I started planning this trip about four weeks ago. Honestly, I’m still not sure what the ideal lead time is to schedule a cross-country electric unicycle ride, but here’s a look at my major steps. After planning, I checked ChatGPT, which suggested it would require 2 months of planning. Either I’m way ahead, or I have underplanned this adventure

Defining the Objective & Route

The first step was simply coming up with the idea. My friend Kurt had been bugging me to watch the documentary series “The Long Way Up.” It’s about Ewan McGregor (aka Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels) and his best friend riding motorcycles from the southern tip of South America to Los Angeles. They’d done other long trips, but this one was special because they were riding prototype Harley-Davidson electric motorcycles—supported by a mobile team driving the first pre-production Rivian trucks ever built. They also had a substantial support/production crew based in the UK. To ensure full charging coverage, they even installed charging stations in critical spots along their route.

I only watched the first three episodes, but my main takeaway? Even with all that support, they struggled to keep their bikes charged—and they attempted the ride during the South American winter. Much of the early dialogue is just the two riders lamenting their decision not to use gas-powered bikes. My wife got online and found out that they actually had to take a bus through Mexico.

Like many other times in my life, I watched them, thought “I can do that,” and promptly began under-planning my own foolishness. I even convinced myself, “Maybe they were hampered by over-planning and too much support.”

I ran the idea by Mike and Jeff, my regular coffee buddies at the local Peet’s Coffee. I don’t know their last names—or their qualifications to assess alternative long-distance travel ideas—but they gave the plan what I’d call a bemused, “Go for it!”

***Mike and Jeff: Two guys I drink coffee with that endorsed this Idea. I do not know their last names or their qualifications***

Selecting the Unicycle

I already own five unicycles, but all of them have too short a range to cross the U.S. in a reasonable timeframe. I’m sure someone could make it work, but for the route I had in mind, none of my existing EUCs were up to the task.

Luckily for me, Leaperkim had just released the Sherman L, one of the longest-range EUCs ever made. Range was my top concern—any U.S. cross-country route involves crossing western deserts, and I knew I needed a wheel with at least a 90-mile range to bridge the huge service gaps in Nevada and Utah.

I watched tons of videos from EUC YouTube influencers testing the Sherman L and felt confident it was the right choice. I ordered one from Ewheels, and it arrived two days later.

Testing & Range Verification

Once my wheel arrived, I had to test its real-world range. The manufacturer claims 125 miles per charge, so I was excited to push it. The Sherman L is super stable and loves speed—it begs to cruise at 35–40 mph. Unfortunately, the faster you go, the quicker you drain the battery. On my first test ride—a relatively flat loop through the Sacramento Delta—I only managed 60 miles before running out of juice.

Thankfully, Sebastian Lastowski had done extensive analysis on range vs. speed and range vs. riding position (I’ll insert his chart here). His data showed that if you keep your speed around 20 mph, you can stretch your range to about 100 miles. He also found that riding seated can give you an extra 16% in range.

***Image and data courtesy of Sebastian Lastowski***

Based on that, I configured my EUC for seated riding, learned how to ride seated, and took it out for a long ride around Mount Diablo and Del Valle Reservoir. I set my EUC to beep at me if I exceeded 22 mph. It was incredibly annoying, but my battery bars lasted much longer. I also rode seated as much as possible. Seated riding is like shooting free throws underhanded—it’s more effective, but you look like a total tool.

The result? I completed a relatively mountainous 89-mile ride without needing to recharge—and I even started with only 90% battery. That gave me confidence I might be able to bridge those big Nevada and Utah gaps without hitchhiking.

Charging Strategy

I built a spreadsheet to estimate how many miles I could realistically cover per day. One critical factor—besides range—is charging speed.

Using the stock charger, it takes 4+ hours to fully recharge the EUC. That basically allows for one mid-day charge and one overnight charge while sleeping.
I found a fast charger from Ewheels that supposedly cuts charging time in half.

On my first test, using two stock chargers, it still took at least 3 hours to recharge. But with the fast charger, I was able to get back to full in just over 2 hours. That means I could potentially cover much longer distances with two good charging sessions per day.

Because charging is mission-critical, I decided to bring both the fast charger and my stock charger as a backup. These are the two heaviest items in my kit. To reduce the weight on my back, I welded a combined seat bracket and charger holder that also serves as a base for my seat. I tested it several times, and it worked like a charm!

Packing & Equipment

While running these tests, I also started building my packing list. I have a bad back and one fake knee, so keeping my backpack weight down was essential. The critical items include:

Chargers
Toiletries
Cameras
Tools
Laptop
Clothes

For cameras, I’m using my Insta360s. My friend Skip gave me an X2 a few years ago, and I recently bought the newer X5. These cameras let you film 360° all at once; after filming, you can pick the viewpoint you want and that becomes the video. The other cool feature? They erase the selfie stick so it looks like a drone is following you! A lot of EUC influencers use them to create amazing footage—hopefully, I can at least make some basic videos.

I loaded my pack, which weighs about 20 lbs, and took it on a test ride. I confirmed I can comfortably ride both seated and standing.

I decided not to bring a spare tire because it’s heavy and doesn’t collapse—hopefully I don’t regret that decision. I’m also sure there are other things I should be bringing, but I won’t know what they are until I need them.

Check out the Equipment section of this site for a full gear list.

Why I’m Writing This

I put together this blog because I thought it would be fun—and hopefully useful—to document lessons learned for anyone who might attempt a similar trip in the future. I’ll aim to post updates each day I’m on the road.

Planning?