I really expected that after COVID we’d have a glut of second hand unicycles appearing on the forum and online marketplaces, but really if anything I seem to have seen fewer and fewer every year.
Admittedly I don’t hunt them out like I used to so maybe it’s just me? I know eBay is nowhere near as popular as it used to be, with more now on Facebook Marketplace, but even so there aren’t loads.
Maybe us unicyclists just aren’t buying as many new ones and selling on the old ones? Preferring to keep them around, or just upgrade parts on what we already have?
Have you sold any unicycles in the last few years? Have you bought any new ones?
I check almost daily on FB Marketplace for unicycles in my area. I don’t know how much time passes between new listings, but it’s a long time. Often when one does pop up, it’s a no-name Amazon unicycle that’s not worth getting.
I have two unicycles that I scored off of a local (online) marketplace: my CyclePro 20” and Nimbus II 20”. I’m still giddy about picking up the Nimbus II But I feel like that was a very lucky “once in a blue moon” offer.
My local bike shop did have a few presumably pre-owned unicycles. I think they had two or three Sun unicycles of different sizes, and a Torker giraffe that I eventually ended up buying. Other than that, I’ve felt getting unicycles second hand is a bit of a hunt for anything that’s worth getting.
I believe, most that began unicycling during covid didn’t find their way to the forum. Those basic unis now show up on all the classified ads platforms.
But some of us like to tinker, so why would we sell any second hand unicycles. In my case I am hoping that my now 4-yr-old son will get a liking towards unicycles when he gets older. The ones I ride least are the Hatchet, which is way cool a uni to sell, the 36” Nightrider, which I only ride to see if I can still get on and a freewheel 20” that I hope at some time I will have the courage to ride.
Also when wanting to get a new unicycle, I would not go second-hand.
I’d rather buy second hand parts than new if I can find them. I think I’m generally past buying complete unicycles though.
Very true, but most people probably do not.
Do you think that the more serious unicycles that sold during COVID were to experienced unicyclists just looking to get something new, who then have mostly kept them?
I am an IT nerd and not much into building unicycles. Also I am lazy and would then spend some money on the more expensive new unicycles that I know are way above my abilities. That way I think the will also hold longer.
Like with the EUC I bought, it co
st 2400 EUR and is a top class machine. It was also because I had read that cheaper models could just shut down and land you in a face plant.
Over the years I’ve become very much pro Nimbus and KH is overpriced for me, though KH has the best seats and handle bars.
KH and Nimbus are not all that dissimilar in price over here with the listed price currently at £827 for the Nimbus Oracle and £875 for the KH36.
Considering that the KH36 has the boundary hub, and the KH Fusion One (which I also like), I think it’s probably a justifiably higher price.
The main reason I wouldn’t buy an Oracle 36” at least is the horrific green rim . I’d pay an extra £48 for a black one!
On another note, the biggest thing I enjoy about searching for second-hand unicycles is stumbling across vintage or odd-ball unis. There was a Mongoose Squid listed a while back that I kinda wish I picked up. I was also thinking of picking up an old Schwinn at some point. Those are probably the second most common type of second-hand unicycle I come across when scouring FB or Craigslist
I guess for most people it takes more than 4-5 years to realise that the strange thing they never use takes up space…
Maybe we‘re only buying new ones, but not selling our old stuff. What’s another uni, after all? It has only one wheel, so…
no.
YES (now you know where they all ended up).
It would be cool if the supply of second hand unis was so small because those „covid 19 unis“ were all still used, but if my memory serves me right I‘ve had random encounters with just 2 different unicyclists (one of them lives in my village, which is pretty cool) since covid hit the world.
But I feel like that was a very lucky “once in a blue moon” offer.
. I’d pay an extra £48 for a black one!
