Side Mount

1. Stand beside and slightly behind the unicycle with the nearer pedal down and back slightly.
2. Rest the hand nearest the unicycle on the middle of the seat, palm down, thumb on the near side & fingers curled over the far side.
3. Extend the other arm straight out to the side.
4. Place the foot corresponding to the near pedal on the near pedal. Check position as follows:
   • The knee should be over the pedal.
   • The foot on the ground should be about one pace behind the wheel and nearly in line with the wheel.
   • Your center of gravity should be in line behind the down pedal
   • The frame of the uni should be tilted backwards slightly.
5. Straighten the arm holding the uni seat so that the uni tilts away from you. The point where the axle of the pedal enters the crank arm should be nearly over the point where the wheel contacts the ground.
6. Lean forward and put most of your weight on the pedal and the rest on the seat with your hand as you:
7. While lifting yourself using the down pedal as a step, swing the other leg forward between the unicycle and the leg with its foot on the pedal. After that foot passes between you and the unicycle, straighten the leg and kick up and forward until the leg clears the saddle.
8. Let the saddle come toward you and drop down onto it while you lower the swinging leg and find the pedal with that foot.
9. Ride away or begin idling.

Notes and hints:

When you step on the near pedal, the seat reacts by trying to move towards you. Control this movement with the hand on the seat, delaying it until you get over where the seat will be when you are ready to sit down on it.

When you step up on the down pedal, the wheel rolls backward slightly, bringing the down pedal forward just about the time your butt hits the seat. At that point your center of gravity should be forward of the wheel so you can push on the down pedal to roll the wheel forward and under you.

As with all mounts, the actions involved should be done quickly as possible.

The step-up-and-kick action of swinging the leg over the seat is tricky. One could practice this separately before going on to the next steps. Just step forward and plant that foot on the ground in front of the unicycle while maintaining a grip on the seat.