Best Unicycle for Commuting?

My favorite commuting uni is the 36", because it’s rides smooth, fast and you are very visible.

But if you stand between 26" and 29", definitely go for the 29" with dual hole or triple hole cranks.
Do you plan to bring your muni over? If not you could also choose for the 29" a cross country tire that’s nice on road and off road. This combined with duals hole cranks makes the perfect commuting uni that you can transform into a Muni:)

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As someone else said, ride the biggest one you are comfortable with. My favorite in-town commuter unicycle is a 32"er. It’s faster than a 29" and it’s easier to mount than a 36" (I own those two, as well). My terrain is mostly flat but bumpy and the grades aren’t very steep (2%?). I’m 5’7" and the 32" is perfect.

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Thank you so much for the wonderful responses! They are all very helpful! :uni: :grin: :uni2:

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Would you say your difference in speed between the 32 and 36 is noticeably different? I’m on a 29 now and it’s kind of junky. So I’m looking for something new. I would like to work my way up to commuting. It’s 48 miles round trip. But it’s a beautiful, paved path the entire way. It’s a slight incline on my way to work but nothing crazy. Maybe I’m crazy but it seems too good to not give it a go.

The 36 will give you about another 1 mph. 8.5 vs. 9.5. I have both and both are fitted with 150mm cranks. I use the 32 for 15mile round trips and the 36 for farther distances. If you can climb the inclines I’d choose the 36.

2021년 9월 23일 (목) 오후 2:05, Rob via Unicyclist.com <noreply@mg.unicyclist.com>님이 작성:

That sounds like a serious undertaking! I estimate that would take about 4-5 hours on a 36, not counting breaks.

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I see. Obviously that would be too much time spent commuting. I was under the impression that cruising at 12mph was achievable on the 36. Not sure where I got that idea but I have been watching a lot of Ed Pratt and that beautiful maniac makes it all look so easy lol. I do think 2 hours each way would be the maximum amout of time I’d want to spend. I’m still new to this so maybe my idea of what’s possible is a bit beyond whats reasonably achievable. I’m strongly considering purchasing a NightFox this week so hopefully I can start experimenting sooner rather than later.

Is 9.5 on the 36er completely topped out for you? Or is that something you could cruise at for awhile?

That’s my comfortable pace long distance speed.

2021년 9월 23일 (목) 오후 4:59, Rob via Unicyclist.com <noreply@mg.unicyclist.com>님이 작성:

To clarify, I meant 4-5 hours for the full 48 miles.

Everybody is different, but for me averaging 12mph over a longer ride is pretty fast. Since you’re not dealing with hills or unpaved surfaces you might pull it off. I usually plan for 10mph on longer rides, which gives me some breathing room for breaks and unexpected events.

I don’t mean to put you off. Get a 36er and try it out. You’ll soon discover whether or not it’s practical for you.

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Well… 48 miles is 77km… everybody is different but the most I’ve ever rode is 60km in a day, and I really don’t think I could accomplish riding that distance plus do a full day of work in the one day…

Maybe @Rob86 can use a bike in one direction, uni for the other. Alternate bike and uni?

Ah, ok. I misunderstood. Seems it might be attainable.

I hear ya. It would definitely be something I’d have to work up to. It’s fairly normal for me to hike up to 10 miles or more and still go to work afterwards where I stand for 8 hours in a kitchen. I enjoy punishing myself :upside_down_face:

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Alternating with the bike is a great idea. I used to ride a bike quite a bit. I got bored with it a few years ago. I picked up the uni with the intention of replacing the bike altogether. But maybe a compromise would be best especially in the beginning.

As long as its fairly flat you shouldn’t have a problem getting 24 miles in under 2 hours!

Here are two of my rides from last week using 125mm cranks. My average speed drops on longer rides but 12mph is still doable


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Here is one from this week with some climbing where i was still able to maintain 12mph

once you learn to spin the 36’er it just wants to go

These are some impressive numbers. Thanks for the encouragement!

When I was younger I rode a fixed gear track bike. I remember going taller and taller with the gear ratio. I got it to a point where it was a pain (in the knees) to get going but once you had it up to speed it felt like a freight train rolling down the road lol. I got a taste of that with my 29er when I went from 150mm cranks to 114mm. I can’t imagine what the 36er will feel like!

Very impressive, WeaponizedBacon!

One question. How did you get Strava to show you how many calories you burned, and your power rating (Watts)?

Hmm i’m not sure :thinking: its always been there on mine. Its the free version and i use my phone to record the activity

For me 125’s on the 36’er is where i can start to get on top of the gear and really ride it. 114’s will almost pull me along once you find the top of them and settle into the spin on the flats. Its so fun!

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