Riding a unicycle in the wilderness is safer than riding a regular mountain bike. At least that’s what George Barnes lV thinks.

“I like unicycling because it’s different. It’s always a challenge on one wheel,” said Barnes, junior in mechanical engineering. “I’d be bored stiff on a mountain bike. You can only go as fast as you pedal [on a unicycle.”

Barnes also said changing directions is much easier on a unicycle than on a bicycle.

Two members from the ISU Unicycle Club go for Friday afternoon rides on their unicycles in the wilderness. It’s called muni-cycling. Muni-cycling is a sport invented by George Peck a 56-year-old Alaskan judge, Barnes said.

Barnes started unicycling when he was 16 years old. Barnes and his cousin rode across Iowa during RAGBRAI on their unicycles. He is the president of the ISU Unicycle Club. The club has 22 members. They meet on Monday nights and go for rides on Friday afternoons.

“I learned about muni-cycling through Bicycle Magazine,” Barnes said. “I borrowed a friend’s [unicycle] and I learned a week later.”

On a 36-inch wheel, called a coker, Barnes can reach speeds up to 15 miles per hour. On a regular 24-inch wheel, he can go eight to 10 miles per hour.

On Monday nights, the club meets and practice on ramps that they make. The ramps — a little bigger than a few two-by-fours nailed together — are used to simulate logs that they ride on in the wilderness. Another thing that occurs at meetings is teaching new members how to ride. The experienced members take the new ones into a hallway and use a fence to help them keep their balance.

“Anyone can do this as long as they have the time and the commitment,” said Bryan Schuster, a Unicycle Club member and senior in forestry. Learning how to ride takes anywhere from a half an hour to 20 hours, Schuster said.

The club began meeting in March 2001. It was organized by Barnes and two others.

“When I started the club, only I could ride. I’ve taught everyone who’s joined how to ride,” Barnes said.