Butler Wobble

 It's been a while... we've been busy riding outside the past few months. But, as you know, the weather has changed and it's time to move our adventures inside. We'll be meeting at the Butler YMCA from 4 pm - 6 pm on Saturdays, starting December 6th (excluding the last Saturday of each month). This is a free session, everyone is welcome to join us. We even provide the unicycles if you don't have one. Just bring a positive attitude and a helmet (appropriate attire, and closed toed shoes, too.) If you'll be bringing your own unicycle, it must have a non-marking tire and plastic pedals.

Our winter season is in full swing - even though as I write this we're on our holiday break. We'll be back at the Butler Y, excited to ride on Saturday, January 4th, 2025 at 4 pm. We meet every Saturday, except the last one of each month through Saturday March 22nd. These sessions are free to everyone, but you do need to register.  Click on the link above (under Links of Interest). Click "My Account" from the menu bar at the top of the screen. Enter the phone number or email you would use for the account (even if you don't have one). Follow the prompts to either open an account or enter your current account. From your dashboard, choose "Activities". Type "unicycle" in the search box. Select "2024/2025 Unicycle Club". Click "Register". Type your name to agree to the waiver. Complete checkout. That's it! As mentioned, this is a free class. And if you don't know how to unicycle or are worried you'll look silly becau...

 We'll be meeting at the Butler YMCA through mid April 2024. We meet on Saturdays from 4 pm - 6 pm. All levels of riders, from never tried to World Champion, are welcome to attend. All ages, too. Don't have a unicycle? We've got you covered. Just wear comfortable shoes (that cover your toes, no sandals or flip-flops) and bring a helmet. You need not be a YMCA member, but you will need to show ID and register. Follow this link to pre-register.  Don't worry if you have problems registering, we can help you register when you arrive. There will also be someone at the front desk to assist you. Also, UNICON - the unicycling world championships are coming in July! We'll be there. Will you? This year they'll be held in Minnesota - no passport required! Click here for more information.

 We’re returning for another round of FREE unicycling at the Butler Y on Saturdays from 4-6pm starting November 12th. You will need to register at the front desk upon first visit, but you do not need to be a Y member to attend the sessions.  Bring your own uni and helmet if you have them. If not, we have loaners.  New this year is we will be off the LAST Saturday of each month. This still allows weeks in a row for practice while giving volunteers a bit of time off throughout the winter to go play outside.  Hope this is you year to celebrate the fun of one!

  Thanks for making the 2021-2022 indoor winter season at the Y great! We’ll be back indoors at the Y late next fall. Until then we’ll be outdoors. If you are looking for unicycling opportunities to learn, check back here and we’ll keep you up to speed.  Also, the national unicycle convention will be June 26-July 2 in the Cleveland, OH area. Check out  www.unicyclenationals.com . 

 Hey folks, we’re back.  We will resume FREE indoor sessions at the Butler Y starting Saturday, December 4th, 2021. What this means is we will teach you to ride, or you’re welcome to come and ride with others.  We do have a slight time change; we will ride 4-6pm (the Y closes at 6:30).  The Y is closed on December 25th and January 1, so we won’t be in those days. Otherwise, we’ll be there Saturdays through March (unless there’s an emergency- then we’ll post here). As usual, you will need to fill out a waiver, but the cost is still $0. Bring your unicycle (with plastic pedals) and a helmet. If you don’t have either, or both, of those we still have you covered with loaners. You really should get at least your own helmet though.  We will be following COVID-19 protocols. As of today the notice at the Y says that masks are optional. Please consider others when you make your decision.  We hope to see you soon. 

I apologize for being a bit late on this notice: There will be no unicycling at the Butler YMCA through at least March 29th. The Y is closed through then. Normally our last indoor session is the last week of March. Since we ended so abruptly we are exploring the option of having an end of season session once things settle a bit. We will keep you posted. For now, find a place inside or outside to practice your skills. Do it a safe distance from those outside your normal quarantine group. If you're looking for some skill development ideas, check out our friend Eli Brill's YouTube Channel . He's an advanced rider that has done a great job with making tutorials to advance the sport. Stay safe.

Next Saturday, December 7th, marks the start of our 11th year of FREE unicycling at the Butler Y! As usual, we’re there 4:30-6:30pm. Bring your own helmet and uni if you have them, but if you don’t - we’ve got you covered. We love having new folks experience the fun of one, so you should plan to be there Saturday! We’ll be there riding unis indoors at the Y every Saturday until the end of March 2020 with the exception of February 22nd. We’ll be at Wood Fest at The Wheel Mill that day. Again, the Y keeps unicycling totally free. You don’t even need to be a member! You will need to sign a general waiver though.

It's that time of year again. Except, this time it's the 30th Anniversary of the Month of Mud! Join us in the celebration with some uni racing ! The five race series starts this Sunday at Moraine State Park in Prospect, PA and concludes with Brady’s rum on Sunday, October 27th. AND, as a special ONE TIME offer, you can race Cyclocross at North Park  on October 13th (on a uni of course) FOR FREE! All you need to do is be a current member of the Unicycling Society of America , pre-register (in the unicycle class of course) for the race, and race on race day. After the race is over, see Dave and he will refund your entry fee. He will be one of the ones definitely in costume. To prove you're a member, you'll need your USA membership number. Dave's banking on this is going to be quite the party this year so pack a costume to race in. If it gets really crazy and he needs to refund a bunch of entries, he may lose his shirt. No worries, he already lost a wheel (...

Since the last post we've regularly been at Beginner Unicycling on Friday Nights, Dirt Fest PA, a demo day in Slippery Rock, June's Open Street in Pittsburgh, and NAUCC 2019 in Fort Collins, CO. Where can we find out about these events, you ask?   On our (drum roll, please) - NEW CALENDAR PAGE! We're moving towards using this to give an easy way to find out about the opportunities to ride a uni with others in the region. Check it out and hope to see you unicycling soon!

Saturday, March 30th, will be our last indoor session at the Butler Y- for the season. Don’t worry, we’ll be back in the late Fall. It’s been this way for 10 years. Spring is almost here and the weekly outdoor beginner uni sessions start with THICK Bikes and #unicyclesareathing On Friday, April 19th. Get out and ride!

We've been riding every Saturday INDOORS at the Butler Y from 4:30-6:30. Except for one day when the Y closed early due to inclement weather. And Saturday, February 9th. That's Wood Fest at The Wheel Mill. You can find us there to demo a uni. Other than that, we're on every Saturday through at least March unless the weather goes awry and the Y closes early.

As always, lack of posts does -NOT mean lack of activity. We get a groove and enjoy the ride. That being said, Friday Nights at The Wheel Mill are again a thing. AND- We kick off our 10th indoor season of FREE unicycle classes at the Butler Y starting December 1st. As always, we're there on Saturdays from 4:30-6:30 pm and admission is FREE! Make it a point to learn the fun of one before the end of 2018!

It may appear that not a lot is going on since our last post was 2 months ago. On the contrary, we've been busy. Summer is the time to get outside and this one is no exception. We've been regularly attending #unicyclesareathing on Friday nights at Southside Riverfront Park in Pittsburgh (when it hasn't been pouring rain!)  Attendance there has been solid with well over 2 dozen people a night (sometimes we see as many as 40) showing up to give unicycling a try for the first time, or just to practice beginning skills. We've also been to both Open Streets in Pittsburgh. That's ALWAYS a fun time- especially since the last event broke attendance records with over 45,000 people! While we don't get everyone in attendance to try a uni, we do stay busy getting new people in the saddle the entire time. We don't keep count, but 40+ people a day is a low estimate. In addition, several of us attended The North American Unicycling Convention and Championships (N...

Just because uni means one, doesn’t mean you need to ride alone! https://oddcycle.com/dirt-rags-dirt-fest/

Saturday, March 31st, is the last indoor day at the Y. No worries, we will resume in November. Also, The last day for The Wheel Mill Fridays we will be attending is April 14th. The uni discount is still available Friday nights, it's just that the regular crew will shift outside for the season. In the meantime, #unicyclesareathing with THICK Bikes begins on Friday, April 21st at Riverfront Park on the South Side of Pittsburgh. These free sessions are weather permitting and run from 6:30-8:30pm.  Check with THICK Bikes for details. It's been a great season. It's not over yet. If you've wanted to try a uni, you've still got options!

There will be no unicycling at the Y this Saturday, December 23rd. We will resume the 30th from 4:30-6:30pm in gym 1.  If you get a new uni for the holidays, show up and show off!

We do a lot of riding outdoors. What you may not know is several of us actually do a lot of trail building as well. How much? Over the past 2 years 5 of us have over 1,100 hours invested in Alameda Singletrack . We see unicycling and biking (and hiking too) to be a vital part in an overall healthy community. While you may not have the time to spend in the woods building super sweet trail, we'd like to invite you to make your own contribution. The Alameda Singletrack project is one of the recipients of the International Mountain Biking Association 's (IMBA) Dig In Grant. THIS IS HUGE NEWS!  We NEED to raise as much money as we can so building an AMAZING local trail system can continue. We've built close to 6 miles so far, but we aren't even 1/2 way done. If you haven't checked out Alameda Singletrack yet, PLEASE do. And DONATE HERE .

As we noted in the last post, we're all about people trying unicycling for free. So are our friends at  #UnicyclesAreAThing .   They are friends in real life and not just virtually (as many things go these days). And, while they are now one of the newest Unicycling Society of America affiliated clubs, they already have some positive press in the Post-Gazette Uni Story that ran recently. And though they are now a new official club, they've been functioning for a few years with the same mission as we have: get people to try unicycling for FREE! There's a good chance that if you're reading this and are in the Pittsburgh region that you've already had the opportunity to join them or us (Butler Wobble) to try riding. I know I've mentioned the FREE aspect a whole lot recently. As with anything though, there is a cost incurred somewhere by someone. In the case of almost anything in our society, there are times when liability insurance is necessary. If you h...

The last post was about 3 months ago. That DOESN'T mean we haven't been riding and active. Quite the contrary, we've just got a routine. And it's a pretty good one. From the Autumn Daylight Saving Time to Spring Daylight Saving Time we've got regular beginner (and everyone else is welcome too) FREE sessions at the Butler Y on Saturdays. We also ride Friday nights at The Wheel Mill indoor bike (and uni) park. But, it's not that time of year. It's early July. And since the last post we've had FREE uni demos at the Y's Healthy Kids Day. And we had FREE uni demos at Dirt Rag's Dirt Fest (PA version). We also had a pretty fun group ride there as well. On our advanced rider end, we also had a pretty fun reviewing of the NAUCC 2013 Marathon course one fun Sunday. We also raced 6 Hour's of Brady's Run as a wobble of uni solos. And there's been FREE beginner unicycling with #UnicyclesAreAThing every Friday night from 6:30-...