Adjusting a uni that leans to one side

[Nurse_Ben]

Even if the seat or seat post are out of whack, you should be able to adjust your posture and sitting position.

If the uni leans right, it is either the tire or the rider, more often it’s the rider.

Try raising or lowering your seat

[k1114n]

@munimutant

Have you tried riding another unicycle, just to make absolutely sure it’s not you? You sound like an experienced rider, I’m sure you’ve already ruled that out, but just in case???

I’m still a noob, but after a year of problem-free riding I developed a NASTY twist (right shoulder back) that took me about 8 months to cure. A lot of my problem, I believe, developed when I started riding up steeper hills. Subtle differences in riding symmetry led to unbalanced muscle development. I also found that I was putting too much pressure on the left pedal at the start of the upstroke.

I’ve heard of experienced riders developing a twist, some say it comes and goes. Might be worth considering.

OMG! i really hope its not this! it does sound like it could be though… but ive tried loads of other unicycles and never had this problem before.

If this was the case, what would the solution be? is there any kind of training I could do to solve it?

btw, thx to everyone for the feedback so far, it may not seem like much but it has been really helpful!

[mbalmer]

Do you know any other unicyclists nearby? Instead of just trying other unicycles, have someone else ride yours. If they agree it’s leaning then it’s not you.

[munimutant]

@k1114n

If this was the case, what would the solution be? is there any kind of training I could do to solve it?

I took the advice found on several threads here, and added a few of my own, and the problem is almost completely gone:

• Practice alternating hands holding the seat: left, right, and both
• THOROUGHLY relax your hips and core
• Make sure your hips are loose, and symmetrically rotating
• Sit up straight, all your weight on the seat
• Have as little (as as equal) pressure as possible on pedals during upstroke

Mine took a long time to cure because it got so bad I had a muscle imbalance and had to learn to restrain one side while developing the other. I found the hip rotation to be a fascinating thing to work on. There is an article here you might find interesting.

Hopefully though, the problem is the uni and not u! Good luck.

[Tom_M]

@k1114n

hmmm …washers, huh? that might do it!!

i have tried on a different seatpost and it feels better, but still nowhere near perfect.

Im starting to think it might be that my first unicycle was originally bent the other way, and i might’ve gotten used to it…

i think i will give it some more time… and washers!!

Dont overlook the possibility that it could be a few things all effecting the problem a little each… Fix the seat, then check the spokes / rim/ hub, and then move on to … An hour tweaking and perfecting make for several extra hours of enjoyment… Plus it enables you to become more intimatly familiar with the cycle incase something ever does go afoul…
I use to preach this with race cars… Fix all the little things and youd be surprised that that BIG problem went away.

[mbalmer]

@Tom M

Fix all the little things and youd be surprised that that BIG problem went away.

Sounds like good marriage advice.

[AustinLee]

I think that your problem might be that you turn one direction more than the other and therefore that side of the tire is more worn and lower than the other side, causing you to turn that way.

If you have an omnidirectional tire, you could try to flip the tire and see if you lean the other way. Leave it like it like this, and eventually, it might balance out.