how do i do it!!

[adamsimon]

i got my very first unicycle yesterday and i really thought i would beable to at least ride for a bit but i cant even balance on it any tips what i maybe doing wrong???
:confused:

[gordito8me]

Start off riding against a wall. You can put your hands on it and lean on it as needed to balance. Then when you get better at that, you can start with having a friend next to you so you can keep one hand on his shoulder. Some people do two friends you can do that too. Then start making short distances from a wall that you mount from. Good luck and remember to lean forward.

[adamsimon]

thankyou for the quick reply :)

well though id introduce myself in this thread to im adam and im totally new to all this heres a pic of my uni

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i274/adam_simon_p/uni.jpg

i got it brand new for £20.50p its specs are

Model Type :20" Wheel Unicycle
Frame Construction :Hi-Ten Steel
Forks :Unicrown Hi-Ten Steel
Wheel Size :20"X 2.00" Freestyle BMX pneumatic tyre.
Wheel Specification :36 Spoke large flange steel hub, sealed main cap bearings, silver alloy rim.
Cranks:127mm .
Seatpost :200mm long steel, 4 bolt fixing.
Additional :Unicycle saddle with combined yellow scuff guards.


is this a good starter uni ?? well hope to learn soon or at least stay on it more than one secound :D

[ivan]

Welcome to the forums.
Unicycling takes practice. Just do what Gordito said and you'll nail it.
It's a very good beginner uni. Where did you get it so cheap? I like the QU-AX seat. :D

[adamsimon]

ebay but they spelt Unicycle wrong so there was only 2 bids haha so i got lucky :D

[ivan]

Ha, that's cool! How did they spell it?

Also, many beginners enjoy reading this (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44950).

[brendan]

yeha that uni looks fine, is it from ebay? my friend got one from there and it fell apart in like 2 days...

but yeah looks like a cool qu-ax seat... just try and try again, you need alot of determination to do it, soem can do it easier than others, but it will come.

Try off a wall and just pedal, theres no easy way, just believe in yourself. If you fall and hurt yourself, take a little break and try again (i found that after i hurt myself i would only fail more... cause i was scared of hurting myself and so on)

To my friends that try and learn, i just say lean forward and pedal really fast. faster you pedal easier it is.... also try in small corridor with walls either side and try going without holding on to the walls, but they might help you just because they are there.

[Chrashing]

Welcome, Don't give up, you will ride.

Riding a unicycle seems difficult at first, you'll know you are making progress when it first seems impossible.

[The Buddy]

I only started unicycling in September and it took me about 3 weeks (of constant practice) to be able to ride efficiently. Just keep trying. You'll gain a sense of balance really quick.

[skrobo]

I only started unicycling in September and it took me about 3 weeks (of constant practice) to be able to ride efficiently. Just keep trying. You'll gain a sense of balance really quick.
i have a friend who learned in a day... it is completely dependent on the person, their balance, coordination, and some other things... you got an insane deal dude. good job

[skrobo]

for you and those who don't know, this may be helpful... pushing the seat as far up as possible on the bracket also helps.
http://photos.pe.facebook.com/v36/247/116/1317960125/n1317960125_30010442_2028.jpg

[gordito8me]

just lean forward and pedal really fast. faster you pedal easier it is.... also try in small corridor with walls either side and try going without holding on to the walls, but they might help you just because they are there.

I'm going to have to disagree with that one. Because you're on a fixed gear if you end up just leaning really far forward and then trying to pedal fast to compensate, you probably won't get a very good start to unicycling. Start off slow really try to feel which way you're leaning. Falling over side to side is normally only an issue the first day or so. But if you lean to far back, slow down your revs. if you go too far forward then speed up a little bit.

[adamsimon]

Haveing just spend like 2 hours trying i find as soon as i let go of the wall im on my butt i dont seem to have the balance to stay on poor uni looks a bit scratched now lol my left legs had a nice shiner on it where when i feel once time the pedel met my leg haha but it does seem i will never do it i seem to not beable to pedel to well maybe thats my problem

tomorrows another day :D

[chester1234]

i have a friend who learned in a day...

I was also able to learn in a day on my friends unt, but it took me a week or two to be able to turn and freemount easily.

[gordito8me]

Never say you're not able to do it. because absolutely everyone is.

[skrobo]

I was also able to learn in a day on my friends unt, but it took me a week or two to be able to turn and freemount easily.
lol
i mean he freemounted in a day, and within a month was better than me

[gordito8me]

Freemounting is one of those things that you can sometimes get away with but you probably want to learn how.

[Jerrick]

Welcome to the forums!

Here's what you need to know, and probably the most important step of unicycling.

Keep your weight on the seat, not on the pedals.

For some people, this is a little weird or awkward to do, but this is one of the most important things to remember.

Don't worry about crushing anything, cause you learn to position everything out of the way, like in the picture posted a little back, everything goes up and in front, not under you, or else its just gonna hurt very very bad.

Find a nice fence, or wall, or pole, or something you can grab onto.

Stand up next to it, and while holding on to it, mount your uni. Get situated and comfy on your uni. Try to put most of all your weight on the seat, and just barley any on your pedals. Look forwards, back pretty straight up, take a nice calming breath, push off and start pedaling, now wreck.

Your gonna be wrecking a lot, maybe pedal twice before you have to jump off, but after you fall each time, get back up, and keep trying.

Soon you'll be riding a few revs, then a little bit more, then maybe 10 feet, soon your riding down your street, around the block, to school, everywhere.

Good luck!

Determination and perceverence our your best friends. =p

[uniska]

is, well it is obvious but when you are first starting you want to start on as straight of a road as possible you are avoiding down hill as much as possible I was reading some of the guys reply's and they are right just take it slow at first because your legs don't really have the control yet and eventually you will get used to it, just keep trying..you'll get it

[brendan]

I'm going to have to disagree with that one. Because you're on a fixed gear if you end up just leaning really far forward and then trying to pedal fast to compensate, you probably won't get a very good start to unicycling. Start off slow really try to feel which way you're leaning. Falling over side to side is normally only an issue the first day or so. But if you lean to far back, slow down your revs. if you go too far forward then speed up a little bit.

your argument isnt bad, but going fast means that you cant back out, also it means that psychologically your reflexes will try balance your body out, possibly giving you a slight edge, also the adrenaline will make you better at balancing (apart from experiencing a rather nice feeling, i love it...)

Also if you go faster, (i'm not saying pedal like mad remember) sawying from side to side will be reduced.

But i think tis mostly a psycholicall thing, if you lean forward and pedal nice and quite fast, then your gone, its too late, you cant lean back trying not to fall to get back to the wall or sommit.

But everyone to their technique, good luck, you will manage it mate!

[adamsimon]

well havent got any better today :confused: and im sore in places that really isent very nice to be sore i must be doing something wrong i havent even maged a wheel turn yet without falling off :eek:

[Jerrick]

That's ok, the soreness goes away as you get used to the seat and how to ride.

Some people will have a hard time learning until one day everything just clicks and your off.

[Hazmat]

I guess it's on how much perserverence and patience you have. You don't have to learn how to ride it in one day. It's not like your whole life depends on it. Just take it one step at a time. Start by holding onto a wall and sitting there until you get a sense of balance ride along with it until you think your ready to push off into the unknown. Then when you think you don't need the wall any more. Believe that you can ride your unicycle and eventually you will master the one wheel and slowly learn the different kinds of freemounts.

Good luck on learning how to ride your unicycle adamsimon. Hope all works well for you on your learning. Keep us updated on how it all goes for you. :) :D :)

[spazdude222]

All the stuff posted above, plus, i personally lked practicing with no one around (at first) because you may feel alitlle rediculous wobbelling back and forth two feet. Soon you'll get the hang of it and be a pro. The learning curve is REDICULOUS, it just gets easier and easier (in my opinion). Also, once you acctually get to riding, SHOW OFF! whats the use in loseing th superfluous wheel if you aren't going to flaunt your newfound ability? OH i almost forgot! if you have any friends who unicycle that live near you, get together, it helps A LOT to have some one (hopefully better than you, but that's not necessary) watching you and giving tips or pointing out errors. I make the most efficient progress when unicycling with alex and matt (monkeyman and dudewithasock). And btw, welcome to the forum!