Opening my mind to muni

Hey, so you caught the Uni bug again eh?

It sure is alot of fun. Muni is also alot of fun. I use both 24 and
26" for Muni, that uni in the video is a 36". Its good for trails like
in that video, but usually people use 24" and 26" tires just because
you can ride more technical roupher trails with a smaller tire. There
is _some_ people who do use 36" wheels for rouph Muni though.

A wider tire is also something most, if not all people have for muni.
Atleast a 2.5" wide tire. Most are 3" though. So if your not going to
ride very technical trails then a you could use any wheel size from 24"
to 36". If you are into trails like in that video, and want the best of
both worlds, go for a 29" muni.

P.S. Welcome to the forums!

--
musketman

MUSKETMAN
www.unicycle.com

For Sale: Parachute, only used once, never opened, small stain
------------------------------------------------------------------------
musketman's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/9214
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

Welcome, The Uni in the video is a 36er like this one
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=962
For Muni/trail riding etc I would never give up my KH29
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=802

--
Daytripper63
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daytripper63's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/10789
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

There is some cheaper ones. Here is a 26" muni.

http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=746

here's a 29"

http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=970

These are on the cheaper end for uni's that you can take on the trail.

This page has 36" unicycles like in the video.

http://tinyurl.com/4xbu

--
musketman

MUSKETMAN
www.unicycle.com

For Sale: Parachute, only used once, never opened, small stain
------------------------------------------------------------------------
musketman's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/9214
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

as my son might say "sweet!" 😄

I'd probably be better off with the cheaper models you showed me,
Musketman, so I wouldn't be anxious about scatching it up.

The 26 Nimbus looks really good. I think a 26 might be the best choice
for me at least until I get more experience. I'm going to get lots of
practice in on this Taiwanese model of mine.. then I can justify the
purchase of another. I'll need two anyway as I will probably have to
teach someone around here so I can some company.

A 36 on rough trails? Whew.. I guess somebody's gotta do it. 🙂

Thanks for the welcome.

--
Unibugg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unibugg's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/14480
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

It only takes a little practice to go from being able to ride on paved
roads, to being able to ride on bumpy dirt roads. And from there, it's
not hard to move up to full-on MUni.

A 29" unicycle would be the easiest for you to move up to. 29ers are
quick and smooth compared to what you're used to, and it should only
take a few minutes of practice to be able to freemount and ride one
(assuming you can freemount your 24" now). I use mine both on and
off-road, and it's a lot of fun.

Some swear by the 36" ("Coker"😉 wheel size. Cokers are impressive to
watch and to ride, and have great roll-over ability. Getting on a
Coker would be a little more of an adjustment for you, but it still
wouldn't take more than a couple of rides to get the basics down.

The 29" is a little more versatile, being better in crowded situations
and easier to pack or stick in your trunk.

It's all great fun!

--
tholub
------------------------------------------------------------------------
tholub's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/804
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

Hey Unibugg - where in FL are you. My family visits the Sarasota area
where my folks live. Maybe we could ride together!

--
steveyo

steveyo
...like having your own personal rollercoaster...

- a few 'uni race write-ups'
(http://home.nycap.rr.com/rduhan/uni_race_writeups/)
- muni and kokopelli uni 't-shirts, mugs and stickers'
(http://www.cafepress.com/steveyo)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
steveyo's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/7228
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

tholub said:

A 29" unicycle would be the easiest for you to move up to. 29ers are
quick and smooth compared to what you're used to, and it should only
take a few minutes of practice to be able to freemount and ride one
(assuming you can freemount your 24" now). I use mine both on and
off-road, and it's a lot of fun.

Well you've hit the nail on the head. Assuming I can freemount.. that
is a "sore spot" literally.

At the risk of boring you I'll tell you what I mean.

The first day I got on it. I didn't think I could still ride, but was
ecstatic to find out I could. So I got in about an hour of practice
before the sun went down. The next morning I woke up and practically
flew outside ..

I bit off too much at once.. and had 2 nasty falls. One was from
freemounting like I had as a kid.. letting the wheel roll back. I
don't know what hit what but I ended up on the ground with a bent
wrist, torn pants, and lovely bruise on my shin. The other was trying
to do a circle a little too fast.. I was picking gravel out of my hand
with tweezers shortly after that.

I don't ever remember falling all the way down as a kid. I do remember
landing on my feet and being able to catch the Uni too.. This roll back
.. no matter how much I try I can't get it right. So.. I've given it
up for now and am trying the static mount I learned on this site.. I
can get it about 1 out of 4 times with no problem.

I could get it 3 out of 4 if I lowered the seat.. but it is no fun to
ride with my knees in my face and it's not really a hop up anyway with
the seat that low...

So as you see.. I have plenty of practicing to do before I upgrade to a
larger wheel. And I can tell you I look forward to it cause if I don't
kill myself trying to freemount by rolling back, I'll kill myself on
this horrible seat .. that has a bolt sticking out of it into my thigh!
Bicycle pants.. I'd be raw without them. 😠

--
Unibugg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unibugg's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/14480
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

steveyo said:

Hey Unibugg - where in FL are you. My family visits the Sarasota area
where my folks live. Maybe we could ride together!

That would be great, Steve.. but unfortunately Sarasota is far from
here. I am in Jacksonville. I hear south Florida has lots of
unicyclists.. New York too. I envy you!

While riding today a sweet lady smiled as she passed with her little
dog and said, "Now all you need is a friend to ride with."

She wasn't kidding. 🙁

--
Unibugg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unibugg's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/14480
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

I would also suggest a 29" uni. Either the one musketman suggested or
the new torker AX 29. I havn't actually ridden either, but they both
seem like solid unis for what you are doing.

I assume you aren't interested in jumping off large rocks and such, in
which case you would want a stronger wheel. But it sounds like you want
to do XC MUni on dirt trails, which is what the two suggested unis are
good for.

You may want to invest in another tire if you go for the torker, I'm
not sure what the one it has is like and I don't know how big a tire
the frame will accept, but look into it. I hope this is helpfull to
you, glad you're back into it!

--
smcmorrow

\"It's knot gonna make it!\" -threeinchtire
------------------------------------------------------------------------
smcmorrow's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/10881
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

I'd suggest if you're not 100% on freemounting yet, your best bet for
now is to just get a knobbly tyre for your current uni rather than
going straight on for the 29er. I've taken non-freemounters muni
riding, it's cool as long as you go somewhere with trees for them to
mount on. As long as you can ride at all, you can try muni.

You might not be able to fit a big fat tyre on it, but you will
probably be able to fit a 24x2.1" tyre or so on it, you basically want
a 24" bmx tyre, a kids mountain bike tye, or a 24" downhill mountain
bike tyre if it will fit (unlikely).

Once you've ridden trails a bit, you might have more of an idea of
whether you want a 24" muni, or a 26/29" muni. 26"/29" are faster, but
a bit more of a handful to ride, you can ride pretty technical trails
on a 29", but it requires a whole lot more skill. Personally I love my
26, more than my 29, have ridden hundreds of miles of trails on both,
and I prefer the fatter tyre on the 26 to the narrower tyre on the 29,
and I reckon there's very little in it speed wise between the two,
particularly if you're doing interesting riding, or riding up hills.

Joe

--
joemarshall

my pics http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuq44
------------------------------------------------------------------------
joemarshall's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/1545
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

smcmorrow said:

I would also suggest a 29" uni. Either the one musketman suggested or
the new torker AX 29. ...You may want to invest in another tire if you
go for the torker, I'm not sure what the one it has is like and I don't
know how big a tire the frame will accept, but look into it....

The Torker AX29 on unicycle.com says it comes with the WTB ExiWolf -
'link' (http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1014).

That's one of the beefiest 29 tires available. That uni sounds like a
great deal - and it' s unbelievably light at 12 lbs. Unless you're
going to be getting big air, that would be the perfect choice when you
upgrade.

Also, 1 out of 4 freemounts will quickly become 1 out of 2, then 3 out
of 4. I practiced by trying 3 or 4 times. If I got a successful
mount, I'd reward myself with a quick ride, then come back and try
more. If I didn't freemount, I'd let myself mount against the car and
take a spin around the block to avoid frustration.

--
steveyo

steveyo
...like having your own personal rollercoaster...

- a few 'uni race write-ups'
(http://home.nycap.rr.com/rduhan/uni_race_writeups/)
- muni and kokopelli uni 't-shirts, mugs and stickers'
(http://www.cafepress.com/steveyo)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
steveyo's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/7228
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

smcmorrow said:

II assume you aren't interested in jumping off large rocks and such,

uh... no. not at this time. I can't even imagine it. Though I am
impressed with the skills I've seen in some videos.

joemarshall said:

I'd suggest if you're not 100% on freemounting yet, your best bet for
now is to just get a knobbly tyre for your current uni rather than
going straight on for the 29er. I've taken non-freemounters muni
riding, it's cool as long as you go somewhere with trees for them to
mount on. As long as you can ride at all, you can try muni.

This really sounds like a good idea especially if there were others
around me who unicycled. But if I plan to use this uni as a spare to
coax someone else into learning I think I should invest in a
comfortable seat for it and leave it at that. Then I can spend money
on an upgrade for me.

Looking for trees and such to mount on... So frustrating. It is
because of my failure to freemount that

a) I am limited in where I can ride..
b) I sometimes ride longer than I want to because I don't see a
convenient spot that could be used as a support once my break is over.

c) I don't stop to investigate things that interest me. Like the
armadillo on the side of the road yesterday. Or the black racer that
I almost ran over as it slithered across the path today.

Not fun.

steveyo said:

If I got a successful mount, I'd reward myself with a quick ride, then
come back and try more. If I didn't freemount, I'd let myself mount
against the car and take a spin around the block to avoid frustration.

This is good advice. I've been so frustrated lately that I am wearing
myself out over it. One thing that I decided to do today was that if I
opt for an assisted mount it would be as close to the static as
possible. No cheating by readjusting myself in the seat or leaning too
much on the support. I think I've picked up some bad habits these past
two weeks.

I've read some great advice today about upgrading. I think the 20" and
24" is out. As I continue to practice and improve with what I have
I'll keep the 26" and 29" inch in mind.

I am so thankful for all of this help.

--
Unibugg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unibugg's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/14480
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

I'm looking at the AX 29 and the Nimbus 29..

Is one much stronger than the other.. (not that I need a strong uni).
The AX 29 is aluminum and the Nimbus is steel.. or is that only the
seat post..

The Nimbus has a quick realease handle.. are they referring to the
clamp that adjusts the seat height? If so.. I think I've had enough of
that. The Uni I have now has such a clamp and though I thought it
would be a good thing, it turns out to be a pain. Sometimes the seat
just comes loose (usually right after someone else has adjusted it back
after giving it a go...)

I can't figure out what is wrong when I am riding then figure that the
seat is twisted sometimes a little.. sometimes more.. 😕

--
Unibugg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unibugg's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/14480
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

personnally i would get the AX, aluminum frame, cheaper and has a double
bolted seatclamp. The only thing that the nimbus has up on it is the
UDC hub. The ax doesnt say what kind of hub it has. The hardened UDC
hub is supposedly pretty damn strong for a square tapered hub
edit: the AX also has 48 spokes

--
Chris.James

"Thats my favorite thing about unicycling, I can eat oreos while
riding!" ~Me

dforbes said:

Well, boys and girls, this is what separates us from the gods; Kris goes
riding and has to worry about landing on naked ladies - you and I have
to watch we don't land in dog [censored].....

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris.James's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/14072
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

Unibugg said:

Looking for trees and such to mount on... So frustrating. It is because
of my failure to freemount that

a) I am limited in where I can ride..
b) I sometimes ride longer than I want to because I don't see a
convenient spot that could be used as a support once my break is over.

c) I don't stop to investigate things that interest me. Like the
armadillo on the side of the road yesterday. Or the black racer that
I almost ran over as it slithered across the path today.

Not fun.

When I was teaching my kids to mount, I had them use a 2x4 block to
prevent the wheel from rolling back when they hopped on. They quickly
were able to do that successfully almost every time. Then, when we'd go
out for muni rides, they could just find rocks or sticks or other
objects to stick behind the wheel to mount. It's worth a try, and may
take care of some of the limits you're facing now. Oh, and my kids
quickly got to the pretty much 100% mounting ability, so I'm sure
you'll be proficient very soon.

Oh, and BTW, your story is much like mine--only the renewed interest
happened for me about 10 years ago. I, too, was able to ride
immediately upon buying my first uni in 20 years. Mounting came back
pretty quickly, too. Good luck to you!

--
pkittle

*==========================
Peter Kittle * Chico, CA
"The Revolution is just a t-shirt away."
--Billy Bragg
==========================*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
pkittle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/12111
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

pkittle said:

When I was teaching my kids to mount, I had them use a 2x4 block to
prevent the wheel from rolling back when they hopped on. They quickly
were able to do that successfully almost every time.

Thanks, this is really good advice. I tried it but still couldn't keep
pressure off the pedal. I actually rolled over a 2x4! I just couldn't
imagine being able to put one foot on the pedal without putting weight
on it. Using a curb that couldn't be rolled over helped me
tremendously. I also watched the tutorial for the static mount in the
gallery.

http://tinyurl.com/ywtqze

My initial reaction of course was, "uh, ya right.. the wheel he is
using is so small. I can do THAT!".. then I watched the second part
where he demonstates how to practice by leaning on a tree with one foot
off the pedal. That made the difference. I practiced by holding a
sign post next to a slope in the sidewalk. Going back and forth, back
and forth with both feet then just one. It really helped. And I am
getting better.

pkittle said:

Oh, and BTW, your story is much like mine--only the renewed interest
happened for me about 10 years ago. I, too, was able to ride
immediately upon buying my first uni in 20 years. Mounting came back
pretty quickly, too. Good luck to you!

That is great! I am so happy to know that there are others in the same
boat. (or who were in it 😉 ) Then I guess you understand about how
it feels to take it up again after so many years. I'm not really
learning from the beginning.. but in many ways everything is new and so
different.

--
Unibugg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unibugg's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/14480
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

If the 2X4 isn't enough, try a curb. When you master that, go back to
the 2X4, and then a 1" board. You could also try lowering your seat so
it's like an inch lower than your ideal height. For me part of feeling
comfortable w/ a low seat is being used to it. This might raise your
freemount success rate to 50% and do like steveo suggested and get 2
successful mounts before going anywhere, then three,... then five.

An inexpensive up grade is longish cranks. Steel cotterless cranks are
cheep, like $12 and aluminum like $20. Longer cranks are slower but
give you more control at low speeds. I've found longer cranks have
made learning some skills easier like doing, technical muni (for me🙂),
tight circles, freemounting, learning to ride backwards, iddling,
hopping, taking a foot off the pedal for learning to ride w/ one foot,
and riding off curbs and stairs. This is partly because it's just
easier but also lower to the ground lowering the fear factor. Riding
seat in front (SIF) is a bit harder though. For me 170mm cranks are
the easiest for everything but SIF, riding w/ one foot. For these I
like 152mm.

You may want to consider getting a 20" freestyle or trials for the same
reason.

--
skilewis74
------------------------------------------------------------------------
skilewis74's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/12404
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

Unibugg said:

Thanks, this is really good advice. I tried it but still couldn't keep
pressure off the pedal. I actually rolled over a 2x4! I just couldn't
imagine being able to put one foot on the pedal without putting weight
on it. Using a curb that couldn't be rolled over helped me
tremendously. I also watched the tutorial for the static mount in the
gallery.

http://tinyurl.com/ywtqze

My initial reaction of course was, "uh, ya right.. the wheel he is
using is so small. I can do THAT!".. then I watched the second part
where he demonstates how to practice by leaning on a tree with one foot
off the pedal. That made the difference. I practiced by holding a
sign post next to a slope in the sidewalk. Going back and forth, back
and forth with both feet then just one. It really helped. And I am
getting better.

If you watch the coker standard mount in here - you can see I really
jump up onto the coker. Because of the big wheel, the movement is
exaggerated and it's a big old jump, but unweighting is much easier if
you're going up on the other foot with some energy.

http://tinyurl.com/2t4zle

When people say "don't put any weight on the back pedal" it often isn't
clear how to do this. The key thing is to push up off your back foot.
I've taught a couple of people to mount by first getting them to stand
in mounting position, one foot on the pedal, then take a step/jump just
over the unicycle with their other foot. Once you can do that without
bunging all your weight onto the other pedal, you've got the whole not
putting weight on the pedal thing.

Joe

--
joemarshall

my pics http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuq44
------------------------------------------------------------------------
joemarshall's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/1545
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753

joemarshall said:

If you watch the coker standard mount in here .....

http://tinyurl.com/2t4zle

I've tried twice on different days to watch this videoa and the other
coker videos you put up but they won't open. Other videos in the
gallery are fine though.

joemarshall said:

When people say "don't put any weight on the back pedal" it often isn't
clear how to do this. The key thing is to push up off your back foot.

It took me a long time to work this out. I know that part of it is
skill, part of it is knowledge, but most of it is fear.

I grown fearful of falling . When did I become this fearful grownup?

Today's mounts were better.

--
Unibugg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unibugg's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/14480
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/58753