I’ve got a 30 yr old Uni. Basic model. Put a nobby tire on it. 24".
Bought one daughter a 20" Torker. The other daughter a 16" Torker. I can get a 400mm seat post and ride both whenever.
Question to the masses: Since I have an interest in both directions, but can only buy one Uni, would you advise a sturdy MUni or a 5 or 6 foot Giraffe?
I’m in pretty good shape and enjoy mountain biking and jogging trails. But the giraffe is calling me too.
Buy a giraffe with a big knobblie tyre 
It’s been done before…
Get a MUni!
Giraffes get in the way and take up space and are unable to ride in so many places. However, A Muni is able to go on almost any terrain and aren’t so “in the way” and muni isnt someting that requires soooo many ours of learning like a giraffe
GO MUNI
-Eric.
We have a giraffe that we use for parades and some kids ride it during our club meetings. Other than that, it doesn’t get nearly the use of our standard uni’s. I think you would see a Muni get more use or at least have the potential of getting more use.
B
Oh, I don’t know 'bout that. We require our kids to be a Level 2 rider before riding away on the giraffe. It usually doesn’t take our kids more than a few minutes for them to learn to control the giraffe.
B
The latest (Sept 2002) On One Wheel has some teaser photos of Scot Cooper doing Giraffe Muni. There will be a full article in the next issue.
Personally I’ve not done MUni and have only had a few minor inclinkings in that direction, but find riding a giraffe to be quite a thrill.
As for which to get, maybe you need to ask yourself what you plan or think you might do as a family. If you want to try putting together performances, consider a giraffe. If you spend a lot of time hiking or camping, perhaps a MUni is your ticket.
Tough choices to be sure when you can’t have it all.
Good luck,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ
You can use a 24 inch MUni (or a 26) for almost anything… you can cover big distances, you can ride on public roads, you can ride rough terrain, you can do one footed tricks, you can carry lightweight camping gear, you can perform to an audience… A ‘medium-sized’ (24 - 26 inch) wheel with no chain drive is without doubt the most versatile unicycle - and you can get a perfectly good one for £120 (about US$ 180?).
A giraffe is a giraffe. It is bulky, difficult to store, difficult to transport, difficult to freemount. It can be dangerous in a crowded room or street. Once you can ride it, it is a glorified 20 inch unicycle (maybe 24) with a lower safe top speed and lower safe average speed. You would have to be dedicated to do any meaningful amount of touring, rough terrain, one-footed riding, or camping on it. I’m not saying these things can’t be done, just that you would have to work at it very hard. It would NOT be suitable for riding on the public road.
For the price of a decent giraffe (£400 or about US$ 600?) you could buy a 24 ANDa 28, or a Coker AND a 24.
I will buy a giraffe soon, but I know it will only be because I want a giraffe. I’ve ridden one before, and it’s fun, and it looks good. But I doubt I will get anything like the value for money I’ve had from ANY of my 6 non giraffes.
But if you buy a giraffe, I’d suggest you buy the lower size (5 feet) unless you can dedicate a lot of time and energy to practising the freemount. Otherwise, the giraffe will be used for a month then rot in a cupboard.
Just an opinion. A brutally frank one, I’ll grant you, but an opinion, nevertheless.
I’ll go against the flow this time and just mention that you’re going to have to get that giraffe sometime anyway. And if you buy the 5 footer you’ll wish you bought the six. Riding and idling a giraffe is easy, it takes no time to learn as Bruce said. Freemounting takes a bit of time, though. A Savage giraffe with a Viscount seat is CHEAP. A Semcycle is better and about $450 from unicycle.com
I would go for the Muni, Mostly because )I find( once you can ride a girrafe, it gets boring kinda quick. based on the amount more that is doable )without hour upon hours( on a muni than a girafe.
Maybe I can. Just one at a time. Spaced out over a year perhaps.
MUni will get lots of use around here.
Giraffe will not stop calling me. 
Why aren’t those bast**ds with Skycycles or Sem giraffes rotting in their cupboards putting them out at their garage sales, I’d like to know?
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ
You think you’re torn? Think of poor Tommy! He doesn’t know which to push you tword. ‘Nother person to ride with… giraffe in club… another persona to ride with… ahhh… giraffe in the club… another person to ride with…’
-Christopher
Christopher,
You are so right! I tried to push him toward MUni but then again… how cool would it be to ride down Beale Street on a 6 footer! I have to admit, I would be jealous if he got that tall on us.
Tommy
yeah
muni all the way! A giraffe is too large and hard to transport, and on a muni you can do endless tricks, and it is by far much more versatile.
…too large, too bulky , hard to store, hard to transport…
Not really an issue any longer. Take a look at “Giraffe Travel”
http://pichlerrad.de/giraffen_1.htm
(this will just open one frame in your browser, if you want to see the whole site, go to
http://pichlerrad.de , click on “Hier geht’s rein”, then on “Giraffen”).
Have fun,
Fred
be stupid.
get the giraffe
and if after a month it starts rotting in the cupboard, have a yard sale, we’ll send jj along
ignore the jealousy-induced ‘too bulky, too…, too…’ comments about the giraffe
those r made by uni’ers who have realised that it doesn’t matter what u do on a uni, a giraffe rides past and the crowd goes ‘gasp’
get the giraffe, u know u will get the muni later
u know the muni probably makes more ‘sense’ right now
do something stupid
get the giraffe
and live the smile
Thanx Fred
Hey, Fred- great link! Thanx.
Check out the bearing holders on the Solo (their factory cycle, I think):
-Christopher
Look… just go to Unicycle.com and sit there with your credit card on the desk, and look at each of the unicycles, and see which one you buy. When it comes to pressing that ‘PAY’ button, you will know.
Or, toss a coin after saying, heads = MUni, tails = giraffe.
When the coin is in the air, you will suddenly know which way you want it to land.
We know your head says MUni, but you wouldn’t have asked the question unless your heart said ‘giraffe’.
(Sheesh, these people with talking bodyparts!)
You can already ride the trails, but you can’t giraffe unless you know somebody who lest you borrow one. So get the giraffe now, and the MUni next.
Of course by the time “next” arrives, there may be one or more other cycles you want then, too. Then you’ll have to do this again…
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
