My friend wants to buy a unicycle to learn on but he weighs about 260lbs which is why it makes it harder to pick one out so I’m wondering if you guys have any suggestions. He wants to pay as little as possible but I’ve also been telling him that he should try and get a 24" uni with a 24x3 inch wheel so we can go offroading and stuff when he’s ready. He’s not into trials/street/flatland or anything so 20" unis are not really being considered but in the range of 24" unis either offroad or not what would you reccomend for his weight range and price of of staying under $200 with shipping? MUni would be preferable but he’s into just being able to ride around on it as well. Thanks!
For someone that weight, I’d think that splines would be a must. I suggest the KH 24 if they can afford it. If not, maybe the Torker DX24. If they do go with the Torker, it should be fine for normal riding, but may not hold up to any technical MUni.
I don’t think the frame on the Torker DX 24 will take a 24x3.
The nimbus should stand up to garden variety muni (not trials). It’s really hops and drops that break things. I weigh 230 and have a nimbus-like setup. I did manage to bend the cranks (bicycle euros) once, but that was hopping down stairs, and I should have known better.
the big thing is the under $200 including shipping, even if it’s not a muni he needs a 24" that can support his weight and be okay for riding around a bit.
There are a couple options at Unicycle.com but, as mentioned, I don’t think they are going to fit the 3" tire for under $200. Uni.com has the Yuni Journeyman (in the Cruiser section and $179) and the United for Large Adults (in the Beginner section). Either one would be great for learning and basic riding. But as soon as the skills start coming, the cranks are not going to hold up. At 285 lbs., when I learned to hop, I would bend the standard steel crank like a wet noodle. I finally had to go to the Profile setup on a 24" Semcycle. The only thing is that I’d like a shorter Profile crank. I’m not sure if they’re available, I haven’t checked in a long while.
The tire is another thinker. After trying many different tires, John D. finally sent me the Maxxis Hookworm. The Hookworm is a great tire for me because it’s a higher pressure tire with a stiffer sidewall. It also works very well in the gym for our club meetings.
I weighed 235 pounds (107 kilograms) when I started unicycling. I purchased a $100 USD 20" Dodger training unicycle designed for a maximum of 165 pounds (75 kilograms). I learned just fine. I did have to put at least 80 psi in the tire, and pieces started wearing out and breaking off once I actually rode regularly (seat, seat bolts, seatpost lock, two tires in about two months). I soon bought a KH24, which is just fine as I’ve gone down to a fit 205 pounds (93 kilograms) since I started unicycling.
I didn’t know the unicycle I purchased was designed for smaller lighter people, but I quickly realized that ten minutes of hopping required five minutes of using a bike wrench.
In summary, you can learn on something cheap, but if you weigh as much as I do, you’ll soon be limited by your hardware.
I chose the cheap training unicycle because I wasn’t sure if I really would learn. But it turned into a marvelous healthy addiction! Yay!