A bicylist learns to ride a bicycle using the handlebars, and can after getting reasonably proficient, start to ride it without using the handlebars. For a unicyclist, it is exactly the opposite.

When I started riding outdoors in 2019, I could barely ride a couple of laps around the basketball field before my calf muscles screamed murder. Since then, I’ve not only been able to steadily increase the distances, but I’ve also learned to ride on different types of surfaces. I’ve now ridden on asphalt, firm soil, sand, snow, gravel-covered asphalt, and cobblestone. The ability to ride on different kinds of surfaces gives one more confidence, and the ability to change from one surface to the other without having to dismount and remount is a great advantage, particularly if one wishes to commute on a unicycle.

I bought another unicycle! It’s a URC Roadrunner 29-er, with a hydraulic disc brake. Weighing in at 6.8 kilograms, this steel uni is no lightweight, but feels very well balanced and responsive.

Since I bought my 24” Nimbus II unicycle, I’ve had more options for outdoor riding. The 24” is my default choice when I ride along, accompanying my wife on her evening walks, as it’s way more practical and easier to control at low speed than the 36-er. I’ve been riding the 24” pretty much everyday, and that’s helped me improve my finer control skills. I’ve on occasion even cycled on a bit of snow, but today was different as it had been snowing heavily all day, resulting in a big buildup of snow.

I wished to document the progress while attempting to learn to ride one-footed, like I did with learning to ride backwards, so here it is. This post will be updated to have the latest updates on top, so if you wish to read it in the correct chronology, it’ll be bottom to top.