Hi everyone,
I have been thinking about riding a unicycle for years. I recently bought one and have been going though the learning curve. Here’s a video of my first three efforts. I hope to post something better soon!
https://vimeo.com/73099053
Hap
Nice! Great to watch others learn.
Welcome to Unicyclist.com
I still remember the thrill! I’m still thrilled.
I learned after 46 yrs. Now it is a big part of my life!
Joe
I enjoyed that 
it brought back many memories of when I learned. (6 months ago :D!)
Just keep on riding!!! and I’m 48 btw…
Thanks everyone,
Right now it feels like I fall every time I start thinking about what I’m doing. “wow, I’m riding a unicycle” klunk! The wrist guards are a big help. I definitely recommend them. I don’t mind falling forward or backward so much but a couple of times I’ve gotten tangled in the wheels and thats a little scary. I’m getting focused to try again tomorrow.
Great
That was great…I am 53 and haven’t tried yet, but soon. You gave me an idea what to look forward to 
…LOL.
Thanks for the video…Again it was great.
Jack
Deny age
I re-started at 50 almost 3 years ago. I bought a KH 29er sans the brake.
I learned at 12 but never off-road like now.
When I started again at 50 I could ride maybe 100 yards. I’m now going to a few different trails near where I live for 6 to 9 miles three or four times a week.
The next time I see a muni rider while I ride will be the first time. Let alone anyone over 50. I am encouraged by the many good riders that post comments here at this site.
I work with a load of young guys and not one could ride ten feet.
Why?
Because they never invested in a good muni and practiced.
Nice!
You’re doing much better than I did … Although, I documented my progress from day 1 on (which is about 13 weeks ago …) I missed to do some videos from my very first tries and now I’m a bit sad, that I didn’t take any videos …
The nice thing on unicycling is that there is steady and noticeable improvement which keeps motivating
Hi Hap, and welcome to the forum and to unicycling! It’s always great to see other middle aged “kids” take up our awesome sport!
Nice rolling there Hap. Only the very brave learn to unicycle after 30.
Best of Luck
I’m new to this forum, but not to unicycling. It’s tons of fun and great exercise. As a 56 year old I’ve taken inspiration from Terry the Unigeezer. He’s just a year older than me so we’re all part of the AARP sub-group on this site. Maybe I’m the unicurmudgeon.
Incidentally, Terry’s videos are both incredibly helpful and humorously illuminating. I’ve just begun riding a 36" about a month ago and Terry’s video mounting tips have been a godsend. Riding a 36" brings back memories of my first forays with a 20". Damn it’s fun!
I first learned in 1972 and rode on and off for about a 3 years. I didn’t start again until 1995. Since then it’s been sporadic with some offroad, a foray into 5 ft giraffes and now the larger wheel fun. The beauty is that you can start at any point and pick it up with some determination or renew your enthusiasm as long as you remain mobile.
Hap–best of luck with the challenges and successes that await you. One benefit that often goes unmentioned is how unicycling can be better than bicycling in some instances. I hurt my neck in an auto accident 3 years ago, which has made bicycling quite painful. It’s much less problematic with the more upright position on the uni.
Nice story, was worth the read.
Great effort Hap, you’re doing amazingly well for your first goes. You seem to have one of the most important attributes to learning the Uni and that is fearlessness; you just go for it. Add stubbornness to try the same thing over and over no matter how impossible it seems and the only thing left is simply time…to let your muscles and brain get used to it.
Do a little every day. Good luck
UL
Wow, thank you all for your support. I did 2 sessions today and made good progress, I think. I can now go about 150 feet almost every time. That’s how long I can hold my breath! Seriously, I’ve got to learn to breath and turn. I can’t seem to make it go where i want it to. Terry’s videos are already helping. I’ve been trying to imitate his arm swing.
thanks again for your encouragement.
HAP for happy because you are obviously enjoying yourself very much! In the video I noticed your wife is also smiling at your endeavours …that’s a good sign 
Happiness!
Yes, Hap for Happy. My childhood friends still call me Happy. Yesterday marked another day in my adventure. Still a long way from riding across the yard, but i was able to ride a little more smoothly. There is a swing to this thing. It’s beautiful out today. I can’t wait to try again. I remember the feeling of learning to ride a bicycle.
Wildly off topic (and sorry for the diversion), but… You don’t happen to have grown up in Montana with a veterinarian father named Harry, did you? Odds would seem against it, but there aren’t that many people who go by “Hap” in the world…
Fun video
Glad you picked up the wrist guards.
It will be 3 years on 10/5 that I brought home a torker cx20. It took me much longer to get my first revolutions than you… you must have some natural ability.
Today I have a 26, 29, and 36er. Every time out I learn something… and like to think my skills are just getting better. What a magical way to exercise the brain and the brawn.
Thanks for sharing.
No thats not me. I’m from Roanoke, VA
When i was 22 I bought a one way ticket to Japan and left with $200 in my pocket. I had no idea that I couldn’t learn to speak Japanese. My first night was a battle to learn the word for bathroom! Somebody with a sense of humor taught me a very bad word which I used for several weeks. Once I figured out what was going on, i got serious about learning how to really speak Japanese. My attitude since has been that there are few things that any of us can not learn if we are sufficiently motivated. Recently i started feeling like relearning that lesson and the unicycle seemed a lot cheaper than sky diving. I did that before I went to Japan and after jumping, i though I could do anything. My adventure in japan lasted 12 years and I still practice my japanese every morning. There is a great japanese saying, “keizoku wa chikara nari” that translates to something like, “steady continuance becomes power”. I really look forward to continuing to ride this thing. I have no idea how far I’ll get but the process is what stirs me.
progress
This morning I started out very slow. I couldn’t seem to go more than 20 feet. I was getting frustrated. I took a break and let a little air out of the tire. My next ride was 250 feet! My best ride yet. I was still having trouble though. I moved the seat all the way forward and, WOW I had three or four really smooth 200 foot rides. I am thinking about tomorrow now. I learned a lot today and want to try again. It seems like the seat being forward helps keep the seat post leaning forward. I also started pedaling faster after I changed the seat. The last 50 feet of my ride started going slightly downhill and that was new too. I actually started to relax just a little going down hill. It was really fun