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Learn to ride

At Unicycle.com we not only sell unicycles, but we ride them and teach others to ride them.  There are many ways to learn to ride to a unicycle. Here is a guide to help you find your way to learn (or if you want something printable, download our free Learn to Ride Guide).

Learn to Ride a Unicycle

Introduction: Welcome to the fun-filled world of unicycling! To kids young and old, you're about to embark on an adventure that will last a lifetime. The average time needed to learn unicycling is 10-15 hours. That's about an hour a day for two weeks.  

Safety Gear: Unicycling is generally not dangerous, but as with any physical activity, like riding a bike expect to fall every now and again, especially while learning. We strongly recommend wearing a helmet and wrist guards, sneakers or running shoes and trousers. 

Where to learn: The ultimate space would be a smooth corridor with a hand rail along each side.  Not easy to find! Look for a space clear of objects that might obstruct you.  It must be smooth and level, any pebble or dip will knock you off when you are beginning.  Tennis courts and school yards are generally good.  If you are lucky to have a juggling or unicycling club in your area they generally have appropriate space in a hall or gym and can also help you learn to ride.

Does this thing have a front and back? Yes. The seat post clamp skewer (bolt/nut or quick-release handle) is on the back - check this is on the correct way round, the slot in the frame under the clamp should be at the rear! The pedal marked "L" should be on your left, "R" on your right.

How high should the seat be? When you're seated on the unicycle, with the heel of one foot on a pedal in its lowest position, your leg should be almost straight.  This is important, if the seat does not go high enough we sell extra long replacement seat posts.

Getting Started:

1. Stand with both feet flat on the ground, legs apart. Pull the seat into place as shown in the picture.	2. Spin in the wheel so that the pedal is in the 4:00 position.	3. Put both hands on the handrail or fence, as shown. 4. Step on the pedal closest to you. This is different from a bicycle, where you step on the forward pedal. Bicyclists are used to moving forward when mounting. On a unicycle, you want the wheel to rotate 1/4-turn backwards. Step on the pedal and you should now be on the seat with the wheel underneath you.

5. Pedal backwards 1/4 turn to get your feet horizontal (backwards is easier than going forwards to get out of "the dead" position when your cranks are vertical).  You are now ready to go forwards.

6. Hold onto the handrail tightly and lean forward slightly while pedaling slowly. Take it one "step" at a time: from horizontal feet with your left foot forward to horizontal feet with your right foot forward. Its just like learning to walk. Make sure you are sitting up straight (but still relaxed).

7. Build up from one step at a time to two steps, then three steps. Try to hold the rail less and less until it is only needed for the occasional balance correction.

Congratulations!  Soon you'll travel a few metres without assistance, then a few more, then you'll soon discover the secret to unicycling: 

Tips: Sometimes I think a parrot could teach someone to ride a unicycle as the same phrases keep on being repeated.  Here is a top ten of tips, memorise these and you will be well on your way.

1.   "sit on the seat" (don't hold your weight on your legs)
2.   "when the unicycle starts to fall, let it and don't catch it"
3.   "don't look down, look ahead"
4.   "lean forward not back"
5.   "point your shoulders in the direction you want to go"
6.   "sit on the seat"
7.   "faster, like a bike it is much harder to ride very slow"
8.   "do not try to stand still"
9.   "don't worry, you will learn to turn right later, just turn left for the moment"
10. "sit on the seat!"

How to get on a Unicycle ("Free Mount")

The next stage of learning is to be able to get on the unicycle without holding on to anything or anyone else. This is called a "free mount". There are two basic techniques for free mounting.

You stay still, the wheel moves.
Place your first foot on the nearest pedal at about 4.00 o'clock (this varies slightly with size of wheel, bigger the wheel the lower the pedal) with the seat in position. Apply weight to the pedal, the unicycle will then move underneath you until the pedal is at the bottom (6.00 o'clock) and the frame is vertical. Place the second foot on the other pedal which will be at the top and apply a backwards motion. This makes the wheel move backwards about 1/4 turn. All of this should be done in a smooth action with the shoulders staying almost still. Fall / topple / lean slightly forward and start to pedal forwards to bring the unicycle back underneath you again. This is a good start for the more analytical learner and can be done holding on to bar or wall because your shoulders should stay almost still.

You move and the wheel stays still.
Place your first foot on the nearest pedal at about 3 o'clock with your seat in position and one hand on the front of the seat.  Move forward as if stepping up on to a step... but, with putting as little weight on the step as possible.  As you move forward it often helps to push the saddle forward slightly to keep the cranks horizontal where you want them (this also helps men!).  This can be done relatively slowly and does not need to executed rapidly.  The pedals should stay horizontal during whole of this exercise. When you are on top of the unicycle and the pedals are horizontal you will be ready to ride off.  Lean forward to get some forwards momentum. This tends to be better for the rider who is a "go for it" learner. This is the better mount to learn because it allows you to get on in a variety of situations that may not allow for the slight backwards motion of the first type of mount (fro example, on rough ground).

One technique for learning the second mount is the place the wheel up against a curb so that it can not rotate backwards.  This alleviates one part of the process as the curb will keep the wheel still.  

For more hints on learning to ride, download and print out our Learn to Ride Guide.

Unicycle Skill Development

Just get out there and ride. Try to find others to ride with. Start a club in your area. Commute to work or school. The International Unicycling Federation Ten Skill Levels of Unicycling has plenty of ideas for new tricks to try.

Unicycle Hockey:  One of the best way to improve your unicycling and have fun while you do it is to play unicycle hockey.  See the General Fun page for Hockey and more...

Where we unicycle:  Look at the Calendar for clubs and events near you. There are riders all over New Zealand. If you can't find someone, Contact Us and we'll try to locate riders near you.

Teaching Others? Try our book Teach Unicycling.