How to Offroad?

[Adam.]

Hey all

I'm reasonably confident on my V8 on paved surfaces but I dont know how I should practice offroading. Is there a certain practice routine that is recommended? As soon as I transition from paved to grass I instantly just bump all over the place.

[Flying W]

I'm not too much of a fan of grass but if you can find a dirt road or trail it's a lot of fun. 

It's basically the same thing with the only differences being a larger bend in the knees and choosing a line since the terrain is always changing. 

Most of my rides are a mix of pavement and dirt. 

[LanghamP]

Nothing makes you a better rider quicker. I do suggest wearing a helmet especially if you go on grass fields as invisible holes will dump you.

[meepmeepmayer]

Strange question By... riding offroad?

Though the V8 might not be the most stable/easy wheel for this because it's so thin and sensitive to input, compared to wider wheels which give much better leverage from pedal contact alone (as opposed to having to grip the wheel).

Some ideas:

* Don't grip the wheel. The more a EUC bucks, the more you need to let it do what it does. Be as relaxed and in as minimal contact as possible. This is very unintuitive, normally the more it struggles against you, the more forceful you'll want to grip it. But don't. Try to let it rumble below you without that being transmitted to your body (bent knees, relaxed stance, etc). It will automatically follow you. As said, letting go like this might be extra hard on the V8.

* No grass! Dirt road or offroad trail instead. Grass is much more bumpy, uneven, treachery. Grass is evil. Avoid it and see it as the final boss of offroading.

If you're afraid of falling, wear more gear and pad up the wheel better (and no leash or anything distracting you, like trying to grab it in a run-off, just run off yourself and get away from the wheel to protect your shins and let it fall over). But there's no excuse to ride on grass other than when you actually want to try riding on grass.

A relaxed and unafraid rider is a better rider. So if you argue you need to be better offroad, this is how (and practice, of course).

Actually there isn't much difference between riding on- and offroad, all you need to know: the more bumpy it ist, the more you need to let the wheel go so unwanted movement gets dampened away instead of amplified from gripping too hard. Same as with speed wobbles.

[wehey]

I do all of my riding off-road.

Just go for it but expect to have a few falls 😀 I usually have an "incident" on an average of 50% of my rides. Most involve catching the footplates on random objects, roots, rocks, etc 

[Adam.]

Damn I didn't know grass is the final boss. I think I got about 20 feet before falling. Plan on getting a cover for it so I won't bang it up any more than it already is so I'll check out some trails!

[RockyTop]

On 12/23/2018 at 6:30 AM, wehey said:

I do all of my riding off-road.

Just go for it but expect to have a few falls 😀 I usually have an "incident" on an average of 50% of my rides. Most involve catching the footplates on random objects, roots, rocks, etc 

  I crash about 100% of the time when riding off road. I like to have a constant reminder of how much fun I had the previous day. 

  Riding off road on mountain bike trails or even old dirt roads really does improve your skills and give you a workout. 

[Flying W]

I went on astro turf today for the 1st time. It was horrible, wheel had a hard time twisting so it would just lean and go straight. 

Dirt trails are great though. Out in nature, no cars, quiet and like RockyTop said a darn good workout!

[Gaz Bon]

As with most things the more you do it the better you get, Kit up ,bend knees and pick your route as the terrain dictates and maybe lower yr tyre pressure to help absorb a few of the bumbs and enjoy the ride as im sure you will 

[LanghamP]

On 12/24/2018 at 12:51 PM, RockyTop said:

  I crash about 100% of the time when riding off road. I like to have a constant reminder of how much fun I had the previous day. 

  Riding off road on mountain bike trails or even old dirt roads really does improve your skills and give you a workout. 

Well, technically off road means not on a road, which precludes trails and dirt roads. The op did specify off road.

In my opinion, fields and such are considerably harder than trails and such because of the inability to see ahead. One has the ludicrous idea of inventing some sort of rolling cane that you can push in from of you so you can detect those drops.

[RockyTop]

10 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

Well, technically off road means not on a road, which precludes trails and dirt roads. The op did specify off road.

In my opinion, fields and such are considerably harder than trails and such because of the inability to see ahead. One has the ludicrous idea of inventing some sort of rolling cane that you can push in from of you so you can detect those drops.

Ah! Man! .... This really throws a wrench in things. I will have to tell my Jeep friends we have been doing it all wrong!  Don't worry I will get Petersen's guy's straitened out.  Mountain bike trail = road .......... Got it! 

[LanghamP]

14 hours ago, RockyTop said:

Ah! Man! .... This really throws a wrench in things. I will have to tell my Jeep friends we have been doing it all wrong!  Don't worry I will get Petersen's guy's straitened out.  Mountain bike trail = road .......... Got it! 

Well, it might not be incorrect nomenclature if the majority of people use a term differently than professionals.

An example of opposite nomenclature is the term "theory". Most people use theory as the lowest form of logical thinking ("that's just your theory") whereas scientist use the word theory as the highest form of fit, having been proved with both observed facts and predicted behavior.

Off-road is probably one of those terms (I used to make maps for the Div of Tourism) that has very different meanings according to who you are. There's terms like unimproved trails, rough trails, and so on to denote the type of trail or road while leaving "off-road" to mean everything else that isn't regularly used by people and vehicles.

Anyway, jeeps aren't anywhere near to being off-road vehicles; for that you need to go to tracked vehicles.

[Smoother]

Off "paved surfaces"?  just go for it and try not to jump off the first time your wheel hiccups a bit.  The more you do it the more techniques you will develop.  Keep your speed down initially.  Walking it off is a lot better than a face plant.  Experience is everything, and you get that experience by practicing.  Obviously, scan your immediate route and "draw" a line that weaves past the worst obstacles.  You should be a proficient rider to take on off "pavement".

As an example my first off pavement trip was 15 feet over gravel, rocks.  Freaked me out.  Now, there is no where I won't try to ride, unless its impossible such as deep mud, etc. Pracice practice practice.

[RockyTop]

55 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

(I used to make maps for the Div of Tourism)

Cool!     Back in the day I organized volunteers to repair government trails. (Wash outs, retaining structures and creek crossings.)

[LanghamP]

1 hour ago, RockyTop said:

Cool!     Back in the day I organized volunteers to repair government trails. (Wash outs, retaining structures and creek crossings.)

I was initially surprised at the costs involved in making any sort of road.

It'd be something like 1.5 million for a single mile of unpaved narrow tracked trail, or something ludicrously expensive. I think a mile of road for cars is something like 1.5 to 2.5 million. 1/10 the road for half the cost?

I'd never heard of a drop test, whereby you drop steel balls into the concrete in order to make sure the contractor did not use too little cement. And these contractors would always fail. Always.

Depressingly, that means much more than 90% of houses have poor concrete foundations due to the contractor doing the least amount they can get away with, and indeed whenever I've looked at houses 100% of them have poor foundations once you know what to look for.

[BarrettJ]

45 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

indeed whenever I've looked at houses 100% of them have poor foundations once you know what to look for

As someone who literally just had their foundation poured last week - any tips on what to look for?

[Smoother]

4 minutes ago, BarrettJ said:

As someone who literally just had their foundation poured last week - any tips on what to look for?

A new foundation, apparently  

WAIT. Who's pouring cement in Wisconsin, in December?  Isn' t it too cold for that?

[BarrettJ]

7 minutes ago, Smoother said:

WAIT. Who's pouring cement in Wisconsin, in December?  Isn' t it too cold for that?

Apparently they use a different method, I don't remember the exact details (that was one of our questions when we first started investigating building, too) but they don't slow down building season at all in winter here (edit: they're currently building a brand new high school across the street from our current apartment and they haven't slowed down one bit - it's actually been a kinda mild winter so far, which has been nice, too - hasn't reach the teens (F) at all).

[Smoother]

" insulation blankets or heated enclosures to maintain concrete temperatures above 50° degrees Fahrenheit for three to seven days."

is what Tinternet said.  Did you see insulation blankets of heated enclosures in use?

[BarrettJ]

Not when I was there, but I was there during mid day (mid 40 degrees F)

[Demargon]

I love to ride off road almost with any wheel machine, bicycle, motorcycle, classic monocycle ... My father taught me to love him and gave me some invaluable lessons that are shared by many bikers. There are three fundamental points: vision, traction and space.

Vision: you have to look forward, far, near, and far again. Do not let an obstacle get your full attention, keep looking for the next obstacle. In the turns, take the outside and keep it until you see the next straight line. In blind curves there are clues like trees and other signs to know where the road is going. You have to reduce your speed when you can not see the road completely, like when dirty water covers it, fallen leaves, blind curves ...

Traction: The pilot has to do most of the damping work, which is one of the keys to having off-road traction, the goal is to keep the wheel on the ground while bumps push it in other directions, the most effective way to achieve this is to stabilize the upper body flexing the knees, not too relaxed or fully extended, maintaining a tension that allows flexibility but firmly transmits the weight of the pilot to the EUC. Otherwise you probably jump in the potholes or you can not reach a satisfactory speed. Choose carefully the path that has fewer obstacles, usually one of the car tracks if there are or if not the center, if you stick to the sides you will have trouble going fast. You will need more time to avoid obstacles since slowing or accelerating while changing direction usually causes the wheel to skid. The loss of grip can also end in a fall in case of aggressive acceleration in uneven terrain. In those cases you can maintain your balance until you recover traction or try to escape from the fall on foot. It is also essential to maintain traction between the parts of the driver that come into contact with the EUC, both the pedal and the sides. The pressure on these points, like the damping, must be firm but elastic.

Space: It is necessary that the road has space for the EUC, space for the pilot and two spaces of uncertainty, first to save a fall and second if it occurs. The higher the velocity, the greater the space of uncertainty or, what is the same, the less space of uncertainty requires a lower speed. Narrow roads, potholes, human or animal transit, blind turns, cliffs, trees and many others can drastically reduce your uncertainty space. Also keep an eye on the branches, brambles or cords that are at the height of the body, not just the ground. It is important to take into account the space of uncertainty of others when sharing the road.

Other tips are to drink plenty of water before a long route, bring inflator, cell phone, personal identification and pay attention to others, when we travel in nature we can depend on a fortuitous encounter to be helped or even rescued. But do not leave the track if it is not necessary, respect the flora and fauna is essential to continue enjoying this hobby, it will also slow you down and you can get a flat tyre easily. Also take care that your EUC does not suffer many blows, that is in good condition and with enough battery to return home.

[LanghamP]

4 hours ago, BarrettJ said:

As someone who literally just had their foundation poured last week - any tips on what to look for?

This is the ball drop test to ensure the concrete isn't too watered down (it always is).

http://www.oxfordcroquet.com/tech/bounce/index.asp

For used houses there's just two observations you need to do.

1. Check for cracks in walls running from, say, top corner of doors and windows since doors and windows make the house weaker.

2. The foundation itself has cracks, or is wavy, or otherwise has settled badly. Throw enough concrete into a pit and you never ever have to worry about that. A fellow employee at DOT told me me reckoned house contractors used 1/2 to 1/4 the concrete they should be using. When he built his house he actually put in a drop test into the contract...a modest drop test they failed five (!) times.

An easy way to get practice looking at poorly constructed foundation is to simply walk around your neighborhood and find cracked and settling sidewalks. They usually fall into the "too thin" category.

[Demargon]

Off road equipment:
The ideal is to adapt it to our way of driving and the terrain conditions that we will find. The main thing is to protect the extremities since they are our main tool to avoid problems.
The feet: you have to think that while they support our weight they have to handle the changes of direction and endure the impact of each pothole. They are also the first to touch ground in a fall, all the inertia falls on them to start slowing down and if they can not stop it, they usually receive subsequent blows when dragging or rolling on the ground. For this reason it is important to choose a resistant and comfortable footwear, it is better to stay a bit big to be fully adjusted, avoid too soft materials and use the most suitable for the weather during the route.
The legs: as a general rule all skin must be protected unless it prevents the perception with one of our senses. Legs are no exception and long pants should always be worn. It also suits that it is of a size a little big because it creates an air chamber that protects from the weather, allows to use a second pair of pants underneath that can serve as a padding, allows to carry the hidden protections, and in case of blow offers more resistance to tear and friction. Many wear knee pads, but ankle boots, shin guards and hip loops are rarer, they can be used as long as they do not impede the feel of the unicycle.
The torso and the arms: Like the legs, the totality of its skin should be protected at least from chafing. The chosen garment should also be a little loose so that it is more effective against abrasion, tears and weather, besides being able to use it on the protections or other clothes that we want to wear. The protections of elbows are often used, those of shoulders, chest and back much less.
The hands: The wearing of gloves, which do not leave skin exposed as much by the cold as by blows and chafing, greatly increases the confidence and comfort of the pilot. The hands have to be ready to solve any problem, it is important to be able to move them without fear of hitting branches and putting them before an obstacle or stopping a fall. Wearing skates is optional and does not replace gloves.
The head: The helmet is essential, it must be comfortable, of our taste and size, if something big is left it should be used with a shell or a similar garment that prevents it from moving. Always wear it tightly fastened, the strap should let a finger or two pass between it and the chin.
The eyes: It is a separate point to highlight its importance, since many times it is not necessary to pay attention, but if something affects them can drastically reduce the rest of our capabilities. It is therefore important to wear glasses, usually undyed to be used under the shade of trees, at night or with rain, snow ... The visor that can include some helmets or can be a cap under the helmet is used to protect from the sun, the land that other vehicles lift and the rain. But also prevents the vision of what is on top of our heads, added to the increase in height raised to the unicycle can end in blows with low branches.
When choosing the equipment, keep in mind that you are adding weight to your body, it reduces your capacity of reaction and reduces the autonomy of the MCE.