Advice for a big man

General
1

I have a question for all you who are knowledgeable on unicycle durability issues. I’m 6’3" and weigh 220 lbs and currently own a 20" no-name unicycle…the thing has no markings on it whatsoever, except for the tire which is marked DURO and little plastic cap on the crank that says SHUN. I bought it from a local bike shop at the end of last summer for about $65 not knowing hardly anything about unicycles. All I knew is that my little sister got one and was getting good at it, which made me think “Hey, I can do this too!”

Since the weather has gotten nice I’ve been getting back on and getting a lot better. I’m thinking I’ll be wanting to learn to do some jumps soon. I can already ride off a small curb. I am worried about how much force my unicycle can take, however. I figure I should get a new unicycle with a bigger tire, but I can’t spend much more than $100…hopefully less.

I see a 24" Torker CX unicycle on Ebay that looks pretty good:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7157189384&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

There’s also one made by Sun that is similarly priced…

Anyone have any advice for a big man on a budget that wants to have something nice to ride and hop around on? Thanks!

Justin

2

Re: Advice for a big man

(warning - long and possible rambling post which may or may not answer
your question)

On Fri, 20 May 2005, HistoricalGoof wrote:

> I have a question for all you who are knowledgeable on unicycle
> durability issues. I’m 6’3" and weigh 220 lbs and currently own a 20"
> no-name unicycle…

One option is to ride it until it breaks, then get a better one. That’s
what I did with my learner unicycle. One day the spindle just sheared off

  • I don’t think I was anywhere near 220 pounds, either at the time.

Hopping really does put a lot of force on your pedals - more than you’d
ever imagine. DM did lots of research with some electronic pedals which
would record the force on them. He demonstrated at the 4th British
Unicycle Convention, and some of the graphs were astounding.

Anyway - one way to help prevent problems is if you’re hopping static (ie.
not rolling) then you can move your feet onto the whole crank instead of
just the pedals. This reduces the forces dramatically.

You will always bend or break your learner cycle (if you’re trying hard
enough!) so why not take this opportunity to learn lots of skill on the
old one before ‘graduating’ to your desired cycle.

I got my second unicycle (DM Ringmaster Pro) in about 1996 and rode it
HARD for about 4 years, then on and off until the present day. Apart from
2 broken spokes (during kick-up mounts) I haven’t had a problem with it. I
think once you’re more accomplished, the likelyhood of bending/breaking
you cycle reduces a lot. Unless you’re doing 3-foot drops, of course!

> Anyone have any advice for a big man on a budget that wants to have
> something nice to ride and hop around on? Thanks!

Unfortunately, I can’t comment on modern unicycles - I don’t have the up
to date experience to suggest good manufacturers or models. Certainly
splined hubs are something to look out for (in a good way) if you want
strength for hopping.

As for weight - my rule of thumb is that if you’re over 16 stone (224
pounds) you will break unicycles. There’s no real justification to that
rule. But having only recently got down under that weight, I’m now back on
and enjoying it - hoping the exercise will help with further weight loss.

Keep it up, and good luck!

Stu

:wq

3

Re: Advice for a big man

The Torker CX probably isn’t much better than what you have; I wouldn’t bother going for that one. The Torker LX ($99 at unicycle.com) has a better seat and is a bit more rugged; if you put some extra tension into the spokes, it should serve you reasonably well.

But I would definitely stick with your current unicycle until it breaks; I still have the unicycle I learned on, and while the seat base is cracked, it still works fine; four people have learned to ride on it now.

By the time your current unicycle breaks, you’ll know better what you want to do with unicycling, and then you’ll be able to make a better decision about what to upgrade to.

4

Here is a photo of the axle and crank of a 20" Torker CX after my 190 pounds made a three stair hop down. It wasn’t my unicycle either.

brian'sbustedaxlere.jpg
brian'sbustedaxlere.jpg610×553 84.6 KB

5

I also broke the first unicycle I rode on, then replaced the hub with a Suzue hub, and that’s still intact. After that I managed to bend the rim to the extent that a portion of it was at a 90 degree angle to the rest of it, and replaced the rim. I still use it occiasionally when going out for touring, as it has a slick, and my 20" trial bike has this big massive tire. Mainly it just sits there while I learn some new tricks though :wink:

6

Thanks for the reply Stu! I’ll heed your advice and ride mine till it breaks, although do you think that a 24" tire would make me a much happier unicyclist being 6’3"? Maybe I could just get a longer seat post? What do you think about that?

Justin

7

You definitely should get a long enough seat post that your leg can be almost fully extended at the bottom of your pedal stroke. A 20" unicycle is best for performance and gym skills; if you’re riding on your own, outside, a 24" will be more versatile.

8

A 24" wheel is considered to be the best compromise for speed, strength, portability, and manueverability. A 24" wheel is comfortable for someone from five feet to seven feet tall to ride.

9

Thanks for the tips everyone! So, if I decide that a 24" unicycle is what I want, but need to spend $100 or less is that Torker a wise investment?

Justin

10

It is wise to invest in your happiness.

11

As I noted above, the Torker LX is $99 at unicycle.com, and is a significantly better unicycle than the CX.

12

The LX would probably be a good investment, the CX would not. I rode my CX for almost a year before trashing it completely, but I didn’t do any trials-type stuff. It has a terribly uncomfortable saddle, which makes rides of more than about a mile miserable, even after you develop callouses. The rim is fairly weak, and for freestyle stuff the LX has a better frame. (wider fork)

13

This is the torker LX on ebay. I used this seller to get the same unicycle. It came in an unopened box, labeled with Torkers identification. It seemed to have been sent to a place called auction solutions, than directly over to my house. The total came out to be $105. The free stand is a little cheap, I just lean against a wall. I have dropped/fell off this thing numorous times. The pedals are a little worn down, and so are the handles on the seat. But that does not affect the unicycle.

When you assemble, read the directions. I wore down part of my treads when I put the pedals in the wrong cranks. It seemed to be right, but then I realized halfway through. It still works.

If you do go with this auction, pay and then email the buyer immediately, he will ship it out for you the next day.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2904&item=7157652740&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

e39m5

14

Re: Advice for a big man

On Fri, 20 May 2005, tholub wrote:

> You definitely should get a long enough seat post that your leg can be
> almost fully extended at the bottom of your pedal stroke. A 20"
> unicycle is best for performance and gym skills; if you’re riding on
> your own, outside, a 24" will be more versatile.

Yeah… what he said!

I’m biased towards having a 20" for freestyle plus a 26" for distance. A
24" is a good compromise.

I don’t do that coker thing. :slight_smile:

Stu

:wq

15

I think the 24" torker LX on ebay would be your best bet.

I did the same thing harper did to mine,going off a 3 1/2 foot drop(I guess you wont be doing those though)

The LX is a great step up from the CX,youll like it much better.

16

Today I made some great improvements…I’ve been working at it a lot lately. I can free-mount about 75% of the time now, I hopped around for the first time without holding onto anything and rode away, also did a rolling hop and went up a long hill that’s pretty steep. I also made a $20 bet with my friend that I will be able to hop down the steps of these grandstands at this baseball field by the end of the summer…haha, might be getting ahead of myself.

I nearly splurged and bought that Torker LX when I got home…I decided to sleep on it. Not sure what to do…I might just ride this 20" into the ground. I want to be doing some big-time hopping soon!

Justin

17

Good for you.Keep practicing.

If you really want to do hopping,and not worry about breaking it,save up for the Torker DX.You can find them on ebay for $175 total.
They’re splined,and will hold up to 4-5 foot drops.But,it might be a little excessive for you yet.

just think about it awhile.

18

Well, thanks for all the advice everyone! I did splurge and purchase a Torker LX. A local bike shop ordered it for me for just about the same cost as the one on Ebay…should be arriving mid-week. Can’t wait!

Justin