Cycles of all sorts

An ultimate wheel is a wheel with two pedals directly connected - similar to a unicycle and impossible wheel. It has no seat or frame but offset and functional pedals. There are several different designs: the most popular involves a circular disk of wood fitted inside a regular small bicycle wheel rim. Pedals are attached directly to the wooden disk. This design is strong and easy to build but is relatively heavy. A less common style uses 2 inch metal bars.

Some mounting and riding techniques include:

• Regular mount - have one pedal lower then the other and step up to the other pedal
• Free jump mount - release the wheel then jump onto the pedals
• Standard riding - simply being able to ride without falling off
• Turning - turning by twisting your body and the wheel
• Bunny hop - grabbing on the wheel and hopping off the ground
• Idling - remaining in one place with one pedal down and one pedal up, rocking the wheel back and forth to keep balance
• Reverse - riding the wheel backwards

Large leg pads much like those worn by a hockey goalie can be worn in the learning stage.

Mounting

Freemount: This is done pretty much the same as a normal unicycle. Place the UW with the pedal corresponding to your weaker foot at its lowest point. Put your weak foot on the pedal and lean the wheel toward your dominant foot. This stops the wheel from flipping when you lift up your dominant foot. As soon as both feet are on the pedals, apply pressure and head off.

Roll Mount: The hardest thing here is to get the wheel to roll in a straight line. As you experiment, this improves. After it is rolling, jog next to it until the pedal that corresponds to your weaker foot is at the lowest point. Now, put your weak foot on that pedal followed immediately by the dominant foot. When the wheel is rolling, it is oddly stable.

Kickup Mount: This skill is much easier on an UW than on a unicycle. Firstly, lay the wheel on the ground, placing your dominant foot on the upwards-facing pedal, and place the toes of your weaker foot under the rim of the wheel by the downwards facing pedal. Lift the wheel with your weaker foot while at the same time easing your weight on the upwards facing pedal. Your dominant foot should now be at its lowest point while the weaker foot should be seated nicely on the pedal at its highest point. This position is similar to the normal freemount - just reversed.

Jump Mount: This is very similar to a jump mount on a unicycle, except more difficult to master. Firstly, hold the UW in a position where the pedals are aligned horizontally. From here, jump onto the UW without affecting the angle of the pedals. If you aim correctly, you will land on the pedals. You should now push down on the forward pedal using your dominant foot, and ride away.

You can also combine this skill with spinning the unicycle 180 or 360 degrees before landing on it.