Learn to Idle on a Unicycle

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By Chris Taylor

"How do you learn to idle?" is the # 1 skill people seem to ask me about when they are learning to unicycle.

Idling is a skill that is well worth the effort. It is useful if you don't want to dismount while waiting for a walk light, if you want to be able to ride in large crowds, or if you want to be able to juggle on your unicycle while on stage etc...

Idle
Photo by Wayne Klufas

This is how I learned to idle:

  1. Go into a doorway or anywhere you can find with flat ground and something to hold on to on either side.
  2. Push one pedal all the way down and keep some downward pressure on it.
  3. Point the toe of the other foot (the foot on the top pedal) down at about a 45° angle. Then push the top pedal back.
  4. Relax the top foot and let the bottom foot push the pedal back down.
  5. Keep repeating steps 3 & 4 and the unicycle wheel will start rocking back and forth.
  6. As you practice you will soon get the feel of how to keep your weight centered (front and back) above the wheel.
  7. You will probably get your front & back balance before long. However, it will be the left & right balance that will take longer to get used of.
  8. Just keep practicing the same way but try just barely touching the doorway rather than holding on tight. Before you know it you will be able to easily idle without holding on to the doorway at all.
After you have learned how to idle you can try to improve your skill by trying to idle in a small area on the floor, or you can practice idling with your arms folded.

Good luck learning to idle!

Chris Taylor

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Created on: Feb. 13, 2002
Last updated on: Aug. 18, 2003