There’s No Coasting On A Unicycle

There’s no handlebars either

It’s kind of like riding a bicycle, except there’s only one wheel. And once you learn how to ride it… well… I suppose for some people it is lost with age…

And I found one the other week!

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The basics

One seat, one wheel, two pedals, nothing to hold onto.

If you pedal forward, the bottom moves forward.

If you pedal back, the bottom moves backward.

If your upper body is well positioned, it follows. If your body is behind, you better correct the situation by reversing the wheel direction, or you’ll quickly end up on the ground;-)

Side to side is a matter of moving.

Ever notice that it’s reasonably easy to keep a bike upright when you’re moving forward at a reasonable clip?

The unicycle is like that too. The side to side stuff is easier when you’re in motion.

Mostly the one gear…

Most unicycles have just the one gear – the pedals rotate once, and the wheel rotates once.

Hills (both directions) can pose a challenge…

Ok – there are some gearing mechanisms to get more wheel rotations out of each pedal rotation, but it’s not like there are any handlebars to put the lever on!

But there’s no coasting

And this is perhaps a different matter – when you’re on the unicycle, you pedal forward, and you go forward. Pedal back and you go back. Don’t pedal, and the wheel stops.

There’s no coasting or gliding down the hill.

And that’s an interesting part of life – you get out of it exactly what you put into it.

Enjoying the ride

So yes, a unicycle came back into my life – it’s part of a Traveling Cabaret routine. And I’m enjoying the heck out of being able to ride again.

And I’m in direct control of it.