I have been riding sporadically since I was in middle school (2010). I taught myself how to ride on a weird 16" uni and I have since moved on to an old 20" and a cheap Torker 24".
I am entirely self taught and I just recently realized that I have been free mounting wrong this whole time. I have been starting with my pedals in the 12/6 o’clock position instead of a 9/3 position. As soon as I converted to the 9/3 I became drastically more consistent at mounting my unicycle! I also just went from 180mm cranks to 114mm and for my short legs it has made a marvelous difference in my smoothness. I have discovered any cranks bigger than 150mm seem cause me to have a sort of hitch in my pedal stroke.
What unicycle should I get next?
I have been riding daily for the last month or so and I am looking to purchase a larger unicycle. My goal is to be able to go on 5+ mile rides and it just feels like that is not super feasible (at least in terms of comfort) on my 24". I am considering purchasing the Nimbus 29", is this a wise choice? Is there a noticeable difference between the Nimbus 29 and the UDC 29? I am very interested in the 36" unis, but for my skill level it seems like the 29 may be a more practical ride for the next year or two.
Before I buy a new unicycle I want to maintain my consistent rides for the next month or two and I am hoping to be able to consistently go 3-5 miles. I am considering upgrading my saddle though. Would it be wise to purchase the KH Freeride saddle now (i.e. will it work on my Torker)? Or should I just suck it up and wait until I get a new uni?
I started on a 24". Never rode anything smaller yet. I recently bought a 27.5" Nimbus MUni. It’s super cool and I’m still setting it up after a few rides, but it actually made me fall in love with the 24" even more, ha! But I know I’ll come to love the larger wheel with more time with it.
Either way, sounds like you are interested in trying a larger wheel. Go for it!!!
Welcome! Nothing wrong with moving up to a 29”. The difference in Nimbus vs UDC is going to be in the strength, mainly the wheel. If you aren’t planning on extreme usage ie. large drops then either will be fine, but the Nimbus with its ISIS hub will be stronger, and maybe the rim is stronger too, but I don’t remember. If I were you, I would put a better seat on the Torker and ride it those 3-5 miles. Heck, I did about dozen 20+ mile rides on a Club 24” before I got a Nimbus 29”. Also, if you get the KH Freeride saddle now, you can enjoy it now and then move it to a 29” when you acquire one later.
Welcome!
I started on a 24" and went on to get a 29". It took a month or so of getting used to it, but now the 29" just eats up those miles. I’ve since bought a 27.5" that better suits my needs (light commute, taking on trains, going on trails etc.), but the transition from 24" to 29" was totally doable. I haven’t tried a 36" so I can’t say about that. The bottom line is that 29" is well practical for what you want to do.
Saddle and crank length make up your two contact points, so switching them up will make a world of a difference. If you’re buying a new uni, I’d wait buying upgrades until then; there may be compatibility issues depending on what you end up buying.
29er is a great size. Its a manageable size easy to mount, add a touring bar and five mile rides will be nothing. The nimbus is a good choice. Big fan of 29ers.
I relearned to ride on a torker 24 then bought a UDC 29 trainer, I found it was very easy to move to the 29 from the 24 much easier than I expected. you can do 5 miles + with ease on the 29
I think that’s my plan. I am going to upgrade the seat (and maybe the seat post?) then build up my strength and skill on the 24". Hopefully by the late summer or early fall I’ll feel confident enough to upgrade to the 29". I’m still leaning towards the Nimbus because of the ISIS cranks and all around slight improvements. Knowing me, I would get the UDC and then procedure to upgrade the parts so I am probably better up getting the version that is already somewhat upgraded!