Getting on the Darn Thing

What You'll Need

• You
• A unicycle
• A willing friend or inanimate object (such as a wall or chair). The inanimate object is probably preferable as it won't get bored and want to hit the pub.

I'm Ready Already

When you've got what you need:

1. Start by positioning yourself arms length away from your friend or inanimate object (prop) with your unicycle in front of you.
2. Rotate the wheel so that the pedal for favourite foot is pointing straight down towards the ground.
3. Position the seat between your legs - you might want to hold the front of the saddle.
4. Place your hand against your prop and put yourfavourite foot on to the lower pedal.

OK, you're ready to go. The next part is the hardest part - hard that is until you've tried it a few times... Phew ;-)

Getting On

You're standing there with a unicycle between your legs but still with one foot on the ground. How do you get the foot on to the other pedal then?

1. Grab and hold the front of the seat with your free hand. This helps you keep some form of control over the unicycle but is down to personal preference - give it a try and see if it feels better either way.
2. Transfer all your weight to your favourite foot ensuring it remains pointing straight down towards the ground. As you do this you need to:
   1. Move your centre of balance over the wheel hub which, in turn, brings the frame to be vertical to match your favourite pedal's crank. Unless you're grounded leg is about 2 feet longer than the other you'll ned to list it off the ground ;-)
   2. Lift your grounded foot so it comes up and is positioned just in front of / above the higher pedal.
3. In this position (as long as the favourite pedal is still pointing straight down with all your weight on it) you have good control over the unicycle and be able to "stand" on the lower pedal. To get to this position may take a few goes as you may find yourself "stepping over" the higher pedal and ending up with the unicycle behind you and your non favourite foot back on terra firma.
4. Place your free foot on the higher pedal.
5. Pat yourself on the back - you might need a third arm for this ;-)
6. Transfer most (say about 75%) of your weight to the seat from your favourite foot.
7. Fix your gaze on something in the distance - don't look at the pedals or the ground in front of you as this will drastically affect your sense of balance.
8. With the foot on the higher pedal push it back to bring the pedals so they are horizontal. As you do this the unicycle moves slightly backwards - do your best to move with it while trying to sit up straight.

Do this as many times as it takes you to make it virtually every time - it's a good lesson on basic balance and co-ordination. Then you're ready to wobble.