Don’t we all.
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I’ve been testing a Schwalbe G-One (29x2.4), super slick, very light and so very low rolling resistance compared to the Duro Crux of my KH29. It just wants to go. But it also wants to go where it wants to, which is usually right down the camber. Can be almost impossible to control on anything but smooth and flat road. I have to run max PSI to handle it and then it’s so hard every little rut on the road feels like a pot hole. I actually ride faster on the Duro than the G-one as it’s just so much easier, and less scary, to ride. Back on subject, I don’t commute but if I had to around here is no way I would use my 36", simply too many obstacles to avoid, too many cars on the roads and too many morons on the footpaths (sidewalks) and that beast just is not so controllable unless you really train hard. Shorter distances my M41 27.5" is great. Good handling and enough speed, can readily handle footpaths and edge of roads. But my KH29 is my go anywhere ride, almost as easy to ride as a 27.5 and fast enough to get places. Can cruise at 17-18 kph but still do the never ending locals hills and the footpaths if you are careful.
I guess that’s the most important point. I commute in a 24’’ but my commute is a 900m route with a lot of tight bends and foot narrow footpaths. Anything larger feels not agile enough for that rout and speed isn’t an issue for 900m. I sometimes take the 27.5 muni if I have to run some errands on the way.
For me the 36 is only suitable for long rides where I have to use lots of road, wide cycle paths and only few sidewalks.
(TBH, these days my commute is 2m from the bedroom into the office. I usually take a 10m detour through the kitchen to grab a coffee… I do this all on foot as me using a unicycle in the house wouldn’t be appreciated much.)
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My spouse would never put up with that either, but I’m surprised in @UniMyra videos where he seems to have no issue practicing in the house: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih600AWjQVY Why can he do it and we can’t?
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He also builds wheels on the kitchen counter
I have never met his wife but she is clearly a saint.
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You should and tell us all about her.
This is the first time I hear someone objects to indoor riding. We have 4 months of winter with snow and ice here for Pete’s sake.
Where else would I build it? In this video I rode outside at least.
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The kitchen floor is rarely free for me to ride at, beacause my wife is doing crossfit there.
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I’ve been commuting to work via unicycle for at least one year now and my commute length is just shy of 3km. I started with a 29" unicycle which was a bit slow with 150mm cranks but was fine since I was still learning. I later moved to a 36" with 110mm cranks and that was nice and speedy and probably the fastest one for me. I currently commute with a 36" geared uni now on 150mm cranks and overall it’s slightly slower then my 110mm 36" since the commute is relatively short and there are few long stretches to ride down but the versatility of a geared uni is really handy and I currently make the trip in roughly 15 minutes.
One problem with commuting is you can get complacent with your riding style and I think this is why I’ve had a few serious UPD’s while commuting. If you’re going to commute with a 36" you will need safety gear but if you’re going to ride 24-29" you probably won’t need any depending on how fast you plan to ride it. The smaller size of the wheels might be ideal for taking them into buildings and public transport as opposed to a 36".
In your position I would get a 29" with a good road tyre and dual hole cranks of 110/127mm would probably be ideal especially if your commute is only a few k’s or you have to combine with public transport.
We’re not objecting to indoor riding - we’re envious. The closest I get to that is the garage when a car is out. I shouldn’t complain though; no snow or ice, and alas, not even much rain anymore in the winter here.
I think another thing to consider is how you are going to ride on your commute. Are you going to stick to the roads or are you going to seek out challenging paths and obstacles? I don’t ever see myself riding a 36er with short cranks on account of liking muni more than speed.
Guess our winters are not as hard either but I enjoy riding on snow anyway. It wouldn’t be very practical to unicycle to the kitchen as it’s downstairs and most of the ride would be hopping on stairs, which I can’t do anyway.
As for wheel building: That’s what I have my bike/uni workshop for where I’m free to make whatever mess I like. (The mess is also the reason why I rarely ride the uni there except to check saddle height.)
I don’t know what suitable places are available to you. I am just saying that I would not get away with the kitchen countertop 
Believe it or not but unicycling is not the biggest threat to my floors. The dog is absolutely worst, and then it’s the kids. I’ve found out that the only thing I really can’t do, is complaining about other family members being rough on the floors.
The kitchen and living room is the same room, so who’s to say where the kitchen ends and the livingroom starts. I do most of my wheelbuilding in ‘no mans land’ between the two rooms the way I see it. I may unintensionally have strayed into the kitchen, I admit that, but nobody is perfect.
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About 4 years ago, I went through a phase of commuting by unicycle. I tried all sizes: 20, 24, 26, 28, 29 and 36, with a variety of crank lengths. On my short but varied route, with road crossings, kerbs, a short patch of very easy “off road” there was no doubt that the 29 was the best option.
I’d have chosen a 36 for a longer and simpler route.
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I agree with this sentiment here, if another upvote for this opinion will ease your decision.
Another thing that is a very real possibility is a “Flowers for Algernon” kind of scenario you can find yourself in. When I commuted on a 26 after riding a 20 I felt like Usain Bolt cranking around town. When I got a 29 to ride and commute, I couldn’t stand riding the 26 because I had grown accustomed to the 29 on roads and such. When I got a 36 and now dip back down to the 29 I also now find myself wondering how I ever accomplished anything on the 29. I think it is always easier to move up in wheel size but moving back down a wheel size sometimes messes with me. Provided it’s all for the same purpose. If it’s for other disciplines, disregard me. Like I move up and down at the moment with a 26 for Muni/trails and a 36 for commuting/road riding and obviously that’s intentional.
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I agree with the general sentiment that 29 is good all around choice. There have been several that mention shorter cranks to go faster, but I have to say that my legs have a certain built in cadence and it’s really hard to change that. Maybe I have more long twitch than slow twitch muscle fibers, or maybe I just need more practice time, but my legs just prefer 125+ cranks and a moderate cadence. And as said above, going down to the 29 after riding the 36 feels frustratingly slow, but I’d put up with that for the maneuverability and smaller size of the 29 unless it is a wide open commute path.
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Try using 110mm cranks for a decent while and you might “improve” your cadence. I alsohave a comfortable candence, but I have become better at keeping it higher when I want; which isn’t very often.
I would say a geared 29" is the best of both worlds. But a 29" with 110 mm cranks is much cheaper.
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In 2019 i commuted sometime to work. February 2020 i thought it is a great idea to commute to work one time a week until unicon in summer.
Then it was posponed to 2021 so i had to commute one more year.
Than it was posponed again.
So I commute to work since more than one year min. one time a week 60 kilometer.
For me fastest uni is G36 and it is really funny if you have good conditions.
But in Winter it is sometimes not easy to mount on ice or snow and if you have wind from in front of you it is tiring in high gear and slow in low gear.
My G29 is not so fast but it is much more universal, better on hills and in towns more maneuverable.
If i had to dicide for only one i would take the G29.
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