It's like riding a unicycle...

[one wheeled stallion]

Hi all, some recent threads have got me thinking about how hard it is to
re-learn to unicycle. I'm sure everyone's heard the saying "It's like
riding a bicycle" but does this apply to unicycles/unicyclists too??

I'd be very interested to hear from those of you who, for whatever
reason, stopped unicycling for a long period of time and have started
since.

How hard did you find it? Was it like going back to square one or just a
case of finding the knack again?

Cheers,
James


--
one wheeled stallion - Guerilla Unicyclist

OWS

"...I explain briefly to him that such conduct leaves him vulnerable to
accusations of being an idiot. We part as enemies" - Mikefule


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[nickjb]

I stopped riding for a couple of years. It didn't take long to get back
into it. I could ride again straight away. It took a couple of hours
to back into Ultimate Wheeling and I'm still not as good as I used to
be. I think that is more down to fitness and unicycling muscles,
though.


--
nickjb - I've lost a wheel (apparently)
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[Borges]

I stopped riding for 7-8 years. When I rediscovered the uni, I could
ride, freemount and do other basic skill at once. I think, skill wise I
went down a level, but it came back pretty quickly.


--
Borges

"However, I confess that the ultimate wheel lacks the day to day
practicality of the conventional unicycle" -Mikefule
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[JJuggle]

I stopped riding for 17 years. I actually ordered a new unicycle
without bothering to first find out if I could still do it.

It took fewer than 15 minutes to be back on and riding around again.

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ


--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

...the next morning the Berkowitzes wake up in the woods in a moose
suit. Mr Berkowitz is shot, stuffed, and mounted at the New York
Athletic Club. But the jokes on them, because it's restricted.
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[Jim_Rob]

I stopped for 20 years (learned at age 11, stopped in High School). I
left my uni in my parent's garage when I moved to Colorado for graduate
school. The next time I rode was when I saw a uni in a bike shop.
Without really thinking about it, I grabbed it and free mounted, then
rode around the shop a bit. So for me, it came back right away.


--
Jim_Rob - Old Man

TTFN

JR

"Riding uphill on a unicycle sucks", Walt, Nationally-ranked singlespeed
MTB racer
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[Chrashing]

I hadn't ridden a uni in 30 years. I could ride a short distance (30ft)
right from the box with the new uni. After a few days, I'm still working
on the free mounting but have been successful
twice.

The hardest part is that I'm exhausted after just a few minuets. There's
a number of muscles I haven't used for a long while.

I didn't remember the crown of the road being such a nuisance.

Turning is harder than I remember. Must be 50lbs I've gained since I was
18. Also I'm now using a 28" Sun instead 26" Schwinn I used to use.
Seems to me the smaller wheel is easier.

I'm already getting sick of hearing, 'All you need is a clown suit', or
'can you juggle?'. I don't remember hearing that 30 years ago.


--
Chrashing

Regards,
Chrashing
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[JVTFm]

i was at my local high school and this guy asked if he could ride my uni
so i let him, he could ride and go backwards alittle. he told me his
name was doug and he had a old shwinn, h ealo said h ehadn't ridin in
like 10 years so iguess it is like riding a bike


--
JVTFm - leader of the revolution

"all your base are belong to us"
"life is short and god is man"
"Kill the nighttime, sieze the day"
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[vivalargo]

I rode a lot (just basic straight ahead stuff) till I was about 8, then
I got into regular sports and later rock climbing and didn't ride for 35
years. Six months ago I ran into Kris H. at a trade show and two weeks
later I had a KH24 and a Coker, and later a 20 inch trials uni. The
basics all came back immediately, but since I never knew the technical
stuff (idling, backwards, one foot, wheel walking, hopping and drops,
MUniing, et al) learning those skills (my wheel walking is still
weak--my legs are moving like Fred Flintstone) has required daily
practice and totally abandoning rock climbing (for the time being).

I think you relearn skills relative to how wired you had them in the
first place.

JL


--
vivalargo
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[James_Potter]

I hadn't ridden a bike in about four years. I had ridden a unicycle for
about a year and a half. At first, I could barely ride the bike, big,
weird, bulky, thingy. But it took about fifteen minutes until I could do
it just like the old days.

Today, at a sort of family reunion thing, one of my uncles (I almost
typed unicycle.... heehee) used to unicycle, but he hadn't in about
twenty years. It took about five minutes until he could ride around the
parking lot.


--
James_Potter - Nil Desperandum
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[toddw9]

I got my first unicycle from my uncle when he was moved from his farm.
I learned to ride on it, and have since had a couple other unis. My
uncle asked if he could have his back so his son could learn. I had
been pretty hard on it, so I gave his old one back and also gave him my
second uni (which is still in good shape) because I didn't think there
was gonna be much hope for his rusty old uni with cottered cranks. He
decided to give it a go, he probably hasn't been on one in about 7 or 8
years. he hopped on and rode it around his driveway. it was a little
shaky, but he successfully rode it around his driveway on the first try.


--
toddw9 - Doh!!!

Fat people are hard to kidnap.
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