I am 13 and am 5 feet tall. We were going to get a 20 inch but 24 inch was only available at the time. I can still touch the ground on it though. How should I learn it? I have been trying different things like holding a fence and just going for it, but i have made no progress. What is the curb method?
Also, do you have unicycle meetings in allen texas, at celebration park?
Well not all of us… But there is a group that meets there on Sunday nights at 7. If you’re on facebook, look up DFW Unicycle Club. It’s a fun group. Nag your parents to take you to the meetings. They’ll definitely help you learn.
Find a long rail and ride along it 1/2 rev at a time then 1 rev, then several, etc.
Slight bend in knees when pedal is at 6:00
Keep most of your weight ON THE SEAT.
Look ahead, not down, keep an upright posture.
Try to make smooth pedal revolutions.
Shoot for at least an hour every day
That means you probably need to raise the seat based on your original post; probably a lot. Good leg extension is key to not wearing yourself out.
Take breaks, but never give up.
Yes, we were riding in the car and saw this man in celebration park riding a unicycle, so we said hi and he told us about the group. Was that you?
Well, there’s your first problem.
Unlike on a bike, you shouldn’t be able to touch the ground while sitting on a unicycle, even with some serious leg extension. While sitting on the unicycle with the pedal in the lowest position, your leg should be ALMOST straight.
If you have the unicycle low enough to touch the ground, you’ll have a tough time learning. Depending on what style you go into, you’ll want the seat lower eventually, but a general rule of thumb for learning is to have the seat as high as possible.
No that wasn’t me. I used to go to those meetings pretty often, but I’ve moved away so not anymore. There are usually 7 or 8 people who show up to the meetings. There is a wide range of ages and riding styles and skill levels in the club. Some of them are quite good, so it’s fun to go and see what can be done on a unicycle. If you’re interested, the meetings are Sunday @ 7pm at the north end of Celebration Park in between the baseball fields.
That should be:
Like on a bike, you shouldn’t be able to touch the ground while sitting on a unicycle, even with some serious leg extension.
The exception for a bike is a child learning to ride because being able to touch the ground is helpful when falling to the side.
Try this tutorial featuring my new training exercise for free mounting:
Unless it’s a cruiser. But if you want to get efficient power for pedaling while seated, there’s no way you’d be able to touch the ground while on the seat.
Some exceptions: DH, BMX, and bike trials (seated efficiency is irrelevent w/ these).
It will also help to keep your arms horizontaly straight out to the sides whenever you try to let go. It certainly helped me keep my balance while learning…