How to turn, pedals, lean, countersteer?

[tstdmy]

On a regular unicycle, you need to countersteer to lean, then steer into the lean, either using extended arms to aim the unicycle or advanced riders do this via pedal pressure. I have limited personal experience on a unicycle, and just used extended arms to aim the unicycle where I wanted it to go (by rotating extended arms in the opposite direction to desired turn direction), with very little lean angle.

On an EUC, the videos mention you just need to put a bit more weight on the inside pedal. I'm thinking you may need to lean a little inwards just before or just as you initiate a turn. I haven't seen a good explanation for how steering on an EUC works. Apparently there is a gyro inside that has some effect on turning.

 

[Tawpie]

Check this out, it’s really old and applicable for slow speeds, but should be informative.

He talks about hip and shoulder turns… when I was learning “I went where I was looking”, it’s a variant.

I don’t countersteer prior to starting a turn, weight shift alone is able to get the turn started. But I don’t go faster than 23 ish mph and things change at speed. The gyro effect that wants to keep the wheel vertical goes up with speed and in faster turns my outside leg is tenderly forcing the top of the wheel into the turn.

I do think there are different techniques for each person and situation, you have to experiment your way to your style.

Edited May 31, 2021 by Tawpie

[tstdmy]

It seems that leaning the EUC results in an inwards steering force that turns it. I'm wondering if this could be demonstrated with a non-powered unicycle, pushing it by the seat and leaning it to see the reaction.

Hip and shoulder turns are direct countersteering. Rider rotates his upper body inwards, coexistent with lower body and wheel rotating outwards, resulting in a lean. 

Pedal method directly leans the EUC. Looking at the video, the EUC ends up tracking outside the riders center of mass, the EUC is leaned more, and the rider is leaned less.

For fall recovery, seems the pedal method would be better, you lean the EUC more so that turns more (smaller radius), and leaning the EUC involves less angular inertial than trying to lean both EUC and rider.

Video of non-powered unicycle counter-steering. The link skips forward to 2:20 (140 seconds)  into the video where counter-steering is demonstrated:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzG9_8NgngI&t=140s