I bought this schwinn unicycle off of craigslist, the guy wanted $80 but got it down to $50. This is my first unicycle and I’m learning to ride it. I want to know the actual value of this thing, and if I got a good deal. The tire is 24x1.75 and it still has a sticker on it that says Schwinn Chicago.
Please tell me more about this unicycle.
Cannot see the photos 
Sorry about that, you should be able to view them now.
Good looking Uni. I’m no Uni expert, I’m sure some of the others on this forum can answer your question though.
I don’t know how much it is worth, but it looks familiar. This is one from the 1980’s and is my first unicycle.
The tire and tube dry rotted and this is how it looks now.
$50 is a pretty good deal for one in that condition I think.
Your Schwinn is the most advanced one that was made, at least before Unicycle.com took it over. In 1985, Schwinn tried to contact USA Founder Bill Jenack. He had died in 1982, but his house was, at that time, home of the fledgling IUF. So the IUF responded. I wrote up a long description, with pictures, of how they could improve their saddle.
At the same time, Schwinn had contacted Tom Miller (The Unicycle Factory, Kokomo, Indiana). Tom gave them a list of other suggestions, many of which were followed. Schwinn unicycle production had stopped in 1983, during what I think was a Chapter 11 filing by the company. But they sent us (the IUF) a pair of early models of their redesigned unicycles, a little before Unicon II (July 1986). I still have the blue seat from the 24".
Here were the improvements that I remember:
Up to today, the Schwinn continues to suffer from a major flaw in its design; the limitation of 1" increments in seat height. This was a sensible idea when the unicycles were cheap (it’s part of a beautifully simple design/manufacture), but doesn’t really make any sense for a unicycle that costs more than many others.
Thank you, John Foss, for the great write up.
The Schwinn was my first “real” unicycle. In the early 1970s I learned to ride on a really cheap unicycle my parents bought me for my 11th birthday, but I still got quite a few good years out of it. When the cheap cranks eventually broke, I bought the Schwinn in the mid-1980s and would ride it with my kids when they were tots because it was easier to keep up with their slow pace.
Brian, I’d say you got a good deal. From your pictures, the unicycle appears in good condition. For $50 you can’t go wrong. It’s sturdy (I’ve seen buskers using the exact same model) and should serve you well as a learner. Mine still works great.
[QUOTE=Leeway283;1600807]
Thank you, John Foss, for the great write up.
+1, It’s great to have a little background info on unicycles.
