Re: Groin (sorry, seat) grabbing

I learned with no 'handle', and rode for 35 years without holding the
seat. I find it 'awkward' to hold the seat when riding with my new
DX.
(I do not hop yet)

What I do like to do (if no need for using arms for balancing) is to
place my hands on thighs. (and slightly push, to ease petaling when
going long distances)

Now that I have a handle (new torker). I try using the handle for a
'hand rest', but find it throws my center off, and takes more to recover
because hand/arm has to move farther to recover balance.

Just my 2c.

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I hold my seat when standing up going up or down hill on a difficult bit
of MUni or something, as well as for hopping, etc. I learned on a seat
without a handle, so at first it did throw off my balance. However, I
learned fast. On distance rides, I put some of my weight on my hands
pushing down on the saddle, in order to take weight off of my crotch.

I would say you don't have to learn it until you start doing it
naturally in order to be able to do something.

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nah, you'll learn pretty fast. How long have you been learning/riding?

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cathwood said:

*I've been learning since the beginning of Jan. It took me the first
month to get over my fear. Couldn't learn anything until then.
Now I can ride for a while, turn corners, dismount with elegance!
And I can freemount on my 20" 1 in 5 but only about 1 in 20 times on
my 24". IS this 'normal'?
What kind of thing is this unicycling? I can barely ride the damn
things yet I obviously need 2 machines.
Cathy *

I think freemounting the larger wheels is more difficult because you
have "jump" higher to get on. The first time I tried to freemount a 29
inch, I caught my right foot on the pedal and ended up rolling foward,
all the way to the ground. At least I landed on my hands and not my
face.
When I started, it took me 2 weeks before I could ride without holding
onto something. It was a couple more months before I could freemount
efficiently. Now, 2 years later, I have 5 unicycles (wishing for
another) and I am having a great time riding MUni on trails through the
woods. It was about 18 months before I could hop.
Keep riding. Everything will get easier the more you ride.
Have fun!!

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I don't know what's "normal" and what isn't.

I mean, for some, it takes months to ride.
I personally could ride the thing in 2 days, and freemount all the time
in 3-4 days.
Hopping came on the 5-7 days, and after 2 weeks i could hop up a curb.
I've been riding for just over 2 months and i'm level 4.
My friend had a similar experience, getting his unicycling 1 month
before I got mine, progressing to curb hopping etc. much faster as soon
as i mastered curb hopping and taught him.
I can now hop 12'' which I thought would take at least .5 years AND a
big fat tire (i can do 12'' on a 1.75 inch wide tire).
Hell, i thought i wouldn't be able to hop up a curb w/o a fat tire
before i actually went and tried it.
Just try stuff and you'll get it. And trust me, hopping in place isn't
very dangerous, it's when you do 3 foot gaps between high objects that
it gets dangerous 🙂

Just keep at it!
Good luck

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ColDawG - Level 4 after 2 months

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Holding onto the seat is not necessary for basic unicycle riding, nor
even very useful. I almost never hold the seat, except when riding seat
out. If you ride freestyle or distance, there's no reason to do it much
at all, but it is helpful for steep hills off-road, and it's a must for
trials. On the rare occasions I do ride on rough terrain, I do hold the
seat a bit, because it seems to give me a sense of security. And when I
jump, I have to hold the seat if I want to get any reasonable height.

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A handle helps a lot when you are going up or down a steep incline, or
any time when you are putting a lot of force on the pedals. Pulling up
on the handle helps keep you on the seat and gives you a bit more power
when you're pedaling hard. It also helps keep you in control when going
over rough spots. You can grab the front of the saddle if you don't have
a handle, but a handle makes it easier. It's just nice to have something
there to grab ahold of.

On long rides I find myself pushing down on the handle to take a bit of
my weight off of the saddle. It isn't much but it does help.

The front of the saddle on my 29 is kind of squidgy and hard to get a
grip on. My handle is an add-on unit made by one of our club wizards. It
also gives me a place to hang my bell and computer and other junk.

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Another Joe in MN
Level 2 and holding
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