On 1.5 meter or short radius turns does the rider bank the unicycle or kind of snap twist it?
And would the technique for tight tuns be the same for short radius figure 8"s?
And then how about the 180 degree turn?
On searching the threads for turning tech tips I have not found much. I have watched others do these type of turns and it seems like most riders turn their upper bodies and snap the uni around on the turn. I am not sure this makes sense for figure 8's.
Any tips you can offer on this would be great!
I have the basics of the unicycle down, i.e. forwards, backwards, left, right, idle, circles etc. and am trying to tighten up these skills.
On 1.5 meter or short radius turns does the rider bank the unicycle or kind of snap twist it?
To effect any turn that involves a change of direction you must lean the unicycle. For big radius turns, it is enough to lean your body in the direction of the turn and let the wheel catch up. For tight turns like those in the standard skills, you must initiate the lean quickly by first steering opposite to the turning direction. At or just before doing this, I also start leaning back to kill forward momentum. A nice picture of the path of the wheel is shown here [http://www.unicycling.org/usa/levels/].
Steering the wheel with a snap twist won't help you make a smooth turn, and won't help you turn at all if you're not leaning (you'll have to snap back to maintain balance, fall off, or perform a front or back spin). I use quick motions like that to correct my balance when pushing my balance (e.g. when idling or riding on rough terrain).
I didn't find it necessary to practice turning as a separate skill. As I progressed at other askects of riding, I found my turning naturally improved. Of course, like everything else in unicycling, practice will sure improve your turning.
Thanks, that should help alot! I realize that one has to lean into all turns..........I am trying to hone my skills and weed out bad habits that I may have picked up watching others and to avoid picking up my own bad habits trying to imitate them!
Nothing about the uni has come easily to me, other then the fun and excitement! I am a middle aged geezer and have had to practice my butt of on every skill that I have acquired!
Any resource that I can find that offers specifics in technical tips on various skills is very valuable to me!
