This is the place to ask any questions about unicycling.
Describes this part of the forums, so here’s my question.
I don’t unicycle at all yet. My boyfriend unicycles. (I’ll try to get him online, although I doubt he will be very active on these forums.) I want to try unicycling, and I’m willing to pay for a uni. He recommended a Torker Unistar LX 20-inch to learn on, but the website I checked said to buy one that matched my inseam, which is between 32 and 33 inches: it recommends a 26-inch uni for me. I would like to know whether to buy the Torker Unistar LX 20-inch or to buy a 26-inch uni.
Supposedly the 20" is good for learning. The 26" might be a little big for learning. Personally, I learnt on a 20" that was too short for me, then I traded up for a 24". The big thing is to make sure the seatpost isn’t too high, that’s beena common problem I’ve seen. I’ve got a few friends who have had to cut down the seatposts on their uni’s so they could ride them. Have you tried your bf’s, and if so was it comfortable? If it’s not too big/small, get something the same size.
Which hicktown area are you in? I grew up in the Laconia region, and my parents still live there.
I would agree that a 20" would be easier to learn on, although I learned to ride on a 24". I am 6’5" and I prefer riding the 20" Torker LX (because it’s newer, more comfy seat, more maneuverable, trials, freestlye). Sometimes, if I have to go somewhere within 3 miles, instead of driving, I ride my 24" Torker CX, but I suffer a sore perineum afterwards (stock seat :’( ). The LX, on the other hand, has a Miyata-style seat that makes me orgasm (when compared to the CX seat).
CONCLUSION: Get the 20" Torker LX. It is durable enough for you to get a really good grasp of the sport, and cheap enough to make you want to learn.
PS: Go girl unicyclists!
there aren’t enough of you.
…you aren’t a gay male not-yet-unicyclist are you?
I said Laconia region I actually grew up in Sanbornton, but most people look at you and go “wha?” to which I reply “East Bumfsck”
I didn’t actually start riding till I was in college, and that’s up here in Lennoxville.
The 20" was too small, the big challenge going to the 24" was having something the right size. After that I went to a 24" muni. Each time there’s a period of adjustment. The 20" was too small, so I didn’t ride much, and I was a poor student so I never bought a new one A friend gave me an abandoned 24" from the Northfield Police they’d had 2 years, and that sealed it for me ;).
It took me about 30 min to get used to the 24" (and I could barely ride anyways) and another 30 min to get comfortable on the muni. Once you get the basics down, being able to freemount, ride, etc, it’s mostly just getting used to a new uni. Since I got my muni I’ve tried 20" freestyle, 20" trials, different 24", and even a 16" and 12" uni. I might not freemount 1st try, but after a couple tries I can usually ride Don’t worry about transitioning from one size to another, that’s the easy part
Side note, even though I’m from Sanbornton, there’s at least 2 unicyclists there… The wife of the maintenance guy from my HS, and a kid who lives about 5 min from my parents. Another guy I went to HS with rides, though I didn’t know until 7 years after grad And the family down the street from my parents sold me a 24" uni at a yard sale this past summer. There’s prolly a bunch of uni-ists in Laconia… they prolly just don’t that there are any others…Actually, now that I think of it I know of a set of twins who ride, either in Laconia or Meredith. They’re not on the forums, and I only met them once or twice through a friend but didn’t know they rode There’s more of us than you’d think!
Ah I see. I’ve yet to meet any more here. Although my friend and I went up to gunstock the other day. We rode down the smith and phelps ski slope trails, it was a blast, which trail do you recommend?
On Thu, 13 Oct 2005 18:14:23 -0500, duckspice wrote:
>This is the place to ask any questions about unicycling.
Absolutely! Your question is excellently at its place here.
>He recommended a Torker Unistar LX 20-inch to learn on
In general that sounds like a good suggestion.
>but the website I
>checked said to buy one that matched my inseam, which is between 32 and
>33 inches: it recommends a 26-inch uni for me.
Which website is that? For beginners (except for young children) I
would recommend 20" or 24" to learn on, also for very tall people. A
longer seatpost works wonders for them.
20" is somewhat easier to learn on than 24". But don’t let that guide
you too much. The size of wheel should be more chosen based on what
you want to do with it once you can ride.
More info for you on my Tips for Beginners page:
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
“dit dit diddle diddle dit dit did-it, dit dit diddle diddle dit dit did-it, dit diddle dit dit dit diddle dit dit, diddle-diddle-diddle-diddle-dit dit diddle diddle dit dit did-it,… - Spudman”
Um, yeah, listen to Klaas. The wheel size has nothing to do with the rider’s height. Whichever website you were reading should be notified to remove any such statement to the contrary.
Wheel size is dependent on how fast you want to go versus how technical you want to ride. The two are inversely proportional. The bigger the wheel, the faster you go, but the less technical you can be. The smaller the wheel, the slower you go, but the more technical you can be.
Thus, here’s a table based on which style (level of technicality vs. speed) you are:
*Freestyle & Trials (lowest speed, highest technique): 20’’ wheel
*Street (low speed, mid technique): 20" or 24" wheel, it depends on you.
*Muni (mid speed, mid technique): 24" wheel
*Urban Commuting (high speed, low technique): 26", 28", or 29", depends on how fast you need to go vs. how many obstacles you’ll have to avoid
*Distance Riding (highest speed, lowest technique): 36" wheel
The only thing that relates to your inseam is the seatpost height. If you are really tall, get an extension. If you are really short, cut the post down to size. If you are average, just get out and ride.
That being said, forget about your inseam and consider which style from the list above you’ll want to ride. If you don’t know, you should probably go with a 24" beginner uni for around $100. That’s what many of us did when we started.
I actually grew up in Sanbornton, but most people look at you and go “wha?” to which I reply “East Bumfsck” 
Don’t worry about transitioning from one size to another, that’s the easy part