Feet

When it comes to feet, the worry is less about hitting something and more about the wheel hitting you. It’s common for a pedal to hit you on the back of the foot or ankle when your foot accidentally ends up in front of it. And because the pedal is attached directly to the wheel it can hit with an impressive amount of force.

For smaller wheels a lot of the damage – mostly minor scrapes – can be avoided by wearing high-top shoes. That could mean, for example, Vans Sk8-Hi shoes, or hiking shoes or boots.

Heavier wheels may call for additional protection. Motorcycle shoes are one option, since they often come with ankle impact protectors. This diagram from Shima shows the safety features of one of their shoes, which are typical for many motorcycle shoes:

While the specific shoe in this diagram only has an ankle protector on the outside of the foot, many motorcycle shoes have protectors on both sides. Most motorcycle shoes are also made with abrasion resistant materials, so that they aren’t shredded by asphalt. Kinetic D.L.’s Performance-1 shoe, made specifically for electric unicycles, has similar safety features.

Touring-style motorcycle boots (as opposed to shoes) will provide more shin and back-of-leg protection, while still being reasonably comfortable.

Even higher levels of protection can be found in motorcycle racing boots and motocross boots. However, they look relatively awkward for EUC use, and it’s not clear that the extra protection is needed. Komine’s SK-481 Ankle Protector is another option for lower leg armor. (As of May 2023 I’m the only EUC rider I know of who’s tried it.)