Sports & Fitness Learn to unicycle Parramatta

Discussion in 'Living Room' started by Gockie, 23rd Jul, 2017.

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  1. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    I attended a Burramatta NAIDOC week cycling event in Parramatta 2 weeks ago, and at the event it was advertised that a group called Addvantageous runs free weekly learn to unicycle events on Friday afternoons between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. I went on Friday and it was good. Well structured learning, and to tell the truth, I was previously under the impression unicycling was extremely difficult to learn, but now I think it's doable. It just takes hours of practise.

    They've been running it for over a year now.

    The best thing.... these sessions are free!! :)
    It's on the banks of the Parramatta River at Smith St. It's mostly kids doing it but adults can too.

    For anybody who has mastered unicycling, and wants a new challenge, they have unicycle hockey games too.

    I spoke with Charlene who runs the events. At some point in time they may move the sessions to Parramatta YMCA (and it will cost money to do it there). In the meantime, it's on the banks of the Parramatta River. Just wear comfortable clothing. Helmet and unicycles supplied.

    BTW, it's a good quad workout. I did it for about 40 minutes for my first session (learning by riding next to a carpark fence for support) and I can feel the effects on my quads today (and last night). :)

    Addventageous
     
    Last edited: 23rd Jul, 2017
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  2. TwoDogs

    TwoDogs Well-Known Member

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    Or, if you are Sydney north shore way, look up:

    North Shore Unicycling

    Every Thursday. Nice bunch, good with kids too.

    Ditto comments above, best and quickest way to learn is with a friend.
     
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  3. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    Awesome! I've just joined their Facebook page. Thanks @TwoDogs
     
  4. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    Update:
    I've now done 4 sessions and making a lot of progress! Not yet riding unassisted, but I'm well on the way. :)
     
  5. TwoDogs

    TwoDogs Well-Known Member

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    Well done, that's fantastic. Been there myself not so long ago. Best tip I can give for you now is to loose the assistance as soon as possible. You cannot ride a unicycle until the body just does it on instinct, and while there is a fence, a wall or a friend to grab onto, that will never happen.

    Learn the basics of where to look and how to sit, flap the arms, keep peddling and just go for it. Falling or stepping off is normal and part of riding. At first just ride away from the fence and each time you will go a little further and learn how to stay on as you go. You can learn how to peddle leaning on a fence, but you can't learn how to ride.

    If you have read Douglas Adam's Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, he described how he learnt to fly. The secret of flying is to fall over and miss the ground. Not dissimilar to riding a unicycle.
     
  6. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    Thanks @TwoDogs. What I got up to with the last session was riding but with the fence, along every section (which is maybe 2.2 or 2.4m wide), selecting a pole to touch, once in the middle and once at the end. A good way to focus. Full weight on the unicycle.
    Once I get this then I'll be able to ride fenceless. Then the next task is learning to turn!
     
    Last edited: 12th Aug, 2017
  7. EN710

    EN710 Well-Known Member

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    Wow!!

    Can you teach me how to first properly ride a normal bike? :confused:
     
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  8. Mooze

    Mooze Well-Known Member

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    When we were running mountain bike events we had a couple of unicyclists enter our 50 and 100k events. Mountain bike unicycling. Crazy
     
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  9. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    Can you balance on a kids scooter?
     
  10. EN710

    EN710 Well-Known Member

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    ... never try but I think I can... if I fit on kids scooter?
     
  11. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    Hehehe (there is an answer)
    image.jpeg
    A Tire. Lol

    Try riding a manual scooter for a few weeks, then get on a bike, coast down a hill. To go on flat surfaces then just start to peddle!
    I suppose you could try training wheels but I don't think they come on adult bikes.
     
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  12. TwoDogs

    TwoDogs Well-Known Member

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    Don't sweat over turns same as riding straight, just look where you want to go, that means not at the ground :eek: Basic turns are just a like a bicycle. A did a practice video with my new GoPro doing some turns on the street on my first unicycle



    These are done a little fast as faster can feel more stable, and I was panicking that if I fell the GoPro would suffer.... Better practice is doing them slow, tight and turning more with hips than leaning the uni like is done in the video.

    After learning to ride, the next really big challenge is free mounting. I still have the bruises.
     
  13. Blacky

    Blacky Well-Known Member

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    I read this thread hoping to see pics of bruises, cuts or stitches.

    I can't say I don't feel let down.

    Sounds like barefoot water skiing.
    We have a saying 'look down fall down'.
    Or in other words - if you see your feet... you're f...ed.

    Blacky
     
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  14. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    I got loads of bruises doing trapeze, aerial tissue and pole.

    From volleyball I got stacks of bruises on my arms when I got back into the sport at uni. And loads of major ankle sprains.

    Unicycling-wise, the lady managing the Friday night unicycling at Parramatta says as a beginner she got bruises on her inner thighs by squeezing the seat with her legs tightly.

    Me so far... Whenever I've come off the unicycle, I've only fallen onto my feet. No bruises. :)
     
  15. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    So its 9 weeks since I've started, practising only around 40 minutes to an hour each week. I'm now able to ride lengths of 25m or longer without touching anything! Feels awesome. Just like the feeling of standing up on a surfboard and riding waves. :)
     
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  16. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    So, its now just under 10 weeks since I've started, i'm now feeling decently good on the unicycle. Probably 1 or 2 more hours and I'll be completely relaxed. :)

    For anybody wanting to give it a go, I'll say the first 10 hours are the hardest. Then it becomes fun :)
     
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  17. RetireRich101

    RetireRich101 Well-Known Member

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    Speaking of bikes... there are shares bikes (oBikes) every where in the Sydney CBD

    anyone using them?
    They're unchained but are pedal locked and GPS tracked..surely people can dump them in a van, and dismount the gps
     
  18. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    Well, I went to do my usual Friday afternoon routine - head down to the river and unicycle. But the unicyclists aren't there!
    Turns out the main guy had a unicycling accident (not sure if he was doing some sort of trick but I'll assume so) and he broke some ribs and a collarbone.... whoops!

    Very disappointing cause the uninats (basically a huge unicycling gathering) is coming up next weekend! :eek::oops:
     
  19. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    And Omg. I can now do it!!! Able to ride 150m or so and go in the direction I want to :)

    The guy who broke some bones texted me to say congrats cause he heard I could now ride. I asked him about his accident he was doing some practice for trials - forward hopping onto a beam but he didn't quite jump high enough in this instance...
     
  20. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    Next challenge: to find out if I can ride ok with slight hills.
    I won't worry about free mounting for now... I heard it takes a lot of practise.