Things you've never done

[ferrit worrier]

I've had a few goes at getting on with the wheel against a big block of timber, I can get on and "Roll over the top" just still it's early days,

[rbreid]

Never had a TV. Get loads of junk mail re this fact from someone called TV licencing???????? Goes in bin unopened.
Never opened or read junk mail.
Never found the dog that ran out and bit my ankle when cycling through Ullapool so I could bite it back!
Never read a newspaper.
Never had an obnoxious neighbour, for which I am truly grateful to all neighbours past and present.
Never had an alcoholic drink since 17 March 2008 one day at a time.
Never been more content than I am today.
Never been short of an excuse to get out on my bike.
Never made love on a tandem whilst descending the Lecht at 60mph and too old now to try again

[Tonyf33]

Never been on a 'package' holiday
Never flown in a jet aircraft (though my first might be a 12,000 mile job..lol)
Never stopped supporting my Rugby team (Hull FC) despite the trophyless years
Never bought a lemon of a car
Never bought a dud bike (though there was one that caused me great consternation)

[Urticaria]

Up thread I did say "Never ridden a unicycle, yet"
all suggestions as to where to start will be appreciated

Everyone should have a go at this. It might take 15--30 hours of practice before it clicks with you.
Rehearse in your head falling off, so that you don't crack your shins on the rising pedal: in fact, I think a lot of unicycling practice can take place in your head through visualisation.
Low tyre pressure might slow everything down, which makes learning safer, and imperfections in the road surface easier to get over. I think most people gently lean one of their hands against a wall whilst learning. The hallway in most houses is quite convenient for this. Maybe this approach is bad because, when cycling properly, your body is constantly falling over and the cycle is steered underneath you to catch this, so it is like keeping a broom head in the air by moving the tip of the handle underneath it.

[Geoff.D]

I think most people gently lean one of their hands against a wall whilst learning. The hallway in most houses is quite convenient for this. Maybe this approach is bad because, when cycling properly, your body is constantly falling over and the cycle is steered underneath you to catch this, so it is like keeping a broom head in the air by moving the tip of the handle underneath it.

I got to riding a unicycle many moons ago (I've probably lost the knack, now). I started in the hallway, with hands both sides, but that didn't really allow me to "launch" myself. So, I went out to a back driveway, and practiced there. I needed to support myself with one hand and then just went for it. After many times of only getting one revolution, I then got two, and then 3....and I was away. Head still, flexible body and arms doing involuntary semaphore. Took time, though, to be able to stay upright as long as I liked, and to steer. It took even longer to be able to mount without something solid to help. In fact, I never really was sure that I could do that at will.

i think the secret is to focus on a fixed point ahead, and not at the ground in front. This allows the "broom head" (as Urticaria says) to remain stable. It's a knack, just like riding a two wheeler (only more difficult).

[Stradageek]

Learnt to ride a unicycle aged 57, amazing sense of achievement! I still ride away thinking 'how am I doing this?'

Hardest bit is 'free-launching' i.e. standing starts, much easier to just push off from a rail then keep riding

Comes in very handy as lunchtime recreation at work, a nice break from sitting at a computer and good exercise, 400m around a large car park leaves me sweating and exhausted feeling as if I'd ridden 5 miles flat out!

Enjoy

PS
Never played a computer game
Never drunk a cup of tea

[Cunobelin]

The 50 things to do before you die list anyone know where you can fire a black powder cannon?

Yes.....

[ferrit worrier]

The 50 things to do before you die list anyone know where you can fire a black powder cannon?

Yes.....

Yes! Yes! well come on then that's a secret that's got to be shared

[colin54]

I've never ridden a fixed gear bicycle.

[reohn2]

I've never ridden a fixed gear bicycle.

Yer not missing much

[cycleruk]

I've never ridden a fixed gear bicycle.

Now that is one thing I have done.
Had one in my mid-teens and ridden one on Manchester Velodrome a few times.

[Ben@Forest]

- I've never eaten a Penguin

This one struck me because of a story told to me by a woman some years ago - she was on a VSO trip to South Africa in the late 90s (so well after apartheid had gone) and an oil slick affected penguins on the coast. As she and other well-meaning white people (and they were all white) were cleaning penguins a group of black people further up the same beach were collecting oil-covered penguins to eat. It is in no way a story about colour but about poverty, she and the her group were well-fed enough to be concerned about the plight of penguins, the other group were hungry enough to see anything as potential food.

It has of course just struck me that the OP was talking about chocolate-covered snack bars...

As to things I've never done, though I've visited castles all over Europe as a tourist I've never been to the one in our town (lived here eight years), strange how you ignore what's close to you.

[Vorpal]

- I've never eaten a Penguin

This one struck me because of a story told to me by a woman some years ago....It is in no way a story about colour but about poverty, she and the her group were well-fed enough to be concerned about the plight of penguins, the other group were hungry enough to see anything as potential food.

It has of course just struck me that the OP was talking about chocolate-covered snack bars...

Thanks for the laugh.

[NUKe]

- I've never eaten a Penguin

This one struck me because of a story told to me by a woman some years ago - she was on a VSO trip to South Africa in the late 90s (so well after apartheid had gone) and an oil slick affected penguins on the coast. As she and other well-meaning white people (and they were all white) were cleaning penguins a group of black people further up the same beach were collecting oil-covered penguins to eat. It is in no way a story about colour but about poverty, she and the her group were well-fed enough to be concerned about the plight of penguins, the other group were hungry enough to see anything as potential food.

It has of course just struck me that the OP was talking about chocolate-covered snack bars...

As to things I've never done, though I've visited castles all over Europe as a tourist I've never been to the one in our town (lived here eight years), strange how you ignore what's close to you.

great story Ben. it does sum the dilemma facing the modern world. one half has power and food. The other half would like the same, but he first half says to second half you can't do that we have to save the planet. Time for some real hard choices for the west.

[mrjemm]

What would those choices be, Nuke?