please recommend a unicycle for me?

[ooboo]

I have been riding off and on for ten years. but my unicycle is a joke. juggle bug... for ages 5-9. :/ I'm 21. I want to get serious.

I need a 24 inch unicycle. I want it for racing and tricks. preferably light, and I want it to be tough. I do not want a beginners unicycle.
I've been looking at a lot of uni's. I need something under 200$ the lower the better. I was thinking of the qu ax...
http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/Quax_Stan...dBundle=168595

I am not super knowledgeable at all. why is the qu ax not too expensive?
and is it bad to buy on the internet because many sites dont ask for my height and seam length.

I am 5"2 130.

Help me. I will be so grateful

[unihopper]

If you want a strong unicycle you should look at mountain unicycles. That Qu-Ax doesn't have a splined hub and crank set and the rim probably isn't very strong either.

[fughi]

Originally Posted by unihopper

If you want a strong unicycle you should look at mountain unicycles. That Qu-Ax doesn't have a splined hub and crank set and the rim probably isn't very strong either.

As a qu-ax owner I can also say that their saddles are definitely not comfy.....though I really like my 24 muni cross ...

[From the Woods]

Originally Posted by ooboo

I have been riding off and on for ten years. but my unicycle is a joke. juggle bug... for ages 5-9. :/ I'm 21. I want to get serious.

I need a 24 inch unicycle. I want it for racing and tricks. preferably light, and I want it to be tough. I do not want a beginners unicycle.
I've been looking at a lot of uni's. I need something under 200$ the lower the better. I was thinking of the qu ax...
http://www.outdoorgb.com/p/Quax_Stan...dBundle=168595

I am not super knowledgeable at all. why is the qu ax not too expensive?
and is it bad to buy on the internet because many sites dont ask for my height and seam length.

I am 5"2 130.

Help me. I will be so grateful

Such an uni simply doesn't exist. You want it to be light and tough, so you will never find a new one for under 200$. 24" is quite big for doing tricks (doable but a lot more difficult), 20" is preferred here (freestyle, street or flat doesn't matter). Depending on the tricks you want to learn the uni may need to be quite tough (flat and street) but you will not want to race or ride distance with that setup I suppose.

No it's not bad to buy on the internet, most of us do. Usually the minimum inseam is stated somewhere but that's just so that you can tell if you can ride it at all. Your height is not important for choosing a wheel size but the type of riding is.

Qu-Ax isn't that expensive because they are heavy, veeery heavy but their trials and munis are built to last.

[aarons]

Have you looked at the Torker LX? It's in your price range and it's a decent uni - much more solid than the juggle bug. You're so light that you don't need super heavy duty parts, unless you're planning to jump off picnic tables with it. If you are, get a Nimbus II.

I would think at 5'2 your inseam should be long enough for any 24" unicycle. You'll probably have to cut the seat tube to put the seat down all the way. That's not a big deal with a hack saw or pipe cutter. A bike shop can do it.

Since you're into racing, there must be other unicyclists around to race against, right? Have you tried anyone else's gear?

[Nurse Ben]

Racing on a track, road, or trail?

Trick riding and racing unis are not the same, you need to decide which you are going to do more.

Trick riding, street or trials is generally done on a 19" or 20".

Racing, well it depends on where you expect to ride, 24-26" for track, 29-36" for road, trails is whole other ball o' wax...

[tholub]

The biggest single contributor to robustness is the hub/crank interface; ISIS interfaces are inherently better than square-taper interfaces. The unicycle you posted has square-taper cranks, which isn't the way I'd go if you want something robust. At that price point, the unicycle.com "Club" model is probably better. Or, the Nimbus II for about $250 is a quite solid purchase, though that's above your stated price max.

If you want to do tricks, you probably want a 20". If you want to race, you definitely want something bigger than 20". If you have to choose one, it's better to do tricks on a 24" than to race on a 20". Although, racing on a 24" also sucks, unless you're talking about track racing. Actually, even if you are talking about track racing.

[johnfoss]

Originally Posted by Nurse Ben

Trick riding and racing unis are not the same, you need to decide which you are going to do more.

Once upon a time they were the same, but that was long ago, in my early days of unicycling. I helped transition the "Freestyle" world from 24" to 20", but I didn't start that trend.

If you plan on entering Track races, like at NAUCC for example, you'll need a 24" wheel with 125mm cranks. A unicycle like the Qu-Ax example you showed works well for that, and is the right kind of design to also do basic tricks on. Square taper axles are fine for non-destructive riding and will generally last a long time as long as you don't do tons of hopping or any big drops. You haven't said what type of riding you have in mind.

Based on what little information you provided, I'd go for the Nimbus II. Yes, it comes in other colors but I like red. That's a great unicycle if you want to do a mix of non-destructive riding/racing, plus learn lots of tricks.

If you stick with unicycling, eventually you will have more. So if you know you prefer one activity over others, buy the unicycle to fit that activity. Or even start with a compromise one, that will allow you to do more, while deciding what you want to focus on later.

[ooboo]

wow. all have you have given great advice, and suggestions.
I know I am being greedy. trying to put all my unicycle wants into one.

I have some questions.
I was wondering if I get the nimbus ll,if I can change the tire to a muni tire?

would it work out?
http://www.unicycle.com/nimbus-ii-24...ycle-red.html/

what do you think about this one?
http://www.firstchoicefurnishings.co...is-hub-orange/
Is this a safe site for purchasing?
as far as wants, I want to go in the forest, hop on logs. I want to unicycle around campus jump up stairs. unicycle to work and school. uphill. and hopefully race.

[Nurse Ben]

Your first link to the Nimbus II, that is a fine street uni, but the rim is not really durable enough for trail riding and the frame won't accomodate a brake.

The second link to the Nimbus Muni, that is a good all around muni, the wheel is more durable, the frame takes a brake, it is not going to be much heavier.

And yes, you change the tire to a road tire or to a street/trial tire/

For $200, that's a deal, just as long as shipping is fair.

Plus, the UDC orange is very nice

That site is funny, not sure where of what it is, it wouldn't ship to the USA...

[ooboo]

Originally Posted by Nurse Ben

Your first link to the Nimbus II, that is a fine street uni, but the rim is not really durable enough for trail riding and the frame won't accomodate a brake.

The second link to the Nimbus Muni, that is a good all around muni, the wheel is more durable, the frame takes a brake, it is not going to be much heavier.

And yes, you change the tire to a road tire or to a street/trial tire/

For $200, that's a deal, just as long as shipping is fair.

Plus, the UDC orange is very nice

That site is funny, not sure where of what it is, it wouldn't ship to the USA...

haha yeah I did not look close enough at that site.
maybe I can switch that rim on the nimbus ll for a muni frame whenever Im out on the mountain? and I have another dumb question...do I have to have a brake for muni cycling? could I manage without?

[aarons]

The Nimbus II is the more versatile uni. It'll be good for going to school, hopping on stuff, racing, and the slick tire works well enough for trails if they aren't wet or really steep. I don't think you can fit a big knobby tire in that frame, but I could be wrong. There are hybrid tires like this one that have more grip but still roll well enough on the road.

The muni is a tank. Those big knobby tires are heavy and don't handle well on pavement. But again, you could look for a lighter tire and switch back and forth depending on what terrain you're going to ride. Changing tires is a nuisance though..

If it were me, I would get the Nimbus II now and save up for the muni later.

[4umfreak]

Originally Posted by aarons

If it were me, I would get the Nimbus II now and save up for the muni later.

...and then, if it were me, I'd buy the muni now. A more durable unicycle won't get destroyed if you swap tires and ride it only on the road. The Nimbus II might get wrecked if you get good and start doing bigger drops and riding rougher terrain. And then you're shopping for another unicycle!

Just sayin'

[ezy]

that site is dumbdumb. i looked at it and it got my hopes up that i could buy a kh 24 for 400. then it says it doesnt ship. they have no contact number and they wont take my money from me! why? take my money stupid site!

[BrickMan]

Originally Posted by ezy

that site is dumbdumb. i looked at it and it got my hopes up that i could buy a kh 24 for 400. then it says it doesnt ship. they have no contact number and they wont take my money from me! why? take my money stupid site!

Yep I had my credit card out for the same thing and got the same message...next best I found is allunicycles.com already got one from them.