How To Free Mount 6 ft Giraffe Unicycle
Vložit
- čas přidán 17. 10. 2012
- In this video you will see my method for free mounting a six foot tall unicycle - also known as a "giraffe" in the unicycle community.
This video also includes failed attempts with commentary.
My unicycle was custom made by Tom Miller at the Unicycle Factory. He makes fabulous unicycles and bikes to customer specifications. They are high quality and you will see them used in famous circuses. Tom is into making unicycles - not websites, but the contact info can be found at: sillycycle.com/unicycle_factory/
I shot the video with my GoPro Hero2 camera. They are AWESOME and I highly recommend GoPro products!
A great resource to buy unicycles on-line: www.unicycle.com
I loose hours of my life drifting through their site!
This video shows you my method for mounting a giraffe. You need to decide if this method is best for you. - Sport
I'm a unicyclist from France, this is very nice, thank you for this show !
Hi Lois Spiegel, So happy you like the video. Do you have a giraffe now or are you thinking about getting one? They are wonderful and I hope you learn to ride one. Take care and keep me posted. Have a nice day, Greg
Thanks for your feedback. Hope it helps!
Have fun,
Greg
You're the most awesome brother-in-law! You're the OG giraffe mounting instructor.
KIM! Thanks for the support. Unicycling is one of my true passions and the more people who unicycle the happier the world will be! Love you, Greg
I have been so curious to see someone get on one of these. Thank you for making this!
Thanks illa illa for your comment! Glad I could solve that mystery for you. ;-) Have a wonderful day, Greg
Hello ! This video inspired me one year ago when I bought my first 20" unicycle. Now I'm on a 5' giraffe I bought a few days ago from a circus and it's so much fun ! I repeat your movements handling a fence and I already can reach the second pedal ( but not the saddle yet ! ) without the fence. I guess I have a lot of training to do before doing a confident free mount like you do but I'm not in a rush !
I hope the next year ( or before ? ) I'll find someone who can sell me a nice 7' where I live.
I recommend mastering the idling on the 20" before trying the giraffe : I knew how to idle on the giraffe before I even was able to roll so it helps me a lot !
Alexandre! Thanks for your post! Glad this video has been part of your unicycle journey. When I started to ride my giraffe I used a ladder to get on - for the longest time. It took me a some time and practice before I could free mount. Even today I fail more times than I succeed until I get warmed up and well practiced. The first time you do it feels incredible. I still remember that feeling. Good luck and please keep posting updates! Have fun, Greg
Hello Alexandre, just checking in since your post one year ago. Did you learn to free mount your giraffe? Thanks for posting your progress. Have fun, Greg
@@Greg-letsdothis Hello ! Sadly where I live, in France, I had ( and still have, though ) a lot of freedom privations according to the Covid19 disease. So I just didn't had the right to practise ! I get more confident anyway because I became a criminal doing illegal things that represents a severe menace to the society such as unicycling, but I still can't mount the giraffe without a fence or a pole.
I can do some backward slalom on the 20" now.
@@alexandrechatty5439 Great to hear back from you! "Damn Covid!" it has impacted our lives in so many ways. It is great that unicycle will always be there for us to provide a fun getaway and challenge. One never stops learning and building skills with a unicycle. In the US things are finally getting better. In my home town they removed the mask mandate this week. If feels strange after nearly 2 years. 2022 is going to be a great year! Good Luck!
Thanks for the video Greg. I just bought a 5ft giraffe and I will try free mounting soon.
Awesome David H! Please post your progress here. I used a step ladder to get on top of my giraffe in the beginning. Just rode around a lot to get comfortable on the tall unicycle before I started to learn the free mount. You can do it!
Jerry, It is important you feel comfortable on a standard unicycle first. Idling is not required, however it is a good skill to practice. Unicycling is a constant learning process / challenge. Enjoy!
I learned to ride....free mount at 50 yrs of age. I'm 5' 6" so wasn't to hard. i got a 5' 6" giraffe for my birthday. still havnt got on it. why I thought you had to idle and go backwards before you try it....guess not. your video said ride it before you free mount...ok. oh I did ride it about 15 feet jumped off and killed my heels on my feet. what kind of shoe is good? I can answer that.....lots of padding right. I'll subsribe to your channel. i'm gonna need some help. ps want to be in the parade for the 4th of july....2017
Hey Brent, just saw your post. Today is 4th of July 2017. Hope you can now ride and rode in the parade.
Keep me posted!
I appreciated your mishaps and honesty, I myself just learning a 36”. Great video
Hi Noel, thanks for your comments. Congrats on the 36"! your turn to make a video. Love to see that. Have a wonderful day, Greg
That looks like great fun, could not imagine freemount a giraffe untill I saw this :D
Thanks for your post Pontus K. It is really rewarding to lean this skill. Hope you give it a go! Please keep us posted on your progress. ;-) Have fun, Greg
Thanks for showing it in slow motion, I can't wait to try this!
WilloftheNinja, thanks for the post and I am glad you like the slow motion edits. Post again with your progress if you would. Have a nice day, Greg
@@Greg-letsdothis Thanks! It took 2 hours and causing most of my body to ache, but I finally did it!
@@WilloftheNinja Well that is fantastic news! Great job. Feels amazing to accomplish that skill! Thanks for sharing, Greg
Where were u in 1980 lol.
Thanks for the video very cool. As a junior high student I had to find a tree or sign to mount!
Hey @mikemartinez7306, In the 1980's I was in High School. I started riding a unicycle as an adult when I was in a stressful job and need a distraction to have better work / life balance. I thought, I will learn something that I should have learned in grade school... how about the unicycle!". That is my story. What is your unicycling story?
Only decent tutorial on mounting a giraffe. Happy i watched it n now can finally mount successfully, may be it not everytime 🤣 but close now. Had mine for two days now n so much more fun than a standard size uni. Awesome video man thank you 👍
Wow Danny! Congratulations on your fast learning. It took me much longer than 2 days to learn to free mount that beast. Impressive. It is more fun to ride a giraffe than a standard size unicycle. Just rode mine on Monday morning. Gives you a feeling of accomplishment the rest of the day. Thanks for your kind words. Have a nice day!
Thanks. Just got a 6 footer and have been mounting off a raised flower bed.
Hello Anthony Ladd, hope you are enjoying your 6 footer. Good luck with the free mount. Post again on your progress and share any tips you learn with the uni. Thanks for posting.
Wow! Thanks very much. Excellent video! I didn't learn to ride until I was 44 but really enjoy it. Best of luck and thanks again.
Joseph, I learned to ride as an adult as well. It is a never ending journey with may small and large challenges to concur. Enjoy!
I just got my giraffe 5 footer on my 11th birthday and this was very helpful. I still need to get the mount right, but I can ride easily now.
Josh Hayes
Well Josh, it has been 8 months. Did you learn to free mount your giraffe? Enjoy!
So cool! I've been wanting one of these since I started to unicycle. Thanks for the great video!
So glad you enjoyed the video. The giraffe is amazing. So happy I purchased it years ago. It still gives me joy whenever I ride it. Hope you get one and successfully free mount it. Have a great day!
Its 3am and I should be sleeping but instead I'm watching a 9 year old video on how to get on a unicycle. Got to love the CZcams algorithm
Richie Johnson, the question is does CZcams know you have a unicycle? Or do you like silly circus acts? Hope you enjoyed the video and then fell soundly asleep. Have fun!
@@Greg-letsdothis I binge watched that guy go around the world a few years ago last week. Wich was pretty impressive to say the least . That's the crazy thing about CZcams I guess. There is so many videos about so many things that you couldn't watch them all if you tried. Thanks for the kind words
@@doctoribanez I do not know about this guy that went around the world. Sound like something I would enjoy. If it is not too much of a bother, could you give me more information so I could find it? Thanks for sharing more. Have a fun day and I hope you slept better last night. ;-)
Thanks for the great tutorial. My 10-year old daughter and I (48) are contemplating to buy a giraffe. I myself am still struggling with idling and riding backwards (jumping on flat surface no problem) whereas she has overtaken me by far in her technique.
Hi Metafly, did you ever buy your giraffe? Do you and your daughter still ride? Have fun, Greg
"The result is very gratifying." You bet! Really nicely done.
HI Prashanth! You listened to the full video. ;-). How are you doing with your unicycling? Hope you and your family are healthy at this crazy time.
Hi Greg, this is Prashanth. This is the account/channel with which I post my own unicycling videos. I like riding longer distances on my 36-er, but I'm also enjoying learning to ride backwards, with my 20" uni. Hope to learn to be able to learn other tricks too. While a giraffe isn't on my list right now, this is amazing, and loved how well you've demonstrated it :)
@@pchengi1786 Hey, I will check out your videos right away! Wow, the speed of a 36-er can be exciting. I have little 5 inch cranks on my 36 and have clocked in at 9 mph. Fast enough for me. ;-) Thanks for you kind comments on my instructional video. The giraffe was the last unicycle on my list too. It seemed a bit over the top and I was focused lower to the ground on my basic skills. Then one day I decided to get a giraffe and have no regrets. People love to see a giraffe and they are fun to ride. Good luck!
is it really easier to ride it than a standard unicycle?n
+Kareem Salomon
Hi Kareem, once you get past the fear of the height, it is easier to ride a tall unicycle. The reason is due to physics: angular momentum and moment of inertia. Try to balance a broom with the head in the air and handle in your hand. Switch between a broom with a long handle and a short handle. The long handle "resists" falling because it has a higher moment of inertia than a short handle broom. It is the same for a tall unicycle vs a short one. Now, the actual fall is a bit more "violent" with the taller the unicycle... ;-) The biggest challenge with a tall unicycle is the free mount and fear of falling. Both are skills you can overcome or accomplish with practice.
+Greg Caster thank you!
Hey, thanks for the video. I was like... Yeah right, I wonder how many edits he did show just the successful mounts. So thanks for including them at the end. What I am looking for is a surefire way to mount as I have about a 1 in 3 success rate. This wouldn't work if I were performing in a crowd, so I just resort to finding a pole or building. Question is: can you ever get to 100% success rate (heck I'd settle for 60%)?
Doug Higby thanks for your post. Success rate is all practice. When I mount often I can get 8-9 times out of ten. The times you fail there is a reason. Pay attention to those reasons and you will improve faster. Keep me posted on your success! Have fun, Greg
Doug Higby thanks for your post. Success rate is all practice. When I mount often I can get 8-9 times out of ten. The times you fail there is a reason. Pay attention to those reasons and you will improve faster. Keep me posted on your success! Have fun, Greg
great explanation but my body keeps getting caught on the seat, i can't quite get on top, What should I do differently?
Hi Baby Team, This is the hardest challenge for me too. You can overcome the problem. Two tips: 1) lower your seat while leaning. Not the most comfortable for riding but will help you learn to mount. 2) as I mentioned in the video - quickly extend the leg once you have your first foot on the peddle. Please reply to this post with your progress. ;-)
@@Greg-letsdothis I guess he’s still trying
@@waltysalamander hopefully he was successful. :-)
Great tutorial. Thank you
Thanks DarthElevator. Did you learn to free mount your giraffe? Have fun, Greg
Thanks! Great tutorial!
Thanks Griffin Harper, did you succeed in free mounting your giraffe? have fun, Greg
Hello Greg, for the moment I am learning simply to ride unicycle, i can do the free mount since very recently .. the free mount of a Giraf looks like an incredible challenge ..I just wonder where you are on this video ? Is it in US ?
Hi Lois Spiegel, Congratulations on free mounting a standard unicycle. That is a fantastic achievement in your unicycling experience. The next skill that will help you progress to a giraffe is "idling" - moving back and forth on the uni in the effort to stay upright and in the relative same location. That skill combined with your free mount skill will help you when riding a giraffe. The location of the video was Veterans Park, Lexington, KY USA (37°57'13.45"N 84°30'19.19"W). This is a fun place to ride with sidewalks and trails. Have a nice day and thanks for your reply. Keep me posted on your progress. Greg
Thanks for the great video! I tried my giraffe for the first time today! I can ride it, but I've only attempted 2 or 3 free mounts. I can't even get onto the seat - yet! I'm sure I'll get it after LOTS of practice. I naturally put my dominant foot on the tyre.. I might try the other way.. Thanks! :-)
Hi Stlee74, congratulations on your new giraffe! They are a blast to ride. Once you are comfortable riding it, you will have better luck free mounting it. I use the dominant foot second because the placement on the pedal and following thrust upward works best with my dominant leg/foot. Keep us posted on your progress. It does take a great deal of practice, but the thrill of achievement is wonderful. Best of luck!
Greg
Hi Stlee74 - It has been a year. Did you learn to free mount your giraffe? Any tips to share with others?
I can do riding the giraffe by using the wall while someone holds it and I use a step ladder and then i see this. I though it was impossible but wow!! True talent
Hi Duckscito Master, I started with a step ladder too. In fact, I used that step ladder for a long time. You can learn to free mount that giraffe! Post again after your first success. Have fun, Greg
So it has been a year.... can you free mount your giraffe?
I totally want to do this one day
Iona! hope you do. Please post again once you get your hands on a giraffe. Good luck!
Do you need to know how to idle before attempting to free mount? I gavel lots of trouble with staying idle.
Hi Jerry, I would say the better you can ride a unicycle the better you will be at free mounting a giraffe because of the comfort you have with simply riding. Being able to idle is not a must, but is sure helps you make subtle adjustments while free mounting. How is it going? Have fun, Greg
They say lunicycle is much more better!!¡ Could you possibly test it!!
Hi Костянтин Мазанов, I just googled this Lunicycle and found a good video about it. Looks interesting. They say it is much easier to learn than a uniCYCLE. In the US, we can buy it from Walmart.com for $149.99. Thanks for the suggestion!
I start with the lower pedal at 7 o'clock vs 5 o'clock but after watching this I'll try doing it at 5 to see if I can up my success rate.
How did the 5 o'clock position help with regard to your free mount success rate?
Now I want one
A Giraffe is a great investment and will bring you and the people around you much happiness! Thanks for posting! -Greg
Ive been wanting to ride a girraffe unicycle for so long. I might get to try one soon though.
Hi Wild Horses, Totally understand that desire. Good luck and let us all know if you get one and how it feels to ride it. You will find it very exciting.
@@Greg-letsdothis I finnally got to ride one today! It took a little getting used to how little you have to lean. I had to get used to being high up but not moving fast, I'm used to the higher I am the bigger the wheel the faster I go but once I settled down and realized it was like a 20 inch I was able to ride it. I found idling to be surprisingly easy but going from idling to forward or forward to idling very hard. Overall it was a ton of fun and I ended up buying it. I hope to get better at it and learn to free mount soon!
@@wildhorses3098 Awesome news. In the video I quickly mention it can be easier to ride a tall unicycle. It is similar to balancing a broom up in the air. The taller the broom the easier it is to balance. Very excited for you. Take some time to feel very comfortable and then try to free mount. Do not get discouraged when you first try to free mount. It took me a long time to have a successful mount. Pay attention to the failures. Each failure has a clue on how to improve. Post your progress here please. Have fun!
Great, I have been assisting mounting this thing since I got it but I have been putting my dominant foot on the tire. I wonder how screwed up i've gotten.
also, how is easier? the delay in the action messes me up big time.
Also within the first 10 minutes of getting this thing I fell a few times ( never happened on a regular unicycle because of how close to the ground they are ) and totally jacked up the tire.
Hi Go Oh! Like I said in my video - this was the method I created. I am sure you can learn to start with the dominant foot on the tire. Try both ways and see what works best for you. Reply back with your results. Good luck!
Sorry to hear you messed up your tire. Hope it can be fixed easily. At first, just try to be calm. The height is scary at first. However once you get comfortable at that height you should be able to ride the tall unicycle as well as you ride your standard size unicycle.
Right on, appreciate the advice. The height doesn't hit me till I actually get on top of it and realize I don't know how to get off. But peddling is weird.
Is that rundle park?
+zach pike it was filmed in Veteran's Park - Lexington, Kentucky USA
whoa !
Glad you liked the video! Enjoy!
how much does yours cost?
Hi Davis, I bought that unicycle in the 1995 and forget how much I paid. Tom Miller made it and there is still a website for his company The Unicycle Factory: sillycycle.com/unicycle_factory/ I looked at unicycle.com and found a very nice giraffe for $415: www.unicycle.com/nimbus-performer-series-convertible-giraffe-unicycle/ That one even adjusts between 5ft and 7ft... cool.
That looks terrifying
You made me laugh Gus Burch. It is not as terrifying as it might seem. The one time I was terrified - fell off backwards and landed hard on my back. All good though! ;-) Thanks for watching and posting. Have a nice day - Greg
where did you purchase this unicycle?
The uni was made by Tom Miller at the Unicycle Factory.
www.tux.org/%7Ebagleyd/unicycle_factory/index.html
It is an awesome unicycle. Made very strong. I highly recommend tom's unicycles
I used to have nightmares riding a 30 foot tall unicycle and I can't figure out how to dismount.
Wow! 30 foot tall! You have to post a picture of that. I cannot imagine how scary that would be. Dismount a 30 footer with a harness and crane. Crazy! Thanks for posting Teacher GJ.
unvalid website ...
Yes, I shut down the website for several reasons. My CZcams channel is the only thing left. Enjoy!
My uncle invented that mount!!!!!
And that's no cap !!!!!original king Charles unicycle troupe!!!!!!
@@michaelsantiago3993 wow that is fantastic! Thanks for sharing and posting here so others can learn about your uncle! My nieces gave me a funcle t-shirt. I bet you feel similar. :-).
The website has is shutdown.
Hi Matthew, yes, I shut down my website. It was getting expensive and I wanted to buy other things with that money. So, CZcams is one of the only other places I upload content at this time. Thanks for the post. Have a good day, Greg
gue yang tersasar
Alfa’s rizi thanks for posting! Hope this video helps you advance your unicycle skills! Have a nice day! Greg
It didn't really help although I can still ride one, I'm gonna try doing it a couple more goes, good luck to me:
R.I.P nozza e
Nozza E Hi Nozza, keep trying. It took me hundreds of tries before a single success. As I mentioned, this was the method I found that worked for me. If you find another way, please share as others may find it very helpful. Many ways to skin a cat as they say. Have fun and best of luck!
I am going to learn how to mount this without using a ladder. Wish me luck.
Well Matthew, did you learn to mount your giraffe? Excited for you!
This is so silly, but I suppose not more fundamentally silly than riding a unicycle in the first place.
Hi Wayne's Strange Brain! It is silly. But at the same time it is extremely fun and challenging. ;-) Thanks for posting. Greg
sheesh
Netsaosa, no kidding! :-)
Nah bro I’d just fall
ROUSEGOAT, you made me laugh!!! You could do it - I am positive! Thanks for posting and have a fun day, Greg
"have" not "gavel". Haha
why...why...
Why not? Why not. ;-)
No thanks
You made me laugh today. It is not for everyone for sure. Look around... nope, no one riding a tall unicycle (unless you are in a circus or street corner in Amsterdam). Have a great day and thanks for posting. Greg
The 1 unlike must be from your Mom.
Pyrolonn You know, I have always wondered why someone marked unlike. Wish they would leave a comment so I could improve. You are right though - moms are always worried their boys are going to get hurt! ;-) Have fun - and THANKS!
this looks dangerous
I do not feel it is dangerous. My wife thought I should use my bike helmet while learning. Have fun! Greg