Standup wheel walk

Riding Advice
1

So I searched a bit and found a German thread from 2006, but not much else…

So I’m learning standup wheel walk and looking for tips and/or hope to exchange experiences: To clarify, stand up wheel walk or stand walk is a freestyle trick standing on the unicycle with one foot on the frame and using the other foot to alternately push/brake the tire to propel yourself forward in a controlled way. It’s like 1ft wheel walk in that you push and then brake to control balance. At first it seems impossible but thus far seems to be progressing faster than wheel walk, which took forever.

From a wall I can usually do 9+ kicks and often around 20, a few times even more. I’ve learned that keeping the unicycle and body quite upright is important. And learning the control processes much like normal wheelwalk/1ft (meaning takes time).

I’m trying to learn transitions into and out of.

Note: my ww and 1ft ww and return-to-pedals are all quite solid but I can’t really do kush-kush (only on the wall) and I’m learning backwards wheel walk. Thus, I also can’t do stand kush.

My step up mount from the floor is getting decent and usually on say 1 of 3 tries I can then do 5+ pushes. But I would rather transition from riding.

Transitioning into there are many options.

  1. pedaling to step up I can do sometimes, but only maybe 1 in 10 tries

  2. 1ft ww up I have done, but usually I lean back too far. Not sure why.

  3. I would like to learn to jump from pedals but it is quite intimidating.

Although I can do jump mount to stand hopping quite well (with one hand on the seat), I have never tried jump mount to stand walk. Mainly I’m not sure if I should grab the seat or go straight up without?

To get out, I have 2 options that I can do if I have a helping hand from a partner but yet not alone:

  1. as the pedals comes around the top, simultaneously move the foot on the frame down to the pedal and lower the body to the seat and pedal. I think this is just a matter of further practice. But tips welcome.

I have also tried going from stand walk to 90 hop on tire (then I can do 90 down to pedals).

So question on the transition out: Is it better to completely come to a stop and then step down or switch to hop on tire? Or is it better to do it in a flowing manner?

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So here’s a video of step up mount to stand walk: https://youtu.be/hJBxA-F3oHI

And here’s standwalk from the wall a few weeks ago: https://youtu.be/GTb3VDjCZqI

More recently I have had way better runs but none on video.

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3

As far as I remember from when I was practicing stand-up wheel walk (like 10 years ago :scream: ), it seems to me that you’ll want to keep a hand on the saddle to stabilize the uni. Once you’re on the frame, you have to quickly remove your hand to get upright as soon as possible.

What do you mean by “better”? If you’re a Japanese freestyle rider, then doing it in a flowing manner is certainly better. If you’re a German freestyle rider, I guess hoping on the tire would be the best. If you’re looking for the easiest way to do so, I’d say that completely come to a stop is the easiest solution - that’s what I was doing at the time.

Fun fact: I have tried to do so on Friday, the 17th of 2014. I twisted my ankle so bad I have never tried it again :sweat_smile:

Good luck with this skill! I hope you’ll master it, and then be able to stand-up glide/coast. That’s something really amazing - I remember stand-up gliding down the gliding course of Unicon 2016… That was something!

4

OK, so sounds basically the same as step up mount.

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Update from this week: I can now switch from stand-up-hopping to hopping-on-tire! (and the other way). It’s actually pretty stable.

So I can do stand hopping to hopping-on-tire to 90-down-to-pedals (to riding). However, I currently cannot go from stand walk (moving) to stand hopping (stationary), so not there yet. And I could already get out of stand hopping into wheel walk (but only from stable stand hopping)

Mount to stand walk is still getting better - maybe one in three I can do 5-8 kicks.

But no real improvement in attempts at riding to stand up or 1-ft ww to standup (I fall forward almost immediately after standing).

But I am getting closer to return-to-pedals from stand walk: With a helping hand I did it a few times successfully. One attempt I got a foot on the pedal but then UPD. But I think it’s attainable.

Side note: it’s amazing how much faster the teenage unicyclists learn such skills! In Bavaria the top freestylers learn stand walk around 13-15 years of age (or earlier) and there are 20+ teenagers (certainly more) that have mastered stand walk super controlled.

My mid-term goal this spring is mount to stand walk, 6-10 controlled kicks and step down to pedals.

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So, I thought I’d post a video of my progress…

Improving but slowly. It’s really astounding how much core strength, especially in the back but also the hamstrings is required to maintain a controlled body position! A few times I’ve been able to hit the pedal trying to sit down and return to the pedals. I think with a bit more control it is doable.

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Hi @MUCFreerider (maybe you remember me from villanders 2 years ago). Have you made any progress lately? I though about rewatching you videos since I’ve been putting a lot of work in this trick lately (although I started trying 2 years ago) and yesterday I landed it for the first time (sadly the jump down to pedals was out of the camera).

When watching you videos I’ve noticed that you only put one foot in the frame (as I remember seeing in some French and German tutorials) whereas I put both on the frame. I’ve tried doing it like this, but feeling less comfortable and with worst results, have you tried putting both foots on the frame? When I started I was doing big pushes with the body and breaking afterwards (in a weird jumping-like motion) whereas now I’m trying to push the wheel with the foot. I’m also a little bit concerned with the unicycle setup, since I struggle a lot with breaking (falling backwards), specially when trying to stop, and one time that I tried the Iron-Mad Elite of a friend (which has a tire with maybe more grip and less clearance, closer to the crown) I was able to move and brake with much more ease.

As for the mounts, I am the more consistent with the jump mount with one hand in the handle (maybe because I was already able to bay hopping with and without hands) and with the jump from the ground (as you usually perform). From time to time I cam do it from riding without jumping and I’ve done it 7 times from 1f ww (almost stopping before transitioning, struggling mostly because I loose my balance when doing very slow 1fww). I’ve also tried going to it from fast coasting and gliding without success and practiced a lot standing up and sitting without hands while holding onto something.

As for the dismounts, I’ve only been successful one time jumping down to pedals (as in bay hopping) since I usually fall backwards when going to a full stop. A few times I’ve been able to sit and continue doing 1ft ww for a few seconds without control and I’ve tried a lot of times to transition to jump on tire (as you’ve done successfully) or bay hop, but I always fall when I try to stop and change the position.

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Very nice.

Yes, about a month ago it suddenly clicked and my stand walk itself is pretty stable: I can usually do 10-20 kicks for 30+ seconds. I have a video that I haven’t posted yet.

And like you, I have succeeded in going from both 1ft ww and from normal riding as well as starting with stand hopping.

My return to pedals is however not so good yet.

As to your questions:
Correct, I put my left foot on the crown and the right foot completely on the tire.

I don’t see how you could control the tire well with the pushing foot partly on the frame? Maybe you’re used to that from gliding? (My gliding is sadly not good yet)

I can do both big pushes and small pushes where both are more push, brake-to-standstill, then push. In the beginning I would push push almost to a glide but was less controlled.

What has really helped me is keeping my upper body very straight and upright and not leaning forward so much. I used to have a strong forward lean much as you do. Last week I even managed to keep my head up and even more stable (didn’t get that on video).

Concerning mounts: when you say jump from the ground I think you mean step up, as I mostly do. The actual jump up from pedals to stand walk is harder, and I cannot yet do it although I think it might be possible soon. I can do jump to stand hopping and then transition into stand walk.

I also managed to do hop-on-tire to stand hopping to stand walk (but not yet return-to-pedals,although I’ve managed twice).

So will you be in Villanders this weekend? (I will)

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I have a new stand walk video from a few weeks ago but too large to post here…

Here it is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IIo_9G7Z9Xo?si=gs773ajJFnQGwcFj

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That’s a good point. The sole of my push foot was getting quite worn, so I bought a new pair. And my tire was almost bald on the right side from 1ft ww. So combining the new shoes and new tire about 6 weeks ago drastically improved the grip resulting in an immense improvement in control.

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11

you wear a helmet, but how big is the chance of a nasty fall. In the videos, yous just hop off.

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I almost always wear a helmet for muni, trial and road riding. Too many variables and not worth taking chances.

For freestyle or hockey inside in the sport hall I do not wear a helmet as the floor is much more forgiving than concrete.

However, I do sometimes have potential for a nasty fall or injury in freestyle, although not necessily limited to the head. A few weeks ago doing I think stand hopping I lost my balance and fell from standing high on the unicycle to the floor on my chest/face landing on the unicycle (and pedal) lying in the floor. One time recently doing cross hopping I jammed my big toe between the crank and the frame and fell in the opposite direction, so “bending” my big toe to the side. That turned very blue and hurt for weeks.

Last year one of the very best German freestyle riders Lisa Hanni fell doing a for her “routine” trick (something pretty hard like one-footed ride on side) and fell strangely on her knee and tore multiple tendons in her knee (and now seems to have retired from competitive unicycling).

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I can see it depends very much on riding style. I mostly do road unicycling and don’t take protection that seriously. I just ride in a shirt and shorts and no helmet.
Then again on the EUC, I do wear wrist guards and a helmet. The thought of the electricity cutting out and making a face plant always lingers while riding it. I will initially do the same when learning to ride a BC wheel. I imagine falling backwards is a big risk.

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Yes, I’m very good with gliding with both foots on the crown and that most likely makes me more comfortable in that position for stand up ww. But I remember (after already being doing it like that mostly) being told by Taiwanese freestylers to put both foots on the crown, which they maybe teach in order to work for stand up gliding, which is the trick they use in performance and prioritize.

Was told that in Taiwan, but since I didn’t record myself for a long time I thought I was more straight than I really am, will try to focus more on it.

Yes and no, yes because in that text I wanted to write the step up; no because I’m almost as consistent with the jump from the ground so what I wrote still holds true.

Will try that next time.

Sadly no, I’ve improved a lot since last time (I’m currently going back home from DH training while writing this) and would like to try it again, but I have exams both on Thursday and Friday (two years ago I also had one, but decided to skip one to go) and I’ve already expent too much money on UNICON22.

The sole of my push foot broke yesterday, but I think it was mostly due to intensive rolling with cotterles cranks. My tire is quite old now and I will have to buy a new one anyway since I think I need a white one for UNICON freestyle, do you have any recommendation? I was thinking buying the 2.1 tire available from mad4one to have the tire closer to my foot, but they seem to be out of stock and I can’t find it on any other website.

First of all, I usually wear my helmet independently of the danger since I’m used to it. Secondly, yes, stand up ww is not very dangerous, so for doing it, specially in a gym, I would maybe not wear it. But in that training session I was also doing downhill gliding and fast costing, where in the case an UPD sometimes one foot gets hit by a pedal making me fall violently backwards, in which case, I’ll want to be wearing a helmet.

have you tried bay hopping one time and returning to pedals? Doing that before helps me put away the fear to try jumping down to pedals while suww.

I also forgot to mention that I did two successful (maybe 0.5% success rate) jumps from pedals to su ww without hands while training with Taiwanese freestylers. It seems very hard so I’m not focusing on it now, though I try it from time to avoid becoming scared of it.

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I think you mean the Duro Fantasy 20x2.1 which is my favorite (and current) tire. I am on my 2nd or 3rd and like it a lot. I think the QX Hash is the same tire, but often narrower at 20x1.95 (usually cheaper). But Einradladen.com also shows not currently in stock. Ajata has the narrower Duro Fantasy 20x1.95 here for €40: Duro Fantasy Reifen – Weißer Freestyle-Reifen für 20" Einräder

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No, but that’s a great idea. I’ll try in week after next after the holidays. Or I could try stand hopping (is “bay hopping” the name for stand hopping?) from which I can consistently transition to sitting wheel walk (that’s the start of my current freestyle routine).

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Nice!! I think that looks so elegant. My daughter can do that as well as “drop jumping” from stand walk back to the pedals (that seems scary to me but maybe I can work up to it one day). I can imagine doing jump up from the pedals, and I’ll have to give it a try sometime.

I consistently do jump mount to stand hopping, so I’ll have to try jump to stand walk (I think hopping is way easier as the rear foot strongly braces the tire upon landing, much more than when on the frame).

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Just ask Petra … one of our club riders ordered one a few weeks ago while it was listet as no stock and got one.

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I asked them, but they only have the QU-AX hash, seems like the Gusset Pimp 20" x 2.1" is a thing of the past. But in any case, shipping cost to Spain seem to be around 20€, so I’m not sure if it is worth expending 50€ for that tire instead of just 15€ for a Kenda 1.95 or a QX 1.95 that I can just buy in a physical store.

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Longest one of the second day trying with the foot on the side technique. Still unable to stay straight​:sweat_smile:.

It gives me a similar level of control of braking and acceleration to normal 1ft ww, but it doesn’t feel comfortable to have all the weight just in my left foot, sometimes I have to do small jumps to rearrange foot placement.

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