I imagine that the spectacle and assumed friendliness of someone riding a unicycle contributes to people’s willingness to inquire, and I’ve had some lovely conversations with some lovely people inspired by unicycle-oriented inquiry lines.
Unlike many ‘FAQ’ lists, these are actually frequently asked questions. I’m guaranteed to be asked at least one of them at least once per ride.
For better or worse, one can usually only respond quickly when zipping past, so here are thorough, concise answers to some FAQS.
Did you lose the other wheel?
People seem to say this and ‘where is the other half?’ Like some insane compulsion or forced ritual. One might think they would guess it’s low hanging fruit, but either they don’t care, or they don’t notice.
It is probably shouted most often by tradespeople around a workplace, but it can be heard from anyone, anywhere, at any time, as long as a unicycle is present.
There are some golden counters and reactions that most cyclists have in their arsenal to throw back in the moment, including:
- I don’t need a training cycle.
- If they’re a little rude, you can address it with ‘You still use the training wheel?’ Can switch to. As a mild response.
- There was a flat in it.
- Couldn’t tolerate the second one.
- Oh no! Did I lose it again? (This is best said while frantically looking behind you.)
- It was a half-sale.
- I am paying it in installments.
- Don’t take stress. It will come together in a little while.
- It fell back some distance.
- The extra weight was slowing me down.
Can you do a wheelie?
What do you think I’m doing? What else do you want from me? Arghhh!
Is it difficult?
It’s not possible to measure ‘difficult’, so I’ll rely on comparison. It’s harder than riding a bike. You can fall left or right from the bike. The two-wheel design means you’re stable back and forth.
On a unicycle, there is no front/rear stabilization. You can fall in any direction, however you go in the cardinal directions.
Once you learn to ride, it’s very similar to a bike, albeit with a little more difficulty at the baseline. Once you learn to ride a bike you don’t really need to think about how to ride a bike; it comes naturally. The same applies to riding a unicycle.
Is it dangerous?
Not particularly. I believe it’s cool to ride a unicycle Less More dangerous than cycling.
Due to the mechanics and fixed-wheel nature of the unicycle, you usually don’t move at very significant speeds, so any falls aren’t very catastrophic.
You’re not mounted on a unicycle, so you can usually just get off the front or back. If the unicycle has handlebars, this may hinder dismounting from the front, but in most cases when you are forced to bail or are thrown out of the unicycle, you can easily walk away without doing any harm to yourself. You’re already standing straight when riding, and your legs are already making the correct walking motion when you pedal.
Some danger exists when riding with larger wheels, such as at 36″, where you can build up significant momentum, and it may be more difficult to stop or redirect momentum. The larger the wheel, the higher your position as a rider, which makes an unplanned descent more dangerous.
Even though it’s not legally required where I live, I still Always Wear a helmet, as you should when riding any wheeled recreational device such as a unicycle, bicycle or scooter. The minor inconvenience may be compensated for by reducing the risk of one’s head becoming the tip of a flesh crayon.
Even if you do everything right, it only takes one fool driving a car or other vehicle for circumstances to change dramatically.
How long did it take to learn?
It is difficult for me to say. I was weak in my initial studies. For a period I was very studious and devoted regular time every day for a few weeks, then I took a break, and then I returned in a slightly erratic fashion until I regained the ability to ride reasonable distances. From there I started doing more horse riding, which improved my abilities.
It’s not something one can learn in an afternoon, but it’s not too difficult if you keep at it. I have a full and comprehensive guide with interactive sections in the works that will help teach the ins and outs.
At the time I learned horse riding, I was also taking regular figure skating training, so there was no doubt about the balance benefits it gave me.
I believe that if a person dedicates a little time each day, he or she will be able to ride confidently within a few weeks.
Does it have brakes?
Sometimes asked ‘how do you stop?’, this is a good question. Some unicycles, especially high-end ones, have brakes, but they are not equivalent to bike brakes.
With no inherent stability front and rear, the brakes are likely to push you forward as your body moves forward and cause the wheel to stop.
Therefore, one must be very restrained or skilled in the use of brakes and apply them carefully. Most of the time, stopping on a unicycle is accomplished by pedaling slightly slower, which is effective due to the fixed-wheel nature.
However, one must still be careful and reduce their speed through paddle power, as if they are too sudden they are liable to be hurled forward or have all their momentum transferred to their knees by the shock. The latter isn’t really fun.
Does it hurt?
In normal riding, the only pain that is likely to be experienced is around the crotch. When riding, only the weight required to move the pedals is distributed over the pedals, with the rest being placed directly on the saddle for stability purposes.
Unicycle saddles are designed with this in mind, but still, the perineum is a very sensitive area, and some pain in the saddle is to be expected. One can experiment with padded cycling pants or other methods of abstinence, but a little discomfort will always be there. One’s best bet is to vary one’s seating and posture to subtly redistribute one’s weight at different points during one’s ride.
If you’re not careful you can even break your pedals into your shin – which is an especially painful experience if you have sharp metal-studded pedals intended for maintaining traction during off-road riding. If you are riding off-road on rough terrain, the skin on your palms or arms may also get chafed in case of an unplanned landing. Gloves may be a good idea in such situations.
Do you have handlebars?
More advanced unicycles may have handlebars, but they differ slightly in function from your typical bicycle handlebar. Unicycle handlebars have three main purposes, and none of them is steering. You cannot ride a unicycle with handlebars.
The biggest benefit of handlebars is addressing the above saddle discomfort. By placing some of your weight on the handlebars, you can distribute it more evenly. However, it is a matter of carefully distributing the weight so that you do not fall forward.
The next benefit is pulling the unicycle to your body when riding difficult or technical. Riding on gravel or doing hops or other things puts you at risk of falling off the unicycle, so pulling yourself into the saddle keeps you more stable.
The last main objective is to set things up. On my handlebar I installed some grips, as well as a bell and brake. I’ve seen people setting up trip computers, etc.
Handlebars actually vary in use and form depending on the purpose of the unicycle and the rider’s desire to use it. Larger, more distance-oriented unicycles often have longer, steeper handlebars, while off-road unicycles often have sturdier handlebars that stay out of the way.
How do you arrive at this?
The most obvious way is to start with a paddle at the bottom of the rotation and use a pole, tree, stick or other stable object to steady yourself as you climb up.
The more complex method is to do a so-called ‘free mount’. There are a few variations of free mounting, but the most common and easiest is to place the pedals almost parallel to the ground and then get behind the unicycle, place the saddle between your legs, place one foot on each pedal and immediately begin riding.
Does it have suspension?
No. One’s knees are one’s suspension. You can also get a little shock absorption from your tires and saddle.
Do you ever fall?
Not with very high frequency. Once every several rides I may land a little less deliberately or less gracefully, but not very often. On most rides I don’t get off at all, the primary reason I get off is to cross a major road.
I occasionally fall when doing something difficult or technical off-road, but that’s to be expected when pushing the limits of one’s ability.
Does it have gears?
None of my unicycles have gears, and I have not ridden a geared unicycle, but geared unicycles do exist. People have made geared hubs, most famously the Schlumpf hub, which is expensive but available for general purchase.
Geared unicycles typically have two ratios – a typical and a 1.5:1 – and are toggled by pressing a button on the axle with your foot on the downstroke while pedaling.
These are the questions I hear most often, but I’m more than happy to answer any unicycle-related questions you may have. Just send them.
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