How to balance on a unicycle like a pro?


How do you balance on a unicycle?
Get a handle on the forces that keep you upright on one wheel
To balance on a unicycle, you have to keep pedaling. It’s Newton’s first law: an object in motion tends to stay in motion. Maintaining stability, however, is the hard part. Three forces are at work here: gravity, contact, and friction. 



Gravity pulls the unicycle down and contact force with the ground pushes back. The surface that the unicycle is moving along exerts friction, which is what allows the unicycle to balance, speed up and slow down. The rider has to keep accurate posture, in alignment with the frame of the unicycle. As soon as he begins to tip, he will fall as he is in unstable equilibrium. However, he needs to tilt his body to move. In order to go forward, the unicyclist leans forward. This means changing the point of contact to maintain the center of gravity, which means constant pedaling. He also has to countersteer to turn. This means moving in the opposite direction to where he wants to go. To make a left turn, for example, he first steers slightly to the right so that he can lean to the left. It’s a juggle of forces worthy of a circus.
Forces in motion
Three forces are at work during unicycling
Contact force
Contact with the ground pushes against the unicycle.
Centre of mass

Weight needs to be evenly distributed around the center of mass.
Gravity
Gravity works to pull down the unicycle.
Displacement
When the unicyclist leans forward, he begins tipping and must pedal to keep from falling.
Friction
Surface friction allows the unicycle to move.

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