Santa Barbara Mountain Unicycle Club

Lessons

If you are interested in learning how to unicycle, we want to help! We truly believe that anyone can learn how to ride. It's just a matter of getting a few good pointers and then spending the time practicing. If you are interested in free unicycling lessons send an email to lessons(at)sbuni(dot)com.

Below are some tips to help you get started.

The first step to learning to ride a unicycle is making sure your equipment is safe. Make sure your unicycle is put together properly, and is the right size for your body. Beginners prefer to start with a unicycle that has a 20 inch diameter wheel. These are easier to maneuver. The seat should be high enough that your leg is almost completely extended on the downswing of the pedal. If anything, itís better to have the seat too low than too high. Wear the proper safety gear: helmet, knee pads, shin pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, and stable tennis shoes. We also recommend bike shorts which can be worn underneath regular shorts.

The second step: scouting a safe location. The three most important features about the location you chose are 1) something to hold on to, 2) something to secure your wheel in place, and 3) flat ground away from cars. The best things to hold onto are tall handrails, and chain-link fences. Human shoulders work, too. The best thing to secure your wheel is a concrete curb. Place the back of your wheel against the curb, and stand on the curb behind it. Rotate the wheel so that the pedal that corresponds to your strong leg is closest to you on a horizontal plane. By placing your strong foot on the closer pedal, this should secure the tire against the curb, so that it canít roll away. Next, grab on to your handrail or fence as you put your other foot on the far pedal. If you keep most of your weight on the back pedal, you can experience what it feels like to sit stably on the seat without moving. This will NOT be easy, but it is useful to find the center of balance before you move forward.

Before you learn to mount and ride, consider these dismounting tips: 1) if you feel yourself falling, simply release your feet from the pedals and put them on the ground. Thereís no guarantee that it will work every single time, but itís easier than you may think. 2) Let the unicycle fall. Heroic acts of diving after the unicycle seat before it hits the ground are much less important than your own safety.

Next, mount and ride: Pedal your feet forward, and use the rail or fence to keep your torso above your legs. If the wheel insists on jetting out in front of you, youíll need to apply more pressure into the pedals on the upswing. You also may notice that itís easier to lose your balance when the pedals are in the vertical position, perpendicular to the ground. That position is called the ìdeadspotî. Thatís because, if youíre going slow, itís very hard to push your pedals out of that position, and you can lose all momentum. Try to keep your speed high enough that you donít stall every time you hit that spot. If you need to catch your balance, make sure to do it with your pedals horizontal. As long as youíre at a consistent speed, youíll notice that you wonít have to worry too much about side-to-side balance; forward-backward balance tends to demand most of the attention. Donít forget, nowís the perfect time to practice those dismounts!

After some hours of assisted riding, you may feel comfortable letting go of the handrail or fence. Mount at the curb, with the rail. Once you find the center of balance, pedal with hands free. With enough rehearsal, your body will learn to ride forward, unassisted.

Congratulations, youíre unicycling!