuff and dirt roads you might want to
lower to pressure to 40 psi or a little less.

When it comes time to change the tire you might want to change to a Rox
Ultralight Rim Strip. See this thread for details: 'Easy Coker Airfoil
tire change' (http://tinyurl.com/6rqtk). The thinner Rox rim strip will
make getting the tire back on easier.

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