OK, we all know that the optimum number of unicycles to own is N+1 where N is the current number you have. If you’ve been riding for some years, you may have a few unicycles in the back of the garage or underneath the house that have not been ridden for a very long time.
So here is a challenge for most of us: drag out ALL those unicycles, dust them off, pump up the tire and go for a test ride on each of them, report back so we can see what we can learn about these discards in relation to your current unicycle of choice.
So, I will start on my own N=6, remaining from a riding history covering 47 years, starting at age 30.
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Nimbus Oracle, 27.5 * 2.80 with 150 cranks.
This is the “comparison unicycle” - what I ride on and off road, it has a KH FreeRide saddle, and I recently changed the tire from 3.25 to 2.80 which I prefer. I love it. -
Schlumpf hub 26 * 3.00 with 150 cranks.
With KH FreeRide saddle, handlebar, and made from a frame from a 32 (because of the 125mm hub) but with a 26 wheel.
It feels fairly normal to ride in low gear (but noticeably heavy). A static free mount in high gear was still doable, and it certainly has some speed, although I didn’t find it was relaxing. Strangely, after going back to low (1:1) gear, I was really weirdly awkward on the pedaling, as my brain had adapted to high gear. It was a fun project a couple of years ago to build this unicycle, but a waste of money as I prefer riding the 27.5. -
Nimbus Muni 24 * 3.00 with 150 cranks.
Still nice to ride, the standard seat is surprisingly good. It could be slightly better on muni stuff than the 27.5, but I still prefer that larger wheel and sometimes find it nice to have a brake (which this 24 does not have). -
Trials 20 * 2.50 with 125 cranks.
Oh, why did I buy this? - uncomfortable hard seat, pedals with shoe gouging spikes. Certainly, no good for anything much except hopping about. It takes a while to get used to a small wheel again (e.g. mounting) and the 125 cranks seemed strangely too long for the wheel. -
Nimbus club 24 * 1.95 with 125 cranks.
I guess it is good for competing with a “standard” unicycle, but not good for general riding. The seat is really hard and ideally the tire would be bigger and softer for comfort. -
Unknown brand 22 * 1.75 with 165 cranks.
This was based on my first ever unicycle, but I replaced the original 20 wheel with a 22 and it seemed OK back in the day, but not now. The original seat didn’t have proper bumpers like all modern seats and was uncomfortable and soon got sharp metal edges exposed from falls, so I had replaced the seat with a better seat (home made from wood) with a light layer of foam and a layer of vinyl to cover it. It wasn’t that bad to ride, but the seat covering had hardened over the decades and was uncomfortable. It really should go to the dumpster.
So that is it from me. I am slightly wistful about the 32 that was sacrificed for the Schlumpf, and rather glad that I didn’t have to test ride a homemade giraffe that I made decades ago from a bicycle by cutting, welding and adding a different drive sprocket - I’m sure I would have had trouble free mounting and would have found the bicycle seat weird to sit on.
Please accept the challenge and let us learn from YOUR stable / history / mistakes.
Alas, I can probably write down the 2 I’ve got now and do the other 11 when I go back home to visit within the next month or two
)
Best part about a unicycle: maintenance for a unicycle in the winter is much easier than a bicycle!