someone PMed me long ago about helping them make one.  I replied and never heard back from them again.

I would be happy to help make one.  I have a martial art instructor that works for me that could put in his .02 cents also

coachgeo, what part of making a falling toutorial video can you help with? You seem to have the knowledge and skill set to do the demos, what additional tasks are required to make it happen? Let me know which part you can do and maybe we can organize some volunteers here to finish the rest.

if anyone has had this prob and has fix it or found a better easy strap alternative please post

JT, I just added homemade pinhead type straps described here:

http://www.stiltmodz.com/tut_kneestraps.html

Quick release knee straps, and much more comfortable and easy to use than the standard velcro strap.

Hard to tell by the pic... are you saying you folded the tire inside out? (road contact side inside)

No, the tread is in contact with the ground as usual, I just pushed the wires INSIDE the tire before crimping, in order to fold the wires under the tread to be positioned between the hoof and the tire. Then I pulled the wires to the sides of the hoof, which produces a snug fit side to side. Skatenpaint had previously posted this idea, but I missed it so I posted it again.

The new tip here is to cover the hose clamps with a section of innertube, rather than tape. This lets you move the innertube cover to adjust the clamps rather than removing and reapplying tape.

I found that standard wire cutters had a lot of trouble getting through the steel wires.

^^ dremmel cuts it!
dremmel + cutting disc FTW!

But not everyone has access to a dremmel.  That's why I started this thread.

Oh yeah, and I found that they do stay better with the wires than without, although one still slipped.  They were made from crappy tires and only lasted two days.

I used tinsnips and the steel wire left a notch in the blades. Next time I'll try bolt cutters.

One more tip: Instead of taping over the hose clamps, I had some inner tube left over from wrapping the springs, so I cut off a section and used it to cover the clamps. This way I can adjust the clamps as needed without removing and reapplying tape.

JT, if you use hose clamps instead of zip ties you can reuse them.

Here's something I just tried: Instead of taping over the clamps, I had some inner tube left over from wrapping the springs, so I cut off a section and used it to cover the clamps. This way I can adjust the clamps as needed without removing and reapplying tape.

As to tread pattern, I choose a smooth street tire with the idea that's where I'll be using my stilts. I'll have to wait and see how it holds up.

After searching here and elsewhere I failed to find any video of proper falling technique on bocks. I would like to request that someone with more experience and hopefully gymnastics training post a "How to Fall Properly" video. (Falling for Dummies?)

My learning sessions so far have been all about avoiding a fall. I know I will go down at some point and I want to practice doing it correctly, but I'm not sure how. It seems like many of the injuries reported here could be avoided if one were to practice proper falling while wearing bocks.

Here's what I would like to see:

* Proper falling technique onto concrete/pavement
* Forward fall
* Backwards fall technique (or how to turn it into a forward fall)
* Fall while running

I've seen some posts describing how to do some of this, but I would like to see it on video. Who's up for falling down?


My search turned up plenty of clips of folks piling it accidentally and painfully, plus this one showing how to fall from peg stilts into crash pads:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g1RM_CjHZ0

How much of this is this applicable to falling on bocks?

Here's something I noticed which might be useful to others:

When I folded the cut sections of tire in half, I folded the wire INSIDE the tire in order to have them tucked under. Then, I changed the setup and installed the tire with the wires at the outside of the hoof. I noticed that the wires stay flat against the sides of the hoof. This is different than other setups I saw online that show the tire sections folded like a clam shell and force the bent wire away from the sides of the hoof. My setup looks tidier and seems to help keep the tire sock snug against the hoof. The subtle difference in folding the wires makes for a more secure fit. Here's a picture:

OK, went with wires on, wires out, and I was able to get a fairly snug fit. Seems to be working so far, I'll have to see how it holds up. Thanks to all for the input!

OK, it seems there are two basic approaches:

1. Wires off
2. Wires on

Further, with the 'wires on' approach, we have the following choices:

a) wires out
b) wires tucked under

From reading the posts here I have gathered the following assertions:

1. 'Wires off' is easier to install, but has a tendency to slip around on the hoof.
2. 'Wires on' mitigates the slippage, but looks somewhat sloppy.
3. 'Wires tucked under' looks neater, but is harder to install. (effect on slippage not documented)

Questions for those who have tried the various approaches:

Which do you prefer and why?
Which is easier to install?
Which is most secure?

A pic would help
[/quote]

OK, here is what I have so far. The wires are as tight to the hoof as I can get them, but the tire itself is at lease 0.25" off the hoof. Is it possible to get the tire tighter with the wires folded under?

Bill,

in all the pictures above, it looks like the tire is pretty much snug on the hoof -- top and bottom. Is it possible to get the tire this tight when the wires are folder under?

Personally, I think the wires folded under looks neater. Is there any advantage to doing it this way, or am I just making it more difficult than it needs to be?

I'll post pictures shortly.

Just got around to putting tire socks on my new Poweriser 90120s, and I'm wondering how they are supposed to fit. I pushed the wires under and pulled the tire as tight as I could before adding the hose clamp, but it still seems loose. The tread of the tire is some distance from the bottom of the hoof, and when I push on it I can feel it move a distance before contacting the bottom of the hoof. Is this the normal fit?

Remembered to tune in and saw the Poweriser segment on G Word. I don't really buy the concept that bocks are 'green transportation'. Bocking is for fun, not to save gasoline. It was encouraging to see the hosts up and walking so fast. But I have to say: "Bad host -- No protective gear!"

Hey Twitch, thank God you brought up age. I'm fourty-two this year and thought I was the oldest here. Thanks to you I know now I'm not even close. We can be the oldest noobs on the board    I have all the protective gear from rollerblading, but I have been looking at padded shorts with tailbone protection. At my age you don't want to fall and break a hip!  Maybe just encase myself in bubble wrap...

Seriously though, the first thing I plan on doing once my PRs arrive is wrap the springs, then go out in the back yard and practice falling. I figure if I figure out how to do it right I avoid injury later on.