All right guys, I have just started riding a 20" unicycle. I got it from amazon.com for like 36 bucks. It’s been about two weeks of me riding for about an hour a day. Both my cranks have fallen off and I’ve needed to replace their bolts. My pedals are horrible and give me absolutely no grip and now the right one seems to be stuck. I can’t tighten it or loosen it and I think there might be something wrong with the threading. Also, my tire has one part that is so worn out that it has hairs from inside the rubber coming out. Therefore, because of all these problems I am thinking about getting a new unicycle. I want it to ride to school everyday, about 1.5 miles. Do I need a new one and which one? Do I really get what I pay for or are unicycles things that just need all this work on them. I have to give mine a quick fix everyday to just ride it for an hour. Please let me know and if you guys think a 24" or 26" inch would be better for me let me know how much different it is from riding a 20". I am just beginner and I am starting to free mount just now so you guys have an idea.
Thanks in advance.
Goose
ok man i will say somethings and somethings i know i do!
I go to school with my unicycle KH 20’’, it is not so fast in my best condition I can ride the same speed of someone running fast!
But I use it to do tricks, flatland street etc …
Probably the unicycle that you bought is not of good quality, I suggest that you first find out what to do with the unicycle
want to ride long distances? Buy a rim 29 or 36
riding distance but do some tricks? buy a rim 24
I want do various tricks and sometimes ride short distances - buy a rim 20
I want do mountain and riding distances - buy a MUNI rim 24 or 26
it all depends what you want to do with his unicycle, unicycle good brands are:
Nimbus
Kris Holm
Qu-Ax
Koxx-one
Addict
For commuting that distance a 24/6 would be fine. Personally, I’d get something even bigger, but that’s because I’m a glutton for big wheels. You’d probably have to pay quite a lot more to get a larger wheel.
I think there are two types of uni; the learner/piece of junk, and good unicycles. If you buy from a reputable unicycle seller, then even some of the cheapest will be a huge step up from what you’re riding now.
The Nimbus club freestyle range is very good for the money. If you want to do any muni or jumping around, then you might want to spend a bit more, but for regular riding out and about, it will hold up fine and be a hell of a lot more comfortable.
If you have interest in Muni riding, you could get a Nimbus 24 or 26" muni and add a hookworm tire. This combination will be great on the road and also good for off-road riding, particularly when you switch back to the knobby tire. This combination is much more expensive than your starter (junk) unicycle, but it will be almost indestructible with normal heavy uses.
http://www.unicycle.com/unicycles/mountain-unicycle/nimbus-26-inch-muni.html/
It is very hard to get a decent light duty unicycle for less than about $120, although there are occasional specials. Here is a reasonable option:
http://www.unicycle.com/unicycles/bymanufacturer/club/club-24-inch-freestyle-green/
UDC is running a 12-days of Christmas special now so you might watch for discounts over the next week or two.
Scott
You got a lemon. You need a new one. A unicycle should be almost maintenance free. A 24 inch should be fine for riding 3 miles round trip. It goes about as fast as jogging, and it will be easier to learn on than a 26. A Torker LX is supposed to be good (I don’t have one, but a lot of people are satisfied with them). I have Sun 20 inch that I bought used on Craigslist for $35. It has worked fine for 9 months now. Club brand from unicycle.com is also supposed to be good for entry-level unicycles. If you don’t get a used one, you’ll probably end up spending around $120 on a reliable unicycle.
All right guys, thanks for the input.
Actually he might have bought one of the best unicycles available from that time period; it’s hard to tell from his description. Let’s break it down:
I didn’t know Amazon sold used unicycles. Cool! Do you know what kind it was? Anyway, when you say bolts I’m going to guess you mean cotter pins? They’re like wedges that go through the cranks and axle, and tighten with a little nut? That makes you unicycle probably 25 years old or more. If you mean axle nuts, which attach the square hole in the crank directly onto the square end of the axle, then your unicycle is much more recent and probably cheap crap. It’s real hard to find cotter pins and cottered cranks these days, so don’t put much money into it if that’s the case.
It’s probably the left pedal. They thread the other way. This means you’re riding the cycle backwards or have the seat on backwards. Try turning it the other way. Also make sure the normally-threaded pedal is on your right when you ride. If they both thread the same way, one of them is the wrong kind, you need one of each to keep the pedals from coming loose.
That means either you’ve been riding a ton, or the previous owner actually rode it (a lot). It’s normal wear & tear, but it means you need a new tire (if not a new unicycle). Yes, you get what you pay for. Depending on what type of riding you want to do along the way, you can also consider a 24" wheel for the ride to school. It’s a big speed bump from a 20", and doesn’t take up much more space.