Golden Chicken wrote:
> *I have only 3 weeks training behind me with my 24" uni and now I ride
> some 3-4 kilometers on the sidewalks and in the parks. I feel pretty
> secure and I haven't had any fall yet that made use of my paddings*
After only 3 weeks you haven't yet had time to learn your "fall"
patterns. This refers to the areas you tend to scrape up or otherwise
hurt when you do fall. If you don't ever fall, it means you've plateaued
and aren't working on new things (such as riding farther, over bumps,
etc.). Generally, you will fall from time to time.
> *I only ride on paved surface and well ... it is
> getting darn hot with all this plastic covering the body's joints. I
> am thinking of laying the armour off, but I am not sure. What do you
> guys wear under similar riding conditions?*
Not really sure your riding conditions. A lot has to do with how
aggressive your riding is. Just going from A to B at a gentle pace is a
lot different from aggressive Trials along the way.
I think most of us buy or put on pads after we've had an owie or two. I
bought my first kneepads and gloves after scraping up my palms and knees
a few times. I was one of the only ones wearing them at the 1980
National Unicycle Meet, but they were on because already by that point
(about 9 months of riding) I'd learned that I fell a lot less when I had
them on.
Why fall less with the pads on? I don't know, but I know it was true. Or
maybe I just didn't remember so many falls with them on? No, because my
pads and gloves stayed pretty clean in those days of street riding. It's
just Murphy's law. If you own pads and take them off, that's when you're
most likely to fall and scrape yourself up.
Today I wear a helmet and gloves for my Coker rides to work. I seldom
dismount, so forego the kneepads. When riding trails however, there is
always something on my knees, hands and head. I have three levels of
kneepad:
1. Volleyball kneepads, which are ultra light, comfortable, and fit the
minimum requirement for unicycle competition. These are great for racing
(except on rough terrain), but offer minimal protection in a crash.
2. Plastic hard-shell kneepads. These are also fairly light, and can be
worn for quite a while before they start wearing holes in my knees. Good
for general riding on rough terrain.
3. Roach leg armor. Good for any extreme terrain, or when trying new
things. Yes they're a little hotter and chafe a little more, but they
have protected me and that's worth it.
I always keep the palms covered, because I hate scraping up my palms.
Also they protect my hands from all that seat holding and resting my
weight on them.
And as for the head, I prefer not taking a chance on a brain injury.
Plus my helmets are comfortable, and protect my wide expanse of scalp
from the sun. My head will sweat anyway, so what if the helmet makes it
sweat slightly more?
--
johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com"
www.unicycling.com
"Beer me." -- Scot Cooper, at the end of a group ride all the way up and
all the way down Mt. Diablo (3300'), a 20 mile round trip of road and
trail.
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