I saw this article this morning. I thought I’d share it here.
It reminded me of the things that inspired me to start learning to unicycle.
I’ve kind of just been happy with my current skills, but it was adventures like this that inspired me initially. I need to keep improving if I want to do something like this one day.
They hadn’t had a lot of experience.
Yeah… the main thing stopping me is freemounting.
I know I posted several months back that I’d freemounted, but I couldn’t do it consistently and someone told me I was doing it wrong, and that I should be doing the rollback mount (I was trying to learn a push-forward mount). So, I pivoted to trying that… but then I lost interest, most of my unicycling was in places that had lightpoles, rails, and bins for assisted mounting… and I kind of just stopped trying to freemount.
I ride 4-7km most rides using things to help me get on the unicycle… it’s fun, and gives me exercise. Freemounting has always been something “I’ll get to later”.
This article has inspired me to make it a priority again. Distance unicycling was a big reason for learning initially.
I do a static mount. Took me ages to learn rollback and I still wouldn’t recommend it on wheels bigger than 24".
For 29" muni and 36er, I’m using a static into hopping mount.
It works for me…
Static mount takes more effort than roll back but I didn’t learn roll back until I could idle and static is nearly foolproof from what I’ve experienced.
Think I’d rather do it from summit to base!
Yeah, I also use this mount and it’s the best way to mounting your uni.
I don’t see the Video yet.
I use static on rough ground or single track, rollback on pavement and a rolling mount with a 36er or on an uphill slope.
I was thinking the same. But I tried unicycling down Mount Wellington in Tasmania earlier this month. Cold, a bit wet, completely foggy (Couldn’t see more than 3 metres ahead)… anyway, while going downhill I wanted to change brake hands (It’s a very long downhill). Ended up doing a superman style UPD because I guess it’s really hard to keep the right pressure on the brake and I never normally ever release a brake on a downhill, I only ever release it on flat ground. Slightly felt my left shoulder dislocate. 
It was a mild dislocation but it’s still not 100%. Being positive, it could have been a lot worse.
And I will never attempt that particular downhill ride again.
I’ve had a couple of falls on my back due to releasing the brake while on a descent. I’d rather do a Superman.
I don’t have a brake, so when I am on a hill that is too steep, inevitably one foot will slip off of a pedal and that pedal ends up going full send into my calf. Looks like I went a few rounds with a tiger.
That is why I love my bmx brakes on my udc unicycles I have them adjusted to drag and slow me down no sudden jerks
Shin guards seem like a good investment for you .
Well, I’ve never hit my shin, only my calfs(back of shin). Jeans would probably be about adequate to protect me from the stabbing of the pins so I’m safe enough in the cold months.
It depends on how long and sharp your pins are. I’ve got about a 2" scar from where my stamp7s gashed my shin last summer. The strange thing about it was that I barely noticed at the time and it was only when I got back home that I realized I had really gashed myself and that my sock was drenched in blood. I’ve found shin injuries to be some of the least painful.
I once rode a unicycle on kosciuszko st, nanticoke, pa. I still only know the rollback mount, and I’m ok with that. But I can do it on everything. It took me about 3 months to get it.
About freemounting, I found this video really useful: tips for free mounting a unicycle - YouTube
I wasn’t even close to freemounting until very recently but am now slowly actually progressing. I hadn’t seen his exact method before, so it may also be considered “wrong” but I really don’t care. 