Getting Started

This guide is very long and informative but many people would rather watch a youtube video so I would recommend checking out Eli Brill’s video on how to unicycle. He is a very accomplished unicyclist and his video is very good at explaining everything that you need to know to learn how to unicycle:

If you wish to read my guide, here it is:

 

Hello, I’m Nick Braun, president of the Unicycle Club and this is my guide on how to unicycle. The information in this guide is useful for members of the unicycle club as well as anyone who would like to learn unicycling on their own. Although this guide is long, all of the content is important. Many of the main ideas however, are bolded in case you wish to reference the most important steps quickly.

Part of the process of learning to unicycle includes obtaining a unicycle. There are some unicycles available to use at club meetings but it is highly recommended that committed members buy their own unicycles. Tips on buying the right unicycle can be found here.

Safety

Before you begin to unicycle you’ll need to know how to successfully not break your bones in half. Or at least what most people worry about. In reality, unicycling is surprisingly safe if you keep a few easy tips in mind.

  1. If your unicycle is about to run away from you, let it. Your safety is more important than the safety of the unicycle. Many new riders instinctively try to catch the unicycle or hold on to the handle. Sometimes it’s fine to catch the unicycle but if it causes the unicycle to ram into you at an awkward angle, it’s better to jump away and let the unicycle escape you.
  2. Know how to fall. By following the above step, you should be able to land on your feet most of the time. If you are about to fall make sure let your feet find the ground. If you lean too far in one direction before removing your feet from the pedals, you can end up falling on the ground.
  3. Watch the pedal position. When starting out, if the pedals are not in the position seen later in this guide, there is a risk of the pedals snapping back towards your non mounting leg and delivering a painful blow to your shin.
  4. Wear protective gear, where you see fit. Wearing a helmet or shin guards is something a lot of new riders choose to do. As long as you correctly go through the steps of learning to unicycle, you shouldn’t encounter many situations where you don’t land on your feet, but wearing a helmet may be a good precautionary measure just in case.
  5. Wear good shoes with good traction. Make sure the laces are tied and the ends are tucked into the laces if they stick out too much. Getting laces caught in the wheel can be dangerous.

Location

Learning to unicycle is easiest along a wall or fence. Before you can begin learning to unicycle you will need to find a wall, fence or railing that goes along a smooth, flat surface. Tennis courts are a good example of an ideal unicycling location.

Stage 1: Mounting

The first step in learning to unicycle is riding down a really big hill. Just kidding, first you’ll need to know how to get on the unicycle. When given a unicycle and no guidance most people will attempt to mount the unicycle completely wrong. Because the cranks and the wheel are directly connected, people will try to mount the unicycle like a bike and find that the unicycle rolls away from them (For more info on how unicycles work click here). The correct way to mount the unicycle is shown below. While holding onto a wall or fence, place whichever foot feels more natural onto the bottom pedal. If you prefer to start with your left foot the steps below are identical but mirrored.

 

Once your starting foot is in the position above, bring your other foot onto the pedal as you let the unicycle roll underneath you as seen below. Be careful not to put too much weight on the starting pedal or you can hit your other shin with the pedal. Instead, put more of your weight on the seat and use just enough force to push the starting pedal down. Keeping your second foot back can help lessen the risk of this happening as well. Once you’ve got both feet on the pedals you will want to start getting a feel for the unicycle. Practice mounting the unicycle a few times before advancing to the next step.

Stage 2: Riding along the Wall

So now that you know how to mount your unicycle you’re ready to take on that big hill, right? Well, not quite. Now you’ll need to figure out how to ride. The idea behind this step is simple, just start pedalling. Use the wall or fence for support and as you get more comfortable riding gradually start using the wall or fence less and try to balance mostly on your own. Once you can comfortable balance on your own for a few seconds you are about ready to move on to the next step. If you are getting stuck on this step, try keeping these tips in mind:

  • Put lots of weight on the seat. If your pedalling is jerky and not one relatively smooth motion, putting more of your weight on the seat and not your pedals should help.
  • Stay upright. Only lean against the wall as much as you need to so that you don’t become dependent on it.
  • Look straight ahead. Although it might be uncomfortable to do at first, looking at a far away object in front of you can help you keep your balance.
  • Don’t hold onto the seat. Let your other hand do what it needs to to balance you out.

When learning to ride along a wall, keep in mind that you will need to practice a lot before you’re ready to go off the wall.

Stage 3: Leaving the Wall

So now that you’re not bound to the wall, you’re ready to tackle that hill. No? Ok not quite yet, but your goal of being the coolest mountain unicyclist (yeah that’s right, mountain unicycling) in the tristate area is not that far fetched now. Leaving the comfort of your wall or fence is the final step in the beginner’s guide to unicycling. Once you’ve mastered it, you can start taking your skills around campus and to all your classes.

Riding Out in the Open

Once you’re comfortable riding along a wall or fence and you’re able to use it for support only minimally, you’re ready to ride away from the wall. Riding away from the wall isn’t very much different except for the fact that the only thing helping you balance is yourself now. Before you push off, remember all the safety tips about falling off the unicycle mentioned earlier. These are extremely important for your safety in this stage. When practicing riding out in the open, start out by mounting with the help of any object, such as the wall from before or a pole. Then, give yourself a light push off of the object and start pedaling. You will likely not make it very far for a while but don’t be discouraged. This stage requires the most practice out of any of the other staged of learning to unicycle, and it can be boring. Riding out in the open is a skill you will practice for hours, and on multiple occasions, before you’ve mastered it. When practicing remember these tips (which are similar or identical to those in the last stage) that people often don’t think about or forget, and stay determined:

  • Put lots of weight on the seat. If your pedaling is jerky and not one relatively smooth motion, putting more of your weight on the seat and not your pedals should help.
  • Stay upright. Although this will be something that’s easier to do when you’re out in the open, it’s still important to remember not to lean too much in any one direction.
  • Look straight ahead. This tip is especially important when riding out in the open, as you have nothing to lean on and save you from falling.
  • Don’t hold onto the seat. Let both of your hands do whatever they need to to balance you out.

Turning

The final step in riding out in the open is learning how to turn. There is really not much too this other than just leaning a little bit where you want to go. Really the hard part is learning how not to turn when you don’t want to. Other than practice there’s not much that will help you learn how to turn. Turning will mostly happen subconsciously. If you look in the direction you want to go and lean a small amount, your body will take care of the rest. Remember not to lean too much and keep looking up in the direction you want to go.

Conclusion

After practicing these skills, you should be ready to take on that big hill. Or rather, whichever medium sized hill you’ll be lucky enough to find in Ohio. Although this guide was long, I hope it was helpful and informative. If you’re returning to this guide, take a look at the bolded main ideas and the bulleted lists for the most important information and tips. Always consider your safety as well when unicycling.

 

Happy Unicycling!

Written with love by the Founder and President of Unicycle Club,

Nick Braun

 

 

 

To continue developing new skills, see the Intermediate Skills page.