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sometimes the unexpected happens

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rec.sport.unicycling
Published
15 May 2007
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16 May 2007
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greencollar
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  1. I went out to a school today for day two of learning how to ride a
    unicycle. I was using my hands to hold onto the fence when I was
    feeling I would surely fall, which I found out can be quite painful. I
    ended up with many many slices in my hand from burrs in the fence.
    People drove by really slow with weird looks on their face...which I
    honestly expected. So a guy comes up thats about my age and pulls his
    truck up and asks why I would want to ride a unicycle...I
    responded...fun and exercise...not trying to be joking about it. He
    gets out of his truck telling me how it must be very hard to learn. I
    tell him I have already invested many hours and that it takes many more
    to become good at it. He agrees, but states it looks like something you
    could pick up in 15 minutes or so. So I tell him to give it a shot. He
    jumps on the bike and starts riding it around like it is nothing. I
    couldnt stop laughing as obviously he had ridden before. He learned
    from his uncle when he was 15 and hasnt been on one in over a year, as
    he never sees anyone on them. I live in a very small area, so the shock
    I was to find someone on a side road that knew how to unicycle was very
    impressive. He gave me some pointers like using broom handles instead
    of a wall and how to free mount. Good things to be able to see in
    person. It gave me a lot of confidence...now I just need to go out and
    buy some broom handles and give it a shot. I just thought you guys
    would love to hear about this, because it was nice to see someone who
    cared enough to stop and help out a bit.

    --
    greencollar
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  2. Just throwing it out there, but you would be much better off using a
    fence.

    EDIT: compared to the broom handles.

    --
    dunawan
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  3. that is cool, but you shouldn't go out a buy broom handles just to use
    them to learn

    --
    Matt_V

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  4. jack shopping carts. suposedly they work really well.

    --
    torkerdx

    gordito8me said:

    it's like running across the highway at rush hour. Dangerous, stupid,
    but not really that fun.

    Unicaw89 said:

    Koxx rapes Torker hard!

    skianduniaddict said:

    never give 4 teenagers a camera... they go crazy


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  5. It just seems that a set of brooms would be easier to be able to start
    learning to stay on longer...the fence isnt really that long of a span
    that I can hold onto. With brooms I just thought I could go into a big
    open parking lot and ride around more. With what I am doing right now I
    always have to stop after only so many pedals because the pavement runs
    out. I really need to learn to mount without using a wall before I will
    be able to do that though. Im glad I didnt just go out and get some
    cheap broom handles after what you guys said, maybe I will just have to
    keep on keeping on at the school till I can learn to ride more
    effeciently. Im starting to feel the fence has a crippling affect
    though. Sometimes when I push off the wall to stay upright is just
    causes me to get all wobbly and fall off. None the less it was nice to
    see someone else who knew how to ride a unicycle, that that I
    can...yet!

    --
    greencollar
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  6. But how I started was holding on to my fence, getting stable then I
    would try to go as far as I could without falling off [while off of the
    fence].

    Ps. And I learned in 4 days.

    --
    dunawan
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  7. Be very careful with broom handles or other poles. You can very easily
    fall on to them and impale yourself, like on a hockey stick. Sounds
    stupid I know but even at no speed your own weight on something that
    small will do you a serious injury.

    --
    kington99

    Dave

    - what a thoroughly post-modern subversion of the cycling genre -
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  8. kington99 said:

    Be very careful with broom handles or other poles. You can very easily
    fall on to them and impale yourself, like on a hockey stick. Sounds
    stupid I know but even at no speed your own weight on something that
    small will do you a serious injury.

    That is very true, you should start a movement to stop people from
    using trekking poles, walking sticks, and ski poles. Also make it
    mandatory for people to wear helmets whenever they leave their home.
    Only because they will be buckled into a chair when in their house.

    It's just stupid...all these people that are SO uber worried about
    personal safety and they choose to ride on ONE wheel...can everyone say
    irony, or here's a harder one, oxymoron.

    I think there should be some sort of scale that's put in your
    signature, that tells how good you are and also how pansy you are. Then
    we will be able to gauge your responce appropriately.

    --
    AscenXion

    *\ /*
    */ \*

    *µニ Rider*
    *SingleTrak'n*
    *Order Of One [O³]*

    Quoted message said:

    *You've shown your true face, AscenXion, and revealed that only an
    exclusive order of people can exist in your world where you are an
    intolerant god.*


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  9. We all have our own 'best' way to learn. I used the fence method. I
    had access to a public tennis court that was very seldom used. I took
    a very, very long time to learn and yeah, the fence became my 'crutch.'
    It took me a long time, even after I felt somewhat in control of my
    pedalling, to push away from the fence and ride my first 10 or 15
    meters, unsupported. A very good friend of mine used ski poles to
    learn. They became his crutch. He learned to ride much more quickly
    than I did but it could have involved many more factors than just the
    choice of ski poles vs. fence (younger, more athletic, etc.). For
    months after he was able to ride around the neighborhood, I'd always
    see him riding with his ski poles in hand. He could ride but just
    couldn't freemount without 'em. Just pick whatever feels comfortable
    to you and go with it. Feel free to check in here for free advice
    (worth every penny).

    --
    underdog

    'I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody
    tell you different' - Kurt Vonnegut
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  10. I learned on a flat bridge for foot traffic/bicycles. It had rails on
    boths sides, I started holding on and going along one side. Then I got
    to where I was riding and then crossing the bridge to the other
    railing. Back and forth and up and down. I practised two hours a day
    and picked it up on my third day.

    --
    thayr
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  11. greencollar said:

    He jumps on the bike and starts riding it around like it is nothing.

    I thought you said it was a uni?

    If you mean uni write uni, dont ever call them bikes

    to the rest of what you have written, I have been thinking of doing
    something like that and have always thought it will be funny. I just
    havnt ever seen anyone else riding or trying to ride one. 🙁

    --
    sp4rky-m4rky

    you may be lucky but you make your own luck

    *)--360--O* The Unispin Elite

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  12. i didn't have a nice secluded fence anywhere near me, so i learnt with
    just a bin to lean against while i mounted. i then did the
    mount-ride-fall dance over and over again. often the ride part was
    barely a full rotation. the benefit of this is that i learnt to bail
    without hurting myself pretty fast. actually it's such a low-brain
    activity that i didn't even feel that i was learning it, more that my
    body was. the fence can be useful to get a feeling for the motions of
    pedalling, but i think it's best to start trying to ride without
    assistance as soon as possible, especially since you mentioned in your
    other posts that you have managed to do some wobbly unassisted rides
    already.

    pix.

    --
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  13. AscenXion said:

    That is very true, you should start a movement to stop people from using
    trekking poles, walking sticks, and ski poles. Also make it mandatory
    for people to wear helmets whenever they leave their home. Only because
    they will be buckled into a chair when in their house.

    It's just stupid...all these people that are SO uber worried about
    personal safety and they choose to ride on ONE wheel...can everyone say
    irony, or here's a harder one, oxymoron.

    He's learning to ride a unicycle you dimwit. I don't know about you but
    I fell off a lot when I learnt to ride and the last thing i'd want is
    two thin wooden poles right where I'm likely to land ready to skewer
    me. Engage brain before you spout [censored].

    On Topic:
    By all means ride around as much as you like with poles or sticks when
    you're stable enough not to fall on them (you could even play some
    hockey if you like), but I would suggest, for learning, a large wall
    and a flat surface like a carpark. Just push off into the open space
    and ride as far as you can. You'll find you learn much quicker that
    way.

    Loose.

    --
    Loosemoose

    Vice President - Southampton University Circus Society

    "Come on you target for far away laughter,
    come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine..." - Pink
    Floyd
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  14. I recommend staying with the fence or a pole etc. In my experience in
    teaching other people, the ones who pushed off for something solid and
    just tried to ride learnt alot fast than the ones that fiddled around
    with supports. Putting in brooms handles only makes one more step
    between you and riding. Like when someone freezes the bread and you
    want toast.

    Goodluck there! just bite the bullet and push off the fence, keep your
    back straight, look foreward (fix your vision on a destination if
    possible) and try to keep your hips straight.

    out of curiousity, where abouts is it that you live?

    --
    tobbogonist

    rjlayne said:

    I want a good tire for gravel and armadillo holes.

    rj


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  15. this is what I found worked well when I was teaching a friend: If you
    put the back of the wheel up against a curb with the cranks level it
    makes it easy to mount then you can just ride. it makes learning realy
    quick

    --
    sp4rky-m4rky

    you may be lucky but you make your own luck

    *)--360--O* The Unispin Elite

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  16. I am just learning (can now ride o.k. and freemount). I first began
    about 5 weeks ago and tried using poles (treking poles) for about a
    week, it got me to the point where I could ride around in my backyard
    using the poles only. I then went to a park where there is a long
    stretch of fence along some tennis courts and tried that approach. It
    really felt like I was completely starting over from scratch. It took
    me another week at the fence and then it all came together. For ME
    learning it really seemed like the poles didn't help at all. The fence
    is really easy to just ride away from, but with poles I couldn't just
    let go and ride, I became very depenant on them. Oh yeah and gloves
    are real helpful when you are learning along a chainlink fence, they do
    cut your hands up alot. Actually gloves come in handy all the time for
    me riding now.

    A.

    --
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