Learning to ride on a Coker (Day 5-26 Feb)

Went to the club early. Had the hall all to myself for a while before
Dave arrived. Unicycling is much easier on a nice flat hall floor!
Practiced a bit on and off through the evening. I estimate that I must
be up to 2 hours total by now. Things are getting easier. I am getting
less exhausted. By the time I left I was pretty much making it across
the hall floor with a single supporting arm. I just hope that Dave
doesn't bruise easily.

I feel that there might be a chance for me to do the front paving solo
this weekend after all!

I also had a go on Dave's 20 inch wheel. What a difference! It is like
going from riding a brick to riding a feather. It is so light and
responsive and surprisingly easy to ride. It does, however, require a
different mounting technique than the coker. I'm used to grabbing the
wheel and jumping up. That's not so easy on a 20 incher. I did a few
traverses of the hall (also with a friendly supporting arm, thanks again
Dave). This is NOT bad, considering that the last time I got on it I
fell off sideways in a spectacular unplanned dismount.

Just about everybody who can ride a unicycle had a go on the coker.
Dave diligently tried to idle on it, and managed it when nobody was
watching. I must admit that even I have noticed things that you can do
on the coker that you can't do on a smaller wheel. For example, I can
brake the wheel by resting my knee on it. You try doing THAT on a
smaller wheel.

In return for all the support I helped out a newcomer, Mark, who made
pretty good progress too. He should be back next week so we might have
another convert too. He is also interested in poi. I don't know if
that is a good or a bad thing.

When I got home I tried to show Leslie my new skills. It is not so easy
to ride in the dark, even if you have some lights on. I'll try again
tomorrow.

Well, I had a good day. Now to try to unwind enough to go to sleep.
Work tomorrow then more practice time!

Jayne


--
Jayne ZA - Learning to ride on a Coker

Being a statistician means never having to say you're certain


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On Thu, 26 Feb 2004 15:00:27 -0600, Jayne ZA wrote:

I also had a go on Dave's 20 inch wheel. What a difference! It is like
going from riding a brick to riding a feather. It is so light and
responsive and surprisingly easy to ride.

That's an interesting remark. The single most 'special' issue in your
learning progress is that you ride a Coker. Learning on a Coker is
supposed to me more difficult, but from your progress and remarks so
far I was beginning to doubt it. But your observation has reinforced
my belief system.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
"Heck, even my toes were aching from trying to grip the soles of my shoes! - Tommy Thompson"

Klaas Bil wrote:
*Learning on a Coker is
supposed to me more difficult, but from your progress and remarks so
far I was beginning to doubt it. But your observation has reinforced
my belief system.
*


I assume you're referring to the "surprisingly easy to ride" comment. I
probably could have phrased that better, but it was late and I was
tired. What was most surprising to me was just how easily I
transitioned from the coker to the 20 inch wheel, despite the
differences in size and weight. All my practice up to last night had
been on the coker, but I moved virtually seamlessly to the smaller wheel
with little or no loss of the ability I had built up on the coker. This
was contrary to expectations of the more experienced riders I had spoken
to.

Dave, for instance, mentioned that riding the coker after riding a 20
inch wasn't as difficult as riding a 20 inch after riding a coker.

Any idea of why this should be so?

Jayne


--
Jayne ZA - Learning to ride on a Coker

Being a statistician means never having to say you're certain


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Jayne ZA wrote:
*I assume you're referring to the "surprisingly easy to ride" comment.
*


i think the one main thing that jayne's got from learning to rid eon the
Coker is not to use too much force on the pedals

in my experience, it takes new riders a while before they realise that
too much force (plus weigh on the pedal) will simply lead to a 12-6
stall and a quick UPD
applying force to the pedal of a stationary Coker is normally one of the
last things u have to do to join some obscure frat-style club in an
alaskan pub
having started her learnng career with this 'bad' habit never being an
issue, will rush her to riding in no time


--
GILD - Waffle-tosser

'They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
' (http://www.soaw.org/new/newswire_detail.php?id=413)'[image:
http://www.addis-welt.de/smilie/smilie/sp/84255.gif]'
(http://tinyurl.com/ywxgb)

Namaste!
Dave
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On Fri, 27 Feb 2004 03:19:38 -0600, Jayne ZA wrote:

I assume you're referring to the "surprisingly easy to ride" comment.
Indeed I am (was).

Now even with this qualification...
What was most surprising to me was just how easily I
transitioned from the coker to the 20 inch wheel
....I still think that a 20" is intrinsically easier to ride. I've yet
to come across a learner on a 20" who is as far as you now, then tries
a Coker for a while, and is surprised at the ease of the transition.

So I now rest assured that your progress does not put my belief system
(that smaller wheels are easier to learn on) upside down, but is
rather 'just' due to your being talented. :-)

Dave, for instance, mentioned that riding the coker after riding a 20
inch wasn't as difficult as riding a 20 inch after riding a coker.

Any idea of why this should be so?
He might be more accustomed to larger wheels, but I don't think he is?

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
"Heck, even my toes were aching from trying to grip the soles of my shoes! - Tommy Thompson"

Klaas Bil wrote:
*So I now rest assured that your progress does not put my belief
system
(that smaller wheels are easier to learn on) upside down, but is
rather 'just' due to your being talented. :-)
*


I'll take that as a compliment, thank you!

Klaas Bil wrote:
*Dave, for instance, mentioned that riding the coker after riding a
20
inch wasn't as difficult as riding a 20 inch after riding a coker.
Any idea of why this should be so?
He might be more accustomed to larger wheels, but I don't think he
is?
*


Considering the delight on his face when he was riding the coker, and
how reluctant he was for me to go home, I very much doubt it.

Jayne


--
Jayne ZA - Learning to ride on a Coker

Being a statistician means never having to say you're certain


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