Your first ride on an electric unicycle is your most important! This article will give you some tips to help make your first time riding a lot easier. I share my experience about how to ride an electric unicycle. You’ll need to practice a lot, train your mind and muscles to work with a single wheeled machine that won’t stay upright without constant movement. When you’re first learning, be confident that with time you’ll be floating in no time!
1. Tips for your first ride on an electric unicycle
- Consider learning to ride a normal two wheeled bicycle, before you learn how to ride an electric unicycle, so that you have some sort of control experience with a staying upright while riding a gyroscopic balanced machine
- Practice a lot work but take breaks when you need it
- Get in contact with other riders and browse through forums for tips and tricks and advice–everyone’s learning at their own pace, but there are tons of people who can offer support!
- Make sure you buy quality protective equipment
- Start learning with balancing on one leg, then add the other when you feel comfortable
- Ride in a straight line (don’t turn), get used to moving it forward by subtle leaning or pressing your toes into the pedals. Remain standing upright with your center of gravity over the wheel’s axle.
- Work with the unicycle in a large, open space where you can’t get stuck or struck by anything–you’ll want to feel free to move around without fear of running into something!
- Choose an area that’s safe and has enough room for riding. You don’t have a lot of control when starting out so it’s best to stay away from areas with a lot of people and traffic.
- Look where you are going and your body will follow
- Learn to confidently ride in a straight line before learning to turn. Turning will come naturally, trust me
2. How to get started with an electric unicycle
When you’re new to riding an electric unicycle, you’ll want to start with a normal two-wheeled bike before you go any further. The easiest way to learn is by starting out riding with a single leg, hoping on and off, and then gradually working your way up to balancing standing on the EUC with both feet.
Practice lots, work with a single wheeled machine when need be, but know that the sooner you can find a good balance the better! Get in contact with other riders and browse through forums for tips and tricks and advice–everyone’s learning at their own pace, but there are tons of people who can offer support!
Make sure you buy quality equipment: You’ll want to invest in a good quality electric unicycle from a company that has a reputation for providing quality equipment. Although rare, an unreliable electric unicycle won’t be fun at all.
Ride in a straight line (don’t turn), get used to moving it forward with small movements, and work on slowing it down. Practice with the unicycle in a large, open space. Choose an area that’s safe and has enough room for riding.
3. Why practice is important
Learning to ride an electric unicycle is not easy, but the more you practice, the easier it gets. It’s about finding your balance and training your brain muscles to do what they need to do. Like anything else in life, the more confident you become with your electric unicycle, the more fun it will be.
When you’re first learning your muscles don’t know what to do. They aren’t strong enough to hold you upright on this unsteady machine. But, with time and effort, they learn to balance you. You get stronger and more confident.
This is why we recommend practicing every day so that your body gets used to what you’re asking of it. The more confident I became the easier it was for me to remember what I needed to do next in order to stay upright on my unicycle.
Another reason to practice on a regular basis is for safety when you’re riding over new terrain. The more you challenge yourself with new obstacles and terrain, the more you’ll be able to better handle it when it comes up. And, trust me, riding an electric unicycle over bumps and uneven, loose ground is not easy.
This is why it’s important to ride as much as you can and push yourself to new limits so that when something comes up, you’re prepared for the challenge ahead of time. Challenge your unicycle skills by riding more and more.
Tip: When learning how to ride an electric unicycle, set a goal for each practice session and be sure to push yourself. If you’re not getting better, try a new stance or body posture, or find a buddy to help you diagnose ways to improve your riding technique.
4. Where to go when you’re learning to ride an electric unicycle
Tip: I recommend starting with a tennis court or basketball court to get your bearings. With either of these surfaces, you can feel the ground under your feet and easily see what’s in front of you when it comes time to dismount without bumping into anything.
Location: Tennis court, basketball court, open field (preferably paved and flat) without obstructions
The best places to learn to ride an electric unicycle are enclosed with fence or railing, such a tennis court, a basketball court, or an open field (preferably paved, smooth and flat). Try to avoid grassy or dirt, which can have uneven and unpredictable effects on your electric unicycle.
The idea with finding good practice locations is to reduce the number of variables that could throw you off balance when you’re riding. And, with a fence or railing, you’re able have the confidence to step on and off the electric unicycle. Though, I do suggest you learn to free mount as soon as possible (e.g., get on and off the electric unicycle without holding onto something or getting help).
The skill of free mounting is essential for confidence building and safety when you’re riding in normal areas like bike trails, roads, or other places where there’s no wall, railing, or fence nearby. Free mounting also lets you dismount from your electric unicycle when you’re coming to a stop without any nearby hand holds.
When picking a location for practice make sure that there are no obstructions that would interfere with your practice session.
Check out these videos for more help learning how to ride an electric unicycle.
They helped me when I was first learning. They are full of great tips and examples for how to gets started.
Conclusion
Riding an electric unicycle can be hard for many, and easy for others. There are great video tutorials about how to get started with an electric unicycle. You’ll need to practice a lot, train your mind and muscles and work with a single wheeled machine that won’t stay upright without constant movement. When you’re learning to ride an electric unicycle, take it slow and be confident that with time you’ll be floating on one wheel anywhere you want to go!
Happy Riding!