Huge fan of one or two wheeled riding through trails.
Although, this channel is focused showing you how capable you can be, we typically focus on mountain unicycling and mountain biking to convince you of this. You may also find random topics on this channel from setting world records to figuring out how to blow up a balloon animal balloon.
Big things I'm focusing on now: 1. Setting a few world records 2. Convincing mountain bikers to try mountain unicycling 3. Attempting mountain biking features on a unicycle
It is. It's a small Mountain Bike park/pump track. I got the Hover Air X1 from Hover.com. I really like it so far. It only shoots from the back in this way but that's probably exactly what I would need. I bet you could get some great shots with it.
Jumping on a 32” is no joke. That’s a big boy to throw around. But if you’re looking for tips I have a video on it here: Best 3 Tips to Jump on a Unicycle (with Explanations) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eJt85pYHLEM.html
Ive had interest in EUC recently, but have heard even for those who've had very good experience with skateboarding & scooters it still requires a bunch of weeks to get the skill on a EUC (Electric Unicycle).And in that it dissuades most from continuing the process. Id imagne though learning to ride a manual unicycle would not only translate to EUC, but make EUC easy in comparison. Do you have experience in both, and is this true?
Hey Jason! I unfortunately do not have experience with electric unicycles (although with any luck I’ll purchase one sometime). I can imagine there is *some* translation between manual unicycles and electric but the best way to learn a new skill is to learn that new skill (as obvious as it sounds 🤣). If you spent some time learning something in the hopes that it’ll translate to an electric unicycle, any skill that you tried would be less optimal than just learning the electric unicycle. Even though different balance devices may be harder to learn than others, they all deserve some sort of devoted adjustment time. So even if manuals unicycles were harder and electric would be easy in comparison, I’d probably still recommend taking your time and picking up the nuances of an electric unicycle for a good amount of time before going all in - which I think you’d do anyway. All this coming from someone who doesn’t have experience with electric but I do have over a decade of teaching people skills like this so I’ll take my recommendations with a healthy grain of salt. Let me know your thoughts! Either way I bet you can get the hang of it with devoted and intentional practice if you aren’t proficient in it already!
Even if you don't do long distance, nowdays the standard for muni racing is 110mm cranks unless you''re riding very technical terrain or jumping over things where something around 125mm will be better. I recommend you to buy multihole cranks and experiment with shorter crank sizes. Note that as the cranks are smaller you'll need to improve your braking technique as it won't be as easy to help you brake with your legs and you'll be able to be confortable with a higher set. Hope you have some fun trying new things.
Thank you for the kind words! Idk what it says about me that I more or less feel more accomplished after getting thrown around like that but it is what it is. I think this is common amongst the Uni community
It should a short duration exhale rather than a long and sustained one. Blowing hard for no more than a second and a half should do the trick and prevent you from running out of air (and make sure you don't get too lightheaded or hurt your cheeks).
Oh Dan, love your videos mate, don't like seeing people get hurt, but seeing all your fails inspires me to keep working on my riding no matter how many times I fall, and I'm only on a flat surface. You're a legend buddy. Love your work.
I'm a (65-year-old) newbie who quickly learned off-road unicycling is more fun than on-road. I've watched tons of muni videos and had visions of being able to do the cool things that you experienced guys can do. But then I found your channel - and it made me realize there is a LOT more to mountain unicycling than just pointing yourself downhill. Your videos are true to the muni experience and include the real challenges -- and falls -- that come with the sport. I now know the last thing I need to do is head to the mountain bike trail. I thank you for that, Dan - because I just don't want or need the injuries that I know are sure to come. So I'll stay on my benign trails and live vicariously - but not at all regrettably - through you. Appreciate you, brother.
This is such a thoughtful comment. Thank you for this! I agree there are some super impressive people out there that make it look easy. I think the problem solving aspect of what lines to hit and how to approach obstacles is a little more pronounced in mountain unicycling compared to biking but yeah- it’ll definitely beat you up. I wouldn’t quite give up on your muni vision yet. We all can’t be Kris Holm or Ryan Kremsater but it still can be worthwhile. Totally get that though hahaha!
I’m sorry! You can try this video. But just fyi - it is really hard. It takes some practice. One More Trick to Blowing up a Modeling Balloon by Mouth - Balloon Animal Balloon ft. Kelly ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZhLAXPCsdro.html
Exactly the video I needed. The directions from the kit I bought on Amazon were really confusing. The kids have had it one day and have spent a couple of hours on it already!
Yup! Unicycle.com is probably the best and easiest. They ship tp specific areas but I'm in the US and we have access to Nimbus and Kris Holm mountain unicycles. Depending on where you are your selection might look different. I have not found any other website that sells Munis other than the occasional one on eBay. I hope that's helpful.
No way I can but man there is a guy who went down a mountain with tons of shale and could do it. Bottom line you’re much closer than I will ever be! Keep posting!
For those wondering - yes you can. I once slid about 15 feet while unicycling over an icy patch on the road. By some miracle I didn’t fall off. So more or less - it’s possible but pretty dangerous and super scary, plus it’s hard to practice
Glad i came across this. I've been trying to do my squats upright for forever but it never seemed to feel good, making my squat my worst lift. I recently experimented a session with doing a little bit more of a forward lean, basically setting up with a slight lean and maintaining the angle throughout, and squatting has never felt so good and complete, my erectors got a little bit more work than before but i felt like i could get tighter and push harder with my legs, and my quads still felt decently active and actually i felt everything else better as well. One of my ankles has less rom and that hip is also higher and i think because of that my squats have always been unbalanced but focusing on leaning maybe like 5 degrees really changed everything and actually feels therapeutic.
Hey! I'm unsure. I'm yet to venture into the world of freewheel unicycling but I found this thread: unicyclist.com/t/freewheel-unicycling-megathread/267800 I could imagine that if you're just buying the hub and it doesn't fit you'd just have to re-cut the spoke which is a pain but it's not a deal breaker. I found this video helpful at 5:36 to measuring hubs: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rlzEqzyhsXg.html but forgive me if you already are familiar. Hopefully this is helpful but if not, please let me know. I'm actually interested in learning how this turns out so keep me in the loop if you don't mind!
@@HoboDan thank you for the quick reply! It looks like i need a 125mm hub for my uni but all the ones i come across are 100mm.. I'll keep you updated if/when i find one that works!
Great video on how to use the hand brake. This is one of the best videos I’ve seen on unicycle braking techniques. Thanks for sharing your skills with us all. Now I have to go out and practice riding downhill myself. You have amazing skills and strength. 👍
mate, you're the unicycle crash test dummy, definitely not a dummy, but you put your body through so much to bring us these videos. Another great lesson, and so well edited. I felt your pain on that fall half way through, that must have hurt, loved the brave smile through all the pain as you were clawing your way back up the hill. Great work as always Dan. Good on ya mate.
Haha! I appreciate it. It all comes with the sport, I suppose. The good news is they’re typically at low speeds and the unicycle typically falls away from me - so it could be worse 😂. I appreciate the love, Ken. You’re the man
I have a Qu-Ax 27.5 steel frame unicycle with Magura rim brake. I have no experience with disk brake . I was wondering if you have more control on a downhill with a disc brake. it is sometimes difficult to dose with your finger on the brake lever because the pressure causes the wheel to press too much against the pads and the braking force is sometimes unpredictable, so you lose control. Greetings from Belgium
Great question! Generally, disc brakes are the superior brake in that they have more stopping capability and they’re typically more predictable (especially if they’re hydraulic) as you mentioned. However, I’m curious if rim brakes are easier to control on a unicycle specifically because it takes a harder squeeze to stop the wheel, so the hand brake is less sensitive and you can dial in exactly how much braking power you want easier. Either way, disc brakes are *probably* the superior brake in unicycling despite potentially getting more sensitive. You probably would want more braking power when you need it rather than not having it accessible to you - and predictably (as you mentioned) is incredibly important. Belgium! Incredible. Appreciate it, man
@HoboDan yes, but you cannot mount the pads too close to the rim. otherwise the wheel will drag against it when climbing or going downhill because the wheel has play when you apply force to the pedals. so you already press the brake lever quite a bit while the pads do not yet touch the rim. and when you actually brake, you have almost fully pressed the brake lever. You can play with the pressure a bit, but it is minimal. and when going downhill it sometimes goes so fast that you don't know at what point you should brake less or just a little more. but that will probably take some time. and another thing, sometimes I don't know at what speed I should go down, my approach in my head is slowly controlled. but that is difficult because the slower you go, the more out of balance you become. but going down too quickly will also make you fly out of balance especially if it's with roots and rocks. I have often gone mountain biking in the past and this attitude is in my head. but with unicycling you actually have to have a different way of thinking and actually leave mountain biking out of your mind because you actually approach the trails in a different way. Greetz
Yeah… what speed you go down is a little tricky for those points exactly - too slow and it’s harder to actually ride/ too fast and you’ll probably get tossed. I think this just comes with practice and getting more comfortable. But leaning back is you’re friend haha
the last one doesn't seem steep, and for a mountain biker it probably isn't. but on a unicycle it seems so much scarier. Using the brake in a controlled manner and reducing the pressure on some parts while driving downhill and then increasing the pressure again is not easy. and especially if it is technical downwards. I like the videos you make.
That one was actually one of the scarier ones. It felt steep for a hill - the rock rolls probably had steeper grade but were shorter. But in any case I was proud of the last one - at least for myself. And thank you! Appreciate the love!
3:00 it takes a bit of practice but you can almost drive in a straight line on a unicycle. You even don't need any arms to balance. Was a great feeling driving on my 29" with handlebar and just keeping both hands on the bar and only balancing from the hips.
You can’t go wrong with 20”. That’s the most common and standard size. For kids, maybe 16” but 20 inches is probably best. That being said, you probably won’t have too much extra trouble if you’re learning on a wheel bigger or smaller than that.
I had same tire problem on mine 19" street set-up as far as could check it's because tires edge eroded (due to heat and jumping) so it's just a bit bigger than it should. In mine case this failure happened couple of times I just repleaced the tire. Probably landing a jump with your wheel perpendicular to riding direction started this issue. I spoked about tires with couple of riders and generally fat tires are not preferred for jumping because when your tire is wider then the rim it feel stiff on flat ground but it's soft on uneven surface, common problem is to adjust tire pressure so it would be a bit bouncy and able to land a jump on smth like root or stone. I would recommend smth beetween 3.0"-2.6" tire for your riding style. Generally it's good to try riding on couple different tires get the idea. I started with WTB (smth) 3.0" with round profile, i didn't liked that, now i'm riding on 3.0 maxiss high roller but as i get better with drops i'm considering 2.8-2.6
Thanks for the insight! I’ve definitely landed sideways before so yeah, I wonder if the integrity of my tire beads have been compromised. I’ll do some research