zippy Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 I learnt the unicycle when i was about 9 or 10 yr old took me a couple of months to get properly compitant at it and im sure it has helped with my balance. Also a good one is rock climbing as it involves a lot of weight shifting and balance (believe it or not) also good for building up strength in muscles that don't usually get a workout. ROCK CLIMBING!!???? You trying to kill me. That sounds like a HUGE amount of work. But now that you mention it, Rock Climbing would definitely work the core muscles which I think are very important to balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beta_trials Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 Here is how well i have gotten with my balance however there is always room for improvement. Great to practice on these winter days when you just absolutely cant go ride. quite fun really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 Here is how well i have gotten with my balance however there is always room for improvement. Great to practice on these winter days when you just absolutely cant go ride. quite fun really. That is good, now can you consume beer without spilling, transfer to a sitting position? Kicksart the bike? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chriswms Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 Here is how well i have gotten with my balance however there is always room for improvement. Great to practice on these winter days when you just absolutely cant go ride. quite fun really. Fair Play that is good "now can you consume beer without spilling, transfer to a sitting position? Kicksart the bike?" Would that be Pint or half ? Merry Christmas everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowershall Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 Wow! You get some terrific glue these days! What do you use to prise the tyres off the floor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beta_trials Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) Fair Play that is good "now can you consume beer without spilling, transfer to a sitting position? Kicksart the bike?" Would that be Pint or half ? Merry Christmas everyone Wow! You get some terrific glue these days! What do you use to prise the tyres off the floor? Eh usually it takes a heavy duty bulldozer or large crane can usually do the trick or my Kubota tractor every once in a while. Chris yes actuall i can do all those things except i dont drink beer. im not old enough to. Mountain Dew and Pepsi in pints hell yeah. Though it does teach you a whole new dynamic of balancing whilst looking at the ceiling. Edited January 25, 2011 by beta_trials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandalf Posted January 27, 2011 Report Share Posted January 27, 2011 My question for you is... does age matter? Can you learn perfect balance if one is middle age? Thanks for the tips on riding the unicycle. I saw a few small videos on YouTube. There is one young fellow who is quite good at explaining the basics... how to mount (same as you said) and to take it real slow. Just sit there and rock one leg and then the other for 10 minutes at a time. Your tip to use the walls of the house is great. BTW: That guy on YouTube... his first tip: get a bicycle helmet and wrist/palm bands because you will go down and often. Does age matter? I am an aged novice(54)- started riding trials a few years ago after a 30 year break in any motorcycling. I try not to ride below 20F so much of the Alaskan winter I practice balance, no engine, in my garage. Balance is something that diminishes with age so I like that I am reversing that trend with this practice. Balancing indoors is not close to real riding, but ANY time on pegs is better than nothing. This is what I have learned- Drop the pressure in you tires when you first start, add air as you improve. Dont get into the habit of staring at the front wheel. Pay attention to your posture- as a newbie I am stiff on a bike- I work on stance, keeping shoulders 90 degrees from tire balance points, move around on the pegs. By doing this I have increased the time I can spend on the bike without getting a sore back! After you get the nack, add challanges like no hands, locking legs, elevating either wheel, extending legs for correction. Stabbing pegs to learn how bike reacts. After twenty minutes of balancing start exertion like hopping the suspension- good workout- good base for hopping. 'No engine' balance may sound like a waste of time, but I dont have much choice and it has allowed me a way to exercise and trials has become a major motivation for me to get in better shape. Hard to get too much practice at the basics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 (edited) Does age matter? I am an aged novice(54)- started riding trials a few years ago after a 30 year break in any motorcycling. I try not to ride below 20F so much of the Alaskan winter I practice balance, no engine, in my garage. Balance is something that diminishes with age so I like that I am reversing that trend with this practice. Balancing indoors is not close to real riding, but ANY time on pegs is better than nothing. This is what I have learned- Drop the pressure in you tires when you first start, add air as you improve. Dont get into the habit of staring at the front wheel. Pay attention to your posture- as a newbie I am stiff on a bike- I work on stance, keeping shoulders 90 degrees from tire balance points, move around on the pegs. By doing this I have increased the time I can spend on the bike without getting a sore back! After you get the nack, add challanges like no hands, locking legs, elevating either wheel, extending legs for correction. Stabbing pegs to learn how bike reacts. After twenty minutes of balancing start exertion like hopping the suspension- good workout- good base for hopping. 'No engine' balance may sound like a waste of time, but I dont have much choice and it has allowed me a way to exercise and trials has become a major motivation for me to get in better shape. Hard to get too much practice at the basics! All this is soo very true! You can also just sit on the bike with your toes in the front spokes,rocking the bike under you to maintain balance. Nothing special, but gives you the feel. Transitioning to the pegs from that stance is a challenge! Putting the front wheel up, onto , over of against something is next. A wall, log, whatever! Edited January 28, 2011 by copemech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trialsmotopat Posted January 28, 2011 Report Share Posted January 28, 2011 practice balance, no engine, in my garage. I gotta get out more (into the garage) and just simply do this too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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