Unicycle Archives - 哲子戲 Philosophist’s Camp

Today I was practicing unicycle at tennis court close to home. An empty tennis court is better than parking lot, especially on a sunny afternoon. I am getting better than last time. I feel more comfortable sitting on the unicycle. I am slowly getting the sense of balance. I can peddle forward a few steps before falling off the unicycle. Of course, one of my hand still hold on to the fence all the time.

Riding unicycle is very different than riding a bicycle. When riding a bicycle, you usually use your whole body weight to help you peddle. However, when riding a unicycle, the body weight always stay on top of the seat. You will lose balance if you transfer too much weight on to the peddle. You have to unlearn the body motion of riding a bicycle.

Learning unicycle inspire me a few lessons of life that I can apply them to my daily life. It seems counter-intuitive at first, but the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. When you are sitting on a wobbling unicycle, it is human nature to grab something to feel secure. There is a natural tendency to grab on the seat handle. It is a bad idea, you should spread out your arms to help you balance instead. The first lesson is hang on something does not mean you are secured, if the thing you try to hang on needs you to keep it balance.

Many beginners like to look down at the wheel which supports you and which you suppose to keep it up right. However looking down will throw you off balance. Stop paying attention to where you are, focus on your destination and you will be there. The second lesson is don’t let your mind blogged down by everyday details, think about the big picture and the small things will sort themselves out.

Since I am still a learner, I hold on to the fence all the time. Sometimes when I am peddling forward, I am too scare to let go of my hand off the fence. As a result the wheel rotation forward while my hand is stilling holding to the same position of the fence, my body is twisted and I am off balance. The third lesson is if you want to move forward, you have to stop holding the same spot.

I always wanted to learn how to ride a unicycle. I have been procrastinating for many years, then I just made up my mind and bought an unicycle. In order to encourage Pat to do more exercise, I promise I will jog with her every week. Since I don’t like jogging myself, I was riding a bicycle while following Pat. However, riding bicycle is too fast, I think maybe I should ride a unicycle instead, so that I can keep with the pace of Pat.

I ordered a 24″ beginner’s unicycle online. It is recommend to learn from a 20″ or 24″. Both size are good for indoor free style tricks or outdoor normal riding. It took me half a hour to put the parts together. I read unicycle tutorials on the web and watched tutorials in youtube to prepare myself. The principle of riding a unicycle is pretty simple. Balance yourself on the seat and don’t fall. The difficult part is building the muscle memory that let you stay in balance.

I tried my first ride today in company’s parking lot today. I picked a wall with fence to lean on. I can mount the unicycle when one of my hand is holding the fence. I tried balance stretching my leg leg and then my right leg. I can rock back and forth a little bit whiling holding the fence and stay on the unicycle for 2-3 minutes before falling off. I am wobbling left and right as well. I am still trying to pick up the feeling of putting all my weight on the seat instead of my foot. That is the key of balancing on unicycle according to the tutorials.

Riding a unicycle is a bit harder than I expected but it should still be well within my reach. It took me 30 minutes to learn how to ride a bicycle when I was eight. I just need to practice every day and I will be jog with Pat on unicycle in a few weeks.