Being an Ultimate Wheel expert (I've owned one for 3 weeks and spent, oh, 5 hours or so trying to ride it) I thought it'd be an idea to write down some of my experiences of learning while they're still fresh in my mind.
Additions, corrections, suggestions welcome.
An Ultimate Wheel (UW), is a wheel with pedals. Like a unicycle without the seat post and saddle. While many people would consider this to be more comfortable than riding a unicycle, it's more difficult as it's a lot harder to maintain side-to-side stability.
Some UWs bear a close resemblance to their unicycle origins. They still have the spokes and cranks (this can be achieved by removing the frame from an existing unicycle). Others have a small number of thicker spokes (usually six) with the pedals attached directly to two of them. Other UWs (mine included) do away with spokes altogether using a wooden disk instead. The pedals are attached directly to the disk - using a metal insert to secure them.
A UW with pedals attached directly (rather than via cranks) will be easier to ride as the feet are closer to the plane of the wheel. I'm not convinced of a difference in difficulty based on wheel size. I learnt on a 24" which I expected to be easier than a smaller wheel but, when I tried a friend's 20" that was at least as easy to ride - possibly easier.
OK, you've got your wheel, you're kitted out as above. You probably look a bit silly but, hey, we're keen and this is gonna look good (eventually).
The 9 step plan to riding an Ultimate Wheel:
I tried riding alongside a wall (as some do when learning to ride a unicycle) but it didn't help. I also tried using helpers either side but again, it didn't help. On a UW, you can't stop and regain your balance like you can on a unicycle. I found it much easier to just head off from the wall. Within half an hour I got a sense of control and could frequently achieve several turns of the wheel.
I'd been led to believe that riding an Ultimate Wheel was difficult. OK, I'm not an expert wheeler yet but I've only spent a few hours on it and progress had been much faster than I expected. It's addictive - I just wish I had more time and space to play.
I tried this trick, sorry, "skill" at the end of my most recent practice session and within 15 minutes, was getting the mount more often than not (if the wheel was rolling straight - mind you, I was only getting the wheel to roll straight about 1 in 3 so any tips there gratefully received).
Lay the wheel on the ground, place your dominant foot on the upwards-facing pedal ("on" here is a relative term considering the angle of the 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 (this is a little jump resulting in the wheel flipping to the vertical). Your dominant foot (and its pedal) 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. Of course, both of these moves could (and should) be performed with either foot - I've done them this way round to start with because they match the way I freemount and kickup a unicycle.
Swedish team "The Wheelies" do this - they lean forward, hold the top of the wheel and jump. I seem to recall they also did it one footed...
It's just a case of following a rolling UW while riding one and, at the appropriate time, you just kinda jump off one onto the other. No problem. ;-)
The protective kit as listed above is really useful. Don't leave home without it. The shin pads need to be strapped tightly so they don't spin round with the friction of the wheel.
When learning to ride a unicycle, one of the first things you learn is to catch it when you're falling off. On a UW, don't bother, save yourself. Not that you'll have a lot of choice as there are no useful handles to grab hold of.
I've heard it said that it's easy to break a leg on a UW. This I can believe. The wheel presses against your leg if it presses too much and your foot stays stuck to the pedal you could be in trouble. Be careful.
When the wheel falls over (and you fall off), it will land on the end of one of its pedals. If you plan to practice indoors on nice polished floors it is important that the ends are plastic.
If anyone has read this far, you've either got a UW or you want one. Even if you've got one, maybe you want another (so you can jump from one to the other). Anyways, here are a few places that can fulfil your requirements:
UK:
DM Engineering
59 Fairmile Rd
Christchurch
Dorset
BH23 2LA
Phone +44 (0) 1202 471943
I've got a DM - it's a 24" wheel with a wooden disk, A metal plate has been inlaid into the disk and drilled/threaded for pedals. No protruding plates, nuts or bolts to catch ankles on. A nice red and yellow spiral paint job.
Cost UKP80 + shipping
Germany:
Kurt Pichler Radtechnik
Address for shipping:
Steinstrasse 23
76133 Karlsruhe
Germany
Shop:
Markgrafenstrasse 34
76133 Karlsruhe
Germany
Phone +49 721 376166
Fax +49 721 370722
Pichlers have six thick spokes in place of DM's wooden disk. I've not seen or ridden one. I'd guess that they look nicer than the DM but are harder to ride (haven't got one continuous smooth surface against your legs).
Cost ???
US:
Tom Miller
The Unicycle Factory
2711 N. Apperson
Kokomo, IN 46901
Phone +1 765 452-2692
I get the impression that Tom does just about anything to do with unicycles. He can apparently supply a kit for attaching the pedals to the wooden disk. You have to supply your own rim, tube, tyre, wood etc. Oh, and you have to put the bits together.
Cost US$10-12 + shipping
M.Wiggins@ftel.co.uk