Lovely tutorial! I'm 55 and I feel like I just mastered the basic levels. This flatland tutorial is a perfect intro to the discipline. Thanks for posting!
hi mate, clearly a Kiwi, great accent, Ken from across the ditch here. had a unicycle for years but never really mastered it, probably because it was hanging in the shed and I never really spent much time on it, but I've been watching Ed Pratt cycling around the world on his 36 inch unicycle and I really what to master mine. Came across your channel and really want to let you know how much I enjoy your videos, you look so at home on your unicycle, definately motivating me. great work mate, I'm 64 and feel I can do this. I'm at the wall stage but improving. love your work.
Hey! Thank you Chris for making these videos! I love that leg wrap mount. i did a trick today where i rested it completely on its side, staying balanced and pulled it back up under me and rode away! Releasing a video soon of the homework I have been completing!
re: the leg-wrap mount, one thing I've noticed helped me was to make sure I kept the frame as vertical as possible when mounting. that forced me to wrap my leg in front, and helped getting some momentum to ride forward afterwards. as you're stepping from the back of the unicycle, there's the temptation to lower the seat backwards to reduce the height of the push up, and you're likely to end up vertical and seated, but unable to actually ride from that point -- I know I did that a lot.
I like that too because i noticed when i did it more vertical i was able to do it without switching both my hands and moving the seat towards me. since the unicycle will come towards me when i let go and i just have to get it centered under me when i let go of the seat
Could you please do a video about crank lengths etc for flatland use. I also see that you really have a shaved tire, is it by usage or did you shave it your self?
Good idea, everyone is asking about crank length/what is the best unicycle for you. Not shaved, just ridden a lot! I never shave my tires, waste of money hah CH.
With leg wrap mount, I've tried both ways (cranks paraller and vertical). With paraller, I find it difficult to place feet on crank. most likely since It's odd place for feet. Simply put weight distribution is hard to keep unicycle stationary. Now with vertical cranks, I've gotten as far as getting my other foot on pedal, but right after foot slaps on pedal, I can't ride. (which could be since it resembles roll back mount, which I suck at too). As for bunny hopping in place, I tend to bounce all over the place, gotta keep stuff you said in mind. And riding SiF....well surprise, those few times I try it, seat wobbles all over the place and I can't balance correctly. Thankfully weather cleared now and I got some free time on my hands (gotta get some fresh air honestly!) so off to training...
Hey Chris. I'm working on my SIF with a 24" muni. I have to hold the saddle "dead center" with two fingers in front/two fingers behind the seat post. If I grab it by the back of the saddle, I have to fight a lot twist/torque with my hands. Do you not feel that when you are holding the saddle for SIF? I wish I had a 19 or 20", but I'm stubborn.
Essentially there are 3 different 'urban' styles of unicycling. Flatland = tricks on flat ground Street = tricks on obstacles Trials = Jumped/balancing on difficult obstacles without tricks Flip tricks generally fit under Flatland when done on flat, and Street when done on obstacles :)
I learned the leg wrap mount, but I switch hands and I feel I have more control by doing that. Should I learn to hold the back of the seat for future tricks or does it matter? Thanks!
If you're doing the trick with a hand change, that's great! It makes it a little more complicated but if you can do that without a problem, that's great, it'll make other tricks easier. Best to learn it the other way as well though, why not eh? CH.
Did plan to, however I'm really not a good trials rider- I'd hate to give the wrong tips. There will be some trials skills included in the 'General' skill tree though. CH.
Club is good, if you want something slightly better, try an impact from unicycle.com... I use a qu-ax that somehow managed to find its way into the USA
I personally use a QU-AX Profi 20" and I love it. It's more of a freestyle unicycle and not exactly the same style as the one in the video but it has never done me wrong and I love it.
As, others have recommended go to the uni...com. The "price" will make it obvious for you. Just don't get that crappy retro schwinn. Just looking at those simple bolt & nut seat post mount makes me cringe. Don't under-estimate how much abuse a unicycle will sustain by a beginner including "getting hurled" into the air by frustration. That would never survive.
Such a common question, I should really find out what pressure I ride haha. I just go by feel. You'll be able to do with eventually. But basically, you just don't want your rim touching the ground, even on drops/bunny hops. And you don't want it so hard that there's no cushioning on landing. CH.
What kind of shoes do you recommend for unicycling? Would regular athletic/tennis shoes work, or should I get flat soled shoes like you have? Thank you!
I think it's more just a question of preference. If you feel comfortable in tennis shoes go for it. Personally I like shoes with high top around my ankles because I feel more stable but at the end of the day you can probably use any shoes. Just try it out and see what fits best for you
Personal preference for sure but for street/flatland unicycling, eventually you will want something that has a flat bottom, you don't want some types of running shoes because they're not always completely flat, this will become a problem when you're doing tricks that rely on having as much surface area as possible on the cranks/pedals. But for most beginners this will never be an issue. I do recommend high tops if you're hitting your ankles. CH.
Always wear the "same shoes" because the height of the soles will affect your seat height. You know how you can feel 2-3 mm of seat height either up or down can change the feel? Shoes (also your riding pants) can have that same effect. If you are a beginner it may affect whether you have a good day or riding or bad.
