Steer?

Ok, so Ive been having loads of fun on my uni, and im getting a bit better. Good enough to the point that i can ride from my fence to the end of the road (about 35 feet) but then the road ends and if i want to keep going i have to turn left or right. The thing is i cant, so i have to jump off, but i want to ride i want to stay on i want to turn, so uhh… can anyone tell me how ya’all do it cause im a bit confuzzled. :thinking: thanks :stuck_out_tongue:

Twithem488

I dunno how the pros do it, but i learned to turn by just turning my body in the direction i wanted to go and leaning into it a bit. just keep your weight focused on your seat and im sure ull figure it out soon

I’d like to know too. I’m at about the same place. I managed to turn left very slowly yesterday, only after trying to turn more quickly and jabbing my leg very hard with a pedal. I think you’re supposed to lean and turn your shoulders - the same basic idea as with skates or a snowboard.

To turn to the right.

When you’re about to press the right pedal downwards, press it a bit harder. And in the same time turn your uppe body and your head. And in the beggining, go slow!

Left, the opposit. :roll_eyes:

This is the tip that i was told.
but i guess somone more experiensed could sort this one out a bit more.

Unfortunately, turning is something that you just have to learn to do. It’s weird. Also, it is something I learned to do so long ago I forgot my methods. It is part lean, part twist. You have to lean your body in the direction you wish to turn because centrifugal force will push your center of gravity outward. So lean in a little bit then twist your body. Just keep trying and it will come.

Well the way I learned how to ride somewhat is the reason why I learned to turn. Lean in the direction you want to turn and then swing your arms and uper half in the direction you want to turn, and then your other half with follow. Keep practicing, it’ll come.

Whether you lead with your upper body or lower body you need to get the uni tilted a bit to make the turn. Try dropping you hip a bit to the inside to initiate the turn.

Here is a more in-depth thread: Steering insight.

I think that I turn by leaning the direction I want to turn. I never really pay attention. It took me about one hour to figure out how. Then it was about 20 foot turns. Now I can go in 4 foot circles, and if I need to I can do a 90 degree turn in 1 foot. So just keep at it and you’ll have it down soon.

i think i learned by twisting my hips. it required a slipt second stop or near stop. i just slowed down and twisted my hips and pushed the pedal down in the direction i wanted to go.

The way I learned to turn was just to think about turning and doing it. It took me about 30 feet to turn around when I started (I couldn’t actually do a 180 on a wide road). Work on just turning a little bit at first, and over time, you’ll make the turns tighter and tighter. I remember how stoked I was the first time I turned around on the sidewalk.
My recommendation is to not think about the procedure; just do it. Don’t know if this is productive or not, but it works.

Re: Steer?

On Mon, 1 Nov 2004 16:29:02 -0600, “Twisthem488” wrote:

>i want to turn, so
>uhh… can anyone tell me how ya’all do it cause im a bit confuzzled.

Taken from “Learning to Unicycle”:

Turning - When first learning to turn you really just need to do what
feels natural and ‘pull’ yourself around a corner by waving your arms
to the front and side. After some practise, you’ll find that you can
turn smoothly simply by twisting your upper body and allowing your
legs and the unicycle to follow. To turn right, place your right arm
behind you and your left arm in front and across your body. Do this
and look where you want to go, and you should go there. Do the
opposite to turn left. A really good exercise using this method is to
ride along in a zigzag pattern by swinging your arms smoothly between
the left-turn and right-turn positions. Leaning slightly to the side
you want to turn will help to make your turning smooth.
You’d better avoid jerky turns, in which you suddenly force the
unicycle into another direction by a sudden and jerky hip-twisting
motion although it may be easier for a beginner. This technique might
have its use in tight spaces, but it will wear the tyre more, it is
difficult to do at speed and it doesn’t look that good.

Download your copy from
<http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/uni_beginners.htm>.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict

I figure it’s pretty clear that offroad unicycling is a stupid thing to do - joemarshall

I just twist my upper body at the hips is the direction I want to go, and do a little of the leaning too.

turn the torso, the uni will follow.