>Transition to riding: {from wheel walking}
>
>HELP. I have been trying this for a while now and can't get it.
>If anyone has any tips on how to get back on the pedals, please post
>them. Not having anyone else around to give pointers for these skills
>is holding me back.
You may have figured this out by now, but then it might help someone else out
there. Keep your head level. That is, don't point your nose at your chest
and watch the pedals, because this will take away from your overall balance.
Practice glancing down, very briefly, just enough to see where your pedals
are. With practice, you only need to do this once or twice before trying to
get your feet back down there.
Jumping ahead, here's when and where to put your feet. I put my dominant
foot down to the pedal when that pedal is level and to the rear. This stops
my wheel in the safety position (pedals horizontal) and, if I can't get my
other foot to the other pedal, gives me the control to dismount gracefully.
It's scary stepping down from that wheel walk, especially if you've already
taken one of those nasty tail-bone landings that can happen if your feet get
swept out from under you to the front. I don't recommend this. If scared,
break the skill down into smaller pieces. This is true for anything you do on
the unicycle. Practice stopping with the pedals horizontal and the dominant
pedal in the rear. Just stop and step off the unicycle. Then, practice
stopping and putting the dominant foot onto that pedal, followed by a
controlled dismount. Practice dismounting (controlled falling off) in every
direction. This will increase your safety in out-of-control falls you may
have later. Once you know how to fall off (dismount, that is), you will have
a lot less to fear.
Back to glancing down at your pedals. One glance will tell you where those
pedals are. With practice, you will be able to take the necessary number of
wheel walking steps, and put your foot down on the pedal without having to
look again. In the beginning, you will have to look more, but try to reduce
the time you spend looking down. If the sun is low in the sky, you don't
have to look anywhere except at your shadow!
If you try this, anyone, let me know how it turns out.
Stay on Top!
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
unicycle@aol.com
P.S. Hello Bierne, you are welcome to add this to the FAQ if it's
appropriate.