The most painless way to learn to ride a monowheel is participating in a training course where experienced trainers can provide personalised advice about what you should do to achieve success. Persistent students can probably learn to ride the wheel on their own by watching the learning videos and reading texts. The main problem tends to be that it is difficult to see the mistakes you may be making in the learning process. It is very hard to relearn something that has once been learnt the wrong way.

• Preparing to ride

  • Before starting, make sure that the vehicle is working and the battery is charged. Place the vehicle on the ground and turn it on. When the battery is at least 80% charged, and the monowheel is in working order, all indicator lights on the vehicle will turn on if switched. As the performance and the ability to maintain balance decreases when the battery empties, make sure that only a monowheel that has a fully charged battery is used when learning.
  • Check the tyre pressure. Riding with a flat tyre consumes battery power and decreases the distance that can be travelled on a single charge, i.e the learning time.
  • It is possible to learn to ride in a number of different ways. Learning wheels and / or learning belts can be used as learning aids.
  • To learn to ride using the training wheels you must first screw the wheels under the pedals (wheels and screws are supplied). Training wheels help to maintain balance, but reduce maneuverability. When training wheels are used, make sure that the soil is perfectly smooth and free of garbage, because the wheels may take you off balance if they become entangled on bumps or stones. When the primary riding skills have been acquired, the training wheels should be removed.
  • If you are confident in your balance, you can learn to ride without using the training wheels but it is advisable to use the learning band to protect the monowheel. The learning band can be fastened to the handle of the vehicle.
  • It is helpful if you can involve an assistant into the learning process who will support you during the exercises and / or you can also find a place where you can lean onto a wall or a handrail.
  • The learning process is similar either you use the training wheels or a learning band. Some people find it easier to learn using the wheels, others are more successful without the use of stabilisers.
  • Learning to ride monowheels will be described below in stages. These activities must be done in the order listed and do not go to the next step before the previous stage is aquired.
  • NB! Try to acquire the correct skills at the very beginning because it is very difficult to relearn them later on.

• Getting on the wheel

  • Place the Monowheel to the ground and adjust the length of the learning band so that it reaches up to your waist. Turn the wheel on, open the pedals and with the help of the band hold the wheel up. The device does not have a front or a rear side, so it makes no difference which way you step on the wheel. It would be very helpful if you could lean on an object, for example a wall, a fence, a handrail or an assistant’s shoulder. The goal is to get both feet on the Monowheel.
  • In order to get both feet on the Monowheel, keep the wheel on the upright position using the learning band and put one foot on the centre the pedal, your lower leg should be gently leaning against the padded part of the wheel. If you press gently on the flat of the foot, the wheel will move forward, if on the heel, then backward. Try to find the balance point where the wheel remains in place even if it is loaded.
  • Keep the wheel on the upright position using the lower leg, make the wheel move slightly forward and raise the other foot on the other pedal with a fast and precise motion. The other foot should be on the same position as the first. Use something to support you to find the balance sideways. If you tilt your bodyweight forward or backward, the wheel reacts so that it starts to move, that is why it is possible to fall only sideways.
  • Feel how the device responds to movement when you move the body weight slightly forward or backward. Try alternately to move forward and stop. Then slowly start to move forward using support. Learning to ride backwards should be left for later.
  • Train getting on the wheel repeatedly until it has become automatic and easy.
  • When the primary riding skills are acquired, you should be able to get on the wheel without using any support or the learning band. To do that, the wheel needs to be held on the upright position using the band, then place one foot on the pedal, make the wheel move slightly forward and then raise the other foot quickly onto the wheel and try to find balance while moving.

• Developing the sense of balance

  • When you are able to get on the wheel without help and you know how it reacts, it is time to train how to maintain balance while riding. You should start with riding straight. To move forward, you need to tilt the body weight through the hips carefully forward keeping your body straight; to slow down, tilt the body weight slightly backwards. You should stand on the wheel the same way you stand on the ground – relaxed but with straight feet and back.
  • NB! It helps to find balance on the Monowheel if you move the wheel rapidly right and left with your feet, so called twist. The movement resembles to the move when you try to find balance on the bicycle using the handlebar. The experience shows that it is not effective to find balance using your upper body like a tightrope walker. That is why it is very important to let the lower body and feet move freely.
  • Of course, the higher the speed, the easier it is to maintain balance sideways but for safety reasons, the optimal speed is about 5-7 km per hour (the speed of a quick walk or trot). This speed enables the assistant move by the learner, supporting him/her when needed. The learner can lean on the assistant’s shoulder with the fingers of his/her outstretched hand until he/she feels he/she is ready to ride on his/her own. It is not advisable to grab the shoulder or clothes of the assistant because it interferes with the sense of balance.
  • The same exercise can be done in a wide, long corridor where it is possible to lean on the walls with your both hands, this prevents you from tilting sideways. The longer distances you are able to ride without support, the more likely you are ready to ride independently. When riding without support, keep your hand close to your body.
  • If you have been trying to find balance for a while without success, take a break and continue later. Practicing is tiresome for the feet muscles which makes it difficult to maintain balance.
  • The most common mistake at this stage of learning is that the back is hunched and knees bent too much, which makes it difficult to find balance, blocks the lower body, and does not allow the feet to make necessary compensatory movements in order to maintain balance.
  • The second mistake is to try to maintain balance using the upper body. The upper body must be straight and upright throughout the ride. Balance is achieved through the fast movements of the lower body and hips, which have to move freely.
  • When you lose balance during the ride or when getting on the wheel and you are forced to step down from the vehicle, the wheel moves away, stops and falls on its side. After that, the wheel automatically turns on the alarm mode and you hear a continuous sound. The indicator lights blink or are switched on. To continue driving, lift the wheel upright again, switch it off for a moment and then on again. The learning band helps to prevent the wheel from being flung far away and its potential injuries.

• Acceleration and deceleration

  • When the smooth forward movement is acquired, slowing down and speeding up are the next things that need to be practiced. To speed up, tilt your straight body from the hip slightly forward, to slow down, tilt it slightly backward. The learning band must be kept in one hand being ready to catch the wheel in case of a fall.

  • Sudden tilting forward or backwards can end in a fall. If you tilt more than the vehicle is capable of maintaining balance while tilting, the limiting function starts working (the wheel begins to tilt back). In case of a very sudden tilting, the vehicle automatically turns itself off to protect itself against overload. It is important to feel the limits of the capacity of the vehicle. The carrying capacity of the device is smaller with tall and heavy people!

• Changing the direction

  • If the balance in straightforward riding and acceleration and deceleration has been acquired, you must learn how to change the direction while riding. Training wheels should be removed because they interfere with maneuvering and prevent the proper development of skills.
  • To learn how to turn, find a large, smooth and flat place. The more skillful you become, the smaller radius you need to turn around and the more precisely you are able to maneuver.
  • To change the direction smoothly,  tilt the vehicle slightly towards the desired direction using your lower body. NB! The upper body must remain in a stable upright position, the movement occurs below hips. Tilting the body while turning is mostly intuitive.
  • If changing the direction intuitively does not work, try to turn by slightly bending the knee of the leg that is opposite to the desired direction. The other leg is straightened out at that time. To restore direct movement, straighten out both legs again.
  • Practise turning in both directions. It is impossible to go from one turn right into another, you need to ride directly at least for a moment, i.e. where both legs are stretched out. 
  • Very abrupt turning (strong tilting) may end up in a situation where the pedal gets stuck in the soil, which normally leads to a fall. Very steep, almost locally made turns belong into the field of tricks and learning this can only occur when you feel confident on the wheel.
  • NB! Do not try to change the direction by frantically waving your hands and twisting your upper body back and forth.

• Stopping

  • In order to stop, the body needs to be tilted slowly backward as a result of which the speed of the vehicle decreases. If the speed is slow enough, step down from the vehicle with one foot keeping the wheel upright using the learning band. Then, turn the wheel off.
  • To practice stopping, you can also use something to support you. To do that, reduce the speed of the wheel until it stops, grab the support with one hand using the other to keep the wheel upright with the help of the learning band. Step down from the vehicle and turn it off.
  • When you are already confident in using the monowheel and the learning band is no longer in use, then grab the handle of the wheel when stopping or use your legs to stop it.

• Correct riding position

  • You have acquired a primary riding skill if you can start the ride effortlessly, are in control of the direction of ride and the speed of the wheel, and you know how to stop it. The correct riding position is when the feet are placed in the middle of the pedals of the wheel, legs gently lean on the inner side of the wheel. It is not necessary to try to keep the wheel too strongly between the legs. It can hurt the foot and worsen the sense of balance. It is important to maintain mobility in your lower body.
  • People with different shapes of legs may have a slightly different riding position. The correct position allows the legs and abdomen sufficient freedom to maintain balance by making compensating micro-movements.
  • You should stand on the wheel with straight, but relaxed back (not like a soldier). The correct posture resembles a normal relaxed upright standing. While riding, you should not crouch or tilt back from the upper body. To move forward, shift your body weight through your hips to your toes, to stop or to move backwards, shift your weight to your heels. NB! Just bowing forward does not result in moving forward because the center of gravity remains in place. Hands should be kept on the side.
  • It is recommended to use the learning band for some time after you have acquired the first skills. The band should only be removed after the skills have become fully automated and the risk that the wheel is thrown far away is unlikely.

• Riding on the hills

  • When riding uphill, it is important that the battery of the vehicle is not too low (recommended battery charge is at least than 50%).
  • Try to avoid very steep hills (15 ° or more). NB! If the elevation of the hill is equal to or greater than 45 degrees, the wheel will turn itself automatically off after three consecutive warning signals and this leads to the loss of the wheel’s automatic back and forth balancing ability.
  • This will lead to a serious threat of damaging the machine or yourself. To avoid it, make sure the angle of the hill is less than 45 °, and the device is charged enough.
  • It is recommended to ride on the speed of about 5km / h. Sudden forward or backwards tilting should be avoided. The best practice is to take the hills at a steady speed.
  • The most critical moment of the rise is crossing the ridge, where it must be sensed very precisely when the rise gives way to the descent.
  • It is not recommended to turn on rises and descents. Maneuvering on hills rather belongs to the world of tricks and requires a good mastery of monowheels.
  • Do not accelerate when riding downhill, but preferably keep the speed up to 5 km/h. When riding downhill, the electric motor of the vehicle acts as a generator charging the batteries.

• Falling

  • Any movement, be it cycling, skateboarding, roller skating, running or even walking, involves the risk of falling. Monowheels are not an exception. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use common personal protective equipment such as helmets, gloves, hand and knee pads. In particular, attention should be paid on the protective equipment during the learning phase.
  • During the initial stages of learning to ride a monowheel, there is a big risk to hurt your tibia. It is very common to get bruises when you try to get on the bike or when falling. It helps if long trousers and high ski socks are worn during the learning phase. It also helps if you put strips of polystyrene inside socks as cushioning.
  • In addition to your own safety, you need to take into account the possible threat that falling may cause to other people and their property. The monowheel can dent a car or break a low basement window if it swings away.
  • An effective tool to help prevent such injuries is the learning band. This saves the wheel from injuries resulting from a fall. 
  • The higher the speed, the greater the potential damage resulting from a fall. Therefore, during the period of learning keep the speed moderate. You should focus on the movements of accuracy, speed comes with time. It is not necessary to practise speed independently.
  • The risk of falling is increased by poor riding conditions such as slippery, bumpy or rubbishy soil and a riding device, which battery capacity has fallen below 50%. It is especially dangerous to ride with a half empty battery on slopes.