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Another New Guy Question

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rec.sport.unicycling
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30 July 2007
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gnonim
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  1. 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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  2. 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.

    --
    sp4rky-m4rky

    you may be lucky but you make your own luck

    *)--360--O* The Unispin Elite

    )---'O, Crankflip
    my 'latest video' (

    )
    learning 180 or 360 unispins? watch my 'video tutorial'
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    )
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  3. 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.

    --
    underdog

    'I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody
    tell you different' - Kurt Vonnegut
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  4. 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.

    --
    feel the light
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  5. 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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  6. 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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  7. 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.

    --
    Brian O.

    *'ProjectUNI' (http://www.otherworldsociety.org/projectuni) - *The First
    Serious Unicycle Computer Game* - -Simple multiplayer muni concept demo
    soon.-*
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  8. I remember thinking my new muni was pulling to the left

    --
    thejdw

    kington99 said:

    A hobnob is an oaty biscuit, the fact that they don't exist in america
    just goes to show that you have no culinary heritage 🙂

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    don't follow Jesus, follow me!<<


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  9. 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,😕 There are just some parts
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    Like My Other Wheel
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  10. Koxx_Devil_Rider said:

    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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  11. 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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  12. 2007-07-30, 12:40(-05), gnonim:
    [...]

    Quoted message said:

    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.

  13. 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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  14. 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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    "one on one is happy, so am I!...." -CKCrowe
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  15. 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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