UPD experiences on Cokers

The only bad UPD I've had on a Coker is when I went off about a one foot
drop and my foot came off the pedal, some other stuff happened, and I
hit the ground pretty hard. I was going, eh, 10 mph or so, so it wasn't
as bad as it couldn't have been. but I scraped my elbow, and smacked my
head on the ground kinda hard, which is why I was wearing a helmet 😉

--
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leadpan said:

*I read over and over again how fast, faster and fastest you can speed
on a Coker.
I just got my Coker but have not ridden it yet(anti-rust chemicals
dry for few days).
The idea of UPD while doing 15-20mph is making me nervous.
I even went out yesterday and got a helmet, wristpads, elbowpads,
kneepads, and leather gloves for good measure.

My questions:
Can you Coker riders share your UPD stories on a Coker?
In an event of UPD, it is better to tumble/jump off your uni or brace
for impact(like a tree or parked car)?

Also have you taco'ed your Coker after a UPD?

Thanks
PeTeR *

I have had my fair share of high-speed Coker UPD's. The most dramatic
one was probably when I was taken out by a cab door when a passenger
swung the door open just as I was passing (it was totally my fault). I
did about a 10ft - 15ft. Superman about 5ft. above the surface of 6th
Ave. Onlookers were pretty horrified.

The most common cause of my UPD's is usually hitting a fairly major
depression in the road (not a pot hole, which can be seen fairly easily)
at high speed (usually at night). I think you're usually way more likely
to have a forward UPD than a backward UPD.

Regarding, the best approach to handle a UPD... from my experience, I
would recommend the following:

As soon as you realize you're going down... get both feet off the
pedals. You don't want to get in a situation where you get one leg
caught up or you start doing some accidental gliding (I think it's
gliding... I always get gliding and coasting mixed-up... anyway it's
whichever involves having no feet on the wheel)... because then it's
real easy to have a nasty UPD (and you could easily wind up falling off
backwards, too).

You'll most likely land on your feet initially, so if it's possible to
run it out, that's your best bet. If it's not possible to run it out,
then absorb as much impact as you can with your legs and then tuck and
roll. You may have to absorb some impact, with your hands too, so be
sure to have a good pair of wrist protectors (in addition to the other
protective gear you mentioned). I like the Harbinger wrist guards.

I've never tacoed a rim from a UPD, though I have cracked seats and bent
cranks and/or pedals (don't remember which it was) and cracked a few
front seat handles off the seat, too (it's a good idea to have a spare
one).

Best of luck... and enjoy your Coker. Welcome to the tribe 😄!

--
HardcoreCokerRider - Skateparks, MTB & Urban Insanity
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One on one said:

*After reading HardcoreCokerRider and David_Stone's UPD experiences, I
should sell the new Coker and go back to my old safer sport of Hang
gliding. *

Actually, I think I've sustained more injuries on my Coker than flying
my hang glider... so you may be right! Don't sell the Coker, though...
that custom machine you built is way too beautiful too part with and
you'll miss riding it (if you absolutely must part with it... let me
know, however - I want first dibs)! Just manage the risk... the same way
you do when you go hang gliding.... though I guess those strong,
impenetrable headwinds can sneek up on you the same way cab doors sneek
out on me. I watch out for them now with vigilance, though... probably
the same way you'll be studying the weather conditions when you get back
into hang gliding!

I'm planning to fly my Demon at Ellenville May 14th (if the weather
cooperates) for the first time this year. Let me know if you want to
meet me there some time.

[-I need a new harness with/chute, so if you know anyone who has a
pod-type harness/chute for a good price, let me know. Also... sorry I
haven't responded to your last PM yet.... I have a tendency to forget
about PMs, since I use my email almost exclusively... but now that I
remembered that I never got back to you, I'm going to respond this
weekend]-

--
HardcoreCokerRider - Skateparks, MTB & Urban Insanity
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Forget UPD's- when you are riding at Coker speeds- you need to think
like a Bicyclist, not a Unicyclist. If you rode a bike and tried to
visualise how you'd disentangle yourself from it if you were going to
fall off at say, 40km/h- you'd never go anywhere fast.

Only advice for riding a Coker- dont' fall off! That means looking well
ahead, anticipating obstacles/road surface/turns etc etc. And stay
relaxed, most falls happen when you are too tense.

--
GizmoDuck - NZUNI

o-kO
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GizmoDuck said:

*I have to disagree about being too lax. I think if you want to be
able to compensate quickly to anything that might throw you off
balance, you have to be relaxed. If you're too tense then when you
hit a bump not only will your muscles react slower, it also magnifies
the bump. And it makes you wobble from side to side when peddling
really fast. *

Right. I guess by "lax" I was talking about being asleep at the wheel.

And another point we might as well make: You should generally be riding
with good posture. Slump too far forward as you ride and you won't be
able to lean forward to compensate when you hit a bump and get pitched
forward a bit. When I ride 'normal' pace (12-15mph), I sit up straight
but comfortably. When I race downhill (or on a nice long, smooth flat),
I occ'ly hit speeds I really couldn't outrun. At those times, I'm always
in a slight forward lean and in a 'ready' position. I also have an
extention, which is a great thing to have for that little extra control
you somex need.

My fastest bad UPD happened on a bumpy street at night. I fell both
forwards AND backwards and mysteriously broke the PDA in my butt bag AND
scraped my knees, shins, and palms. It still eludes me how I managed it.

My worst UPD was actually off a 29" uni when the tire exploded (this was
last year). I rolled it out and popped right up, but I later realized
I'd hit my wrist really hard right as I started the roll. It took many
months to heal completely. This UPD caused my heel to hit REALLY hard
(I'd guess 15mph), and my heel was bruised for a few months. That's a
significant area of injury to consider. It might be a good idea to
ensure that your sneaks have good soles esp in the heel. You can def'ly
damage your heels on those UPDs where you have to run it out.

--
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The Coker UPD I had today was triggered by a small patch of hardpack
that got a little too wet in yesterday's rain. I was riding along just
fine at about 12-14 MPH when my wheel hit the layer of soft mud and sunk
in a bit. The sudden deceleration of the wheel cause me to get thrown
off. I went from riding to running in a split second. It felt a lot
like jumping on a tread mill while it's already moving.

This UPD went a whole lot better them my last one. The last time, I was
going much slower, but my pedals gripped my shoes a little too well and
I supermaned. My wrists were spared because Scot Cooper was wise enough
to make me wear a pair of wrist sliders. My knee was slightly less
fortunate.

--
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David_Stone said:

*One more thing: If you sense you MAY lose control, you'll find
yourself jumping off (uni in back) in order to avoid a bad fall before
it happens. Do NOT try jumping off with the Coker in front -- that can
cause those nasty glides and can also lead to other disasters. *

This is another one of those times where having a brake can come in
handy. I've only tried it a couple times, but if you find yourself
suddenly in a situation where you _know_ you want OFF of the Coker, a
quick tug turns your brake lever into an "Eject Lever" and off you go
frontwards in a semi-planned flight.

Of course, the landing will still be improvised...

--
tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

Tailgate at your own risk.....

"By George! The man's a genius!"
Murde Mental

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leadpan said:

*My questions:
Can you Coker riders share your UPD stories on a Coker?
In an event of UPD, it is better to tumble/jump off your uni or brace
for impact(like a tree or parked car)?

Also have you taco'ed your Coker after a UPD?

Thanks
PeTeR *

I'm not a very good tumbler, but I have seen it, and it is awesome.
People pop back to their feet ready to go after hitting concrete. It's
worth learning and practicing, I think.

The Harbinger wrist guards are worth getting. My fastest crash has been
at 12 mph, which I personally could not run out of (at least at that
time). I wore another cm or so off my wrist guards sliding on the
pavement. Protection without the hard plastic sliders would catch on
the ground and produce much more damaging results.

I couldn't taco my Coker if I tried. 😄

--
U-Turn - As long as my feet keep movin'...

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U-Turn said:

*I couldn't taco my Coker if I tried. 😄 *

And, just why is that? (As if we didn't know)😄

I'd say that here is a good place for me to announce my recent cat ass
trophy on my Coker (with a new Un-Taco-able Stockton wheel), last week
(4-28-5), while I was on my way to work, at 11:20 PM, when Marvin, the
Coker, reminded me who's boss. I came in for a multi-point landing on my
left side with my arm stretched out above my head. As sometimes
happens, there was just no time to try to run out or tumble (hey, Dave,
not -this- time). I sustained two fractures just outboard of my left
shoulder, one horizontal, and one vertical. Luckily I’ll not require a
pin, but will be totally incapacitated for at least two more weeks. I’d
probably have a shattered wrist, too, if not for my wrist protection,
where there was a -minor- mark.

On a scale of 1 –10, 1 being no pain and 10 being maximum imaginable
pain (as they say in the ER), I’ve managed to hit about 25 several
times, so my scale has been revised. When your -*_entire_*- universe is
pain, you know you’re hurt.

Been sleeping in a recliner since, can’t lie down on a bed, much to
painful getting there. Sitting and getting back up are interesting, too
– keep your back -*_exactly_*- vertical.

Nellfurtiti has, of course, been disdainful of anything not cat related
and still insists on being feed on time, no excuses, although early
would be OK. She does, however, appreciate the increased available lap
time.

--
brian.slater - Nellfurtiti, the Wonder Cat

Brian C. Slater
AKA: Snoopy

Ok, I am now officially in my normal state of -advanced- confusion.
Don't try to confuse me, it won't make any difference.

"To not decide is to decide" - undecided
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I have had more crashes and going splat on my ankle biting 20" trials
than my Coker. I don't think I will ever get the trials thing. Generally
I ride in the bush and can do some spectacular dismounts. They usually
end up with me running or just stepping off.

I went back over a corrugated road where I fell off a few weeks ago, hit
it hard, used my legs and what a buzz!!! Difference was I was expecting
it.

A theory of mine is when the unicycle shoots off a x force, the y force
for the rider is less. Sometimes I feel sorry for the unicycle more than
me. It can really shoot out.

You guys who ride in the city.....WOW. I would be a permanent nervous
wreck.

Always were protective equipment as the other guys recommend.

--
billblogs

Muniuni
Think big, start small
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U-Turn said:

*The Harbinger wrist guards are worth getting. My fastest crash has
been at 12 mph, which I personally could not run out of (at least at
that time). I wore another cm or so off my wrist guards sliding on
the pavement. Protection without the hard plastic sliders would catch
on the ground and produce much more damaging results. *

Full fingered leather cycling gloves will also allow you to slide on the
ground without getting your hands all cut up. They don't slide as well
as a plastic wrist splint, but leather cycling gloves do slide well
enough. I've tried them out at Coker speed at least once.

I generally ride with leather cycling gloves and inline skating knee
pads. I haven't needed the knee pads in over a year but I feel better
when I have them on. Putting on a little bit of protective gear is also
a good idea when going on group rides where you have the added risk of a
multi Coker pileup if someone goes down right in front of you.

--
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john_childs said:

* Putting on a little bit of protective gear is also a good idea when
going on group rides where you have the added risk of a multi Coker
pileup if someone goes down right in front of you. *

Ouch, what a horrible thought, anybody got a well padded suit of armor?

--
brian.slater - Nellfurtiti, the Wonder Cat

Brian C. Slater
AKA: Snoopy

Ok, I am now officially in my normal state of -advanced- confusion.
Don't try to confuse me, it won't make any difference.

"To not decide is to decide" - undecided
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I’m not a certified Coker-head, I ride my beloved GB4 Coker occasionally
when I need break (mentally and physically) from the other types of
riding that I do regularly. I’ve had only one Coker UPD that was
anything more than a step-off.

It was about 20° F and I was at about mile 39 of a 40 mile ride, wanting
to get home, warm up and eat I was eager for the ride to be over.
Between home and me was a very slight hill. As I was throttling up to
make the hill, traveling at only about 10 mph I got a severe, abrupt,
debilitating cramp in one of my legs. Before I new what had happened I
found myself lying in a heap in the road.

Deconstructing what had happened, I realized that I had never had a
cramp before while riding and normally if I would UPD I would just
step-off. However, with the cramp I could not catch myself with my
legs. Thus I went down to my knees and hands like a sack of potatoes.
I tore holes in the knees of my long-time favorite cold weather riding
pants and my brand new KH riding gloves/wrist guards – oh, and my knees!
Because I came straight down, the tears in my knees were deep and have
left some significant purple reminders for me to pay attention to
fatigue, hydration and nutrition when doing long rides.

Tommy

--
Tmornstar - Grandmaster 2T

Tommy Thompson
[email hidden] (No PMs. please)
Memphis Unicycle Club
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i tried to see just how fast i could really go down a slight downhill.
then i lost the rotation, messed it up and came off. tried to run,
realized it was too fast, tuck and roll.

in summary, you should yell "Whoa Nelly!" then get both fet off and do
the tuck and roll. you should escape with only minor anything on you.

--
shadowuni - Crispety, crunchety, peanut-buttery

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brian.slater said:

*Ouch, what a horrible thought, anybody got a well padded suit of
armor? *

Group rides aren't that risky. But they tend to be more risky that
riding alone.

When riding with a group you'll be riding at least part of the time next
to someone so you can talk. If one goes down there is a possibility
that both will go down. It just increases the risk a bit.

If you're on a group ride and riding close together at 15+ mph then you
are either crazy or have a lot of confidence in your riding ability at
that speed and the riding ability of the other rider at that speed. I
think you'd have to be crazy to ride at higher speeds in close
formation.

When riding by yourself the risk of a UPD is determined by you and how
crazy you decide to ride. If you keep the speed within your control
zone and pay attention to the road in front of you, the chance of a bad
UPD is very low. The risk of a bad UPD increases as you try to increase
the speed and at that point you can only blame yourself.

The last time that my knees hit the pavement was about a year ago during
a group ride. It was a slow speed UPD on an uphill. It was trivial,
but the knee pads probably saved some scrapes on the knees.

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halfbike said:

*What are you talking about?!?! I can easly get above 17 on flats.
I've only fell a few times, but when I do, I don't think about my
self. I keep thinking, "I hope my cokers ok, I hope my cokers ok!"
One time I could hardly walk because I fell on my left hip, but I was
still more worried about my coker. *

Maybe I'm slow. I thought I could hit 16mph or so with my coker when I
was new to it and I was racing in front of my buddies car. He was
clocking me at ~16mph when I was going all out. I would like to think
that I'm not a slowpoke, and I know that speedometers on cars aren't all
that accurate probably moreso at a low speed like that which isn't used
much on roads.

--
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Well, if you really want to get an accurate measure, find a stretch
where you know the distance of, and use a stopwatch to time yourself
thru it. speed is distance / time.

--
recycled - muni n00b

Nimbus Muni 24x3
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Bob22b said:

*Maybe I'm slow. I thought I could hit 16mph or so with my coker when
I was new to it and I was racing in front of my buddies car. He was
clocking me at ~16mph when I was going all out. *

I'm guessing you have stock (6-inch) cranks on that thing. Switching to
shorter cranks will speed you up considerably. To get yourself ready for
them, make sure to ride in safe conditions (well-lit, flat, smooth) and
switch down incrementally (150s to 140s to 125s to 110s, for example).
Going to a crank size you're not ready for will often result in lots of
UPDs -- even while mounting!

I recently went BACK to 125s after a few years of 110s. I have much more
control (necessary for street/sidewalk riding) but have lost some speed.
It's worth it. It's nice to come home safely to the wife and kidlets.
The funny thing is that while I've lost max speed (I can only hit about
19mph now), I can also attack uphills better; my commute time hasn't
changed.

Give shorter cranks a try and see how you feel in a few weeks.

--
David_Stone
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David_Stone said:

UPDs -- even while mounting!

Is it even theoretically possible to dismount (unplanned or not) WHILE
your are mounting? :-)

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
"When it comes to the family jewels, you won't be having fun until they're having fun. - Jake D"