How long to learn to ride a unicycle?

My dear wife is buying me a unicycle for Christmas (Yay!) - any dopers out there know how to ride one? How long did it take you to learn? Any tips?

It took my kid a couple hours to master it. Me? I’ve been working on it for upwards of 35 years. What? Are ya running away with the circus?

You’d think half as long as for a bicycle and a third as long as for a tricycle.

I could be wrong.

When I was a kid it took me a few days. As an adult I have no idea. I’d probably never get it! Your legs will get extremely tired – there’s no “coasting” on a unicycle and you have to pedal continuously.

Just a little longer than the amount of time you keep falling off.

It took my teenage son about 5 minutes. His spastic father (me) never could learn how to use it. He’d even ride it in our very small kitchen.

But perhaps my son isn’t a good example. When he was 5 years old or younger, we gave him his first bike (no training wheels). He pedaled down the sidewalk in front of the house. As soon as I let go, he proceeded and before my unbelieving eyes, turned the bike around (180 degrees) within the very narrow width of the sidewalk and pedaled back, nice as you please. That memory still astonished me.

Anyway, you’ve simply gotta get up on that unicycle and go. Falling off shouldn’t be a big whoop. But it does take a little bit of courage to try it.

My son would start with his butt on the saddle, foot on the left pedal at say at one oclock (if you were looking from the right side)and the right foot on the ground. Then he’d just push off with the right and start pedaling with the left.

Bingo. Almost immediately both legs would be churning, and he’s riding merrily down the street. It was fun, even to watch. The turn radiiua is almost a minus figure! :slight_smile:

How’d I get the unicycle in the first place? Had to cogitate about this.

I think some kid offered to mow our lawn - wanted $10 for the uni, another $10 for the mowing. Pretty good deal, so I took it. And, of course, we let him use it prn*.

Seems we ended up giving the cycle away to some other kid in the neighborhood.

It’s a fun toy, and I hope you have a wonderful time with it.

*prn might be another good abbreviation for this place. In medicine, as many of you know, it translates (roughly) to “as needed” or “when necessary”.

Certainly it would be nice to keep that option open…

I learned how to ride one when I was in my teens. Did it in an afternoon–it took maybe two or three hours before I was riding the unicycle down the street.

Of course, those were a somewhat painful two or three hours, but I did learn.