I’m totally new to unicycling and found several unicycles on ebay/amazon for about $50 dollars. Are they good?
After going through this forum, several people recommended the Torker LX but it is around $100 plus shipping. How would they compare to the cheaper ones? I’m planning to learn with a regular unicycle first and then buy a nicer one (when I have enough money).
Also, should I get a 24" or a 26" if I’m 5’10"?
Thank you 
With unicycles, you get what you pay for. If it is $50, it is crap. It will break on your first hop. I would recommend and 24" Nimbus or Schwinn.
Thanks. The thing is that I’ve never bought one so I don’t know much about prices and qualities.
I’m 5’11" and 190 pounds. On recommendations from people here I bought the Torker LX 20 as my first uni and am very happy with it so far.
I got mine on amazon.com for $103 including free shipping.
They’re great for learning to ride, but don’t use them for trials. I tried a highjump and my wheel broke in 2 pieces.
I’ve seen decent $25-$50 unicycles on craigslist. Bought a 20" Schwinn for $25. Had some surface rust and the tire was really old and cracked, but it would suffice for learning.
At 5’10" either 20 or 24 is fine for learning.
i learned on a 60$ ebay unicycle (gravity). and then rode for a while on it. my dad also learned on it, and he rode it for a while (he weighs 200+) and i gave it someone recently and she learned on it and still rides it. and it still rides fine. i’d say they’re worth it.
i learned on one. now there are no usable parts left from it. if you dont ride it hard it should be fine. i rode mine really hard.
I also learned on a graviy uni. It rode fine for learning basic skills (riding unassisted, free mounting and turning). Never tried to hop, but did try to muni on it once. Let’s just say it didn’t go too well. After that, I got a nimbus II and had more fun, since the quality was way better. I was able to start refining my skills as well as learn new ones (hops and drop offs). A pos from eBay would suffice for learning the basics, but not much else afterwards.
I also stand about 6ft and weigh about 240lbs. (rode a 24er till I got my 29er)
Thank you. I didn’t expect so many responses. I’ll try a $100-150 Schwinn or Torker. You might see me around in this forum soon 
I’d spend more if you can afford it, otherwise unless you don’t learn to ride, you’ll more than likely need to buy another uni in time.
Check out the used unis on this forum, $200 will get you a nice ride.
I got a 26" Gravity unicycle from ebay and learned to ride with it. I have ridden it several miles on the road and a few tries on a dirt trail nearby. After purchasing a 20" nimbus trials I have basically stopped riding the Gravity because of the superior ride of the Nimbus. I haven’t heard of anyone having problems with Nimbus unis and unicycle.com has great warranty service. If you can afford a better uni you will not regret it, but if you are unsure of unicycling a cheaper uni (Gravity or a used uni) would suffice.
Buying a cheap unicycle can be a false economy because if you really take to unicycling, you will end up having to buying a better uni and hence spending more money.
On the flip side, if you buy a more expensive uni and find that unicycling is not for you, you would have spent less buying a cheaper uni.
However a good quality (more expensive) uni will have better resale value, especially if you buy second hand, so if you do not take to unicycling you will likely sell it at what it cost you.
I just saw a post on craigslist selling a 20" schwinn for $50 (which is $159.99 + shipping in amazon). The owner says it is 1 year old and it is very good shape. I’m still awaiting a reply from the seller to check it out 
That is extremely cheap for a great uni! I learned to ride on a 1967 24" Schwinn about two years ago, and did large drops and hops on it. It is still perfect!
I would recommend getting it.
thats how i learned to unicycle. baught a chaep $50 Balance unicycle. well still am learning to go backwards but they are great for learning.
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ditto^^^ i got a 24" Balance uni offa ebay…i guess it was ok to learn on, but broke very easy…all the plastic is cheap and brittle… i guess thats why it is 70 bucks…its ok to learn to go forward and back but if you are planning on doing ne tricks at all…like ANY tricks id suggest spending a little more and get somthing that will last you a long time…I think its better to spend $250 once then $70 3 times
Once you have ridden a lot you might decide that you have a special interest in distance/speed, hops and tircks, trials, muni etc. That is the time to start paying more, not before.
Secondhand on EBay, yes if it saves you money and you are not yet in need of anything special. With the usual buyer-beware provisios.
Cheap uni’s are around. I bought one for my daughter years ago, korean with local national badging. It was fine and still in service, but it was not overley cheap, just reasonably priced and availavble.
If you do not already know how to ride a uni, your first uni should not be expensive super performance or durable as there is a good chance that you will give up learning and sell it anyway.
If you are buying new, then you can get the following esentials and desiables withought paying any more than for some of the crap around that costs the same:
They are the no-cost essentials that you should not do without if you are paying full price. Second hand you take what is offered and be happy with saving some money.
As well as a couple of other lesser known brands, my unis are a torker and a nimbus. Quite frankly if I had to buy another with no specia uses in mind (which is all a learner should be spending hteir hard earned money on) I’d probably settle for another Torker over my much loved Nimbus and pocket some change.
+1, I’ve been thinking this but too lazy to write it out.
Glad I read this before buying one.
Thanks for the info.