Unicycle for beginners that will last

Ok so I'm completely new to unicycling, and want to start. The first
step, obviously, is to get a unicycle, but this is where I get stuck. I
was looking around for information, but couldn't find what I really
wanted, so I decided to post what I need here. If you have any advice,
I'd really appreciate it, or if you know where I can go to find out. So
here's what I'm looking for:

1) Easy to learn on--this is my first unicycle, and I don't want a
really hard to balance one. If this precludes satisfying my other
criteria, I'm willing to get a harder one and take longer to learn. In
other words, an easy one would be good, but it's not necessary.

2) Long-lasting and cheap--I'm soon going to enter college, so money is
going to be tight for a while. I need to be able to get a unicycle that
will last through a few years of riding, and will still be appropriate
for my skill level in a few years.

3) Not too slow--I am planning on using it to get around, so I need
something that won't take too long to get there. It seems like I should
maybe get a 26" wheel for this reason. Also, I'm a rabid mountain
biker, so does anyone know offhand approximate conversions to gear
ratios, just so I can get a feel for wheel size and what it will feel
like riding?

4) Strong--I don't plan on doing much serious trail riding, but I'd like
to be able to ride on things other than roads, and I would like it to be
able to take a little abuse and survive.

I realize that I have just asked for the perfect unicycle, but if anyone
has any comments or suggestions they would be great

Thanks
Mike Roberts

[sarah.miller]

As you are an adult, and you didn't say you are short, then a 26 should be OK to learn on. Not AS easy as learning on a 20 but doable. I would recomend putting a slick tyre on it learn with tho! A 26 with a slick will also be pretty good as transport and if you change the tyre to a knobbly you can tackle the stuff you do on a MTB once you have mastered the basics.

As for model or brand,where are you in the world? the models avalible in the US may not be easy or cheap to get in Europe and vis versa.

SArah

sarah.miller wrote:

> As you are an adult, and you didn't say you are short, then a 26
> should be OK to learn on.
I'm about 6'0"

> Not AS easy as learning on a 20 but doable.
That's fine I dont mind working harder at the beginning

> I would recomend putting a slick tyre on it learn with tho! A 26 with a
> slick will also be pretty good as transport and if you change the tyre
> to a knobbly you can tackle the stuff you do on a MTB once you have
> mastered the basics.


> As for model or brand,where are you in the world? the models avalible
> in the US may not be easy or cheap to get in Europe and vis versa.
US; Atlanta, GA. I don't really know about any unicycle stores, though,
I'd probably be buying it online, and then I'd probably just have to pay
more for shipping

thanks
mike

[rogeratunicycledotcom]

Originally posted by Mike Roberts
sarah.miller wrote:
> As for model or brand,where are you in the world? the models avalible
> in the US may not be easy or cheap to get in Europe and vis versa.
US; Atlanta, GA. I don't really know about any unicycle stores, though, I'd probably be buying it online, and then I'd probably just have to pay more for shipping

You don't know how lucky you are for where you live. You have the biggest unicycle store in the world on your door step.

http://www.unicycle.com/About.asp

Roger

[daino149]

Originally posted by Mike Roberts

US; Atlanta, GA. I don't really know about any unicycle stores, though,
I'd probably be buying it online, and then I'd probably just have to pay more for shipping

Hot diggidy, if you live in Atlanta, you can just stroll on down to unicycle.com . They have a very wide selection of unicycles in all ranges and they welcome visitors (although I've never had the honor of going there myself).


If you still want us to give you advice, please give us your price range. Right now, I think the Torker DX24 might be right for you. It's a 24 inch, so it's not quite as large a what you want, but it's about the strongest uni for the money.

Daniel

daino149 wrote:
> Hot diggidy, if you live in Atlanta, you can just stroll on down to
> 'unicycle.com' (http://www.unicycle.com/About.asp) . They have a very
> wide selection of unicycles in all ranges and they welcome visitors
> (although I've never had the honor of going there myself).

Oh wow that's awesome I'll be sure to check it out

> If you still want us to give you advice, please give us your price
> range. Right now, I think the Torker DX24 might be right for you. It's
> a 24 inch, so it's not quite as large a what you want, but it's about
> the strongest uni for the money.

I don't have any definite price range, but probably could spend up to
about $300. Cheaper is much better, though, if its possible

[phlegm]

Originally posted by Mike Roberts
3) Not too slow--I am planning on using it to get around, so I need
something that won't take too long to get there. It seems like I should
maybe get a 26" wheel for this reason. Also, I'm a rabid mountain
biker, so does anyone know offhand approximate conversions to gear
ratios, just so I can get a feel for wheel size and what it will feel
like riding?

You'll need to account for crank length and wheel size to relate bicycle gear ratios to unicycle ratios. The best way I can think to do this is to compare the circumference a pedal travels to the circumference the wheel edge travels.

For a typical mountain bike with 26" wheels, 175mm cranks, and a 2:1 gear ratio, the cranks travel pi * 2 * 175mm / 25.4mm/in = 43.3" in one revolution, for which the wheel travels 2 revolutions. So the wheel covers pi * 26in * 2 = 163.4" for one revolution of the pedals. This means ever inch of pedal motion results in 163.4 / 43.3 = 3.77 inches of forward motion.

Now, you could divide the wheel diameter of your unicycle by the 2 times the crank length to find the wheel-to-pedal inch ratio and compare it to 3.77.

Keep in mind that this comparison is not perfect. The biggest problem I see is that the required force to turn the cranks is greatly dependent on where they are in a revolution. So if you're comparing largely different crank sizes, this comparison starts to break down. Also, bicycles with freewheels feel significantly different than fixed gear bikes with the same ratio, and I'm assuming you're not riding a fixed gear mountain bike (although some do).

[underdog]

I bought my Torker DX24 about 6 months ago on ebay for $150 brand new from a guy who had a high positive feedback rating. It seems pretty bomb proof to me. I'm 6'0'' and 200 lbs.

As for easy to balance; heck, if any of 'em where easy to balance everybody would ride. Typical wisdom is that the smaller the wheel diameter the easier it is to learn since for any one revolution of the pedals the distance travelled is less, thus easier to control. I started on a 20" and got the 24" only a little later and really didn't notice much difference.

As for a correlation to mtn. bike gears there have been a couple of really good threads on gearing and tire diameter on this forum in the past couple of months. Try searching for them.

Good luck and welcome.

[Murde Mental]

I don't plan on doing much serious trail riding,

You will once you get a feel for this.

[harper]

Riding a unicycle is not about balance, it's about determination. Don't worry about which unicycle is easy to "balance" because they can all be made to feel about the same by changing crank length, tire pressure, etc.

Since you live in Atlanta, drive through the nightmarish traffic to Marietta and go to unicycle.com. Tell them what you want and can afford and they will fix you up on the spot.

Torker, as underdog says, makes excellent beginner unicycles. The UniStar DX series is particularly tough, even with a tapered hub instead of the more expensive splined hub.

[AllThingsUni]

i recommend getting a 24" torker mountain uni. You dont have to get a regualr unicycle just cuz you are starting out...get a good one so when you get good you can do trials and muni and stuff like that.

[UniBrier]

Originally posted by harper
Torker, as underdog says, makes excellent beginner unicycles. The UniStar DX series is particularly tough, even with a tapered hub instead of the more expensive splined hub.

The LX is the square taper "stealth torker", approx. $100. The DX has the splined hub and is the bomb-proof freestyle, approx $200. Stay away from the CX (chrome) with the kiddie seat.

[unijuggler]

and I don't want a really hard to balance one.


sorry, they are all hard to balance

On Wed, 03 Nov 2004 11:51:20 -0500, Mike Roberts wrote:

>1) Easy to learn on--this is my first unicycle, and I don't want a
>really hard to balance one. If this precludes satisfying my other
>criteria, I'm willing to get a harder one and take longer to learn. In
>other words, an easy one would be good, but it's not necessary.

A 20" wheel is easiest to learn on, but it conflicts with your "not
too slow" requirement, and you rightfully seem to settle at 24" or
26". For "not too slow" you'll also want not too long cranks then, 125
mm max but preferably shorter. But for learning, longer cranks are
easier. For this size wheel, 150 mm are good, 170 mm are probably even
better, especially for the 26". So-called cotterless cranks are
relatively easy to swap (but you'll need a dedicated tool), and not
that expensive either. So here is your plan to reconcile two seemingly
conflicting requirements.

But hey, if the virus catches you properly, you'll end up buying
several unis anyway.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
I figure it's pretty clear that offroad unicycling is a stupid thing to do - joemarshall

klaasbil_remove_the_spamkiller_@xs4all.nl (Klaas Bil) writes:

> you rightfully seem to settle at 24" or 26". For "not too slow"
> you'll also want not too long cranks then, 125 mm max but preferably
> shorter. But for learning, longer cranks are easier. For this size
> wheel, 150 mm are good, 170 mm are probably even better, especially
> for the 26".

I think 170s are too long, except for hard core MUni. 125s are too
short for starting out, especially on the larger wheel. If I were to
offer advice to myself a year ago when I bought my 26er, I'd
definitely recommend 140s.

Ken