I’m thinking about getting into unicycling. Ideally, I want to be able to commute to school next year to save gas, but I know that larger unicycles are harder to learn on. Would it be possible for me to learn on like a 26" uni? What average speeds could I realistically pull off on that size uni? I’m in pretty good shape due to biking and running regularly, so I should be able to hold a good pace, and the trip would be almost completely flat.
this guy is learning on a 36" unicycle you might want to pm him and ask him about how hard it is.
http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69883&highlight=training+journal+while+learning
I have a 20" so i dont know for sure but i think you could probably go about 10mph, and you could definetly learn on a 26"
I learnt on a 26’’ uni and I didn’t find any problem on it. It took me about 1 ~ 2 weeks to freemount, walk forwards, turn…
It wouldnt be a problem for you to learn on a 26’’
i think it would be easier to learn on a smaller unicycle like a 20" or 24" thats what most people do. then u can upgrade to a bigger size for speed and commuting.
if you have some time before school like 6 weeks or a month, i think you would have plenty of time to learn on whatever sized uni you want to
If that’s the case, I might kick it up a notch to a 29". Will wearing a heavy backpack make this endeavor too dangerous? I’m looking at a 7.75 mile ride. I’m also not sure that this will be practical at all because I’ll be drenched with sweat. Either way I intend to start unicycling around town, so your responses will still be helpful.
Thanks.
i havent tried unicycling with any thing… it would probably throw off your balance but if you put enough time into learning it shouldnt be to hard
A 29" is a reasonable compromise; it won’t be that easy to learn on one, but it’ll be a lot easier than a 36", and a 29er will be fine for eight miles. I’ve ridden a 29er with a 50-pound pack containing an inflatable kayak, so don’t worry about the pack; you’ll figure out how to handle that.
Ive rode any 20" and 24", and they don’t feel that much different, but the 24" goes much faster. 20" more slow and in control.
For commuting, anything 26" + is ideal.
I made the mistake of unicycling to school on my 20", man, you get tired real fast.
How long could I realistically expect the 7.75 mile ride to take on a 29"? Assume a “fast” pace, not a race pace or anything, but pushing it. If I can figure out a shower or something before school this is a definite possibility.
Once you get comfortable on a 29er and put short cranks on it, you can probably do 7.75 miles in a little less than an hour, depending on traffic and terrain.
It depends on how fast you learn- that is highly variable. I could ride down the street on my 20" in a month, but still had frequent dismounts, too.
Riding a 20", I ride faster than walking but slower than jogging.
Carrying books?
Be careful with heavy backpacks and higher speeds…stay at least 3-4mph under your max because they make dismounts uber hard to pull off safely.
I ended up sliding 20ft across the ground because of a dismount at 15mph on a 24" and a 40lb backpack.
Without the backpack I could have easily run out of the same dismount.