Hello all. I have recently decided to take up a new hobby and unicycling seemed interesting. After doing a little research, I’ve realized a lot goes into deciding what type to purchase. I was hoping some of you here would be able to assist me. I am 6’ and 170lbs. I don’t need anything fancy or expensive, just something that is good to learn on. Thank you for your help, I appreciate it.
I started riding last year at 56 yrs old. The first thing I did was go to a Sporting Good Store and purchased knee, elbow, shin, and wrist guards. A helmet also. I went on ebay and got a 20 in cheapie for about $50. I then went on youtube to find a video on how to start unicycling. One video on there that really helped me was a guy from “expert village” who showed you how to get started.
He has a lot of videos on the subject.
I started in my basement and went along the walls until I could go 10 ft w/o falling off. I then proceeded outside to a parking lot. It took me about 3 months of practicing every day before I could ride a mile w/o falling off. I eventually moved up to a 29 in and now I ride a 36 in. Hope this helps.
Mike A.
Ebay and YouTube are your friends. You can easily get a “trainer” unicycle for less than $100 that will get you into the sport. The 20 inch size is the most popular for learning, but for your height a 24 inch should be fine, too.
It usually takes 10-15 hours of practice before the average person can ride for more than a few feet. Plan on trying for an hour a day over 2 weeks before it stops feeling impossible. A narrow hallway with a smooth floor is a great place to start.
Hi, I started Unicycling when I was 43. I am the same height an weight as you and started on a 24" - now I ride a 36". I would strongly suggest that you buy some good safety gear up front and always wear it! Wrist guards, helmet and leg armour are a must and will save you lots of damage along the way. I picked up a trainer from Unicycle.com and it has taken a beating but has been brilliant. I originally chose the 24" as I thought the 20" would be a little slow riding around the streets.
Great to see getting into the sport - you will have lots of fun!
I bought my first uni four years ago, but really just started trying to seriously ride it a couple of months ago.
I’m 6’, about 175 lbs, and opted for what unicycle.com said was:
In retrospect I probably should have gotten something 20", probably off of ebay or craigslist, cheap. But I’m a glutton for punishment and hate buying the beginner/trainer anything if I’m just going to want to upgrade in 6 months.
And of course, now I realize that I want at least three or four different unis for various things, so it really doesn’t make that much of a difference what I started with 