The common misconception I hear from people that have never really learned how to ride an electric unicycle is that they are boring and only go straight and fast. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
I love watching high flying EUC daredevils doing amazing stunts. As more and more people join the electric unicycle movement, we are seeing more and more EUC tricksters doing their thing. There is even a new Facebook group devoted to EUC stunts that has grown to around 1000 members in just a short period of time.
When I rode with the Seattle crew and the EUC Bros a few months ago I was amazed by the talent of some of the riders out there. You can check out that group ride in this video:
I never thought I would be a jumper, trickster, or stunt rider. I’m too conservative when it comes to riding. It wasn’t until I rode with Law and Vache in Las Vegas that I discovered that learning to correctly land a jump is a very important skill.
The Most Important EUC Skill
Learning how to land a jump or drop is vitally important. If you can land drops and jumps correctly, that shows that you have a more complete understanding and control of the EUC.
Once you have mastered landing a curb or edge drop, the skill of jumping follows naturally. Going down a curb or a small set of stairs, jumping over a rock or root on a trail or pothole on the road are all skills that will make you a much more confident and safer rider.
As Law and Vache taught me in Law Vegas, anyone can go fast. Going fast is just a matter of how light you, what type of wheel you are on, and how hard you can lean forward. Going fast doesn’t show much skill and it certainly doesn’t make you a safer rider.
How to Jump on an EUC
Start Small and learn to land. Get use to landing curb drops and make sure to bend your knees to cushion your landing. Oh, and remember to wear your safety gear. Not all EUCs can take the toll of big jumps and drops so use common sense when attempting any EUC stunt.
Get Jump Pads. As you progress to bigger drops, you will find that your feet shift on your EUC. Pedal spikes will help. Jump pads are a game changer.
There are products specifically created to give you more grip to help you jump. I’ve never tried any of them. I have tried Law’s simple hack to give your foot more grip onto your EUC using surfboard traction pads and I absolutely love it.
The traction pads provide friction to grip with your shoes and the tail kick is positioned to form a little wing to help keep your feet from coming up and off your pedals when jumping.
I find these surfboard traction pads are awesome just for riding on rough trails as they help keep my feet in place and prevent them from sliding forward.
Law recommends getting the two pack which I bought and installed on my Nikola. Easy and effective. Check out Amazon for current pricing on these Surf traction pads.
Baby Jumps. With some sort of jump pads installed, hold on to a wall or rail and practice baby jumps. Get familiar with the new jump pads and the sensation of jumping.
When you are ready to move on to something bigger, practice jumping at low speeds over cracks in the road or sidewalk. Then progress to bigger challenges as you feel more comfortable. Soon you will be jumping over manhole covers.
Practice pulling up with your legs on the EUC while you are in the air. This will lift the EUC and improve your air time.
Bend your knees to cushion your fall.
Level Up. Your legs will get sore as you practice this new skill. This is natural. When you are comfortable, find new challenges. Jump over small rocks or up small curbs. Eventually you will be jumping over parking blocks and up big curbs.
Here’s a video on my EUC training day in Vegas where I learned a ton of new skills while riding with Law and Vache:
Conclusion
I always thought jumping on an EUC was dangerous. But now that I’ve made jump pads for my own EUC, I realize that the skill of jumping and landing a jump have made me a more skilled and a more safer EUC rider.
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EUC Comparison Tool
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the EUC options, so we made an interactive EUC Comparison Tool. You can sort, filter, and include or exclude data as you see fit. We hope you find this tool helpful!