Short version: How would you cut this lot down to 2 or 3 unicycles for a fairly risk averse guy who’s about to have less space to store but hopefully more time to ride? 19", 20", 24", 26" & 36" (the 26" has a geared hub and can also run a fatter muni tyre):
Long version: I’m soon moving to a place with little storage space, but I’ll hopefully have more time to ride and maybe even learn some stuff - I currently just ride forwards to get places, often pulled or hindered by our dog! I’m looking to cut down on unicycles but allow for future flexibility of use. Any new stuff I learn is unlikely to be pushing the risk boundaries as I’m 56 and also carer for my wife who needs me fit enough to push her wheelchair, etc.
My current unis, in order of preference for keeping:
26" guni, 129mm cranks (or 148 or 110), 2.1" gravel tyre (currently - or 2.8" / 3" muni tyre) - in high gear it’s equivalent of a 40" wheel, but not relaxing for me to ride like that
24" all-rounder, 113mm cotterless cranks, flexible 2.3" tyre, not valuable so good for errands / shops etc, spins quite fast, would be even faster with 100mm cranks
36" KH, 137mm cranks, with ShadowHandle - used less, but offers faster speeds and longer rides in a relaxed way, and you can’t beat the visual impact of the big wheel!
=== probably should keep 3 max
19" trials, 125mm cranks - got it with a view to ‘learning stuff’ but barely used it. Better quality than my 20"
20" freestyle, 100mm ISIS cranks - Indy frame and wheel with upgraded cranks, tyre and seat, learned to spin fast with this when our dog was smaller, still fun to do sometimes but lacks speed
=== already gone
20" 5ft giraffe (never even rode it!)
I guess my indecision is around whether I ‘need’ a 36er given that I have a g26, and whether I’ll regret getting rid of the small wheel option (but will I really ever do trials or freestyle??)
Any thoughts appreciated - I’m asking the hive mind as I don’t have any nearby unicyclists to bore with my puzzling!
Thanks
I would say that 19 and 20 are quite redondant, you don’t need both. I could say the same about the 24/26, but that is less true.
I think I would keep the G26, 36 and 19/20.
I’m pretty sure you can find room for at least another one (19 in the trunk, dismantling unis, so they get more compact, etc…
Yes, one day I expect, as it seems like a better option than a 26 between 24 and 36, maybe even as a g29. However up to this point I’ve got all my unis as used buys/bargains that I found available at a good price (in fact the combined price of all 5, excluding some upgrade parts bought new, was less than the current new cost of a KH29 muni!), so I’ll either wait for another bargain, or until I’m ready to go for my first full price uni purchase.
Why geared if you are risk adverse? For my money if I had to pick one it would be a good old fashioned, regular 29er with cranks you are comfortable with, it will cover plenty of ground and very controlable. Personally I like my 29er nimbus road, then my 26 muni followed by 24 oracle muni. You clearly are not a newbie based on your collection.
I am also a risk adverse rider mainly because I rely on my hands for my living and tend to be cautious because of that. I like to ride my 29er with 125 cranks, it gives me the freedom to cover some distance while maintaining a great deal of control.
Geared to me means complication, and expense that I do not need. Much Iike you I have assembled a nice selection of unicycles for different applications. I just keep it simple for me. If I had to pair it down the 29, 26 and 24 would be my picks. If just one choice it would be the 29er.
Thanks @Bug72, you ask a very good question there that I’ll need to ponder, and some other good food for thought. I’ll answer in a day or two - no time today, but you’ve opened up some lines of thinking that will brew nicely in the meantime
The 24" seems like a keeper. Can also be used for learning some new skills so no need for a 19/20. From a storage room perspective I would keep the G26 and sell the 36" as the big wheel takes a lot of space and I assume the cruising speeds are similar. Also with your collection reduced to two unis you will be forced to practice more geared riding and hopefully become relaxed in high gear sooner.
Keep the G26 and 36er - as you may find the two offer differences that aren’t just about speed from geared riding.
A 36er is a unique feeling and even if I’d not ride my one regularly I’d sorely miss it when I want that high up cruising feeling. I get space is a concern here - but can it go on a wall. They look nice up there (even with pedals off)
Keep the 24” and the G26er - much as Martin said you will be pushed to use the geared ride more and I’d hazard one day decide it needs to become a G29er.
Then you’ve got the 24” for slower practice sessions or just general easy going riding - and a 29er which will be nice in low gear and nippy in high.
My small 19” wheel does just gather dust but I still keep it in case I want to practice something very technical. But I really doubt it is an essential wheel unless you can find a cupboard it can sleep in.
Depends how often you ride.
It’s interesting that you put the 24" second in the list. When I rode often, I would have put the 29" as my favorite uni. Last year I didn’t ride as much as I wanted, and my favorite is now (or returned at the top) the 24". It’s really the one I can jump on even after 5 weeks of zero ride and not feel intimidated, and after a short while I can be pretty fast on it. When I get on the 29" after a while, I’m nervous and I don’t enjoy it right away.
Thanks everyone for your replies, they’ve been really helpful - and even made me do some soul-searching! Here’s where I’ve got to…
I love my 24" - much as @pierrox says, it’s the one I always feel comfortable on and ride without effort. So that’s #1.
I find the 26" significantly different, especially with a bigger tyre, and with (rim) brakes and ISIS cranks it’s a step up and a good speed match with our dog, so that’s #2 for now.
I got the 36" because it was ‘what you do’ as you develop your skills - it’s big and can be fast, and I’ve got plenty more to aim for and learn on it. However if I’m realistic I only really ride with our dog at present, and with her the ‘big and fast’ means less control and potentially messier UPDs. It’s big to store and if I want speed then (for now) I have the high gear of the 26", so I’m now thinking the previously unthinkable (thanks to @Hammer and @mindbalance option 2) and may well give it up.
The 19" and 20" were also got because ‘that’s what you do’, but if I’m honest it turns out that ‘I don’t’, so I think they’ll go too (although I agree with @Aurelien that I could almost just hide one somewhere!).
So that says 24" and g26", however the big shocker in this was @Bug72 asking why a geared uni if I’m trying to avoid risks. I had my quick answers (it’s awesome, it’s another skill, it’s fast, it’s rare), however it is indeed riskier (for me at my skill level certainly), which is why I moved the geared hub to the 26" (I never dared even try it on the 36" which it originally came on). So I’m just mulling over the thought of getting rid of that too, either by removing the hub from the 26", or by swapping the g26 for a (new!?) 29" as @UniMyra and @Bug72 suggest. But not yet… It seems I’m not quite ready to give up the novelty and challenge of riding one of the just a thousand or so geared unicycles that exist in the world!
Maybe your not as risk adverse as you think after all you are already walking your dog while riding. My beagle would never have let me do that unless I would be content to idle or hop every three feet while he sniffed everything in sight. Best of luck on your decision, I think you probably know which unicycles are the most fun for you, trust your gut.
This is such an interesting topic… as someone who only has 2 (a 24 and a 27.5) and having trouble deciding what I would want want for uni #3-- I find I don’t really enjoy the 24 that once felt right, after getting used to the 27.5. The 24 feels so twitchy, unstable, and slow now. I tried switching to shorter 114mm cranks to make the speed closer to the 27.5. but then it feels even more awkward, like peddling a childs bike, so I took them back off.
I will say when I do ride the 24. It does feel less intimidating, and when I get back on my 27.5 afterwards, it then feels so much smoother and more stable compared to the 24, and I feel glad to be back on it, which encourages me to ride the 24 every once in a while just to re-appreciate the 27.5 more.
I had been considering getting a 19 or 20 next to practice skills, but then I wonder-- if a 24 doesn’t feel “good” now, won’t that feeling be even worse on a smaller one?
So that makes me think bigger would be a better next choice, I can just use my 24 for skills practice and not need a 19/20 at all. I am not enticed by a 36er at all though- mounting, control, and distance are struggles for me still, and I anticipate a 36er would really just exacerbate that. Yet a 29er road uni doesn’t have much difference than a 27.5 muni in tire circumference, which if they are so close, maybe it doesn’t make sense to get another one so similar in size, and that makes me wonder if I am better off with trying a 32 next to change things up more. Boy there is a big price change between a Oracle 29 and 32 though.
Then again having a 29er road and a 27.5 muni that are very close to each other might make switching between the two a lot easier.
I don’t anticipate ever riding distances so far, tthat a 29 would be too slow/small, so then is there even a point?
Right now, the 27.5 feels perfect though, so I could see the same feeling being easily had with a 29er so close in size.
I don’t suppose this helps in any way except as maybe a weak nod towards a 29er from someone with far less skills and experience LOL.
