What a difference an inch or two makes!!

[locsnwheels]

Hello everyone! I'm a long-time lurker here, but only recently decided to create an account. I learned how to unicycle years ago, but took a long break due to personal obligations (like learning to adjust to having a new baby in the house!) and only started riding again two months ago. This is my introductory thread! :-)

There is a sidewalk circle outside of my job that is nearly a mile long, and lots of folks walk the circle every day during lunch. I just bought a 26" Club to keep at work and ride the circle every day. I just got back from riding my first mile on this new unicycle, and every moment was a STRUGGLE to stay on top of it! I'm used to riding either a 3" wide knobby or a Big Apple - skinny little tires are TOUGH to control after almost exclusively riding big/wide tires!

I know that I'll eventually get used to it (although I may upgrade the pedals; the stock pedals are just so tiny) and will soon be able to increase the amount of laps I can do . My eventual goal is to ride 10 miles every day; commuting to work is not an option since I have to take my child to daycare every day, but riding in the middle of the work day should satisfy my insatiable wheel lust.

[Heretical Rants]

The first time I changed wheel sizes, it took me about an hour to adjust.
It felt awesome, though.

[Minnow]

Changing sizes is really hard; I just got a 16" after riding only a 24" for about a year.
And good luck with your ten mile goal, that will be quite a challenge. It sounds like a lot of fun.

[aarons]

Welcome to the forum. We're taking over the world one person at a time.

You'll adjust to the new uni quickly. I bet it will be fine after a week. When you get used to it, the skinny tire will feel nimble and quick. I had the opposite problem when I switched from a freestyle uni to a trials. I was really put off by how much more force it took to turn the wheel. The feeling went away after a few days of practice.

My eventual goal is to ride 10 miles every day

That will be impressive for a typical one hour lunch break.

[skilewis74]

Welcome

Just about every time I switch back to a different wheel it takes a little while to adjust. If I Muni fairly regularly but go for my first ride in a week, it can take 5 minutes to readjust.

LW- you could commute from your kids day care or bring a trials or your Muni w/ you and practice some trials/urban Muni on your break.

[locsnwheels]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!

Originally Posted by aarons

That will be impressive for a typical one hour lunch break.

I actually work a 12 hour day and get 90 minutes of break time throughout the day. My plan is to get to work a little early every morning, ride 3 miles or so, ride another 3 miles during my lunch break, and then ride the last 4 miles right after work before I go pick up my daughter. So it will be spread throughout the day, and I won't have to go back to my desk after going any further than 3 miles at a time (hopefully by the time I have the endurance for all of this mileage, 3 miles won't make me too sweaty; even if it does, we do have a shower here).

@skilewis74: I've considered commuting from my daughter's daycare, but it would be 1.5-2 hours one way (even on a 36er), which at this point in my life (I'm working two jobs) wouldn't fit into my day. In a year or two I may revisit the idea. I would LOVE to be able to do it and am jealous of everyone who has a more reasonable commute!

[locsnwheels]

One of the reasons I decided to start riding during the work day is because I have found that my energy level takes a serious hit if I'm not exercising regularly. I work 6 days and 60+ hours a week on top of taking care of my daughter and volunteering for a non-proft organization, so I have a LOT going on. The weeks that I cannot take the time to unicycle are horrific: my energy level is zilch and the week just drags on and my mood is terrible. The weeks that I make the time to ride or at least practice tricks, I feel like I have the energy to do anything and the work week just zips by!

[Heretical Rants]

Just about every time I switch back to a different wheel it takes a little while to adjust. If I Muni fairly regularly but go for my first ride in a week, it can take 5 minutes to readjust.

I'm down to zero time to adjust between the four or five unicycle wheel size+crank length combos that I use often and are therefore completely engraved into the unicycling section of my brain, but any changes to something outside of that range take a ride around the block to get the hang of.

Something egregiously unusual would probably take a lot longer (2" wheel, anyone? )

[davidp]

Going from a wide tire to a skinny one does require an adjustment. If you want to narrow the gap you could try a 26x2.4 CST Cyclops (~$12). I put the 24" version on my Club and while it barely fits in the frame I really enjoy the way it rides.