How to use a single training wheel?
 

Some balance problems, have multi-gear bike, any one using single training wheel?

maybe an explanation
 

Am not a learner, but older cyclist with balance problems. I have a Cannondale multi gear. Adding training wheels to this looks complex and expensive, could a simple single wheel (away from the gears) help me ? Anyone?

This is a problematic trade off for adults. Because of the height and weight involved, trainers usually hace to be set for full time ground contacr, holding the bike rigidly vertical. As such it rides more like a trike than a bike, except it's much more tippy.

A single trainer won't help, because it affords to anti-tip protection in the other direction. Plus if it's set to allow you the normal side tilting of a bike it won't bd reliable to keep you from falling.

It's hard to advise without knowing the details of your condition. Balacing a bike is s learned process involving the cerebellum which uses steering inputs to keep the bike under you. It's the same functional pathways you use for walking, and just about all your motion controls.

So, if you have no brain injury, odds are you'll improve over z short time frame.

OTOH, if you do have a brain injury affecting motion control, usually such that you walk like a drunk, then you'll have comparable issues riding, and may have to limit yourself to MUPs, and speeds where you aren't likely to get injured in a fall.

Or consider z trike, or recumbent trike.

I would suggest a recumbent trike. I met a guy with a paralyzed arm that had ridden one across the USA and back so they must work well. I had a bit of trouble getting on and off but I imagine that would improve with experience. It did ride nicely from the very first.

Depending on the source of your balance issues, 3 wheels is likely the way to go. There are upright and recumbent trikes. Recumbent is going to get better use of your gluteus muscles and get you more distance with same effort. Recumbent trikes can be taller than you think, and are visible in traffic.

I think the main advantage to the recumbent trike is that even the tallest of them get you way lower than the typical "adult trike" and are thus more aerodynamic. Faster. Or, as you put it, more distance with the same effort. The center of gravity is also much lower and the chance of tip over during cornering is reduced. I am riding a rather tall recumbent highracer bike and I am sure I am very visible in traffic. However, after years... decades of riding exclusively upright bicycles the limited experience I have had in street situations have been pretty scary. I feel invisible, and every intersection and driveway I encounter in the scant 1/4 mile between my house and the place I practice riding the recumbent is blood pressure spiking.

The problem you will run into is a question of physics. You can compensate and balance on the free side, but if you try to correct to the training wheel side you will "bounce" off and go down hard on the free side. This issue is easily evident watching any child with a (set) of training wheels as they bounce from wheel to wheel before they find balance. Don't do it.

Do you think more people would be interested in unicycles with training wheels?

They could potentially come in two or three wheel configurations, and they would make unicycles easier and safer to ride.

We refer to these as bikes ;-)

In all seriousness, there's no point. An array of wheels spaced out into two dimensions requires very flat and even ground and so poorly matches real situations where a human-power cycle would be useful. And a unicycle is already a fairly ineffective way of going somewhere, since in normal models you have an absurdly low gear ratio and no freewheel. Also, when constrained by additional wheels, you can't turn.

An ordinary bicycle, or a well designed tricycle make more sense - wheels not included in the original design just don't work well, since everything changes based on their number and location, and beyond three you need an adaptive suspension.

The only reason to ride a unicycle is if you actually want to be riding a unicycle... which is not what you are doing if your cycle has more than one wheel (that contacts the ground; vertical stacks exempted since the extra wheels are just power transmission)

No, (not me personally but "anyone" includes people who never read this forum) ,
but, off the shelf, from your neighborhood Shop, you may want to buy a Trike..
they have 2 rear wheels and a comfy seat..

a bike with a single wheel added to one side , that wheel is, best, if part of a sidecar..

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bf73b27677.jpg

Is it important to you that you ride a diamond frame bike or are you open to other options?
http://www.atomiczombie.com/plans/wa...0Trike%202.jpg