G’Day guys! I bought a super cheap 20" unicycle off ebay because I had a life goal at wanting to learn how to ride one. I have now learned and also become pretty hooked on riding. Just today started doing little hops so I can next work on getting up curbs. I can drop off curbs without falling and seem to ride a little more and do a little more each time.
SO. Knowing the unicycle I have now is cheap and only made to learn to ride. I know want something solid. Wanting to stay by the $300 marker brought me to finding two I am pretty sold on. Amazon has a Koxx Fluo Trails for $245 and there is the Torker DX for $300 on both Amazon and Ebay.
This is plenty to spend on my next one up as I am still learning, just wanting it to handle the weight of jumping. The jist of my riding will be on the street, and will certainly go on some trails when I find them. Hoping up and off curbs to maybe riding down small sets of stairs. Nothing heavier then that. I am back and forth of if I want to stick with 20" or go up to 24". I have had a go of both. And I am 5’11" Already found my current 20" to be a few inches to short in the seat post where as my mate’s 24" is plenty high enough.
Would anyone share their opinions of unicycle choice with me to help me narrow it down?
Torker DX is a very heavy uni. I would not recommend it.
Koxx was a good construction but is no long manufactured. Some of their ISIS cranks are not standard but I don’t know how to tell which ones.
Trials and Trails need two different unis. For Trials you want a 19 inch. You can get a longer seat post if required.
If you want to go off road on trails you need a larger diameter wheel. I would suggest you jump straight to 26 inch as it is a good all-rounder.
You will end up buying several unis because no one uni is suited to everything. It is just a matter of deciding what you want first.
Nice info, thanks mate. Yeah I was thinking being able to do EVERYTHING on just the “one” uni would work. I have noticed a lot of trials ones have 19" rims, From what I think, that’s so it can take a beefier tired with more cushion?!
I believe any under 24" would require me getting a longer seatpost. I guess where I am starting and spending the most time will be riding on concrete, parking lots and schools, sidewalks. And mostly sticking in that area.
I’m as (or even more) new to all this as the OP, so this is effectively as much of a question as a statement, but I got the impression that a 24" muni type configuration could be workable for a taller person both offroad and to do some basic hopping around on, though less optimally than a 19" trials. True or not really?
I’d also observe that breaking out of the “what one can get on Amazon” mindset may be important - I was hesitant to deal with non-instant-gratification suppliers myself, but unicycle.com got me my Nimbus 26 more quickly than I had come to expect (so much so that I was out of town when it arrived). I do think the OP should look through the $300-400 models of Nimbus line at least for comparison, even if they end up buying something else (it’s particularly interesting to run the compare wizard on a Nimbus vs. the cheaper “Club” versions to see which components are similar vs. different).
Even though muni tires seem (at least from pictures of local folks) to be popular even in urban settings, I went with a road configuration given I’ll mostly be on similar terrain where it seems the tread would be needlessly worn off, but what really clinched it for me was seeing the weight difference between the muni and road versions of the 26" Nimbus.
I’m up in the air as to go up to 24" or stick with 20" with longer seat post. My friends 24" is easy to ride. Easier to get up on. Turning is a little trickier. I think sue to the crank arms being longer rather than the wheel diameter. I did end up going to unicycle.com. Based on free shipping over #300. And some what appear to be very quality and solid looking Nimbus uni’s for around $330 paint a little extra above ebay or Amazon’s prices might be more than worth it. Especially seeing you can pick what sized seat post to go with it rather than getting what you get off the other sites. I believe being taller and more advanced now, the 24" would be my best move to make for the “next one” I get. I don’t believe I will want a 26" for some time due to mostly riding street.
From what you described in the original post, it sounds to me you should find a nicer 20". It will be better for learning basic skills, such as idling, riding backward and all the other stuff you mentioned. I have ridden my 20" on many of the same trails and hills that I typically ride on my 26" mUni. There’s nothing keeping you from trying off-road-riding on your 20". Yeah, it will be slow, and you won’t be able to roll over some stuff, but nevertheless you’ll get the idea of how fun off-roading is. So, I’d say that the “do all” uni has to be a 20". I would encourage you to “up” your price, however. If you continue unicycling, eventually you’ll branch off to different sizes.
I always vote for the nimbus 24 muni for all around versatility.
If you feel like you want to do more tricks outdoors, go with a 19/20" trials/street.
If you want to ride indoors or flat ground freestyle, a normal old 20"
It’s really personal preference, if you like the 24" feel, and it can do everything you want it to, go for it. Same with the 20". Both will be able to handle it. You get used to what you ride. Just like juggling clubs, there are a lot of things that can work, and better and worse are thrown out the window once you have it.
Maybe the question that really needs to be asked is what is wrong with the current 20" that the new purchase is supposed to fix. For example
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The seatpost and/or saddle are a bad fit
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It takes a huge amount of pedaling to cover any distance outdoors
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Too much hopping and dropping will probably break it
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You are serious about this and deserve something better
In my case, I purchased my second unicycle (26") primarily to address #2, but so far what has been most successful was borrowing its saddle to address #1- it makes my beginner 20" feel like a completely different unicycle and if I were trying to economize in hindsight I could have just bought a saddle and seatpost. #3 isn’t yet relevant for me. The challenge for #4 is the difference between the ease of picking quality vs. specifically identifying something that will be the best fit to the riding you want to do.
I am certainly thinking I deserve something better quality to ride. Because what I have is so cheap. I have just received and cut and welded a 400mm seat post to fit onto my seat bracket today. So this afternoon I will be able to ride it at a proper height for me. But still, it’s a super cheap uni. $45 off ebay. The tire is already slick because it’s some cheap foam/rubber mix. And with hopping on it I am sure it’s only time before I bend the cranks. It’s served it’s purpose and I can keep it as my little 20" to mess around on and go with my current decision of the Nimbus 24" mountain uni as my next one. I think that based on my height. I feel I can do the same 20" things on my mates 24" so as my next uni I believe I have found the one. Maybe the Nimbus gremlin 20" after that, down the road some time if I feel I want a smaller set up for street.
Thanks for the great input from you all!
Remember that unicycling covers a wide range of activities on different surfaces. That tyre might have been designed for riding a wooden floor in Freestyle events. I wore out a tyre on my Qu-ax in two weeks by riding on tarmac.
Don’t fret too much over which unicycle you should get next. You will eventually buy several. I am just a casual rider and I have five.
You can spend a lot of money and time upgrading your hardware as your skills progress and one never wants to be in a position where the limitation is the hardware.
If you are into unicycling and can afford it then invest some decent gear early on. It will save in total cost sooner than you might expect. However it is good to have at least one uni that you don’t mind your friends trashing a little so that learner was a good investment too.