As far as seat height and tire pressure are concerned… I’ll just say experiment. My wife recently learned and she lowered the seat which helped for a while, then she got to the point with her progress where she felt like it needed to come back up. Same with tire pressure.
Fortunately seat height and air pressure are very easy to adjust.
Hey, progress is progress. If you’re anything like me lately you’ll get to a point where you are consistent, going 10’ nearly every single time, then hit a week or two where you can’t even go 2’ (figuratively). Stick with it! Right now I’m trying to convince myself that riding despite my recent slide is somehow building some sort of unknown to me skill… however discouraging it feels in the moment.
No such thing as waiting too long. I learned with my son when he was 12 and I was 43. Now four years later he could care less about riding while I ride all the time!
It takes a lot of time, more than anytng you’ve ever done before, so if you’re in it for the long haul, then the long haul is measured in years, not months.
Four years of riding and I am still improving, but it’s slow, somedays I go backwards (skillwise), but as you can see from all the folks who ride unis, it is quite possible.
Try hiking/ski poles, use them as outriggers and walk your way down the road, gradually use them less and less until you are just carrying them, then you learn to start without them, then you’re riding.
I have two sons that are 11 and 14. When I mentioned last month that July was going to be learn to unicycle month, they were all excited to learn too. I bought a couple unicycles off craigslist and away we started. Well, that lasted about three days. I was a bit disappointed but I also understand like anything that takes time to learn, it also takes a lot of desire. Now they just laugh at their old man falling off time and time again, day after day, as they ride their motorcycles around.
My daughter (15) said last night “Hey, dad, it’s going to be cool to tell people my dad can ride a unicycle.” I corrected her. I said nope you are going to be saying: “Yep, that was my dad going by on that unicycle!!”
It is going to be interesting riding around here when the time comes. Very redneck community that really dislike cyclist. Sure hope they like unicyclist!
Guys!!! Small break through!! I have an empty room in my office building that is about 40’ in length so I brought my unicycle (it’s a sickness you know) to the office to practice at noon. I marked out the floor: 5,10,15,20,25’.
First off, a couple pedal cranks and I was down at 5’, sometimes 10’. Then I remembered about flailing the arms. That is something that the wall riding did not teach me. Man I had my arms going every which way but I hit the 20’ mark. Holy Cow, it was the same feeling as getting up on waterskis the first time. I finally had a few extra seconds to take it all in!
I kept at it over and over again. Sometimes just went 5’. By the end of the half hour I was going to the other end - about 30’ from where I was starting.
Many times my arms where going all over the place but one time I noticed I took one hand to wipe the sweat off my brow as I was riding. I’m going to get this yet!!
I was really down until I joined yesterday and posted and read input on this site. Thanks so much for the encouragement. I’ve got a loooooonnnnnng way to go but now there is light at the end of the tunnel. I feel like a 46-year old going on 12. Not so sure that is a good thing.
When I made my initial post yesterday, I thought for sure I would get a reply of “Hey, search the forums dude. Same questions have been asked on here a thousand times.” Having you guys take the time to give suggestions and encouragement has helped beyond belief get over my 10’ hurdle. One day I’ll be able to pay it forward!
I apologize to you guys that read all this and think - bring her down a notch there skippy - you only went 30’.
I certainly won’t say that. Going that far for the first time is a major accomplishment. Proclaim it from the rooftops, win some converts in the process.
Congratulations! Keep practicing as often as you can so you start to get the correct muscle memory. I’d bet money that you will be doing 100 feet by the end of next week. Your goal to ride by the end of July is in the bag!
Todd, when I first saw my telemarking buddy ride up on his mountain unicycle in June 2008, I though that it was the absolute silliest thing I’d ever seen. My son was twelve at the time, he thought it was pretty cool, so even though he could hardly reach the pedals, he spent the entire weekend (we were camping) trying to ride. He of course asked me to buy him a unicycle, I told him NO, but he weasled me into a deal, whereby I agreed to buy him a unicycle if he could ride it from “here to that tree”. Of course he did it and true to my word I bought him a Sun 20" uni.
Well, that was four years ago, he is not much into riding these days being that he’s sixteen and interested in buddies more than unicycles, but he is still a very talented rider when he rides. In the meantime, “the old man” has become a bit of a unicycle fanatic, having worked his way through more than a few unicycles, all sizes, even a geared hub. In four years I have progressed to the point where I consider myself a solid intermediate muni rider. I ride an average of three times a week, rain or shine, cold or hot, unicycling is both my exercise and my emotional release.
I can climb, skate, ski, bike, and paddle with far more skill than I can unicycle, but when it comes time to choose a sport, I choose to ride a unicycle most of the time. Unicycling is an amazing sport, the hardest sport you’ll ever practice.
Get those boys off those motorcycles!! Tell them they have to ride the unicycles in order to earn the gas. If they learn to ride a unicycle now, they will always know how to ride a unicycle, so when you’re a grandpa, you can teach the grandkids together
I’m 40 going on 12. While my 7-year-old has been learning to ride new things (so far: scooter, bike, now skateboard) I’ve been learning to uni. Of course now that he sees me riding, he wants to learn how to uni after he figures out the skateboard, and I’m going to facilitate his madness since I’m only about 5 years older than he is
I think you might find the opposite here. WOO 30’!! Tomorrow will be 40, next week 100, the week after … who knows??
Keep practicing! Your brain’s figured it out now, it just needs time up on the uni to fine tune what it’s figured out.
Well after practicing yesterday, I didn’t make any progress in distance and seem to have hit a set back - Everytime I turn left. Try as I might, I make a sweeping left turn. I ride comfortably for about 10-15 feet and then start in to a left turn. I guess I need to figure out how to turn so I don’t turn?
Assuming your seat is straight and nothing else has changed, make sure your hips and shoulders are level and square. When first learning, you will always turn easier one way versus the other. Learning to turn (or not turn) comes with time and practice. Usually, if you are turning unintentionally then your bum is not straight on the seat or your hips are twisted (assuming your UNI is setup correctly and you are on flat ground).
Relax, Todd. Go with the left turn until you consistently get a little more distance and it starts to hinder how far you can go. Then start to address it. You may not be centered on the saddle. One leg is stronger than the other and unequal pressure on the pedals can push you in an arc. Your body may be twisted to compensate for some uneven balance. You may be riding on a surface that is just slightly sloped.
I think that everyone who is learning has setbacks. Once you ride 20 feet you wonder why you can’t ride 25 feet the next time. Every trial is essentially a fluke during which you learn a little more about how to use your body correctly. Then it clicks and you wonder why you couldn’t just ride on your first try.
Another thing that helped me stay straight when I first learned was to keep a firm squeeze on the saddle with your inner thighs. This helps keep the Uni tracking straight. Later you will learn how to ride with one hand on the front of the saddle, but for now use your inner thighs. This makes the Uni feel more connected - like an extension of your body, instead of feeling like the uni is doing crazy things on its own. Don’t give it a death grip, but firm enough to keep the uni from getting squirrely.
Oh no, I may have pulled the stupid card here. The surface does slightly slope left that I’m learning on. Never really thought about that. Maybe I’ll set up a support at the other end to start from and see if I turn right!
Back out to practice!!
(Now my elderly neighbors who have never ridden a unicyle are giving me advice. Their living room window faces my practice area and they are feeling sorry for me! They came over and said that they noticed that most of the time I come off it is to the front. Maybe I should try holding my arms back more. I’ve got everyone pulling for me! LOL)
Now here are my 2c too
I think it is better to come off in front than backwards.
Try to make a video and see by yourself whats wrong.
Normally your cycling is not round enough. So if you stop your body moves forward.
Try to test your hips position. pull your hips more in front and see whats happen (you will go faster) and also pull your hips backward you will slow down.
But start this practice when you are good centered. That is, when your backbone and your UNI is staight in one line. Ask your neighbors or someone to tell you.
Or another way is: hold on the fence and move your hips back and forward to feel the point of balance. this is in an area of few millimeters.
Sit staight on your seat, than lean a little bit forward and start padalling.
if you feel to fall move your feed faster or move your hips few millimeter back.
And dont forget to breath
Many beginners fall because they cant hold the air longer than 10-15’
So relax breath and try again
And give your body the time to learn this.
Making good progress. Still not riding 100’ but doing the 30 to 50’ rides with more consistency. I’m waiting for it to click any day! One thing that has really helped (I think) is of course weight in the seat, pedaling smoothly, but also looking up. Since I always come off the front from not having the wheel keep up with me, I’ve made it a point that when I get that falling forward feeling, to lean back which sometimes slows me up and then I can keep going…and sometimes I just stop.
I also decided to put a carrot out in front of me to learn - I bought a Torker AX29 today. The local bike shop has had it sitting in there for a few years (they don’t make them anymore which isn’t a good sign!) so I low balled them and well that is that. I’m looking like a Torker dealer now. I have the AX20 I’m learning on, a LX24 and a AX29 - and I still don’t know if I will ever be able to ride the darn things!!! The other two were cheap off of craigslist so I’m still not into this for a lot. I figure I’ll find out where I’m going with this and then buy something of more quality.
That’s great that you are getting consistent at 30-50 foot rides. Later this year you will be cruising around on that 29 if you keep up the practice. The Torkers really aren’t bad unicycles in my opinion, especially if you are just commuting or cruising. You can easily upgrade the saddle on them and they should last you quite a few years unless you really abuse them. That said, if you end up getting into Muni later, you will want a Nimbus or better.
It clicked! It clicked! It finally clicked! I went out and practiced for about 45 minutes. Same old thing - 20-30 feet. I was just about to stop for the night but decided that I would continue for a full hour when I got on and things sudden just seemed to fall into place. What I noticed occuring was I had lots of weight on the seat; I was very relaxed; I wasn’t in a hurry to see how fast I could go; and when my body started to go forward my leg would just put in enough pedal force to get the wheel back underneath me.
Oh I hope it is still the same tomorrow! I was able to ride a loop around our concrete apron multiple times that is about 100’ x 45’.
Best of all…!!! My 14-year old son saw me actually riding the thing around and was mostly excited about the 29" Torker. He said he is starting back in tomorrow to practice because he wants to ride the 29. Hmmmm, maybe if I had picked up a 36er, my wife would’ve wanted to learn??
Thanks for all the encouragement. I have a long ways to go but tonight was beyond rewarding and fun. I was really having my doubts.
Congratulations! Your hard work paid off. Great to see that your son is interested. I’ve tried getting a few friends and family to try it, but most of them give up after a while.
Soon you’ll be riding for miles and miles, I’m sure.
