I broke the pedals twice while learning and had to change the crankshafts once as a result, plus the seat makes me sore pretty quick. other then that, I do not have a complaint about it, it has taken me to and from work a few times (6 miles each way) and to the corner store at least 4 times a week. The rim is still very straight, I have only had to true it once. Granted, I have not taken it off-road and have only bunny hopped on it twice (probably could of cleared the thickness of a quarter on try #1.)
All in all, it has treated me very well for the <$100 I have invested in it so far.
The question is: How much nicer are the name brand unis? I want larger wheel size to ride, should I really invest the extra $300 or are the UDC learners actually a good deal for the casual rider?
Unicycles are one of those things where the cheap ones really are not any good. There’s the no name unis that are made by companies who make nothing thats quality and there are the companies that make good unis but also make really terrible ones. Fact of the matter is, when it comes to the el cheapo stuff they have no qualms with making them terrible because most of the people who buy them never learn to ride them. They just get thrown in the closet next to peoples karate outfits and shortwave radios.
A decent unicycle will cost you good money but will also treat you a lot better. The question is how do you want to ride your uni and how long do you want it to last? If you just want to ride around and not do any tricks or off road a 24" wheel will do the job for you fine, if you want to go off road or do tricks or trials or just even want something super good quality you will have to find somehing specialised that will cost more. If you do a search of the threads allready on this site there is a wealth of information about choosing the right uni.
But if you would like a good old fashioned biased opinion, I would say buy a Miyata. I think they are just awesome. www.mys-co.com
The UDC club is a very good unicycle for just riding around. If you want something stronger for going in the woods, jumpung etc go for a Nimbus 24 or 26 muni. If you want the strongest go for a KH
If the thing is working, there’s no reason to replace it to do the same kind of riding you’re currently doing. The question is, what kind of riding do you want to do? If you want to ride off-road, or get into street/trials, it could be worth getting an appropriate unicycle, and leaving this one for your around-town toodling.
The Club is a reasonable uni, but not significantly better than what you have.
What Tom said. You’ll know when you need to upgrade. Generally you get what you pay for. Cheap unicycles are fine for learning to ride, but usually have less comfortable seats. Then if you try doing more punishing stuff with them, that’s when you’ll start seeing the other differences from the pricier ones. It’s normal to learn on a cheapie, then move up to something beefier when needed. Then you use the cheapie to teach your friends…
It’s always worth while to buy a KH free ride, or street saddle, especially for a cheap uni. Bad saddles are the norm on cheap unis, it will be an instant improvement. Also, UDC has PC plastic pedals for about 10 $. Cheap pedals and they are so popular KH tosses in a set (or at at least they used to), with most of their unis.
Don’t worry about spending $ for interchangeable seats and pedals on a cheap uni. If you break one uni, you move the plush parts to the next one. You will always have more fun sitting on that great seat.
Thanks for all the helpful advice.
Thorvald, thanks for the warm welcome, and to answer your question, my primary goal at the moment is to be able to comfortably travel a decent distance at a reasonable speed. As far as how long it lasts is going to be more determined by how much of an investment I am able to put into it, but based off of how much of a beating I have given the one that has been saved from a fate of collecting dust next to a short-wave radio I would have to believe that the 29" I am looking at should hold out for a while (so long as UDC holds up to the reviews I have been reading about their unicycles.) p.s. they look good, but as far as I can see Miyata does not make a 29er?
Smilymarco, the Clubs are within my preferred price range, unfortunately, no larger wheels then what I am already on, and that is really the whole reason I want a different uni. Thanks for the input I now have a much better understanding of the unicycle hierarchy.
Tholub, I just want a larger wheel and I’m sure the one I have now will be borrowed by someone for them to learn on (I do not envy their taint). Thanks for the reassurance on Club being a worthwhile brand, I might look harder into them if I ever have to replace the one I have now.
Johnfoss, I know I need to upgrade my saddle at the least. as best I can tell through research, the KH freeride is the one for me. So, as long as I am not doing any stunts or circumnavigating terrain rougher than a Florida sidewalk there is no great reason to pay more then $250(+new saddle) on a unicycle?
Feel the Light, thanks for the conformation on the free ride, very well might be my next purchase. got both of my replacement peddles from UDC and they have held up great so far (aside from the one I lost in a freak accident involving an untied shoelace and a lesson about wearing wrist guards.)
