Anyone ride a pedal unicycle?

[agranner]

Manual Unicycle? Traditional unicycle? Not sure what to call them. 
 

I’m getting my first EUC (V8S) in a few days; super excited to get started. I’m wondering if anyone else rides both types of unicycles can compare the skills and learning process. 
 

Back in my youth (I’m almost 40) I taught myself to ride a unicycle one summer to get around a large college town. I think this was before even YouTube so I have no recollection where I got the information. I started in the parking garage along a wall just learning how to get the wheel under me and rock back and forth. Moved on to taking very short runs along the wall, riding away from the wall, and finally starting free hand. Never really got to doing circles and figure 8s because that was enough to get me out on the road. Great summer! I’d dusted it off every few years and finally sold it a couple years ago. You know: not that practical for actual transportation. (Yeah, I know about big wheels. I mean for me.) 
 

More recently I’ve learned how to ride a motorcycle and I can now appreciate the low-speed work: slaloms, small circles. It’s amazing when you let the machine do the work by giving it confident inputs. Also I respect the skills involved in stopping quick, scanning and anticipating traffic, have an escape plan, etc. 

 

Anyway, I’m going to follow the method from the EUCO video and only use the wall to get a feel for rocking the wheel. Keep my eyes up, body aligned over the wheel, and steer the wheel under me. Gonna spend time doing the slow and small work before I go battle on the bike paths. Let me know if I’m on the wrong (or right) track. 

[Boris Lämpel]

2 hours ago, agranner said:

Manual Unicycle? Traditional unicycle?

Analog unicycle?😀

I am also able to ride a common unicycle. But it is not comparable to an EUC imho. The EUC takes all the real work of movement so that You can concentrate on balancing. On a real unicycle the effort is much  more versatile.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Boris Lämpel

[Tawpie]

2 hours ago, agranner said:

Keep my eyes up, body aligned over the wheel, and steer the wheel under me.

That's the right track... except you'll find that the last one, steering, is more of a continuation of "look where you want to go". Look left, you'll go left. After you get reasonably comfortable with balance, then you can try yaw steering (yanking the wheel around with your feet/body) but it's crazy how you go where you're looking.

I'd also recommend short sessions (well under an hour... 40 mins is getting a bit long) until you can go straight for a few dozen feet. The initial stage of learning benefits from sleeping in between sessions, and not being totally exhausted. You'll be using muscles you've never even known existed and until they're in some sort of shape they tire easily. Tired is not a good thing for balance activities!

Have a blast! I do think your prior experience will be a benefit, you'll have some muscle memory about keeping centered etc. Keep posting with your progress, I think we all like to reflect fondly on our early days as we watch a new recruit.

(You are saving money for your next wheel I hope... the disease has no known cure and once you're riding, it's too late. It's better to stop now if you're not willing to go there)

Edited February 19, 2022 by Tawpie

[Scottie]

15 hours ago, Tawpie said:

I think we all like to reflect fondly on our early days as we watch a new recruit.

Amen! The early days are the most exhilarating. That 1st good roll is amazing. Seeing noticeable daily improvement (regardless of how much or how little) is very satisfying.  

[agranner]

The wheel arrived today and I got out for about 5 minutes after pumping up the tire. Probably should have charged first so I didn’t want to do too much. This is gonna be great!
 

I managed to mount and roll up and down my neighborhood street doing turns about 25’ turns and going up the driveway curb. Even got it up to the speed limit (10 mph!) and wife got enough video to show on Facebook. Already I think my unicycle skills are translating. Like how you have to set the crank angle to roll the wheel under you to mount. That’s really similar to mounting with enough body in front of the wheel to get going. That and making corrections by just impulse-twisting the wheel and leaning into it. Can’t wait to get some more practicing in. 
 

thanks for all the encouragement!

Edited February 23, 2022 by agranner

[AndyBill]

Another analog unicyclist here... EUC's actually got me into pedal unicycles. I was curious as to whether the EUC skills would carry over, so I gave it a try. It took a few weeks of almost daily practice holding onto a chain link fence in an outdoor skating rink. But once it clicked, it was so exhilarating! I own two pedal unicycles now (24" & 27.5") and love riding them for the challenge and the workout.

[.....]

21 minutes ago, AndyBill said:

Another analog unicyclist here... EUC's actually got me into pedal unicycles. I was curious as to whether the EUC skills would carry over, so I gave it a try. It took a few weeks of almost daily practice holding onto a chain link fence in an outdoor skating rink. But once it clicked, it was so exhilarating! I own two pedal unicycles now (24" & 27.5") and love riding them for the challenge and the workout.

Pedal uni's are for people who aren't as lazy as I am. I rode one when I was a preteen. It was fun, but nothing like an euc. Fwiw, carefull using chin link. Fingers inside a fence can easily wind up as skin inside a fence and finger bones dangling from your wrist

Edited March 26, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[VikB]

I can ride an EUC. I hope to learn to ride a pedal powered unicycle this year. I keep telling myself there will be some crossover benefit, but I don't really believe it. 

[AndyBill]

I feel like there was a tiny bit of crossover but it’s mostly a new experience. Go for it, I think you’ll enjoy the learning experience and the new challenge.

[Scottie]

I hope to start learning this Spring. I have one sitting on the back porch taunting me!

[Dan Hillary]

I learned acoustic unicycles two winters ago after having been riding EUCs for a little over a year. I wanted the new challenge. My EUC skills didn't transfer AT ALL. 

But the reverse is true: people I know who ride unicycles learn EUC faster than anyone.

 

[.....]

On 4/1/2022 at 11:25 AM, Scottie said:

I hope to start learning this Spring. I have one sitting on the back porch taunting me!

go for it, your heart will thank you, even if your ankles don't. If you dont get around to it, send it down here to me. I'll hop on it and make a video. Its been about 32yrs since I've tried to ride a uni. I wasnt very good back then, but surely 32yrs of rest has made me a damn whizz at it by now....

@Dan Hillary You are thinking WAY too hard and approaching this like an old ass man. Iirc, unicycle learning needs take place on the sidewalk near a busy street, with nothing to hold on to. How you going to learn very quickly when theres no real incentive? NOT getting run over is typically a decent motivator. Go outside near a highway and dont come back until that seat has a rash mark and hole in it. I dont care if your nutZ dont like it... heeyah, ride boy, ride!  *quit putting your fingers in the fence! Girls prefer guys with all 11 digits....

Curious... is it nearly as much fun as an euc? I havent done both back to back. I assume its not, unless you LIKE the workout....

Edited July 2, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Dan Hillary]

10 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

go for it, your heart will thank you... a damn whizz at it...

@Dan Hillary...rash mark and hole in it...

Curious... is it nearly as much fun as an euc? I havent done both back to back. I assume its not, unless you LIKE the workout....

Your comments confuse me greatly. Put the Vicodin bottle down before posting, maybe. 🤨

Its not as much fun as EUC. It's a workout and is maybe the only thing that gets more attention from strangers than an EUC. It's also generally speaking not as friendly on your squishy bits.

[.....]

53 minutes ago, Dan Hillary said:

Your comments confuse me greatly. Put the Vicodin bottle down before posting, maybe. 🤨

Its not as much fun as EUC. It's a workout and is maybe the only thing that gets more attention from strangers than an EUC. It's also generally speaking not as friendly on your squishy bits.

No narcotics here. Don't worry tho, a lot of people don't grasp my sarcastic jokes, especially when the jokes are at their expense. Mine was an attempt to make fun of your conservative approach to learning in safe environs. The part about  the fence was to warn you so you dont de-sleeve a finger. If you think for a moment and put your mind in the gutter, youll come to grasp what I meant by ELEVEN digits. The hole in the seat is in reference to what happens when you fall off a unicycle hundreds of times on concrete. I gather you understood the reference to the pain in the nether regions, after sitting atop the seat and waggling for hours in practice.

Fwiw, when I attempt to poke fun at someone, its a guesture of friendship or camaradorie. Being from KY, I just assumed you would recognize the language, the intent and laugh it off with a smile. Even better, I half expected some smartass comeback, cuz I REALLY enjoy those. Apologies if you're not that type or simply missed my intent. I tend to forget that the language on ShanesPlanet, isnt always easily understood.

Edited July 2, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Dan Hillary]

6 hours ago, ShanesPlanet said:

No narcotics here. Don't worry tho, a lot of people don't grasp my sarcastic jokes, especially when the jokes are at their expense. Mine was an attempt to make fun of your conservative approach to learning in safe environs. The part about  the fence was to warn you so you dont de-sleeve a finger. If you think for a moment and put your mind in the gutter, youll come to grasp what I meant by ELEVEN digits. The hole in the seat is in reference to what happens when you fall off a unicycle hundreds of times on concrete. I gather you understood the reference to the pain in the nether regions, after sitting atop the seat and waggling for hours in practice.

Fwiw, when I attempt to poke fun at someone, its a guesture of friendship or camaradorie. Being from KY, I just assumed you would recognize the language, the intent and laugh it off with a smile. Even better, I half expected some smartass comeback, cuz I REALLY enjoy those. Apologies if you're not that type or simply missed my intent. I tend to forget that the language on ShanesPlanet, isnt always easily understood.

No harm done! I've heard people warn of chain link in the past, but I really don't see how it's possible short of being a very clumsy 300lb person or mistaking razor wire for a safe handhold.

In any case I hope to see more people pick up unicycles, it's good exercise and gives an appreciation for what our EUC controllers are doing for us many times per second.

[360rumors]

On 6/30/2022 at 11:21 AM, Dan Hillary said:

I learned acoustic unicycles two winters ago after having been riding EUCs for a little over a year. I wanted the new challenge. My EUC skills didn't transfer AT ALL. 

But the reverse is true: people I know who ride unicycles learn EUC faster than anyone.

 

Congrats! Did you find that learning a unicycle improved your EUC skills?

[Dan Hillary]

1 minute ago, 360rumors said:

Congrats! Did you find that learning a unicycle improved your EUC skills?

Ah probably not really. Knowing manual uni beforehand would have sped up the initial learning curve of EUC for sure, and it might help with ultra-low speed riding of an EUC, but generally speaking learning manual uni won't make you much better at riding EUC once you're already an established rider.

[UKJ]

Have been riding real non elec for 55 years now, learned at 7.

Got e u c in an afternoon.

Also slack line can't hurt balance training,

Started off road peddle uni

in 1980, I feel far safer both on

and off road vs e u c, speed issues.

Have never hurt myself on peddle uni, but once over lean my euc on tennis court, scraped knees bad !

Never wear any protection when normal unicycle, always wear when euc.

Must say riding a giraffe uni, 6 foot is very rewarding!

My take is unicycle is at least 10x harder than euc and aids health much more!

I can ride both backwards, idle and freestyle but just can,t one leg my euc, hurts my hips way to much. 

As unicycles are orders of magnitude cheaper than eucs, I suggest to anyone up for a challenge to have a go!

ukj

 

Edited October 9, 2023 by UKJ
Spelling

[gymnast1946]

I first rode a uni a college in 1964 and have owned several over the years. When I was still in my sixties I'd ride about a dozen miles at a stretch but now at age 77 I just ride my 20" on birthdays to keep the streak going.   Here's a short clip from when I was 60 a long time ago.

 

[rcgldr]

I rode a pedaled unicycle once about 55 years ago (I'm 71 years old now). A friend loaned me one for about 2 hours. Took me about 15 minutes to be able to ride around the block. The main difference is the pedaled unicycles are twisted to steer, normally with a lot of arm movement for beginners. The early electric unicycles with seats were ridden similarly. Getting rid of the seat allowed electric unicycles to be tilted to steer (camber effect), allowing for tighter turns at low speeds, and able to be ridden at higher speeds. 

Being able to ride a bicycle at very slow speed or track stand (bike not moving other than steering) will help a lot.

Learning to be able to tilt steer well will take a while, since the rider has to coordinate how much to tilt an EUC versus how much to lean. In general, at lower speeds, an EUC is tilted more than the rider leans and around 15 mph or faster, the EUC is tilted less than the rider leans. To clarify, an EUC is tilted to steer, while a rider leans for balance, depending on speed and turning radius.

In this video, Cole of ElectroHeads rides a pedaled unicycle and is able to ride an EUC on his first attempt. The other rider (Jack) has issues until they switch to a Z10, which is more stable (due to 4 inch wide tire) will essentially self-balance at 4 to 5 mph, and once he trusts the Z10 to self balance he's able to relax his arms and essentially just stand still while riding in a straight line. EUCs with narrower tires need to be going about 8 mph or so before they become self-stable.

 

 

Edited October 15, 2023 by rcgldr

[Mono]

On 10/15/2023 at 9:53 PM, rcgldr said:

I rode a pedaled unicycle once about 55 years ago (I'm 71 years old now). A friend loaned me one for about 2 hours. Took me about 15 minutes to be able to ride around the block.

You were exceptionally talented then. AFAIK, most people need rather days or even weeks to learn this. Mike Boyd needed more than 2.5 hours to stay on for 30 seconds the first time, that is, you were learning more than 10 times faster than him.

On 10/15/2023 at 9:53 PM, rcgldr said:

The main difference is the pedaled unicycles are twisted to steer, normally with a lot of arm movement for beginners.

The main difference is that EUCs do self-balance in forward-backward direction whereas pedaled unicycles do not. For this reason pedaled unicycling is much harder to learn (for most people). Several pedal-unicyclists I met rode my EUC first-try, whereas I am not aware of a single case where it was the other way around.

Tilt vs twist steering is just a relatively minor side aspect. Tilt steering is smooth and simple, yet it is quite dependent on the ground surface, has a relatively slow response time, is much less effective with knobby tires, and is unreliable and often ineffective on loose, soft or uneven terrain. Any rider with decent control over their unicycle, pedaled or self-balancing, will instantaneously resort to (additional) twist steering when push comes to shove. I am regularly seeing beginners losing balance because they try to tilt steer where twist steering would have worked just fine. 3:11 in the above first time riding video is somewhat an example of it.

Edited January 7 by Mono

[rcgldr]

2 hours ago, Mono said:

You were exceptionally talented then.  The main difference is that EUCs do self-balance in forward-backward direction whereas pedaled unicycles do not.

Two factors helped me learn quickly. I could ride a bicycle very slowly, including doing track stands (bike not moving forward at all), with a lot of steering movements used to for balance. For the pedaled unicycle, I used the same steering movements as I did for riding bike very slowly, flailing arms left to twist unicycle right and vice versa, which I much later found out is how most beginners are taught. The other was quickly realizing I needed to keep all my weight on the seat and using a very light touch on the pedals. In case you are wondering, example of a track stand on a mountain bike, which is a bit easier than on a 10 speed type bike (a mountain bike has more trail, resulting in more movement versus steering inputs):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VY5CadtcMo&t=83s

The other device I could ride was a small dicycle with about 10 inch wheels, this was essentially a manual hoverboard. Two parallel wheels connected by a bent axis, with two pedals which had bearings to allow the axis and wheels to rotate as you pedaled. I've haven't been able to find a picture of this. "Riding" a cable spool is easier due to the amount of mass. What helps is the radius of the part the rider stands on (pedals for the small dicycle, inner part of spool), is smaller than the wheels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTl7BmSCAt4

To "turn" on didycle, you twist and lift the inside wheel, and use momentum to change direction.

55 years later and I used the same arm flailing | twisting for balance and direction when I first started on my V8F at 3 to 5 mph, which I wouldn't recommend for most riders. I switched from a tennis court to a long outdoor parking lot and discovered that at around 8 mph, I no longer had to make balance corrections, relaxed my arms, and could essentially stand still while riding in a straight line. I was aware I didn't just suddenly learn to ride, but that I was just going fast enough for my V8F to become self-stable. Tilt steering took longer, learning how much to tilt the EUC to steer, and how much to lean for balance.

Edited January 8 by rcgldr

[Mono]

45 minutes ago, rcgldr said:

The other device I could ride was a small dicycle with about 10 inch wheels, this was essentially a manual hoverboard. Two parallel wheels connected by a bent axis, with two pedals which had bearings to allow the axis and wheels to rotate as you pedaled.

I suspect you mean something akin to this part of an Otto dicycle 

It reminds me a little bit of the Lunicycle

https://store.inventist.com/products/lunicycle

Edited January 8 by Mono

[rcgldr]

1 hour ago, Mono said:

I suspect you mean something akin to this part of an Otto dicycle It reminds me a little bit of the Lunicycle

Yes, imagine the bent axle has a much smaller radius, and that the small outside wheels are the only wheels, with solid rubber tires.

Edited January 8 by rcgldr