Another New Guy Question

[gnonim]

Hello All,

Just wanted to say this is a great site, awesome resource. I've spent
alot of time researching the problem I'm having at the moment, and know
there are other threads out there that address this issue, so i'm not
looking to just rehash old issues.

Here's the thing. My wife got me a 24" Sun. I learned to ride it, we
go off road, just dirt trails, nothing that tough, single track stuff.
It works great for me. After she decided to learn to ride, I came up
with the brilliant idea to cut off the seat post and give her the Sun,
while getting a new Torker DX24 for myself.

As soon as I started to ride the DX, I've noticed I have to fight it
all the time to avoid going left. I've checked that the wheel is
centered, everything is aligned, spokes seem to be good, but I still
pull to the left.

I really like the Torker, can go over alot more stuff already than with
the Sun, but it really drains my energy fighting this "left" issue.

My current strategy, I just keep riding it every day for a minimum of
30 minutes, usually closer to 45 to 60, after reading that people say
just keep at it.

I think my next step will be to try to find someone who knows how to
ride much better than I do to have them ride it and tell me if i'm
cracked in the head or not.

Until then, I guess I get one heck of a workout fighting with this
bugger.

How long do you all think a normal (normal for unicyclers) person takes
to get past this issue? I've been on the Torker now for about 3 weeks.
(37 years old).

Thanks in advance,
Gnonim

P.S. Hopefully in a couple of years I'll be a young Unigeezer!


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[sp4rky-m4rky]

Are you positive the seat is aligned correctly? even if it just slightly
off centre it will probably feel wrong and if its quite bad it can even
feel as if you are going sideways. Its quite hard to tell because the
seats a strange shape but check and make sure it as close to perfect as
you can get it.


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[underdog]

Welcome to the forum.:) You've got the right idea. Just dedicate some
time to it each day and you'll get over it. I had a really hard time
with riding 'off center' on my 29er when I first started riding on it.
It just took time. Was the tire on your Sun kind of smooth and the new
tire on your DX a knobby? Sometimes tire differences can throw you off
just a bit. You could try messing around with tire pressure and see if
it makes any difference. Try running at 5 or 10 pounds less. Then 5
or 10 pounds more and see if either one helps.


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[feel the light]

They fixed that problem for '07 !;)
Seriously, if you are sure that everything is centered, having someone
else ride it seems like a good idea. If it still bugs you, all I can
think of is twisting the seat a bit and see if that helps.
Since you don't have this trouble with the Sun, maybe there is
something on the uni you are missing.


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[feel the light]

I remember now, how when I switched to a 24 muni for the first time, it
seemed to pull to the side at first. I could never find anything wrong
with the uni, and after a couple days it was ok and I forgot about it.
Maybe something on the Sun is a little crooked and you adapted to it,
so the straight torker will feel weird for a bit.


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[gnonim]

Thanks for the replys. Yeah, the Sun had a smooth tire and I've got the
Kenda knobby on the Torker.

I've also tried altering the seat angle slightly both ways, right now
it's dead center as close as I can tell.

I also have been messing with tire pressure.

I'm just going to keep gutting it out. Hopefully it will work itself
out.

Thanks again!


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[Brian O.]

At first wider knobbier tires are much more difficult to control. It's
unlikely that theres anything wrong with the unicycle. Just play with
the tire pressure and keep at it. Also, try removing your wallet from
your back pocket while riding, I've heard that that puts some people
off balance and causes a similar issue.

If you are experiencing this issue mainly while riding on the road it
could be a factor of the road camber. Streets are typically higher at
the center and lower on the edges causing you to be constantly riding
along a minor slope, off road tires are notorious for making this more
noticeable.

I had the same issue (many people do) when I first started out so don't
worry. It took a little while but you get over it eventually.


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[thejdw]

I remember thinking my new muni was pulling to the left


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kington99 wrote:
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> just goes to show that you have no culinary heritage :)


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[Koxx_Devil_Rider]

Of the subject but i will be selling a k1 frame on ebay in the next week
or so so if anyones interested please bid. 25 Pound buy it now price
the frame has a tiny hardly noticable dent, apart from that its fine.
to find on ebay it will be under Koxx One Frame (Black) i will also
have a Red koxx one seat used, with cracked handle due to some dodgy
bails, a cromo seat post and some brand new seat clamps K1 in red and
white more details on ebay !! cheers kieron.:)

Date Posted :30/07/07


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I am not an idiot,:confused: There are just some parts
missing!!:D
Like My Other Wheel
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[Brian O.]

Koxx_Devil_Rider wrote:
> Of the subject but i will be selling a k1 frame on ebay in the next week
> or so so if anyones interested please bid. 25 Pound buy it now price
> the frame has a tiny hardly noticable dent, apart from that its fine.
> to find on ebay it will be under Koxx One Frame (Black) i will also
> have a Red koxx one seat used, with cracked handle due to some dodgy
> bails, a cromo seat post and some brand new seat clamps K1 in red and
> white more details on ebay !! cheers kieron.:)
>
> Date Posted :30/07/07


Don't spam this guy's thread with your sale, what you have just said is
completely irrelevant and it should be in the trading post if anywhere.


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[anton005]

Is it possible the bolts that hold the frame onto the wheel (that clamp
onto the bearings) are too tight on the left side? Just an idea...

I remember when I first went from my street uni to my fat tire uni it
sure seemed to go all over the place. I had my nobby tire pumped way
up to 40 psi... too much air, it acted alot better at a lower
pressure.


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[Stephane CHAZELAS]

2007-07-30, 12:40(-05), gnonim:
[...]
> As soon as I started to ride the DX, I've noticed I have to fight it
> all the time to avoid going left. I've checked that the wheel is
> centered, everything is aligned, spokes seem to be good, but I still
> pull to the left.
[...]

You're not alone. I've been having that problem after changing
the original tyre on a Pashley 26" to a mountain bike one. On
the Pashley, changing a tyre involves a bit of frustration and
brute force.

I thought I had bend something and indeed the wheel was bending
slightly to the right. I tried to mount the wheel backward
(reversing the cranks) so that it would bend to the left, but I
was still feeling pulled to the right (to a lesser extent
though).

It almost drove me mad to try and find the source of the
problem. I now suspect the problem is with me. I'll try mount
back the original tyre one day to see if that helps. But I
already feel after a few weeks of riding that it's getting
better...

One thing you could try is turn your saddle backward to see if
that makes you bend the other way (not for too long or you'll
jam the pedals/cranks). Then, if it helps, maybe try to mount
your tyre backward if it's not too asymmetrical, or do as I did.

Cheers,
Stéphane

P.S. I live in the UK where we drive on the left side of the
road, that may explain why I'm pulling right when everybody else
pulls left.

[gnonim]

Thanks everyone.

It's nice to hear that it's an even more common problem than I
thought.

I'll recheck the left bearing brackets today, and had previously
reversed the tire per another thread I head found.

After the feedback here, I'm confident that I can overcome this by just
riding everyday.

Thank you very much!
Gnonim


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[One on one]

One other suggestion that I found helped me when I had a similar
problem. Practice freemounting with the other foot. It will cause you
to readjust your saddle position and feet position on the pedals. It
worked for me. It also is a good skill to have.


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[mark williamson]

When I first learnt to ride, I'd sometimes have problems with pulling to
the side, but they went away. When I got my 29er with a Big Apple, I
had problems with pulling to the side for ages.

Eventually on the BA tyre, I realised that it rode much better if I
tilted my hips over a bit: the BA liked to pull *down* slopes. So on
road crown, it would try and take me towards the edge of the road. I
found that tilting my hips a bit so that the tyre was more
perpendicular to the road helped, and I no longer had to pedal
asymmetrically to keep the thing tracking straight.

Tyre choice, tyre pressure, and technique all contribute. But I'd
guess you ought to be able to get comfortable on most / all tyres with
practice. It can be a very very noticeable effect until your body
learns to compensate though!


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Dave: Just a question. What use is a unicyle with no seat? And no
pedals!
Mark: To answer a question with a question: What use is a skateboard?
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Mark: My wheel has a wheel!
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[gnonim]

Thanks for all of the advice.

Just wanted to update ya'all for anyone curious, and also for anyone
experiencing issues with their uni's pulling one way or the other.

I no longer have the "left" problem. What was the cure? Practice,
like everyone says. I just started riding alot of single track, and at
some point the realization came to me that everytime I'm pulling to the
left, it's because of jerky pedaling. When I'm pedaling smooth and
evenly, keeping weight on the seat, it's no problem keeping it
straight.

Now it's on to hopping up and over stuff! :)

Thanks again,
Gnonim


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