Sports & Fitness Learn to unicycle Parramatta

I attended a Burramatta NAIDOC week cycling event in Parramatta 2 weeks ago, and at the event it was advertised that a group called Addvantageous runs free weekly learn to unicycle events on Friday afternoons between 3.30pm and 5.30pm. I went on Friday and it was good. Well structured learning, and to tell the truth, I was previously under the impression unicycling was extremely difficult to learn, but now I think it's doable. It just takes hours of practise.

They've been running it for over a year now.

The best thing.... these sessions are free!!
It's on the banks of the Parramatta River at Smith St. It's mostly kids doing it but adults can too.

For anybody who has mastered unicycling, and wants a new challenge, they have unicycle hockey games too.

I spoke with Charlene who runs the events. At some point in time they may move the sessions to Parramatta YMCA (and it will cost money to do it there). In the meantime, it's on the banks of the Parramatta River. Just wear comfortable clothing. Helmet and unicycles supplied.

BTW, it's a good quad workout. I did it for about 40 minutes for my first session (learning by riding next to a carpark fence for support) and I can feel the effects on my quads today (and last night).

Addventageous

 

Or, if you are Sydney north shore way, look up:

North Shore Unicycling

Every Thursday. Nice bunch, good with kids too.

Ditto comments above, best and quickest way to learn is with a friend.

 

Awesome! I've just joined their Facebook page. Thanks @TwoDogs

 

Update:
I've now done 4 sessions and making a lot of progress! Not yet riding unassisted, but I'm well on the way.

 

Well done, that's fantastic. Been there myself not so long ago. Best tip I can give for you now is to loose the assistance as soon as possible. You cannot ride a unicycle until the body just does it on instinct, and while there is a fence, a wall or a friend to grab onto, that will never happen.

Learn the basics of where to look and how to sit, flap the arms, keep peddling and just go for it. Falling or stepping off is normal and part of riding. At first just ride away from the fence and each time you will go a little further and learn how to stay on as you go. You can learn how to peddle leaning on a fence, but you can't learn how to ride.

If you have read Douglas Adam's Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, he described how he learnt to fly. The secret of flying is to fall over and miss the ground. Not dissimilar to riding a unicycle.

 

Thanks @TwoDogs. What I got up to with the last session was riding but with the fence, along every section (which is maybe 2.2 or 2.4m wide), selecting a pole to touch, once in the middle and once at the end. A good way to focus. Full weight on the unicycle.
Once I get this then I'll be able to ride fenceless. Then the next task is learning to turn!

 

Wow!!

Can you teach me how to first properly ride a normal bike?

 

When we were running mountain bike events we had a couple of unicyclists enter our 50 and 100k events. Mountain bike unicycling. Crazy

 

Can you balance on a kids scooter?

 

... never try but I think I can... if I fit on kids scooter?

 

Hehehe (there is an answer)

Spoiler: Answer if you need it

A Tire. Lol

Try riding a manual scooter for a few weeks, then get on a bike, coast down a hill. To go on flat surfaces then just start to peddle!
I suppose you could try training wheels but I don't think they come on adult bikes.

 

Don't sweat over turns same as riding straight, just look where you want to go, that means not at the ground Basic turns are just a like a bicycle. A did a practice video with my new GoPro doing some turns on the street on my first unicycle



These are done a little fast as faster can feel more stable, and I was panicking that if I fell the GoPro would suffer.... Better practice is doing them slow, tight and turning more with hips than leaning the uni like is done in the video.

After learning to ride, the next really big challenge is free mounting. I still have the bruises.

 

I read this thread hoping to see pics of bruises, cuts or stitches.

I can't say I don't feel let down.

Sounds like barefoot water skiing.
We have a saying 'look down fall down'.
Or in other words - if you see your feet... you're f...ed.

Blacky

 

I got loads of bruises doing trapeze, aerial tissue and pole.

From volleyball I got stacks of bruises on my arms when I got back into the sport at uni. And loads of major ankle sprains.

Unicycling-wise, the lady managing the Friday night unicycling at Parramatta says as a beginner she got bruises on her inner thighs by squeezing the seat with her legs tightly.

Me so far... Whenever I've come off the unicycle, I've only fallen onto my feet. No bruises.

 

So its 9 weeks since I've started, practising only around 40 minutes to an hour each week. I'm now able to ride lengths of 25m or longer without touching anything! Feels awesome. Just like the feeling of standing up on a surfboard and riding waves.

 

So, its now just under 10 weeks since I've started, i'm now feeling decently good on the unicycle. Probably 1 or 2 more hours and I'll be completely relaxed.

For anybody wanting to give it a go, I'll say the first 10 hours are the hardest. Then it becomes fun

 

Speaking of bikes... there are shares bikes (oBikes) every where in the Sydney CBD

anyone using them?
They're unchained but are pedal locked and GPS tracked..surely people can dump them in a van, and dismount the gps

 

Well, I went to do my usual Friday afternoon routine - head down to the river and unicycle. But the unicyclists aren't there!
Turns out the main guy had a unicycling accident (not sure if he was doing some sort of trick but I'll assume so) and he broke some ribs and a collarbone.... whoops!

Very disappointing cause the uninats (basically a huge unicycling gathering) is coming up next weekend!

 

And Omg. I can now do it!!! Able to ride 150m or so and go in the direction I want to

The guy who broke some bones texted me to say congrats cause he heard I could now ride. I asked him about his accident he was doing some practice for trials - forward hopping onto a beam but he didn't quite jump high enough in this instance...

 

Next challenge: to find out if I can ride ok with slight hills.
I won't worry about free mounting for now... I heard it takes a lot of practise.