I’m now in the market for a new unicycle.
I have a 20inch freestyle and trials and now I’m looking for something with a bit of speed on it.
I’ve searched but can’t find anything, but I’m curious if anyone has done any research on the speed difference.
Also manouverability(sp?) and ease.
Any other personal comments would be great.
Thanks
Loads of stuff on this already, here’s 40 threads on it.
Speed difference depends on how fit you are, ditto manouvrability. A fit rider can go fast on a 29er, similarly a fit rider can turn a coker and ride it okay in crowds or in busy traffic.
A coker has enough manouvrability for any non-muni situation (and some muni riding), you just need to be fit enough to ride it well. It’ll go a couple of miles an hour faster, not massively so. The key is that it takes a whole lot less effort, making super long distance riding nicer.
29er you can ride pretty technical muni on, as well as being okay on the road. It’s easier if you’re not fit.
If you’re committed to riding, ride almost daily, I’d certainly get a coker. If you’re less committed, or want to ride technical muni, I’d think about the 29er.
Joe
hmmm? thats odd. its been threaded about at least 20 times here…
ill give you what i kno
29er: less quick, lighter, more manueverable
coker: weighs a ton, extremely fast a little less manuverable
my opinion …it depends on what type of riding you want to do…if its commuter stuff through the city you may want a 29er or a coker with a brake for those split second decision times but if your going fro long distance rides then get a coker or if you can afford it a schlumph(sp?) 29er.
you see both have theyre goods and bads but theres a way around everything if it comes down to price however the 29er is the obvious chioce.
For a combination fo reasons, i haven’t ridden at all for two months. However, when I think about my next ride, i always see myself on the 28.
I have a 20, 26, 28 and Coker. I have done many long days on each, and on a 24. I have ridden all five sizes on and off road.
The Coker is exhilarating, the real thing.
The 28 is elegant, practical, versatile.
A 29 is a slightly less elegant but slightly more practical and versatile 28.
If you can only afford one, then the 28/29 is the better bet.
And to continue the controversy…
If I could only afford one, there is no way it would be anything but the 36"
I’ll be going off to college next year, hopefully in the city. In terms of storage I realize that the coker is obviously larger, but how much more difficult would it be to fit in a small dorm room, and should that be my deciding factor between the two? This summer I planned to do much distance riding, but then what I’ve already said about next school year is tearing me between the two.
i would just get those wall hooks and hang it from my cieling…that way it takes up no floor space and if you hang it right in the corner almost no airspace is taken away.
Ahaha, if thats the case, I hope im not on the top bunk, I’d be a bit nervous during the night with that beast hanging above me.
If you already found a place to store a MUni, a Coker only takes up ‘a little more’
your desiire for distance riding should be the deciding factor…everything else will ‘work out’
Not that it really matters anyways, in several months you will probably have them both anyways…
If I were choosing a size for a college dorm room during the school year, I’d choose 26". You can do any kind of urban riding as well as get to class at a decent speed, you can pick your tire for the winter, and it doesn’t take up much space. You can head out to the trails when you have spare time, and on and on…
>> Happy rider of a heavily modified Pashley 26". <<
I do any kind of urban riding i want, and I ride my Coker throughout the winter through ice slush and snow. Through many many, situations where a smaller tire wouldn’t suffice.
Just sayin…
i wish i had money for a coker…but ive gotta buy a new hub and crankset for my trials
coker… just cause i like it better… once you master a 36" tank… all the bads go away and your only left with the goods!!
Chase
The 36 is the best uni for its intended purpose, which is long-distance touring. For all other purposes that I can think of, a smaller wheel is probably more practical. You’re going to be riding around a college campus, going betwen classes, taking it in and out of buildings, riding in the dorm hall when the RA isn’t around… Sure, if you’re experienced enough you can do all of that on a 36, but something like a 26 or a 29 would be better suited to the lifestyle. If you can have two unicycles, I would say that one of them should be a 36; I would hesitate to recommend it as your only uni, though, unless distance riding is really the only kind that you want to do. And every cubic centimeter of space in a dorm room is worth its volume in, in, in some really valuable stuff.
Consider also that you’ll make more friends (the primary purpose of college, after all) by letting other people try it out, and a Coker is a nasty thing to try to learn on.
Stop worrying: just buy a Coker
Enough said! The standard 36" is pretty heavy but great for distance. A sooped up one is as versitile as a 29" and is a hoot to ride.
A coker does take up a lot more space, even if you take off the pedals. Coker takes about as much room as a cello, compared to the guitarish size 26" or 29".
The sensible part of me says get a 29" cos it’ll take up less space. But part of me says coker all the way, I know it’s what I’d get, unless I was near muni trails. You’re going to be at college, you’ll have tons of time to ride and get good on the coker, universities and cities are great places to coker around. I pretty much always use my coker to get around campus, they’re great for that once you can control them.
The only thing if you’re living in halls / dorms, is that with a coker you’re much more likely to have to put it wherever people with bikes put the bikes, rather than in your room, whereas a smaller wheel is much easier to just carry in without catching the attention of whoever polices such things.
Joe
A coker costs a fair bit more than a 29er…
I just love my 29er with 102mm cranks… I can mount it holding 2 shoppingbags (with handles) weighting in at 6kg each!
This winter i’ll go for about 50-60mm cranks! 
Thank god my father’s a welder 
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching your Coker exploits, Brian. I hope someday to see more! I was was just stating what my own opinion was.
Thanks Dave, I got ya covered