Riding Electric Unicycles Backwards - Tips From an Amateur

First of all, you have to practice. I like to practice on the hard smooth flat dirt of a baseball diamond and on short grass. The tip is to do "the twist". Do NOT try to get perfectly balanced and go perfectly straight. Knowing that you're going to need to make a lot of little adjustments going both forward and backwards, it makes sense to practice "twisting" when idling, going backwards, reversing direction, etc.
Going backwards was really frustrating for me at first ... 6 feet in a straight line, then 10 feet ... progress was slow. But then I started to practice idling and then extending the backwards portion and it really "clicked" for me. Use the smallest wheel that you have, roll toward a fence or wall, come to a stop, push off slowly and start twisting from side to side. See if you can then go to your toes and go forward again, using the twist again.
At some point you HAVE to force yourself to start looking around and looking over your shoulder in BOTH directions. You won't want to, but you NEED to look where you're going to do this safely.
Make up fun exercises that include tight turns in BOTH directions, pedal scrapes, stalls, idling, idling with low still arms, transition from forward to backwards, go over bumps backward. Do backwards loops in both directions, loose figure eights, and then tight figure eights. Stick your arm out and hit a tree or a post and have that spin you around into a backwards transition.
I'm having a blast. I hope you have fun too!

[@ElectricUnicycles]

Looks like you've got the backwards riding down pat 👊

[@ajrowe5845]

Coming back to this video after a week to say THANK YOU! I got my FIRST EUC this afternoon. And out of all the guide videos I watched this one actually helped the most to get started! Coming off the fence I was really getting aggressive with the twisting and carving and I was off the fence in 10 minutes, riding around the neighborhood in 20 minutes, and I rode it to work today after a little over an hour of riding to get it past the 10km speed lock. "Don't forget to twist" is what got me off the fence so quickly and able to really start learning what riding felt like instead of balancing holding the fence. THANK YOU! Maybe some day I'll come back and visit again when it's time to learn to actually ride backwards lol.

[@sandorszabolcsi]

Excellent instructional video thanks for sharing.

[@julianandyvonne]

Another person coming back to your video. I really need to learn this. I can ride backwards on an MTen3. Really struggling with my S22. More practice is needed. Thanks for getting me off my arse again 😀

[@bowenrichardc]

Great instruction and tips, cant wait to start trying to ride backwards.

[@willd0g]

Oh gosh i hope I can learn this whilst on a Sherman (my only wheel)

[@euctrailridazhi498]

Great video Chris, gonna try it on my KS 14d.

[@frankhernandez133]

Not having tried any of these exercises yet, I definitely take notification of the descriptions made for these practices, along with the realistic situations a rider will go through physically & mentally. Stating the natural reactions a person has during specific riding experiences helps understand reasoning for the suggestions depicted within this video. All us EUC riders, let's have that much more fun through the instructions Chris made such time for!

[@EUC_Quebec]

Hey bud. Big thanks for this. Been struggling going backwards. Carving backwards did it for me. Skill unlocked! Learned on 16x, now gotta transfer skill to SherMax.

[@bepriceless]

The twist tip seems really sound, and you gave me a tip with the baseball field. I've been looking for a place to learn backwards, because I know I'm going to drop it, and all the park grass is too lush and bumpy but I bet a baseball field is just right. Thanks.

[@Tartanion]

great video and insight on technique with forcing twists on riding backwards.

[@jcastillo265]

Thanks for sharing! It really helps.

[@mrbenclaude]

Your video was super helpful and your explanation was second to none:) subscribed!

[@victorpeguero9041]

Excellent tutorial

[@the_luminary]

Very helpful! Thanks brotha

[@godismeme272]

Wow, Chris I didn't realize this was you. This video was so helpful. It took me about 5 weeks. So, much fun and so worth the effort. Thank you so much for the inspiration 💜

[@letssamplethis7641]

Chris Chaput - I tried out some of your tips here. I tried more of the twists you recommended and that as good for my usual forward moving technique but with going backwards I know I am missing something. SInce idling or pendulum is really important to learn to ride backwards, would you mind making another long tutorial on how to idle? SHow us how you learned or what made that click for you? That type of video from you would be really AWESOME.

[@chrischaput]

Yes I'd love to. I have an Mten3 now and it makes everything so easy. Then you just "ramp up" to bigger heavier wheels. I'll keep you posted.

[@mikebikekite1]

Your video really helped! After approx 3 hours I managed to do half a length of a tennis court backwards :) I had to stop there as it's fairly exhausting trying to master this plus I was leaking a little bit over the tennis court from an earlier tumble.

[@stella4188]

Leaking. Had your meat suit gotten some abrasive damage? If so, I hope you got it patched up.

[@GoG6138]

Good tips!

[@rommelr12]

Great advice ,!!!

[@honestlee9921]

i will try this

[@the-real-dr2050]

"throw in some of these twists, even if you think you don't need to." Okay I missed that the last time I watched this. I'll try and circle back but I'm hopefully: trying to just "go backwards" has been hard.

[@BunnyslippersEUC]

What works for you, could work for other people. You are owning it 😎. Good job. I was practicing riding backwards. Then the cops took my V5f. Now riding my electric skateboard feels weird, because I got EUC legs. You are never to old to ride EUC. There are guys 70+ years old able to ride backwards on an EUC.

[@GoG6138]

why did the cops take your euc? what country are you in?

[@BunnyslippersEUC]

@@GoG6138 Because the cops don't need to now the law. The Dutch law (Netherlands) says vehicles with at least TWO wheels need a number plate etc. Even moped scooters. An EUC is according to Dutch law, a displacement object and is allowed on the bikepaths -lane or sidwalk. So the cops are wrong. But they don't need to know the law. They don't even need to know how to read their own book. It has been 3 months now. If they want my money...then where is the fine I have to pay? Which law did I break? So I am expecting a letter soon which tells me I can pick up my V5f from depot.

[@LukePighetti]

@@BunnyslippersEUC I would call a lawyer. In most Western countries it's illegal for the government to seize property without due process.

[@letssamplethis7641]

Chris Chaput - really good video. Cant wait to try this out. Looks like you’re from Huntington Beach. You ever come out to Long Beach?

[@chrischaput]

I live in HB but I was born in LB and lived there as an adult from 1984 to 1998. I've ridden past the Queen Mary a few times lately and also done the 710 riverbed to Downtown and then bike path to Seal Beach then 605 riverbed to Downey. A lot of group rides are organized on Telegram ... Southern California EUC Rides ... Night riders group ... OC EUC Rides

[@n_ux]

Hey I got the same kind of wheel. About your height and weight maybe. Practicing backwards riding right now

[@gregbrady8454]

Why are you wearing a mask tho?

[@chrischaput]

I have pulmonary fibrosis and this was pre-vaccine where people like me were dying from COVID-19. Between the dust and dirt that I don't want to breathe in, the fact that I shot this is a public park during a global pandemic, wearing a mask is no bother to me and appreciated by others who care.

[@gregbrady8454]

@@chrischaput my wife and I don't trust the vaccine. Time will tell tho. I hope I'm wrong.

[@user-ke9yk5qp3u]

@@gregbrady8454yep, wrong