Unicycling
- Thread starter Galaxiom
- Start date
It all makes perfect sense now.
Yes I can juggle too, though not while riding the unicycle .... yet.
Have not tried juggling on the uni just yet. I don't have a convenient flat smooth area. As a fairly ordinary stationary juggler I would need to be able to ride at a steadier pace than I can manage on my rather potholed front lawn.
The netball courts in town are looking attractive though.
The netball courts in town are looking attractive though.
Libre
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I bought a unicycle a few months ago. Tried riding it around my apartment - fell and hurt leg. Tried riding it outside - did not fall but got nowhere. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I also juggle - bought a load of juggling equip from the same store in SOHO, NYC. Wound up returning the uni for my money back. I just felt that this was going to take more out of my shins than I was willing to donate to the cause. As you said - I'm a pretty ordinary juggler. I can do a bunch of different tricks but without much verve or confidence.
Many more people try to ride a uni than ever succeed. Many physical activities are not as hard as they look. Unicycling is not one of them. On the first several attempts the phrase "impossibly difficult" repeatedly comes to mind. There are just so many things to get right at once.
On average it takes about fifteen hours of practice to get going. Most people hurt themselves long before they get that far. It takes real commitment to keep trying but most people can do it if they keep at it.
The early things to learn are how to get off and the judgement of when to do so before it is too late. Unfortunately, at first, that time window is only a fraction of a second after you take off.
It is quite surreal when it finally happens. It gets easier once the balance reflex kicks in.
On the first several attempts the phrase "impossibly difficult" repeatedly comes to mind. There are just so many things to get right at once.On average it takes about fifteen hours of practice to get going. Most people hurt themselves long before they get that far. It takes real commitment to keep trying but most people can do it if they keep at it.
The early things to learn are how to get off and the judgement of when to do so before it is too late. Unfortunately, at first, that time window is only a fraction of a second after you take off.
It is quite surreal when it finally happens. It gets easier once the balance reflex kicks in.
Libre
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I had a similar experience when I tried to learn to play the violin (which I also wound up returning to the store for money back). The difference with that was was only my pride was damaged - shins were intact (except where I got kicked for practicing scales).
Groundrush
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Would't having two just be a bike cut in half?
Me too. Then one day I saw one at a garage sale for $10 and thought "why not give it a go?".
One day out riding I was asked why I had taken it up by a woman walking her dogs. I told her I had wanted to do it as a kid and thought I had better have a go before it was too late.
A couple of days later she stopped me and said she wanted to share something. Her husband only had about a week to live and was coming home from hospital that day. She wondered what she was going to do with her life when he was gone.
She said my comment about taking up a childhood interest had inspired her and she was going to do the things she hadn't got around to as well. It had made a big difference to her outlook.
Interesting how little things can mean so much to someone else.
Bought my third uni over the weekend. It is a road model 20 inch QU-AX, a German brand of the quality one comes to expect from that country. Great value on Gumtree for $55. Like most unis for sale online it has never been riden.
What a difference it makes having a quality machine. My original uni has an ordinary profile bicycle tyre. The QU-AX has a specialist uni tyre of their own brand. Unlike a more upright conventional tyre the circular profile maintains stability when leaning into corners so my steering ability has dramatically improved. It is also wide enough to comfortably take the load of an 80kg rider on the single tyre without losing its shape.
What a difference it makes having a quality machine. My original uni has an ordinary profile bicycle tyre. The QU-AX has a specialist uni tyre of their own brand. Unlike a more upright conventional tyre the circular profile maintains stability when leaning into corners so my steering ability has dramatically improved. It is also wide enough to comfortably take the load of an 80kg rider on the single tyre without losing its shape.
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