I took the 24" to the carpark/skatepark today to see if I could spread the freemounting love to the bigger wheel. To my surprise, it didn’t seem much more difficult than the 20", and it went quite well. So next time I can go down to the cycle trail I can take the 24", which will be good. I had almost forgotten how much smoother the ride feels than on the 20".
A couple more three step runs and one four step! Let me know when you are bored hearing this! (Not that I will necessarily stop. I need someone to boast my little triumphs to. I told my husband, and he said ‘well, that doesn’t sound like much but I can see you’re pleased so I suppose it must be.’
As you quite rightly say, the 24" is a smoother ride, the muni 24" of mine is fine and dandy, but a smoother tired 24" is exceptionally sweet on flatter surfaces. My only current problem is the wet on my trainers makes the feet slip easily… !! It tends to make free mounting that much more difficult to manage, when I can do it that is… !! 
You need a pair of “Five:Ten” high impacts, or spikey pedals (but try not to use them together at the same time)
I bought these purple studded pedals for less than £4 from Ebay.
I really liked the pedals that came on my Nimbus II, so I bought the same to put on my Qu-ax 24" - plastic, nice grippy surface and little plastic nodules but not scary spiky.
Thanks Reeny, but I need size 12’s, and they are hard to come by for a decent price. I am still trying out various other makes, but so far, not a great deal of success. I have newly purchased pedals on all three of my uni’s, grippy ones of course. A 12 sized pair of trainers still has way too much flat surface on the tread/sole… !!! It’s a pain to be honest, but we strive to get there.. 
I got mine mail-order from Rose cycles in Germany.
The old stock was being sold off £46 plus postage (about £54 total).
Now up to £68 including £7.60p postage, but sold out in all sizes.
https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/five-ten-impact-high-shoes/aid:437413
They wear big - so size 11.5 will fit Ok if you can find any.
The new High impacts are £114 posted / freeriders ankle boots are £96
Far too expensive if I wanted to replace the 5:10’s like for like.
These are a cheap alternative which work well for me,
£35+vat up to size 11 http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Workwear+%26+Safety/d70/Safety+Boots/sd3246/Lee+Cooper+Safety+Baseball+Boots/p82121
or £33 +vat for size 12 Lee Cooper Size 12 Trainer Boots - Search Results | Screwfix
SW - Looking at your earlier videos in the hall, I can see that you are hitting the same problem I have encountered.
Space is limited in the training alley I use at the side of my garage, so I start to slow down after 8-pedals, wobble a bit, and fall off. It’s a metal block.
My muscles have learned to slow down and get ready to stop (on auto pilot) after 10-yards.
It reminded me that I need to do more practice out in the wide open spaces before I can hope to improve.
The best distance I have covered “out in the open” are a few 50-100 yard runs on a seaside promenade.
If I can free mount a little bit more successfully, it will help me to explore those bigger spaces, and prevent the ride turning into a long series of walks to the next lamp post for an assisted mount.
Just an update - the last couple of months have been very busy, and with a lot of stuff going on in the background, so I haven’t spent as much time on the uni as I would like, mostly a couple of times a week. Partly, that’s because freemounting is still hard work, which discourages me from riding where people I know will see me struggling, so I still drive to my usual place, which adds time. I’m getting there, and of course I know that if I did it every day, I would get there sooner, but when I’m too tired to get up early, it is hard to fit it in.
One great session, though, was a meet-up in Barnstaple covered market for some unicycle hockey! That was a great place to unicycle.
Now that the days are longer, I need to get back into the habit of riding before work.
That would indeed take determination - I think I managed it once, back before I realized that trying to unicycle to work would be about 90% walking and 10% unicycling.
Have you tried riding after dark?
I’ve found it quite enjoyable with spoke reflectors, a modern small high-intensity flashlight aimed down from my helmet for terrain vision (I actually just tie it on with cord passed through the vents) and a blinker light on my back for visibility, though then I ride almost exclusively in places where fast passing traffic would be cyclists training.
That said, it’s a lot more pleasant to start a ride before sunset and continue it afterwards - commencing when it’s already dark takes a bit more determination.
We do have one section of a riverside path that is squeezed close to a highway, and has a surface broken up a lot by frost or tree roots - riding that against headlight glare makes seeing the bumps a bit of a challenge, but going the other way I can generally see enough. The other thing to watch out for is misjudging the slope of hills, but have most of those memorized from past UPD’s now.
In a comfortable setting and with the right equipment, riding at night can be very relaxing and peaceful - and far less “audience” though having a regular trickle of joggers and cyclists doing their own thing may make a location feel safer.
Rejoice with me!
Well, I’m still not back to a daily practice but I’m pleased with the continued progress I’m making even on a couple of rides a week. Yesterday I took out the giant (to little 5ft me) muni I bought cheap last year but haven’t ridden much at all and was able to freemount a decent number of times, though it is still hard. It is a 24" but the huge tyres make it more like a 26" or mor in comparison with my other 24". My husband has decided to take early retirement and I’m going to be moving to a half-time post in October, so more time but also moving away from all my known practice areas etc and having to get comfortable embarrassing myself in front of a new set of people! Nearer to Bristol and the Severn Wheelers, though.
I was enjoying reading about your adventure in learning unicycling, then I got to this post.
This is hilarious! This is the best laugh I have had yet in the world of unicycling.
hi!
As another Devon (Exeter) newbie just wanted to say hi. I’m using the walking pole method, though i know of the cons to this it’s necessary because of a lack of suitable fences/walls/bars etc where i am. Still, I can now (occasionally) manage 2 revolutions unaided so onwards and upwards!
Good work, Trevwin! I had a friend from work learn using the hiking pole method, and it worked for him. If you’re at the point of going a couple revolutions unaided, I suggest now is the time to put the poles away and just go for it. Wear gloves and knee pads against the (almost) guaranteed abrasions from falls, and you’ll be riding like an ace before you know it.
Cheers! 
Welcome here!
Yep the cons are simple: you become a pole rider!
Been there done that, it took a while to convince my brain to ride without them.
Anyone seen spinning woman lately? I miss her updates!
I never used poles, and I already know how to ride, so I have no intention of using them in the future. However, I can’t argue with what works. Thinking about the mechanics of the unicycle and of the poles…I assume when you are falling to the right, you put the right pole down. For unassisted riding, the remedy for falling to the right, same as on a bicycle, is to turn right, to turn into the fall. Is it possible to use the poles to facilitate turning into the fall, rather than just propping yourself back upright? One of the problems with most crutches (walls, fences, etc.) is that they keep you riding in a straight line, inhibiting the learning of left-right balance. It doesn’t seem that’s necessarily the case with poles.
Surely knee pads aren’t needed. I’ve only hurt my knees twice every since I started learning in 2015. The last time half a year ago. Most times you land on your feet. I just bought the KH Shin/Knee pads, coz I wanna put some more time into hopping onto stuff. Im hoping that protection will make me less careful
Depends what you are doing but we automatically take less risks without protection. It inhibits pushing the limits, especially on larger wheels. I don’t know about you, but I certainly can’t run out of a UPD from fool speed ;), even on my 26.
I have been down the tarmac on my knee, elbow and palm sliders at over 20 kph. I certainly wouldn’t want to see the grooves in my sliders on my flesh instead.
It is surprising how the way we fall changes when we know there is protection. I have even slid to a stop in a kneeling position.
Quite right. There are numerous variables involved. I almost never fall when riding around the neighborhood, or on the paved bike path. In fact, on occasion I ride those with no protective gear at all. (Although I’m pretty careful on those occasions.)
On the trail I fall all the time. I can’t imagine what I would look like if I didn’t wear gloves and knee pads. (Pretty scarred up, I can tell you that.)
At any rate, protective gear is cheap insurance. Watch any Kris Holm video and you’ll see he wears a full compliment, so it’s good to wear even if you’re an advanced rider.
Cheers!
I really like this thread seeing how people go through this learning process, and otheres describe their observations of it.
When I started out trying to learn unicycling, I had a big long list of all the things to do right so far as mounting body position cadence weight on the seat looking forward etc. etc. As soon as I got onto the unicycle, all those things were instantly forgotten, as the brain goes into overload just trying to deal with staying on top of the wheel of doom.
As I get more used to it I am more and more able to consciously think about the details and make additional corrections and travel further without touching the rail or wall. The more it becomes internalized, the easier it is to do. In the beginning it is a huge amount of new stimulus and tasks for the brain, nervous system and muscles to all adapt to.
I think that once it becomes internalized, it becomes harder to describe to people how to get there.
The beginning stages of this reminds me of a few things. One is starting out in certain businesses, all the things you have to know was very overwhelming when just starting out, and a lot easier in the future. Another thing is when you coach a shy person to ask out that girl he has a crush on, all the things memorized to say and do and screws it up when he approaches. I suppose in martial arts, you learn all the moves and then in a fight under pressure you forget and can’t appy anything. After a lot of hands on experience in matches and street fighting plus the training, it becomes possible to apply more and more of it relaxed. Probably the same with playing poker for play money is one thing, but when you put up significant amounts of real cash on the line, it is another matter entirely.
So I guess to challenge and push the brain once many unicycle skills are mastered, would be to take up other balance arts and juggling. I remember seeing a video of someone who solved rubiks cubes while unicycling.
Is mastership is the ability to do a challenging task skillfully while relaxed?