someone is selling a 16 inch uni, and I’m thinking about buying it. Would that be a mistake? I already got a 20 inch uni and a 28 inch uni. I can ride backward for about 20-30 ft and I can’t idle (just a few times).
What about riding or idling a 16 inch uni as an adult?
probably too small for you and you’d likely break it as 16 inchers aren’t usually designed to take adult weights. if you fit on a 20 you should ride that, and it seems that you do. maybe buy it so you can teach kids or something…
When I first got properly into unicycling (rather than just owning and riding one) I considered getting a 16 because I thought it would make idling and freemounting easier. How sad is that? Fortunately I did not actually buy one.
I have since had the opportunity to ride a 16. It was awful. For an adult (or anyone tall enough to cope with a 20) a 16 is no more than a novelty machine. If nothing else, the tyre selection is poor, so that would limit things like trials and hops and drops. For Muni it would be a disaster, and it would not make a viable long distance machine.
It is always possible to put a smaller wheel in a frame, so if your demon takes you that way, you could buy a 16 inch wheel set one day. Before then, if I were you, I’d try all of the following: the ultimate wheel, kangaroo unicycle, giraffe and mini giraffe, kangaroo ultimate wheel and mini giraffe BC wheel.
I have tried riding a 16" unicycle (something much smaller than 20" anyway), and it is actually quite fun! (especially in a gym or something – wouldn’t want to try to get anywhere.) I would think racing on them would be interesting, and tricks like wheel walking are really funny looking (and weird feeling). If its cheap and looks like it might hold up for a while, I would say go ahead and get it. You can never have too many unicycles.
Generally adults buy 16" unicycles for one of three reasons:
a) They want to try out a different wheel size just to see if they can ride it and what it feels like
b) They want a very small unicycle for performing purposes. The aim is to have a small wheel with a ridiculously short seat post so you can look as ungainly as possible while riding (for comic effect).
c) They want to practice unispins
If you are buying for reason a) it is probably not worth it unless the unicycle is really cheap. Chances are you will only ride it a little and then it will sit in your garage gathering dust. You are better off going to a unicycle or juggling convention some time and trying somebody elses 16". That way you don’t waste any money on a unicycle that doesn’t get used.
If you are buying for reason b) it may be better to get a 12" unicycle as that will provide even more comic effect.
If you are buying for reason c) make sure the uni is good quality and get a long seat post put in it so the seat height can be set correctly. Many 16" unicycles are designed with children in mind and will not handle the abuse of an adult doing unispins on it. The Unicycle.com model with the Chromo hub is probably your best choice of 16" for unispins.
funny, i tried a 16" while i was learning to idle, and it actually seemed easier to me…
anyway, it is basically a novelty. as such, i would recommend a 12". it’s really hilarious and fun. there’s even a practical upside: the width of the pedals compared with the size of the wheel mean that to come to a stop all you need to do is lean one way until you’re resting your pedal on the ground. of course, this also means tight turns involve a lot of annoying pedal-scraping-ground business.
yeah, riding a 12" wheel is sooo coool, you’re all scrunched up and just barely off the ground (: that is, if the seat post isn’t long enough. and the one i tried was set up for a four year old kid.
I sometimes ride my 16 in parades. Or just goofing around some. Just like my 5’ giraffe, its a novelty. Gets relatively little ride time but fun. My advice: don’t spend much $$.
I find both sizes easy to mount because I can put my foot on the down pedal and the floor at the same time with the little wheels. That’s a very stable starting position.
Oh wow, it didn’t even occur to me to do that. I tried to mount it with a regular static mount with the pedals parallel to the floor. I quickly worked out a system of clenching a hand around the top of the wheel and frame to keep them from moving then quickly mounting the other foot. Your way sounds much better