Hi Karl,
Welcome to the Python community !
For me, learning to ride the Python was probably as exciting as building it.
It is very interesting that you teach people how to ride normal bikes,
because the troubles you are getting now are what your students are
probably experiencing ;-)
Before giving my hints, I want to say that what is written on the Python's
wiki is very true :
http://en.openbike.org/wiki/Learning_To_Ride_The_Python
You probably know this page, but after having gone through the learning, I
can say that the person who wrote it perfectly understood what happens :
It is all about discovering mechanisms and transfering them into the non
conscious part of your brain. And it is also what makes it difficult to
teach, because once you know how to ride the Python, it is sometimes hard
to remember how you are able to ride it ;-)
It took me about 1 month of regular training, to be able to ride the Python
"quite" correctly : very short training sessions every day on the week
(maybe 10 minutes) and longer sessions on the week-ends (not more than 1
hour).
Like you, I was quite puzzled because I wanted to control the Python with
my feet, but when I wanted to go right, the Python was falling left...
In the meantime, I was able to follow the Python with my feet, without
trying to control it, so in either random movements, or on large circles.
Finally, I realized that the first thing that makes the Python want to go
somewhere, is your body bending on on side, and then your legs compensating
the fall by steering the bike.
Like many other transportation means, like ski, paragliding, cars, etc...,
the thing will follow your eyes : just look where you can to go, and the
other parts will follow.
I would like to add that, like with normal bikes, you can also countersteer
: turn left with the legs, which makes you bend on the right, and then
compensate right...
Like you, I was more able to control the bike when pedaling, than on free
wheel.
I did most of my training in a parc, on gravels ans grass. It was quite
good, because it sort of filtered the movement, while concrete roads
transmit all the slightest perturbations.
I also noticed that I was more able to ride when bending the seat very far
on the rear, than while being upright. If you followed Jurgen's plan, you
probably have a hammoc seat, so you can do it.
When I started to make noticeable progress, I was able to ride on bicycle
lanes for several kms. But each time I would cross an other cyclist or a a
pedestrian, I would fall. The reason is that I wanted to overcontrol the
bike to avoid collision, which actually leads to collission :-)
To quote a Funkadelic album : free your mind, and your a*s will follow :-)
As a conclusion, just keep training and training, and you will have fun
soon ;-)
Mathieu
2018-03-14 0:08 GMT+01:00 Karl McCracken <karl.mccracken@xxxxxxxxxxx>:
Hello all - my first post to the group!
I've mostly finished building my first Python. Nothing adventurous, just
followed Jurgen's build instructions, pretty much to the letter. ;o)
But now I'm starting to try to learn to ride it... which is...
challenging. I actually teach both children and adults to ride normal
bikes, so I have a really good feel for the dynamics of how they stay
upright and steer (hint: steer into the fall), but can't get my head or
body around the Python. My feeling is that shifting weight to the right
causes steer to the left. But mostly it's about paddling along on my hands,
with the neighbours shaking their heads from behind their curtains.
Does anyone have any good tips about this? I mean the riding - I'm sure I
can suffer the neighbours' ridicule.
Thanks,
Karl.
