Justin Boivin Posted April 19, 2020 Share Posted April 19, 2020 There are a lot of factors that go into wobbling, but from personal experience, it just goes away as you ride more. I think it just has to do with the tiny unconscious balance adjustments your body has to make; I think a lot of it just has to do with developing a few new muscle fibers/nervous system connections that we would normally not use in daily life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charg1na Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 I am reading this thread with a lot of interest. I am a newbie and do experience wobble - only 150km so far riding. Could anyone help with defining what a good stance is? I read about beginers stance, advanced stance etc... but not sure what this actually looks like. Thanks in advance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrelwood Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 (edited) 38 minutes ago, Charg1na said: what a good stance is? I read about beginers stance Beginners often stand too far back and squeeze the wheel as if their life depended on it. Both can cause wobbles. Basically wobbles tell you that you are going too fast to your skills, of which stance is a part of. Cut your toes off and only then center your foot on the pedal. (Glue toes back on if necessary.) You can caress the wheel, but don’t squeeze. It’s very important to do everything you can to aid learning to relax your legs. The rest is a free field. Offset stance, duck foot, parallel feet, etc. Whatever feels comfortable and relaxed to you. You can of course (and probably will) change it up later on. Edited July 15, 2023 by mrelwood 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woke rider Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 The best thing about speed wobbles is that they usually go away on their own as you gain more riding experience. For me wobbles are not something that I consciously can improve, except to slow down to make them go away. But then, the very next day the wobbles go away on their own. Fatigue can cause wobbles. Take a break and come back to it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charg1na Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Thanks for the ideas. What is - off set stance, duck foot stance. I found that having my legs/knees/calves not "hug" the wheel, it just flopped around (pendulum type - left and right) and created more wobble. I have also read about "relaxed ankles" but no idea what this is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woke rider Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Hopefully, @Charg1na you will gain experience in a multitude of stance's so that you can accomplish the same maneuver with either foot. Don't get caught up in strange sounding stances, actually it's safer for you to be able to change your feet positions as you desire for better maneuverability. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charg1na Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Im sure it will. Just not sure what they actually are - the definitions for the stances. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woke rider Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Me neither, but the one stance that I believe actually is a stance and is central to riding and learning is having one foot a little forward, and the other foot back, so that your feet are not even with each other. There is something about riding a unicycle that's makes this a real stance. But I can ride with my feet even now without a problem, yet I always have the best riding experience with my feet off set rather than even. Most riders would agree with this, I believe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charg1na Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 Cool, thanks for taking the time help and explain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woke rider Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 You're welcome, it's fun to help others along. If you squeeze the unicycle with both of your calves then you might be able to stop a wobble and go faster. Be safe. Don't get hurt trying to go to fast to soon before you think you are ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punxatawneyjoe Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 33 minutes ago, Charg1na said: What is - off set stance, duck foot stance Off set is one foot more forward than the other, duck foot i assume is heels in and toes outward like this \ /. As @mrelwoodstated, you have to learn to relax your legs and not hug the wheel. Balance side to side is maintained by the pressure of your feet on the pedals. Also as @earthtwin said, fatigue can cause them so if you are feeling fatigued then take a break and try again later. It's difficult not to be nervous going fast on a wheel for the first few times so most people tense up their legs and that can cause the problem but you will get used to it over time and become more relaxed. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrelwood Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 @Punxatawneyjoe, those were exactly what I meant, thanks. If the wobbles happen at some point anyway and relaxing your legs doesn’t get rid of them, carve. Lean into the wheel with one leg only and turn, side to side unless there’s room to turn tightly and really change direction. Wobble is a resonance, and any one sided damping of a resonance is pretty good at killing it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcgldr Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 2 hours ago, mrelwood said: @Punxatawneyjoe, those were exactly what I meant, thanks. wobbles ... carve. This not a good idea on a bumpy surface. Turning on a bumpy surface can trigger or worsen wobbles due to the cycling of vertical load affecting lateral load. Suspension EUCs will reduce this effect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 It's natural to wobble at beginning. (Especially if you accelerate and brake fast.) Anything under 1000km ridden you count as beginner. Lowering tire PSI can help decreasing wobbles. (I'm 280lbs and rode 28psi. Anything over 28psi made me wobble almost every time i rode. Around/under 28psi - no wobbles. Find your weight/psi ideal point.) I personally could not ride anything over 28psi for first ~300km.. After the 300km ridden mark - i was used to ridding already and could ride what ever PSI i wanted. Also try riding like this ~~~~~left~~~~~right~~~~~. Don't go completely in straight line ----------- that increases the probability to get wobbles. Even little bit of shifting weight to right/left are good enough. Take your arms length (or half length) and ride left/right in that distance, when you're going on somewhat straight path. Ride at least 200-500km and all these "problems" will disappear. (Also riding/learning off-road, not completely smooth ground - increases the speed you learn.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charg1na Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 Thanks everyone for a lot more detailed info. I’m on about 32psi. Will lower it. Trying to find all this info is hard and appreciate you being so kind to a newbie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charg1na Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 (edited) So i went for a 30km wheel today. Much more relaxed legs and an offset stance Eg right foot further forward than the left. I actually used my right calf resting on the pads and this was a great outcome almost zero wobble. Thanks everyone for the help. Edited July 16, 2023 by Charg1na 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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