About MUni

Mountain unicycling or "MUni," is a type of unicycling that's been growing over the past 10 or so years. If you've always wanted to try riding a unicycle, you're not alone.

I didn't try unicycling until 2005. Four years earlier, I saw mountain unicycling for the first time when Kris Holm appeared with his mountain unicycle in a couple of mountain bike films. It took a few years for that seed to germinate for me, but once it took hold, it grew fast.

Since I'm putting this video on my massage-practice website, I should probably say something about unicycling in terms of physical benefits like improving body awareness, conditioning the proprioceptive nervous system, and sharpening reflexes. Indeed, it does all those things, plus it's highly engaging. I'm always wanting to get to the next level, so to speak — to learn a certain new skill, like wheel walking or gliding, for instance.

The biggest benefit for me has been the joy of it. It's been exciting to learn a new thing, and it's been fun to see my favorite hiking and cycling trails from a new and challenging perspective. Lately, it's even put a few more smiles in my morning commute.

Here are two links if you want to keep rolling with this topic:

1. Where to get a unicycle: unicycle.com (obviously)

2. An article in the New York Times on balance and aging — no mention of unicycles, though