Unicycle - tips for the beginner and things importante'

Hi one and all - thought I would pop this on line as these few things I have discovered in my uni practice sessions have made a world of difference to my competence and move into enjoying the riding I do as opposed to a constant battle with the one wheeled beast.

To follow are just a couple of hints and tips that have helped me to become free from the dreaded wall and get out onto the open road.

I know you guys and girls don't want a load of bla bla and waffle but I do just want to say that nothing here is in any way meant to disrespect those great folks on Youtube and other resources that  helped me so much when I decided to to take up unicycling - Megan Rouch and good ole Unigeezer to name just two (my hero's).

The thing is this  - I have found that tutorials by really great riders can miss the subtle things that really slow ya progress - only because - when ya know how to do something - wellllll ya just kinda do it, not think so much - you know what I mean.

OK, off we go.

Oh yeah!!! - no laughing at what I am wearing and the dodgy duds, plus the look of an old Quasimodod - it was cold, I need a shave and I suffer from extreme spontaneity - meaning when I get an urge I just gotta do it or try it - - jeez I look like the fella off SAW - just before he dies - ho hum. 

Step 1: OK - -

Most of this instructable centers around the picture you see and how much progress ya can make by buying/using an adjustable walking pole/stick.

Try the usual practice to get ya started against a wall,fence or many of the other tutorial methods, they all work great - but if you keep finding ya just cannot master free mounting or want to be riding and enjoying doing so without needing to be near a wall or curb this little fella will SET YOU FREE - no really - you'll see.

Practice mounting with the stick and soon you will be hopping up onto cycles large or small (36ers maybe not - dunno) - your just one step away from free mounting and your confidence will take such a boost.

Unicycling is a crazy sport - what other is easier to do (riding) but mounting sooo bloomin frustrating - the stick gives you a starting point no matter where you are - no curbs, no walls and once ya get the hang of it no one else needed for that helping hand - - off ya go - as far as you want - you can step on and off as many times as ya need, get right back on again and be on your way - once your doing this the distance you cover will grow really quickly - once your riding and starting to enjoy it ya wonder what all the fuss was about and anything else (mounting,going up and down curbs etc etc) is just other stuff to try out and practice - your riding - your doing it .

Following on from above - your probably thinking "riding while holding a cane is hard" - nope! and it has other benefits - you'll see.

Get sore nuts when practicing - mount up with the cane - be stable - arrange yourself - - ok lets go.

Put your pedals in a good starting position - mount up - take your time.

A truly brill thing about this aid that might mean ya decide to keep it no matter how good you become is - - your riding along, come to a point where ya want to stop (road junction,have a rest,look at something,talk to someone) - you can slow right down - put the stick back onto the road/floor and just stop! and stand - no need to idle, that will come, no need to put your feet down unless you want to - plus if you do want to dismount and your not really happy about that part yet, you are stopped,stable and in control.
 

Comments

[Beekeeper]

I'm sure those tips are very useful for all potential unicyclists, a phase in life that is now passed for me. When I was young, a friend of mine's father said 'can you ride your bicycle (2 wheeled type) backwards?' whereupon he sat on the handlebars and peddled around the yard going backwards. Over my younger life I tried it hundreds of times without any success whatsoever. I think a unicycle might well be easier than riding a regular bicycle backwards.

On another point I found your text somewhat confusing to read as you use the possessive pronoun 'your' when you mean the abbreviated form of 'you are' namely you're. I don't know why this mis-use of the language is creeping in so much these days but I blame the teachers.

[bricabracwizard]

I agree with your comment about 'your' and 'you're'. If only when somebody uses 'your' they just said out loud 'you are' they would understand it doesn't make sense and vice versa. You're (you are) correct. You can't say 'your' correct because it's not yours you don't own it. Please, please, please do an instructable on correct usage of the English language. You might throw in 'their', 'there' and 'they're'. ....and how an apostrophe in a word means there's a letter missing and the apostrophe is ........you get the idea....sorry about the rant and probably incorrect word usage.

[MastaDann]

Interesting, I never considered the staff. I have found lots of practice as the primary key. Every time I get on my Uni with a quest to discover my balance I learn a little bit.

Most recently, I found that looking backwards helps to start learning the balance of backwards motion. I'm currently becoming more acquainted with leaning backwards while facing forwards to move backwards.

Key = TIME (patience with self)

[Skymeat]

I've been thinking about commuting on a unicycle for a while now. I think with my mountain poles that may be the difference between success and failure. It took a while to figure out the slackline, but it's a breeze now.

[darrenhall]

Hiya - slackline!! - strewth I thought the uni was hard - big big respect.

DZ

[Skymeat]

Strewth - Is that like 'damn!'? If so It wasn't too hard. Just a few afternoons working it out for the basics. I always assumed the uni was hard to learn. If you think the line is hard to learn perhaps we're at just about the same level of difficulty?

[bricabracwizard]

Strewth is a shortened form of " to tell you the truth"

[mr.frob]

Great idea! I will definitely have to try this out, I've been having so much trouble starting... this just might be the thing I've needed! Thanks for sharing!

[codongolev]

just keep at it. it took me about two weeks to learn to ride in a straight line. it pretty difficult. just remember; the object is to be constantly falling forward but never landing.

[darrenhall]

Walls or railings, the longer the better helped me - but if ya can just start and get a bit of free pedaling distance then I hope you go from strength to strength if these tips help.

Cheers DZ

[llittlefield]

Aww.. sorry. No photos. It was more than 50 years ago and I didn't keep any that long. I can still ride when I come across one that the owner will trust me with, but I'm too rusty for the tricks like one foot off the petals and pickiing stuff up off the ground, up steps and such.
Just get an old bike. Take the handle bars off, the front fork out, and put the handle bars back in to the fork tube without the rest of the bike. Nothing to it.

[J-Five]

If I ever wanted to use one I would need training wheels.

[darrenhall]

Cheat - if your into computers and robotics ya could build your own self balancing uni - post it on here - - then uummmm sell it to me. I am terrible, if I get hooked I want one, but the electric uni's can be mad expensive.

:-)

[J-Five]

I would last about 0.05 seconds on unicycle.

[chaydgb]

Thanks for the tips! I got one for me and my little brother a few years back, he became really good and I just gave up and stuck the unicycle in the shed. Perhaps this summer I'll give it another go... :)

[giles2606]

Great intro - so true that its difficult to express those simple things that, if you don't know them make it hard to progress. I'm inspired to dig out my unicycle again !! :-)

[darrenhall]

Go for it - ask any of the guys/girls any where - once your up and getting some distance you wonder what all the fuss was about - this is a made sport, but such a buzz no matter what level your at.

DZ

[llittlefield]

I won't mention the date I started riding, but it was some time ago. Great idea you have here. I tried a number assist devices with each of the unicycles I had. An 8" tricycle tire with seat, a 10" tricycle wheel, a 20"x6' chain drive from 2 bicycles, a 24"commercial cycle and a 26"x4' chain drive 3:1 gear for high speed travel.

But, the reason I'm posting, I took the front wheel and handle bars off of a bicycle and put them back together without the bike. Holding the handlebars helped with the balance like your cane.
I also had a pet crow (raven). He liked to ride on my shoulder while I was on the unicycle. If he rode on those handle bars, the backs of my shirts stayed much cleaner!

[darrenhall]

That uni with the handlebars - do you have a picture, sounds cool.

DZ

[ephraimephraim]

I learned with mounting and riding by a sturdy railing. The Harvard Bridge (Massachusetts Avenue across the Charles River) is great because there's about a third of a mile (.5 km) of continuous railing at a good height next to an uninterrupted sidewalk.

[darrenhall]

5km - you better watch out or you will have a load of uni learners wanting you to adopt them - - aaaahhh 5km pure blisss, ya lucky devil.

Cheers DZ

[JimTheSoundman]

The main key to learning to ride a unicycle is persistance. It probably took me trying 500 times over the course of ten hours. I did it all in one day which makes it much easier. Yes, you will fall off over and over again, but soon you will be able to ride it like a champ. Trust me, if you are just persistant, anyone can learn this.

[darrenhall]

That is so very true - in fact probably the first thing we all should know - others do it and so can we,no matter how old - - good post.

Cheers

[fred_dot_u]

That's a pretty handy idea you've posted. I learned to ride the unicycle only recently and never really mastered the start. I learned from ridetheunicycle.com using a step or a curb as a backstop, but if an unplanned dismount happens and there are no steps or curbs about, it's a long walk to find one! A walking stick for starting would make that a good bit easier.

I've since moved to a Focus Designs SBU (Self-Balancing Unicycle) and gotten lazy, since it does the hard part for you. I wanted to get back on the pedal uni but it now terrifies me! Those falls are brutal on this old body.

Thanks again for a great idea.

[ecsaul23]

Very nice. I learned to ride when I was about 10 and my unicycle came with a set of 2 poles to help you learn. They are great because when you are losing your balance you can use the poles on either side to keep you upright so you can ride longer and get the hang of it easier.

[vincent7520]

Nice.
Let's start by the most difficult thing first : get some bricks and mortar and build that wall.

Actually I love this instructables as it really helps to start.
Thanks for sharing !…
;D

[jessyratfink]

This is such a smart way to go about it. Awesome instructable! :D

[darrenhall]

Hiya - cheers for your feedback.

I was wondering if a question would be ok - I see you have some instructables that are to do with sewing etc (please forgive my ignorance if that is the wrong way of putting it).
I have access to bike inner tubes for free and I was thinking about hand stitching a pair of fingerless cycle gloves from this material - was wondering if there was a stitch you thought might be best to be strong, tidy and avoid pulling or tearing.

Thanks again - - DZ

[jessyratfink]

If you're doing it by hand I'd suggest punching holes in the tube and doing a backstitch:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Sew./step5/Backstitch/

If you're doing it by machine I'd suggest a zig zag stitch. It's wider and trickier to unravel. :D

[SWV1787]

I really need to pull out my unicycle, pump up the tire, and give it another try... I will have to pick up a walking stick first but I never could get more than about a yard away from a wall.