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How to Ride a One Wheel Cycle EUC (NEW tips in 2023)

Have you seen those things that look like a one wheel cycle?  Is it hard to learn?  It’s called an electric unicycle (EUC), and it’s about the same as riding a bicycle for the first time.  For a lot of people, it can take a couple of hours.  Other people take as little as 10 minutes, while others take longer than 2 weeks.  Personally, it took me 3 days to learn it.  In my opinion, it’s easier to learn than riding a skateboard, and definitely a lot easier than riding a regular unicycle.

In my videos about Insta360 and other cameras, you’ve seen me ride an EUC.  They’re fun and practical, and can help you get amazing videos.  I’ve taught several people how to ride.  In this video, I show you how to ride an EUC, step-by-step:

Preparation

What do you need to bring?  Besides your EUC, you absolutely must have protection.  It’s not only safer but you’ll also learn faster if you don’t have to be afraid of getting hurt.  At the minimum, you’ll need a helmet.  I strongly recommend knee pads, hip pads, and elbow pads.  Wrist guards are also great.

For footwear, wear shoes that fit snugly, have very good traction, and if possible, with thin soles to help you feel the pedal more easily.

Where should you learn?  The best place to learn is a wide open space with a smooth surface and some support that you can lean on.  A basketball court or tennis court are excellent places.

Some people suggest riding on grass to avoid scratching your EUC.  I don’t suggest it because grass is usually very bumpy and this will make it harder to learn.  Instead, if you are worried about scratching your EUC (yes it will fall hard several times), you can cover it with foam such as a dollar store yoga mat.

How Does an Electric Unicycle Work?

Before we get started, it helps to understand how an EUC works.  When an EUC is turned off, it can fall in any direction, like a regular unicycle.

When the EUC is turned on, then it activates self-balancing motors that keep it balanced forward and backward.  Unless you are incredibly strong, you won’t be able to tilt it forward while the wheels are touching the ground.  However, the self-balancing motors do not balance you from side to side.  Like a bicycle, the EUC needs to be moving forward to stay balanced.

Step 1: Beginner Stance

Left: incorrect stance. Right: correct beginner stance.
Left: incorrect stance. Right: correct beginner stance.

The best beginner stance for riding an EUC begins with the correct foot position.

  • Position your dominant foot on the pedal with the arch of your foot in the middle of the pedal.  Make sure the balls of your feet are on the pedal.  If your feet are too long for the pedal, slide your foot back until the ball of your foot is on the pedal.  Don’t worry about your overhanging toes – that’s normal.
  • Move your foot as close to the EUC as possible.
  • The contact between your calf and the EUC should be along the middle of the EUC.
  • Make sure the EUC is directly below you, and not in front of you.

Step 2: Throttle Control

An EUC moves forward like a hoverboard.  To move it forward, you tilt it forward such as by leaning forward or pushing down on the pedal with the ball of your feet.  To slow down or even move backward, you tilt it backward such as by pushing down on the heel of your foot.

Practice throttle control by pivoting with one leg on the ground
Practice throttle control by pivoting with one leg on the ground

Practice this with one leg standing on the ground.  With the leg on the EUC, use your feet to press down on the pedal to move it forward or backward, as you pivot around your other foot on the ground.

Step 3: Stationary Balance

Ideally, you should be able to support yourself even with just 1 or 2 fingers.
Ideally, you should be able to support yourself even with just 1 or 2 fingers.

Hold on to a support and put both feet on the EUC.  Feel your weight resting on the pedals of the EUC, between the ball of your foot and the heel of your foot.

Practice gently moving forward and backward while holding on to the support.

Step 4: How to Stop

The safest way for a beginner to stop
The safest way for a beginner to stop

The safest way for a beginner to stop on an EUC is to slow down as much as you can, reach down and grab the handle, then hop off with both feet at the same time.

As you gain proficiency, you’ll learn how to stop with one foot without losing control.

Step 5: Move forward

Move toward your target as quickly as you can.
Move toward your target as quickly as you can.

Now it’s time to learn to move forward.  The easiest way is with the help of a friend who can hold your arm and jog alongside you as you learn to balance.  If you don’t have a friend available to help you, here’s how to learn to move.

Hold on to the support, and find your balance point so that you’re as upright as possible.  Keep your eyes above the horizon.  Imagine a target 5 feet in front of you.  If you try to go to the target timidly, then it will be hard to balance.  Instead, try to get to that target as fast as you can.  The speed will help you balance.  You’ll find that you can actually go beyond 5 feet.

Try gradually increasing the target point, making it a goal to stay upright as long as you can.  Don’t worry about whether you’re going straight or not.  Go wherever you need to go to stay upright.

When you can ride for at least 10 seconds, you’ll discover that you can ride pretty much indefinitely.  Congratulations!  You’ve now learned how to ride an EUC!

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE

The tutorial I showed you here is just a brief instruction designed to get you moving as quickly as possible.  Some of the techniques here are not intended for regular use.  For example, riders generally do not reach down and grab the handle and hop off with both feet.  (In fact, you can see in the video that I myself did not do that in the last segment.)  And riders generally do not ride with one leg rigidly pressed against the EUC either.  However, from the starting point here, I hope you can begin your EUC journey as easily as possible and gradually change the techniques to match your skills.

About the author

Mic Ty

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