I hope that this question doesn’t annoy you (I guess you won’t respond if it does), because it’s probably been asked quite a few times… but here it goes…
I was wondering what would be a good first unicycle for me to buy. I looked on unicycle.com and the recommendations for my height (5’10"), weight (140), age (15), etc. were:
Torker CX 24"(from looking at past threads and almost everyone’s negative comments about this unicycle, this one doesn’t look too great) Torker LX 24" (I’ve seen a lot of positive comments about this being a good “starter”) Sun 24" Chrome (I haven’t seen any comments on this one) United 24" Adult Trainer (again, no comments that I’ve seen on previous posts) Schwinn 24" (haven’t heard any comments on this one either)
These are the ones that are in the price range I’m looking for right now (I wouldn’t like to spend much more than $160).
Anyway, I was wondering if you had any opinions on these models.
I want something I can learn on and that will work good for just cruising the neighborhood.
Also, what sort of “safety gear” would be needed? I’ve heard that you need a helmet (of course :)), wrist protectors, elbow pads? and knee pads. Is there anything else that would be neccesary?
Out of those, I would go with the Torker LX either 20 or 24". I personally would get a 20" though. For cruising though, a 24" will be faster, but I would much rather have the quickness of a 20" once I started doing freestyle, street, and trials.
When I learned, I used nothing for safety gear. I never fell to the point of where I actually hit the ground, it was always just stepping off when my balance was too off for me to stay on the uni.
If you feel the need, something to protect your wrists from impacts, and your knees would be good. Helmet too I guess. I just dont see you falling too hard during the learning stage.
I only hit my head once doing something really stupid and out of my class. I think you should be fine with wristgaurds/ gloves, but hey a helmet can’t hurt.
I’ll probably go with the LX, but I’m wondering if the Schwinn is somehow better or might last longer because it costs a bit more. ???
And about the safety gear… Knowing my parents I will probably be in full body armor (most likely something that could withstand an atomic bomb).
Thanks for the help. I did try to look in the previous threads so that I wouldn’t repeat the same thing that all the other newbies posted ;), but I didn’t see much about any other “starter” unicycles besides the Torker CX and LX.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to share my unicycling experiences soon…
shin guard then helmet for most people. for me just helmet. i value my brains more than my shins.
untill you start jumping or doing tricks you dont need shin guard and you shouldnt need a helmet either.
when you get better depending on how you ride determines what you need for safety gear. with my style i pretty much never hit my shin (while riding trials) but i will definately hit them riding street.
till you get decent you dont any protective gear
I value my brains too. It is just that I never hit my head at all. I bought a helmet, but have only wore it like 3-5 times. Mostly when my dad was with me and made me wear it.
Hawo KimJH, my name is harry a.k.a Hazmat. Welcome to the forums my new friend.
1) This has to the worst of the worst IMO. 2) Definitely the unicycle of choice and value for money 3) These are good too but somewhat lack torker reputation etc 4 & 5) Don’t know about the other 2 as we don’t get them here in oz. 6) Perseverance and alot of patience.
Unless you see one that’s been fairly well upgraded, don’t get a sun brand uni. I can speak from personal experience that sun puts a really, really uncomfortable (almost painful) seat on their unis. You’d be better off buying one on the torker model unicycles. Especially if you’re not looking to spend alot. Torker makes a very nice cycle for the money.
I have a Torker LX. Had no idea what I was looking for when it came to buying a uni, but I went to a shop locally owned by a fellow that I met playing ultimate frisbee. He walked me through the different types of frames/wheels you could get and suggested that the LX would be best for me to start out on. After learning on it, and reading these reviews from everyone on the board, I know he wasn’t cheating me out of my money and feel very confident to recommend it to people.
