I’ve always wanted to learn to ride a unicycle, then I saw this on Craigslist, then looked up “how to ride a unicycle”, watched some videos and decided to go for it. I picked this up for $40, and I figure it will take me the rest of the winter (holding on to my kitchen counter) to learn to ride it, so when spring comes I’ll be cruisin’. By the way, can anyone tell me what I bought?, It looks to be from the 70s or 80s, and has a 24 inch wheel, I can’t read the sticker cuz it’s scratched up, maybe someone on here can decipher it.
Thanks. I look forward to joining the unicycling community.
No ideas what it is, but it should do the job. Don’t get discouraged if that seat hurts your undersides, it looks pretty awful. Modern seats are much better. Once you learn to ride, in about a month, you’ll be shopping for something a bit more durable.
I’d recommend changing at least the seat immediately.
As soon as you learn to put some weight in the seat, which is very imprtant since your legs won’t get tired so fast, you will fell uncomfortable, which is very bad, especially at this early stage of learning.
Cranks, pedals, tire, even a new uni can (and will) come later.
Dick’s sporting goods store sells knee pads, wrist guards, elbow pads…skate boarding section. I am glad when I started out that I was using this equipment. Helmet and shin guards also…I have never talked to anyone who did not fall alot when starting out. Good luck. Expert Village has some good videos on youtube on learning how to ride unicycles.
I would run away screaming from your Uni. I tried learning on a unicycle like that when I was about 13 years old – awful seat, rickety construction, loose and too low seatpost – and I never learned how. Then I rode my friend’s Schwinn a few years later and learned to ride in a few weeks. Now it may not have been the unicycle but you can get a better uni for just a few dollars more. I am not even sure I could ride your Uni now.
We are all spoiled rotten with our nice unicycles and I cringe a bit thinking about learning on that one.
Is it possible to learn on a old cottered unicycle from the 70s?
Of course it is, people were unicycling back then too.
A modern unicycle would be more comfortable and less prone to go all wobbly and fall apart but they work the same way.
I would give that one a try. Don’t throw any more money at it though. If you feel it is time to upgrade anything on it (including the seat) you should just get a whole new unicycle, There aren’t really any “good bits” on that thing to build from.
When you decide to upgrade (or heaven forbid, give up) send that thing to John Foss, it would look good hanging from his garage ceiling, just don’t tell him I told you to do that.
It looks like a “typical” Messenger seat from the 70s. Also it seems to have a lot in common with the Columbia unicycle I have; 24", similar seat, steel frame. But I don’t think it’s a Columbia frame. Possibly a home-made? It would help if you could get that sticker in focus. But it might just be a bike shop sticker. Also if you take closeup pictures of the fork crown and bearing/axle area, that would help.
Luxury. You should have seen the piece of crap I learned on! I managed to ride it until it fell apart under me; learning to turn is what killed it. I had a similar experience during that time, riding a Schwinn 100 meters down the street on my first and only attempt.
You might want to consider purchasing a Unicycle from ebay or amazon. You should be able to get one with a much nicer seat for about $50. If the seat doesn’t bother you though yours should work fine. Good luck learning to ride!!
Get on it, learn to ride it, beat the crap out of it, duct tape the seat up when the metal pokes through. When you make it through all that, treat yourself to a new one. JMHO. I still have and ride my first unicycle, a 1972 20" Pro Cycle.
