Hi my name is Craig from Slatington PA. I just started learning at 43. My biggest struggle so far is getting over the fear of letting go of the fence.
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Welcome to the forum and to the weird world of unicycling! It’s nice to see another unicyclist from Pennsylvania.
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Welcome to the forum! 
I learned to unicycle in 2022, so the feelings I felt when I started learning hasn’t gone stale yet. I learned along a wall, and I remember doing my first attempts at leaving the wall. I guess I would compare it to a baby bird being kicked out of the nest… Minus the falling, for the most part 
Basically I would point myself away from the wall, push away, and dismount a half-rev later. Repeat a couple dozen times or so, take a break, do it another dozen times or so… Eventually the fear faded away and it was just a mix of focus and frustration. For a while it felt like I wasn’t making any progress which can feel disheartening, but even if it doesn’t feel like you’re making progress, you are. After much practice over the course of a few weeks, the half-rev of the wheel would turn into a full rev, two revs, three, four… Then I started counting tens of feet instead of revolutions, and next thing I know I’m able to unicycle around the block 
Your earliest attempts at riding will be pretty difficult and scary, but it improves with time and practice. Some things that helped me get over the fear was wearing some safety gear and watching/reading a bunch of unicycle tutorials.
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Of course, @MrHydra nailed the advice.
I started to learn in December of last year. It terrified me starting out, and I spent a lot of time hugging the wall. If you have someone that can be out there with you to hold your hand for support or something, that may help. I watched a ton of videos on how to ride and tried some. Hobo Dan’s videos were good, Berm Peak was ok, PrettyGoodChannel was great … there are lots of others. Watching videos will give you ideas, and it will encourage you to get out there and try. You’ll notice tiny bits of improvement, and then all of a sudden you’ll have a breakthrough. Just stick with it!
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A lot of people on here will disagree but when I learned as a kid I used poles and would drop them after I got going. I didn’t have a fence or a wall to work with . I learned on the street in front of my house. That was almost 50 years ago . Best of luck, practice, practice, practice don’t get discouraged and don’t give up, it’s the only way to learn.
Hey there fellow Pennsylvanian!
I learned when I was 40 (some 14 years ago), and never used a fence at all. I started at a telephone pole and tried freemounting and riding from it, over and over. Three-ish months of 15-ish minutes, 3-4 times a week, and I finally figured it out.
Down side: I can’t use a fence to help get mounted, even today. It totally throws me off, I have no idea how to shift between getting on and riding away, which sounds like what you’re facing.
Don’t let it stop you, keep practicing! There are definitely points during learning (both initially and new styles/tricks) where you just have to commit; do that enough times and your brain just accepts it.
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Welcome. I just searched and looks like that’s near Allentown just outside of Philly. I’ve had some really nice Muni rides along the Wissahickon bike trails near the city a number of years ago. And I rode a few trails to the west but don’t remember any names.
So after you learn, there should be great trails for muni - but first you have to learn to ride on flat ground ;-). Learning takes effort and time. But the challenge is the fun, so don’t get frustrated and keep at it.
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Gosh, another bear! @wobbling_bear
Is unicycling a common hobby among bears?
Seems it is.
well you consider yourself as “old” ? (waw! You are 10 years younger than my daughter 
) Yes unicycling will keep you young forever! Welcome to the bear’s club!
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I know exactly how you feel. I circled my local hockey rink staying near the fence for over 20 different days. I looked up videos on how to hop off unicycles safely (Hobo Dan is excellent) & practiced that since. Front, back, right & left. I finally feel fairly safe jumping off many different ways. I never ride along the fence now. I’m up to 34 days of experience & counting. GOOD LUCK!!
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No one has ever experienced that before! lol At 75 I just hold on to the beer when I ride now.
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