I think it actually gets easier because of the rollover capability of the large wheel.
The skills need to be there though or else it does seem harder because of the fears of the large wheel.
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I think it’s a wash when it comes to cross country type offroad. The rollover capability is nice, but mounting is tougher and 36ers aren’t very nimble, plus being that they’re so tall you have more issues with low hanging branches and vines. Still, they’re quite capable of muni.
The problem is mostly when you have quite short cranks, because off road creates a lot of ground resistance, so it gets exhausting really fast.
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Based on all the feedback, I’ll probably start with a 29er. I was hoping to just get the 36 first and only, but if a 29er will get me out on the bike trails covering 5 or 10 miles, that’s plenty. And with the added safety of the smaller 29" wheel…that’s a compelling argument. I have no desire to break another ankle and ruin the summer. When I think about the cost of a broken ankle vs the cost of buying both a 29 and later a 36…bikes are cheap, bones are not. Thanks for all the input everyone!
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Great choice 
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You can potentially go a lot further than 10 miles on a 29″. I have done 13-14 miles on my 24″ several times. Slower yes but certainly doable.
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Exactly. I regularly do 10+ miles on my 26er and whilst it’s a bit slower than on my 36er I enjoy it more.
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I checked my Strava and my 26" is the uni I have used the most (in terms of distance).
I own two 36ers. 
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My strava stats… As you all would know, a 36er is much more effort for me to mount than any other size. (Yes, I know, rolling mount is the way)…
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The 29er is a good choice and in my own experience it was rather easy to sell a used unicycle in this current market, so if and when you decide to move up to a 36er you should be able to recover most of the cost.
I suspect that come that time though you won’t want to part with the 29er.
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For a comparison, here are mine. Lapierre is my mountain bike, and the two others are my two 29ers. I’ve got the menhir one around Christmas.
So I would definitely say that 29 is enough to do plenty kilometers.
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I mostly ride my 29, the 36 is not practical in my area. Roads and cycle paths are too rough and congested making 36 impractical, a little unsafe and just not fun. The 29 goes most places, is fast enought and much easier to handle. I suggest you consider your planned riding environment before going to a 36. Or just get 1 of every size unicycle like me, or several of each like @Gockie .
Edit. And since we are showing off our Strava stats here’s mine with the 29 clearly the unicycle of choice.
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I only joined Strava roughly 2 years back (July 12, 2020) so my numbers are nothing like that high @BruceC but these are mine FWIW
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That’s some serious mileage on a penny farthing! I didn’t realize those were used like distance unis and b*ks but I guess it makes sense with a large, fast wheel. What kind of average speed is comfortable for you and what size wheel do you have?
If it is flat, no problem averaging 25km/h or more. Oslo is not very flat though . (It is a 54 inch wheel)
For more “normal” usage, the last time I commuted with it I averaged 17.7km/h over 6.05km/h just cruising along, according to Strava. That was back on the 28th of April. I have not used it since as I have knee issues. I also have not used either of the 36ers more than once since then for similar reasons. I have no real brakes on any of these and I think holding back big wheels downhill around hilly Oslo is perhaps starting to take its toll on my body. Last year I did 67,508 m of elevation gain, which in turn means I also went down 67,508 m.
Time for brakes, methinks.
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Sorry @climberartist for hijacking your thread… but I can’t resist as it’s quite fun to see those Strava numbers! I had not realized you could see the total mileage per uni, so I checked mine:
At the moment, the 24" is my favorite as I go back to basics and enjoy riding fast in town with it!
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No worries, the thread has served its purpose. Thread drift is great…good sign of an active community. My new unicycle is on the way:
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That is very exciting!
It’s interesting that you say that. I’ve had fewer knee problems on the unicycle than a bicycle, and I’ve been postulating that it is because I am forced to use my muscles on both the downstroke and the upstroke with the unicycle. Of course I could be way off base and there could be many other reasons, but it seemed to make sense to me that unicycling with hills causes better muscle balance.
Love that the penny farthing is top of your rides, very cool. Makes the 36" look small.