When I'm on the road bike first thing in the spring I try to keep my revolutions high and gears low. Spin, spin, spin and get the legs back in shape. Today I tried applying that same idea to unicycling. I left the 29er in the garage and pulled out the 24.
The 24 hasn't exactly been neglected. I used it quite a bit in the lab over the winter learning how to idle (until I stripped out the pedal-end threads on the crank). However, I haven't done many long rides on it since getting the bigger wheel. A spring ride though was the perfect time to give it a run.
My destination was a hockey rink about a 15 minute ride away. Sure enough I found that the rpms were higher than on the 29er and I certainly wasn't going as fast. It is a jittery ride too, compared to the stability from the stable gyroscopic forces of the larger wheel.
Once at the rink I worked on agility drills like tight circles, figure 8s, slowwwww riding, and throwing a backward rock in after every forward stroke. After about 15 minutes of that it was time to head back to work.
As I sit here typing I certainly feel my legs. No strains or pulls, just general fatigue. That's a good sign. Tomorrow and whenever I am lucky enough to take my next ride, I'll be stronger. I may take that 24 out again and keep working on the high revs.
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