Uni-cycling looks like an interesting trade, thought I’d give it a try 
. What’s a good starter uni (cheap) 
? If I’m any good, then I’ll buy a better one worth more $$$ :D.
(Just a thought…)
Here’s my advice: you get what you pay for. If you get a unicycle as cheap as $40 new, you can expect to pay that much and maybe more for replacement parts.
Try starting off with a Sun unicycle. They’re cheap as far as unicycles go (around $100, depending on what size you get), but not so cheap you’ll be stopping every 30 feet to go back inside and tighten the crank nut or pedal again. I think the Torker LX might be in that price range too. My DX works pretty good, no broken parts yet (although some genius left a tack standing point up in the middle of the park, so now I have a flat tire).
Good luck, glad to year you’re getting into unicycling. And welcome to the forums!
do most people find uni-cycling enjoyable at first? and can it be picked-up easily? if its not something where most people quit due to difficulty, i could just buy a good uni (this way price is irrelevant) >>> then what would be your recommendation(s)?
I wouldn’t say most people quit due to difficulty, but you’ll never learn to ride if you don’t want it. You have to be determined. The first time you make several revolutions will feel amazing, and then one time it will “click”, and you’ll be able to ride for a certain (long) distance. Eventually you’ll be able to ride indefinitely. Learning takes a lot of patience and persistence, but once you learn to ride you’ll agree that it was worth it. The average time to learn to ride is anywhere from a day to a week, to learn to freemount is over the next couple of weeks. Once you learn, you won’t give it up. However, some of the more expensive (and quality) unis are specialized for a certain discipline of unicycling (i.e., trials/mountain unicycling, street, freestyle, etc.). You should know what you want to do before going out and spending hundreds of dollars on a certain unicycle. I would recommend getting a cheaper one first, though, because while you’re learning the unicycle you have will fall countless times. Even if you catch the seat (which will become second nature by the time you can ride), the pedals, cranks, and tire will take a beating. By the time I learned to ride on my first unicycle, there was a hole worn through the tire where I mounted every time (you will twist a lot getting up your first times.) Now, even though my Torker DX could take the beating of someone learning on it, I don’t make it go through that, so if I ever take a bad fall or bang it on something, it will still have the strength it came with and will stay in better condition than if I had learned on it.
It depends how enjoyable it will be. You have to have patience to learn, it doesn’t come on the first try (or else unicycling would be much more popular).
Sometimes it takes people weeks, but thankfully sometimes only a few days. You just have to be persistent. If you stick with it it does become rewarding when you start getting it. That’s where the enjoyability comes from.
There’s a few riders in the Chicago area, including myself, and we get together occasionally. Here’s 2 of our video channels if you wanna check them out:
http://www.youtube.com/zaw92/
http://www.youtube.com/uniRainey/
good advice… make a cheap unicycle suffer abuse while training.
now i would travel on pavement, cement, gravel, dirt, grass, ect (i live in an urban area (which also has tons of parks)). jumping seems useful as of now, and distance-riding would be an essential, based off of that, what do you think best suits me?
Welcome! I’ve been riding about 6 months now, can do 4 miles, no tricks yet. I love riding. It was pretty hard at first, but things are getting to be much more relaxed. At this point, even though its still physically strenuous, its also very enjoyable.
I started with the Club 24" from unicycle.com. Its been very reliable and sturdy. I want a better one in the future, but this is a good recommendation to learn on from me. Being 5’7", you may want to try a 20". It does depend on what you plan to do in the future. I always knew I’d be riding longer distances, so I went with the 24 for learning purposes.
The unicycle you have linked to looks OK as a starter. I’m amazed that you can find something like that as cheap as $40. The description is technically inconsistent everywhere so I don’t know if I would believe any of it. The photo shows that it has main cap bearings, much better than the lollipop style on cheaper unicycles. Although specified as aluminum, the cranks look thin so they’re probably steel. Heavy, but at least not cheap aluminum so they’re strong but not strong enough for hopping. The saddle looks OK as well. It’s not the best made but it’s not the Savage torture saddle either. And it has a handle and is bigger than the old Torker kiddie seats. It doesn’t specify that it’s a 24" wheel but the model number certainly suggests that. I can’t tell from the photo. The 250mm seat post should be long enough for someone your height.
In the future, post unicycling related questions in the unicycling forum, RSU. This is Just Conversation in which we discuss everything but unicycling.
i watched 2rialza and… wow. how long did it take you achieve that level of performance? maybe one day i can ride with your group =)