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Learning how to Ride AirWheel Crash Course!


Simon Tay

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Posted

One very important concept that helped me to learn when I first started out was that when I start falling towards one direction, for example to the left, then I need to turn and/or twist towards the left.  In other words, try to turn TOWARDS the direction you are falling.  Before I learned this I was having a lot of trouble because if I was falling left I would try to turn right which is the exact opposite of what should be done.  This phenomenon of having to turn towards the side you're falling towards is also similar to when riding a bicycle really slowly.

  • 2 months later...
Posted

Skateboard wrist protectors are the only piece of safety equipment that has actually saved me any minor injuries so far, though I would definitely use a helmet when practising going backwards for the first few times. 

Posted

Countersteering

One thing that is not immediately obvious is, that when going in a straight line; to quickly turn to the right you must first steer left!

This doesn't seem to make sense but it is the same with a motorbike or pushbike: To turn right you must lean to the right, so the wheel(s) must be to the left of you.

This gets you to the point that arbee talks about above, you are then leaning in the direction you must steer.

The process is that you turn briefly in the opposite direction to the one you want to turn in and then almost immediately turn in the direction you do want to turn in. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering

For those that believe you simply lean see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PbmXxwKbmA - the physics is the same.

As an engineer who rides a 1200cc motorbike; I was embarassed to realise that the reason that I was twisted into a corkscrew and still going towards a ditch was that I had forgotten one of the basics.

I now practice by going in a straight line at a medium speed and dodging leaves or potholes. I quickly flick my toes to "initiate the turn" and then steer the other way round the obstacle.

I'm only 1 week in to my unicycling - more tips and tricks, dos and don'ts needed from the old hands :)

Posted

I disagree strongly with the advise that most EU's give on holding the training belt.  Hell when I started I needed my arms to flail about like a banshee in order to keep my balance.

 

With this in mind I adjusted the training belt to give me about 2"-3" of slack when I was standing on the wheel with it fastened around my trouser belt.  This held the unit reasonably upright and stopped it from crashing and yet still left my arms to flail.  Only down side is it tends to be a slight hazard to your ankles but you soon learn to avoid it.

 

Although I don't strictly need a belt any-more I still use a leash off of my ski boards which is made of 1" webbing, clips around the handle and I've added a small carabiner to the end to clip to my belt.

 

Personally I think this is just a sensible precaution to protect passers by from a heavy wheel ploughing into them.  It'll only take one child or OAP to be injured for the government to come down hard with legislation against EU's.

  • 1 year later...

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