By CHRISTIE ROBINS
christie@du2.byu.edu
On a typical morning, BYU student Peter Ahlstrom grabs his backpack, hops on his unicycle and peddles up to campus.
'It doesn't take much talent, just a lot of practice,' said Ahlstrom, 21, a sophomore from Fairborn, Ohio, majoring in linguistics.
'On a bicycle you push down on the pedals, but on a unicycle you keep the pressure even,' he said.
Ahlstrom said it's more convenient to ride up hill on a unicycle than on a bicycle because the unicyclist is not leaning back.
'The center of gravity on a bike tilts back, but on a unicycle it's always right beneath you and you're actually falling forward the whole time,' he said.
Ahlstrom spotted an advertisement for a unicycle while reading a newspaper in Ohio and bought it for $25. He said he always wanted to learn how to ride one, but owned his first unicycle for four years before he started learning.
'My chiropractor knew how to ride a unicycle. Once he gave me some pointers, it only took me about a week to get the hang of it,' Ahlstrom said.
Ahlstrom, who was 14 years old when he started learning the balancing act, said one of the first skills he learned was how to fall on his feet.
'It's easy because there's nothing in the way like the handle bars on a regular bike,' he said
Ahlstrom said he has visited a unicycle Web Site which lists 10 levels of unicycle riding.
'Once you've mastered the first level, you can get on the unicycle with help and go forward for about 10 feet,' he said.
Ahlstrom said he's a level two rider.
'I can get on and off without help and go forward indefinitely without falling off,' he said.
He said higher levels include idling, riding backwards and jumping on and off curbs. Some other tricks are coasting, turning the wheel with your feet, and hopping up and down.
'The most advanced riders can mount the unicycle ten different ways and ride for 30 feet without their feet on the peddles. I don't know how they do it because you need your legs for balance,' he said.
Ahlstrom said he bought his second unicycle in Provo for $89 and has been working on rocking back and forth since the summer, but doesn't have much time to practice.
'I mostly use it to go, just for transportation,' he said.