Hello everyone! Looking to start uni soon

General
1

This is my first post, so I feel inclined to introduce myself. Later on I will have some questions, so feel free to skip the intro.

INTRO:

My name is Dane, I live in Santa Barbara CA. I’m 20 years old and I’m a working photographer as well as a photography student. I really do not like “blending in” with the common folk, so maybe that’s what has me so interested in the unicycle. (Although by talking to you I am fitting into the “unusual” crowd, and therefore forfeiting my uniqueness…)

I love to rock climb, snowboard, skateboard, mountain bike, wakeboard, hike, camp, snowshoe, all that jazz.

I play the ukulele and mandolin (There’s my passion for the unusual) but I also play the more common guitar.

I’ve always been fascinated by the unicycle, and I’ve always thought of myself as having very good balance (Perhaps it’s slowly deteriorating now though, so goes life) But I had never thought of it as something I would want to do until I saw some street and mountain unicycling videos. I had never realized the uni’s abilities, and now I’d very much like to give it a try for myself.

QUESTIONS:

I have never ridden a unicycle before. The other day I walked into a bicycle store to see if they had any, when to my suprise, one fell right onto me at the door as I was going in. It was someone’s uni who was standing nearby, but I still took it to be fate.

I have done a decent bit of reading through posts, and from what I see, some of you must be getting profits from Torker :wink: Jokes aside, I’ve researched the Torker LX as my top choice so far. My budget is very low (about 130 dollars) so this seemed to be my best choice.

Now for my questions. I’m 6’ and about… maybe 170-180 pounds. I was looking at the LX strictly as a learning unicycle, and that after I learned how to ride, I would move on to a nicer unicycle that fit my desires. BUT, I am drawn to all of the different uni activities, mountain (Muni?) and street in particular, but I don’t plan to join the circus anytime soon, or juggle, or any of that.

So as for my questions (finally I know)

  1. Would this be a good starter? (I have seen many answer already, but i might as well ask.)

  2. Wheel size, 20" vs 24"? I can’t decide on which one I’d like to start with. I’d like to be able to ride it around some streets a bit, maybe about 10 blocks at the most, but I’d also like to learn tricks.

  3. Crank length, this just confuses me, so if anyone could explain the benefits of a shorter vs longer, in relation to learning. That would be awesome.

  4. Seat post length, do I need to worry? Again I’m 6’ tall, not sure of my leg measurements.

  5. Do you believe there are people who simply cannot learn to ride a unicycle? And if so, is this usually due to a lack of balance in the first place?

  6. The most important, are there any health issues related to unicycling, besides addiction? (what do you call it, UAS?)

And that’s all I can think of for the moment. Please excuse my wall of text, I look forward to speaking with many of you, and what a wonderful community, I had no idea there were so many of you crazy people! :wink:

2

I would recommend a Nimbus 20" or 24" (depending if you like trials or muni). More expensive, but totally worth it.

3

Just my 2 cents as I just learned. Go on craigslist, be patient, get a uni for $50 about. Spend 2 weeks learning it. After you learn it and get addicted and figure out what you want to do on it, get a Nimbus or KH! You WILL come up with money for it then lol.

If you can ride a skateboard, if you spent hours learning how to ollie it, I think you can learn the uni. Dont worry, most people take a bit to learn it, patience and practice. One guy came up to me and could ride my uni, he said it took him 6 months to learn.

4

Torker LX will be totally fine for you.
Its in the price range that you mentioned
Despite all the badmouthing it gets it will last you quite a long time
I rode several of them today and some were a couple years old and heavily abused with no signs of death in the near future

The LX’s seat is not the best but will get you started, it will handle everything except big jumps but you wont be doing that for a while anyway.

Just buy it and get started already :smiley:

The Torkers seatpost is plenty long.
Dont worry about crank length now (but do a search if you want to learn, there are loads of threads on it, and all the other things you asked)
20" will prob be easier to learn on but the 24" will be better for distance
Get gloves to protect your hands and some bike shorts to make riding tolerable

Order here
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=675
Or search for the 20"

5

My 2.5 cents:

1: Yes i participate in many of those sports and learned quite quickly, but dont think its to easy, and DONT GIVE UP! I learned in 1 day to ride because i didnt stop trying.

2: 20" is easyer to learn on and easyer to do tricks on, but if you want to learn to muni then get the 24’’ also if you plan on doing a bit of distance get the 24".

3: Shorter the crank the easier to go faster, longer the crank more torque and more controll.

4: Dont ask me im short! lol

5: Any one can ride just KEEP TRING some people take months to learn some take hours.

6: My only health problem is mounting wrong can hurt your jewels, but you can aviod that with proper tecnique. Also it takes my money buy wanting so much stuff.

6

I dont know anything about being tall either lol.

But they have things like this on craigslist, just have to wait. This is a good price “just to learn.”

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/bik/1055978083.html

7

1. Would this be a good starter? it’ll be a great starter mostly because it fits your price range, but start saving now because once you start seriously riding you’ll not only want, but need something better

2. Wheel size, 20" vs 24"? i say go 20" i learned on a 20" and have been riding it ever since, i ride street and muni on a 20" and love both aspects with the small wheel. i’d say the only dissadvantage to muni with a small wheel is it makes for some somewhat difficult technical sections as it’s harder to roll over bumps and things, but that’s easy to get over. plus it’s much easier to learn tricks and just to learn to hop on a 20"

3. Crank length, this just confuses me, so if anyone could explain the benefits of a shorter vs longer, in relation to learning. That would be awesome. as stated above, shorter cranks= faster, longer= more control

4. Seat post length, do I need to worry? i’m nearly six foot(5’11") and used the standard sized seatpost that has come with every uni that i’ve bought so i think you should be fine

5. Do you believe there are people who simply cannot learn to ride a unicycle? And if so, is this usually due to a lack of balance in the first place? no, you learn the balance as you learn to ride, having good balance to begin with may make learning easier, but anyone can learn to ride it just takes desire and dedication

6. The most important, are there any health issues related to unicycling, besides addiction? (what do you call it, UAS?) once you start learning trick(crankflips, unispins, etc.) racking yourself is going to be your biggest worry other than that it’s pretty safe.

hope that helps

8

That seat post will be like 5 inches too short for him, but a new post is only $10-$20

9

You are prob. right about the seat post but sure they put on 20" unis in their place. $10 isnt much more. This is just where I live as an example of what you can get off craigslist. $20 is cheap that a person can see if they like it, decide what they enjoy doing, learn the basics, then they have time to think about what uni they want. I’ve found this the cheapest method. Then if they dont take to it, they can resell it, no loss. If they love it they can then get the uni they decide they want and will fit their future needs. Then they will have one to last for years. Before you start, its hard to guess what that will be for sure. I find if I buy something that is mid quality new, later on you upgrade, lose most the money from buying it new, and spend a lot more. You can play around with something used off craigslist and resell it at the same price later to see if its for you.

10

Welcome to the forums! First post too but I’ll post my opinion too. (Also a student)

1. I bought a 20" torker AX to learn on, and I’ve no problems. Frame is nice and light and paid in that price range.

2. 24" will allow you for a little more speed, but 20" is easier to control and probably easier to learn. Its a good size to learn tricks, and 20" is plenty for 10 blocks, I ride mine a few miles and its fine. I’m about 5 "10.

3. For learning, crank length won’t make much of a difference. longer will allow for a little more control, but you can’t get much over 150 on a 20". I have 125 and once again learned without a prob.

4. Seat post length should be plenty, I cut had to cut off an inch or two and I’m almost as tall.

5. Everyone learns at a different pace, and I don’t see you not being able to learn if you can already do the other sports. Just be patient at first :stuck_out_tongue:

6. You shouldn’t have a worry if you play those other sports!

11

[see username]

There are quite a few of us. We have pretty good numbers, but we’re spread out too much.

I’m glad you’ll be joining us crazy people!

12

yes, the torker lx is a great uni to learn on. Start with it, beat it up and then upgrade it. After a while, you’ll know if you want to focus on trials or muni.
also, everyone who is willing to never give up and keep trying again and again can learn to unicycle. The only health hazards are the occasional bloody knee/shin and UPD:D

13

Thank you everyone for your help and for your speedy responses. I am pretty sure I will be purchasing the LX 20". But I have to wait a few more days for my money haha

14

You may not agree with this, but I have learned that if you want to really get into unicycling(I think you will) then skip the learner unicycle. Wait till you have some more moneys and just buy something really nice like a KH or Nimbus. You will end up spending more money now, but will have something glorious to learn on. You will also end up saving $100 in the long run. Do whatever you want but that’s just my 2 cents.

15

Well it doesn’t really work that way, as I’m working as a photographer, who often doesn’t get paid (I’m doing it for free for the most part as a learning experience) and then I’m also a student at Brooks institute, so I have a LOT of work. I am currently on my break week, and once school starts up again, I will have no time work. So as I only have a week, that really is my budget… trying to save would mean that I would have to wait another 2 months for my next break week. And if I don’t have enough at that time, then I’d have to wait another 2 months. So I’d rather just start learning now, and learn a few tricks maybe.

16

Just order the Torker LX 20 or 24" and get going already.
It will handle everything but big hops and drops and you will be able to recoup more than half when you want to get a new uni.

The sooner you order the sooner you can ride :wink:

17

Agreed, just get a uni to start if you dont have the money. But like I said, you can probably get one off craigslist if youre lucky, then resell it later and recoup all the money back. Or get the LX new and resell it for $50 or so later if you dont bend the cranks. The sooner you get one, the sooner you can learn.

18

Oh another question. I see most people say to buy from unicycle.com. But I would like to ask anyways since I’ve seen some good deals on ebay and such for the LX 20"

19

Dana, I tend to agree, a 20" is easier to learn, but after that, if you want to ride around a bit, go places, etc… a 24" is a better mode of transport. I myself learned on a 24" in a week of after school practice. 3-4 hours a night. After that, you are unstoppable. Now, do you want to do tricks, or ride places? 20" is far better for tricks, one footed, idling, hopping, etc. However, myself not having a 20" like my friend, I learned all those just fine on a 24". Good deals are on craigslist, yesterday i found a 24" unknown brand that looked acceptable and decent quality for $25. Of course, that was here in michigan, and not much use to you. I was going to post the link so you could see it, but, by today, it is sold…
A good quality one is a must, SOO much nicer to ride, but quality doesnt need to be expensive for riding on street. Back when I learned a Schwinn was about the best you could get, and mine has lasted me 33 years now, (well, I finally gave it to my friends sons) Cost me $17 used. One of those would suit you fine till you decide which direction you want to go, and get a great one suited for your purposes. You might like freestyle, or Muni, or XC. A schwinn would do light XC or freestyle, and light XC would probably tell you if you want Muni. Dont buy junk, but decide what you want to do before layin out 4-500.00. Hope that helps. Also see if your area has a local uni club, and go see them, watch them, and see what you like! Dave

20

I posted this somewhere in another thread, but I ordered a Torker LX 20" and it’s supposed to be here by tomorrow according to UPS tracking. If I am half decent at learning, I would very much like to move into muni at some point, which I of course would be buying a different uni, but for now, this looks like a good choice. I can learn basic skills on it. Ride it around a bit from place to place, maybe learn some freestyle tricks, and from what I’ve read for my bodyweight and this uni, about 2.5 foot drops (But not right away ;)) And there are some smooth dirt trails around here locally which I would be able to have some fun with as a very simple intro to muni, and of course, some gnarly ones for if I should reach that skill level.

Thank you very much for your tips!! =)