From the video description:
With awesome new unicycle-specific hubs available or soon to be available, this is a great time for freewheel unicycling and you’ll probably be seeing an influx of fantastic new videos of elite riders doing amazing feats. This video is a reminder that like fixed wheel unicycling, freewheel unicycling is a proficiency skill. You may not be as sweaty as me or as overweight or as out of shape, but if you practice enough you’ll learn to ride.
@waaalrus great video! I’ve never tried a freewheel before but I can imagine even if you are an accomplished rider there’s a learning curve. When your legs are not constantly cranking and are no longer a main source of maintaining balance, it’s a whole new game.
I was also intrigued by your handlebar setup. Never seen a vertical mount like that, but I imagine that it would get in the way of your legs less that way. Thanks for the encouragement and keep pedaling!
A good video indeed! I am also interested in your handlebar setup, perhaps you could post some more pictures and information in the thread of homemade handlebars.
He did back then when he built it.
edit: less than one minute search gives me this:
P.S.: Guys, we have a search function that works really well!
How did I not see that. Thanks for pointing out that post.
Thanks! Yes, there’s definitely a learning curve. Now that the ground is softer and there are patches of deep sand and plenty of ruts and holes created by horse hooves, riding the trail in this video on a freewheel unicycle is a challenge for my focus, skill, and conditioning (particularly when it’s pushing 100F like when I shot the footage). It would be relatively easy to ride on a fixed wheel. When it was harder packed I could do a good bit of coasting:
Thanks! It wasn’t helpful that I deleted my Instagram account and the photos of the original, shorter handle (the one from the video) are no longer available. I’ll post an update to that thread with photos, feedback after riding it a lot, and planned adjustments. I seem to be the only person who prefers the direction of the brake lever.
In the video there’s a montage of three UPDs at the same patch of deep sand. As short as the handle is I still banged my knee in one of them hard enough to leave a mark and a bump for a few days, but at least it didn’t trip me as a longer handle might. The PVC coupling softens the many, many UPDs that I have.
I’m working on doing it and making progress.