I’ve come to the conclusion that the used uni I bought on ebay is a big piece of junk. Not only is the seat horrible, the whole thing is not very good and is not going to last.
I’m making progress but I’ve still got a long way to go but I am serious about learning to ride and when I do I want to ride around town just like I used to do on a bike.
I need to get something better that will last. So I need some advice from you pros out there. Say for 300 bucks or under, what uni should I get? I’m wanting to stick with 20". I should add that I will be riding on pavement and dirt roads. There are places around where people take 4 wheelers that would make some decent off road riding and I would visit those once in awhile after I get good enough. I don’t want to make any big drops but hopping up and down curbs and maybe a little higher than that would be about all I would need.
I got a brand new Nimbus Trials ISIS about an hour ago. It sounds like it is just what you need. It’s amazing. Good for pavement or dirt, and it’ll last a good long time. I ordered mine through Uniproshop.com, who orders through unicycle.com and all together, mine came out to $311.03 including tax.
For the low end, I have an ax 29 from brandcycle, 200 $ with free delivery. The 20 and 24 is a bit cheaper. These are good, light, alum uni’s, but with the old style square hub. This is just fine unless you break it. At 180 lb. mine has held up fine, but I only do tiny drops with it. This is the best of the low end that I know of.
The best of the top end in the USA is a KH from AE Bike. You have to email them and ask for the promotional price. They sold me a KH 20 for 140 $ less then UDC’s price last year, but I think they raised the price a bit since. If you can get a KH for $420, that’s the best deal in the USA for a splined crank uni. The others are a bit cheaper, but heavier and not quite as nice.
The Nimbus isn’t so bad, but it has a heavier frame, and by the time you buy the KH seat and cranks, and add in UDC’s unusually expensive shipping cost (3 or 4 times the $ A E Bike asks for), you are spending almost the same $ to get the same uni but without the cool lightweight KH frame.
It seems like you would be better set with a 24’’, though you have said you wanted a 20. The 24’’ will give you a much longer range to just “ride around town just like I used to do on a bike”. As you can see from Terry’s (unigeezer’s) many videos he can do “everything” on a 24. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3RdIgewK2mw
So therefor something like the Nimbus Isis 24 would work but if you are really dead set on a 20’’, then the Nimbus 20’’ would do ya as well.
I’d also suggest a 24" uni. You won’t be riding around town with a 20". If you are new to this, the 24" may seem huge and unmanageable, but you’ll get used to it in no time. And if you are like the rest of us, you’ll be craving for a bigger one in a couple of months. (I just bought myself a 36" this summer :o )
Sorry, but we’re going to recommend what we like, and most of us ride street/trials.
For commuting and beginner riding I would tell you to get a freestyle uni if you’re dead set on the 20". You need to learn the basic riding skills. For quality the nimbus x 20" is my personal choice(now in ISIS drive)
Trials tires aren’t particularly good for riding around town, either. More so for hopping around town;) If you won’t be jumping over everything you see you absolutely don’t want to shell out the money for a trials uni, nor for the tires(they cost about twice as much as freestyle tires).
Off-road riding is very slow on a 20" that has long enough cranks to actually manage the terrain. This is where all the above posts come into play:p
Well If you want a 20" then you should either get a Torker, or
Nimbus brand Uni, mostly because those two brands are most common for
begginers. Might I also suggest going to your local or nearbye “Bicycle
Shop” good quality shops sell and hold good conditioned Unis.
Also if they do sell Unis ask them what size would fit you perfectly
and be the best in your budget, for one thing they are the Pros
of Cycles.
You’re 47, wanna ride trails and street, and you want to do it on a 20" unicycle?
Either you have an incredible spin rate or you a masochist!
20" is for tricks and trials, not for trail riding. Some pople can do it, but why in the world would you want to travel so slow and have to deal with getting over things that would simply be a roll over on a bigger wheeled uni?
I’m 43, I ride a 26" Nimbus, started with a 20" Sun, then got a 24" Nimbus. I went to a 26" because the 24" didn’t roll over things quite well enough; I love the 26"!
Do yourself a favor, get a 24", run long cranks so you feel lower to teh ground and have some more power, keep the junker 20" for goofing off. You can do plenty of tricks and jumping on a 24", the only thing you lose a little agility, but you make up for it in momentum and stability.
The best deal going is a Nimbus Muni, great frame, great wheel, nice package for under $300. Personally I like the KH seat better than the Gel Nimbus cuz the saddle is flatter. The Qu Ax cranks are generic, but good enough for learning and trail riding. I’d get the longer 165 to start, then when you know what you’re doing, get some KH Moments 150mm.
He said he would be riding around town and maybe a small amount of off-road
Admittedly most people start out like that, but you don’t need 165mm cranks, if anything I would go the other way when you get better(125-114-100-89).
A larger wheel size is fine if you decide you don’t want to do any stunts of any kind, but that’s what you upgrade to when you have a fair idea of what you’re doing-same with the long crank arms, indestructible trials set-ups, and fat tires. You don’t get it until need it or at least know that you will need it, especially if you are just dabbling around town.
Based on the car you drive (Mercedes Smart Car!), money is not that much of an issue
So I recommend you bite the bullet and get a KH 24. It is a great uni, has great resale (just in case), lighter, more bang for your buck.
You can get one for ~$100 more than a Nimbus. Well worth it.
After riding my 26" for a while, I begin to long for some speed, so that’s taking me toward a 36" , but for all around a 24/26 is just right; sure wish I could get a geared hub, maybe next year…
Experience tells me most people will recommend to you what they have themselves!
If you buy from a specialist unicycle dealer like unicycle dot com you won’t get rubbish. The UDC website is well laid out and informative.
Generally, bigger wheels are faster, but a bit less manageable. An experienced rider can handle a 36" wheel better than a novice can handle a 20" so the choice depends not only on what you want to do, but what you are capable of doing at this stage in your career.
It is possible to do 20 mile days on a 24" wheel, and it is possible to cruise at 10 mph on a 28" or 29".
My own strategy was to buy a fairly decent uni and to upgrade and adapt it over a period of time, then buy a better one when I had a clearer idea of what I wanted. Upgrades and adaptations include longer or shorter cranks, fatter tyre with more (or less) grip, better pedals, better seat.
A good quality uni is more pleasant to ride, but don’t rush to buy one before you know in your own mind what set up you want.
You’re completely new to unicycling, so get the most expensive uni you possibly can. It should be neon green with a whitewall tire. Make sure get a carbon fiber seatbase as well. Kris Holm is good or you can just get the Nimbus 'cause it’s cheaper and I’m stuck with it now and I have to justify my choice to myself. I just want you to know that I didn’t waste a bit of my money and in convincing myself I need to bring you down too. Now I have this great big Coker V2 sitting in my garage gathering dust because I didn’t ride around enough to know that I wouldn’t particularly want it first. You have to get a 36er as well just so I know. Preferably with gears so I don’t feel too bad about myself. Never mind that it sacrifices most of the main advantages of a unicycle, NEVER MIND that you’ll just end up with a poor imitation of a bicycle, just-
LEAVE ME ALONE!!
I NEEDED THAT MONEY FOR MY HOUSE PAYMENT AND NOW I’M FACING FORECLOSURE, AND I’M GOING TO HAVE TO BORROW MONEY FROM MY BLOOD ***** SUCKING PARENTS JUST TO GET MY LIFE IN ORDER, AND DO YOU CARE? NO! SO I’M JUST GOING TO SIT HERE AND ACT LIKE EVERYTHING IS FINE WHEN IT’S REALLY NOT JUST SO I CAN FEEL MORE SECURE.
And no, I really don’t like hopping around on a uni. I thought it looked cool so I jumped right in and bought a Koxx-1, then I took 5 months to just learn how to ride because no one told me I shouldn’t learn on soft gravel. So now I’m going to tell you to ride on soft gravel too so I don’t feel too lonely. I see all these people who started riding at the same time as me and can do all this awesome stuff, while I’m stuck within 20cm of the ground 2 years later and not getting anywhere. I have absolutely no experience with serious riding, but I should be qualified to give other people poor advice. Did you say you wanted to ride a bit of dirt roads? Go the whole enchilada and buy a KH 29. Its more responsive than a cheaper one, never mind that you have neither the skill or the money, and those 1cm bumps and 6 degree slopes you’re riding absolutely need a ISIS drive. It goes fast and is a lot better than a 36er. A 36er might struggle on the steeper downhills, but a 29 will just fly over them by itself with little skill and effort on the part of the rider. It’s great for riding rails too.
If you want to ride street you gotta get a 26er. Lots more momentum than a 20" so you can lazily fakie 360 that 10 set you’ve been eying. Even better, the rims and tires in particular are more standard so you can save moneys when you have to replace them. And trust me, you’ll peanut the rim going off a curb someday and then where will you be? I’m doing you a big favor here. A MUni will work for pretty much anything. I can stand-up wheelwalk on mine. It might take you a little longer to learn, but
We apologize. We meant to post that on our “unibikeling” account. Sorry for any misunderstanding. Also, sarcastic chuck temporarily overpowered average chuck in order to post that. After a brief struggle nervous chuck and “please don’t hate me” chuck took over. They’re weak, however, and can only control the physical manifestation of chuck for a short period of time. Happy chuck has returned:)
I’m thinking that the best new general rider uni in the USA is a Torker ax 24 from brandscycle.com, for well under 200 $ at your door.
The ax seat is ok. You really don’t need 200 $ to have a lot of fun unicycling.
I think Chuck was making a point about how the forum tends to encourage spending money on unicycles, when really, most riders are fine on very affordable stuff.
, but for all around a 24/26 is just right; sure wish I could get a geared hub, maybe next year…