I am able to freemount almost every time, but I think I just made the mount I use up. Has anyone heard of doing this? I put my left (non-favorite) foot on the pedal, just a little bit behind the top of the wheel, then I quickly put my right foot on the pedal and ride away. This seems backwards from any mount that I ever heard of, does anyone else actually do this?
Maybe a little confusing…
I bet that was a bit confusing. Here’s something I made in paint to help explain it. This is the first thing I do:
uni-mount.bmp (74.9 KB)
The only real difference between this and what many people do consistantly is the initial position. For me it’s just as easy as anything else.
You go Peter- it only get’s better from here!
Funny- less than half the folks who looked at the first attachement looked at the second… well, I’m here to tell you: BOY DID YOU MISS OUT! I am now eternaly bonded to my fellows who viewed the image less downloaded (it made all the difference).
-Christopher
Guilty as charged, yerhonner, although the situation has been rectified second time round.
I looked at the first one, saw it was good, and guessed the rest from the description.
Can I have my supper now? Please?
Phil, just me
Also, let me know when you start producing those seats, they look mighty comfy. 
topside
That type of mount can be done OK on a 20" unicycle, but gets progressively more difficult as the wheel gets bigger. To do this mount you have to jump up to keep pressure off the top pedal. With bigger wheels you have to jump higher which is what adds to the difficulty. It’s not an ideal mount. The standard mount as described at
<http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/mounts/freemount.html>
will let you mount in a more stable position with less effort.
I also ‘independently invented’ this mount when I was trying to find a simple and reliable freemount for my mate whom I was teaching.
Weak foot goes on the pedal just behind top dead centre. Strong foot steps the short distance onto the front pedal which is just in front of bottom dead centre. If there is any ‘roll back’ at all, the front pedal tends to rise and the foot can easily intercept it.
On my 26, I actually found that the ideal position was with the weak (left foot) crank exactly parallel with the fork leg!
Yes, it’s an easy and valid freemount. I like the idea of using ‘Paint’ to illustrate it, too.
For every day riding, though, the ideal freemounting position is with the pedals at around ‘quarter to three’ (or ‘quarter past nine’) or with the rear pedal that little bit lower (‘twenty to two’).
(None of this will help people with digital watches.)
Give the uni a slight push forwards so that the back pedal rises; brace the foot against the peadl, and in that moment when the two forces are balanced, pivot up into the riding position. Place the strong foot on the front pedal, then lower the posterior into the saddle. Works almost every time, and starts you in a strong position for idling or for riding if the ground is uneven.