Does anybody use a brake to help freemount??

My 24" Muni has a brake, but as a can barely ride it yet I'm not sure
why!! However I am wondering if somehow it could make learning to
freemount easier, and if so how?

Anybody useing a brake like this? Actually any feedback on brake's
would be appreciated (forwarned is forarmed as they say).

This is my Muni:


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I've not heard of people doing it (but then most people don't have a
brake on their learner uni!), but it may help. I used the "wedge a
rock/stick/kerb behind the wheel" technique when I was new to
freemounting, so perhaps holding the brake on may do a similar thing
(lets you step on the pedal harder as you jump up without the wheel
shooting backwards). Worth a try - but before long you'll get used to
doing it properly anyway.

Rob


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Anybody useing a brake like this? Actually any feedback on brake's would
be appreciated (forwarned is forarmed as they say).



I didnt ever feel like needing something like that, but if you think
that it makes learning easier.


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Splodge;1128601 wrote:
My 24" Muni has a brake, but ... yet I'm not sure why!!


Brake is for long downhills. You apply it just barely to save your leg
muscles from applying back pressure on the pedals.

Some (very few) use brakes for quick stopping, but that takes more
skill.


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Until you can easily ride 400m or so, I do not really see the purpose in
learning to freemount. If you miss your mount attempt, was it due to a
bad mount or due to the inability to ride away? See the point? When
you get to the point where you can easily ride around, then work on the
mounts

Also, I can not see a point in using a brake for the mount. If you did
a jump mount, then hopped around a bit, then perhaps, but if you're
still learning, probably not your best option.

On my muni, i only use the brake on steep downhills, where it provides
a feeling of much more control. On the 36'er, it's nice for those long
downhills to alleviate that feeling that you might get going too fast.


Good luck and just stick at it, you'll get it.


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I use the brake to freemount on really steep downhills - if you can't
get on without spinning out then a brake is the only way to mount.

But I can't see it being all that useful for learning to freemount. I
know when I first learnt freemounts, I had to stick my arms out for
balance still.

Joe


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I only have a brake on my now deceased 36 (RIP 36er). The brake does
help mounting on steep down-slopes but I found it would throw me off on
regular mounts.

It might be different on smaller wheels but I can't see a brake helping
much for a free-mount on flat as it throws off your rhythm if you are
not used to the change in resistance.

I think of brakes as hill flatteners. Ups are still ups but you can
effectively flatten out the downs to make them more manageable and keep
more control while going faster.


As for when to learn to freemount, Learn whenever you feel like
learning. I started trying to freemount once I could get about 3
rotations about 1/3 of the time. Some learn to free-mount before they
can ride comfortably others learn after, some don't learn at all.


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The earlier you can learn to freemount the better, if you ask me.

Once you can go a few meters, learn to freemount. It's a pain in the
ass to have to walk back to a wall or something every time you want to
mount.

A brake could be used but probably won't help you learn any faster.


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Wow that Onza 24 was my first MUni! It is what I learned to freemount
on! Yours is a beauty! I had a brake on it too but never used it to
freemount. It is funny though because when I was in the Lebanese war
tons of fellow soldiers would try to mount it and they all clasped the
break for dear life!

Interesting what Joemarshall says. I always though that it was really
cool mounting on steep downhills and putting all my weight on the back
pedal as a counterbalance! I never needed a brake. Mater of fact I have
removed my break and don't use one at all any more When doing MUni. I
still do have a brake on my KH29 but I rarely ride that unicycle.

Good Luck!

Unicorn


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I have a 29" unicycle with a brake. I can freemount it easily if I don't
use the brake. For fun, I have tried to freemount when applying the
brake. I can't. (I must admit I haven't practiced, just tried a few
times.)

I can also easily mount using a pole, and holding the tyre with the
other hand. It's much harder to mount using a pole and pulling the brake
as opposed to holding the tyre to hold the wheel.

My conclusion would be that a brake doesn't help in freemounting. It
might be different for a beginner but I doubt it. The reason (I think)
is that you automatically control the wheel during a mount (freemount or
polemount), but you can't do that when the brake is applied.


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