I’m really interested learning to unicycle and I’ve been looking around at different sites and unicycle shops. I’m still not sure what type of unicycle to get as far as a 20" or a 24". I live in Flagstaff, Arizona and I’ve heard different opinions on what type of uni to get.
I am a beginner, so I’ve heard that a 20" uni would be good to get, but I also live in a town with lots gravel and off-road trails, which I’ve heard that getting a 24" uni would be better. I would also be learning to unicycle on gravel rather than concrete.
I probably won’t be buying my unicycle until next year, after the snow season, so I have awhile, but I just wanted to get some opinions so I can know which unicycle I should purchase once I’m ready to.
20 vs 24 is pretty comparable for learning. Either way it will take a lot of dedication to get the basics down. I learned on a cheap 24" unicycle and it wasn’t terribly difficult. It lasted me long enough to figure out that I really want to do this so then I invested in a stronger unicycle.
www.unicycle.com has a number of unicycles available so it’s really up to you and your budget. The Club 20’s and 24’s, and the Torker LX are all in the same price range but these are going to be a little dodgy for learning on gravel. If that’s going to be a problem, I would suggest to go for a mountain unicycle. Nimbus makes a strong, affordable build, however the stock cranks are likely to fail after some extended use.
If you don’t want to wait through winter, perhaps you could ask a local gymnasium if they would let you practice indoors.
For what you described, go 24". Depending how rough the terrain you want to be riding, decide between a “regular” (street) tire and more of a MUni one. The MUni tire will not ride as well on pavement, and will be heavier. On easy dirt, the street tire will be fine. If you start spending all your time on the mountain bike trails, you’ll want the heavier, more aggressive tire.
I kept hearing about the Torker LX being a good beginners uni, but when I went to unicycles.com I just couldn’t find it. But I was looking under the beginners tab, so I tried the street cycling one. I don’t know if I’m going to need a nimbus really. I mean, the layout that I’d be working on isn’t all gravel and rocks. There’s asphalt and dirt, so I might try a regular street uni first to get the feel of it and maybe after I’ve got it down I’ll look into getting a Nimbus? It’s difficult to decide, really, because it’s a mountainous region, but there are also regular streets and stuff too. I don’t know how enthusiastic I am to take on the mountains either, to be honest.
Although it would be cool just to get started now, I think it’d be best to hold off until the winter season is over. It seems wiser for me to save up slowly and then know that I’m financially secure when I buy the uni.
As to what got me into unicycling, I’ve always thought it was cool and I’ve seen a few kids around campus riding them. What won me completely over was when my friend let me try his uni out. The frame was bent, so there was no way to balance on it properly, but it was so much fun! I’d really love to learn to ride one well.
Thanks, John!
I think I’m leaning more towards a regular street tire because I really don’t feel brave enough to try going by mountain trails and there is dirt and asphalt in my neck of the woods; it’s not straight-up rocks and hard terrain. There is a few mountain trails nearby, but… I’m not feeling brave enough to man them. First, I really just want to learn to ride.
I’m aware that in learning my uni will be getting banged up, but is there a pretty durable street unicycle for beginners? I want one that will last for awhile, you know?
If you buy the unis that are being mentioned it’s not going to break under normal usage. When you get your uni you will see that only the pedals and seat bumpers can hit the ground.
A little maintenance from time to time will prevent stripped pedal or damaged cranks. If something does break there is nothing on a uni that is very expensive. Checking a uni takes just a few minutes. Cranks, pedals, bearing caps, seat bolts. That’s about it.
When you assemble the uni you need to make sure things are on the correct side of the uni to prevent possible damage. But UDC slaps stickers everywhere marking left and right and there are instructions that are easy to follow.
Not getting things on the correct side puts you at risk of pedals loosening themselves and when you are new rider you may not notice that they feel ‘funny’. It’s also good to check the crank bolts after a few days of riding. They usually need a bit of tightening.
Anyway, use a little common sense and your uni will have a long life.
I had read some older posts about newcomers inquiring about unicycles. The members of UniCom had said that the unicycles can get damaged pretty quickly when you’re learning to ride, so they said advised that the newcomer invest in a cheap uni to learn on and then upgrade later. I don’t want to terrorize my first unicycle – I really want to keep it in good condition, so I was just trying to determine if some unicycles were feebler than others.
To some extent it depends on what type or riding you are doing.
BUT if you are riding on flat ground, learning to ride forward, turn, figure eights, freemount, idle, hop in place, ride backwards you are not going to brake or damage your uni beyond the ends of the pedals all scratched and gouges and the same with the plastic seat bumpers.
small drops. say under a foot are not going to hurt anything either.
Short of putting it together wrong and not stopping and checking when something doesn’t 'feel right, you have zero to worry about.
I say if you have the budget, and are determined to ride (it can take some persistence) than get the Nimbus (the ‘full’ version not the Club) and you will never regret the purchase. Ever. And it can be upgraded as your needs change.
But the Club is a fine purchase, and what I would get for someone on tight budget and/or uncertain about commitment level.
Some people like the $100 uni approach, with a better better one somewhere down the line. There is nothing wrong with this approach and is used by many people. Typically the $100 dollar uni becomes a loaner.
As you zero in on models and want opinions, were here ready to give advice.
But it has nothing to do with potential damage, short of backing over it with the car. Any damage from riding on level ground is going to be cosmetic.
IF you drop your uni, even a $100 one, near a curb or bench you could scratch the frame/forks/seatpost but you won’t break them.
Your pedals and seat will take a beating but they are up to it. That is going to happen on a $100 Uni and it happens on a $600 Uni.
Anything we recommend here will hold up to the abuse of learning and the skills I listed above with no problem.
Let’s demo the no damage on flat ground theory of buying Unis. These three pictures should make it obvious that no part of the uni except the seat/pedals/tire can touch the ground.
For learning to ride, 20" is usually slightly easier than 24". But the difference is not large and you’d better be guided by the type of riding you want to do eventually. It sounds like you want to get around town, both on-road and off-road. For that, a 24" is better, a 20" would be annoyingly slow. For most people, a 20" is better for learning special skills like different mounts etc. The other approach would be to buy a 20" first and learn to ride on it. Then you could buy a 29" which is nice and fast on asphalt or mild off-road, while keeping your 20" for tricks and stuff.
Oh, and for everything about unicycling (which clearly holds for this thread too), Rec.sport.unicycling is the appropriate forum on this site. Just Conversation is for anything else really.
I am just starting to learn how to ride and I agonized over the size and model of the Uni to buy as my first one. Many people told me 20 or 24’s aren’t that diifferent to lean on. I am 5’10" with long legs so I figured the 24" would be better for me long term.
I have had my new Torker LX 24" for a week now and I guess I wish that I would have bought a 20" to learn on, only because when I start going (without holding onto the wall) I am scared of wiping out because I am going so fast. I am sure that is strictly because I am a complete noob learner and this “white belt syndrome” will pass with time, so maybe the 24 will be just fine. I wish I had a 20" to compare it to.
With that said, I really like my Torker LX, is is well built for a cheap Uni. I think it is a good learner unit. Bought it new on Amazon for cheap.
I also learned on a 24" thinking that if I was only going to have one uni a 24" would be more interesting. Once I got hooked on unicycling the idea of having only one uni went out the window and within a year I had both larger and smaller wheels. The 20" wheel does make trying new things less scary but I don’t regret learning to ride on a 24".
I also learned on a 24" thinking that if I was only going to have one uni a 24" would be more interesting. Once I got hooked on unicycling the idea of having only one uni went out the window and within a year I had both larger and smaller wheels. The 20" wheel does make trying new things less scary but I don’t regret learning to ride on a 24". The important thing is to keep at it.
Not sure how fast you are going, but maybe you are going too fast? Many people tend to go too slow when learning, which makes making corrections more difficult - but you may be the exception. A good speed for learning to ride on a 24" is some 5 to 6 mph (maybe 9 km/h), which corresponds to a slow to moderate jogging pace. It’s a cadence of about 80 which means 80 revolutions per minute.
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There are surely several variables when it comes to choosing a learner unicycle. I’m so glad I got a 20" club first. I’m a short-arse and the 20 felt ‘manageable’ for a first uni. It seems unicyclists are gear-hounds of the highest order (gleaned just from reading these forums :p) and I’m no different and shortly after I obtained a 24" wheel which felt very ‘high up’ but far less scary having already started gaining skills on the 20.
Horses for courses. How tall are you? How brave are you? Whatever you choose it will not be your last uni
Whoa! So many replies! I’m quite overwhelmed actually. ^^;
I admit that I’d like to stick with one unicycle right now. That might change as I grow more familiar with cycling, but I think I’d like to stick to one unicycle for a year or so.
By the way, I’m 5’4" – on the shorter side, I know, but I’m more legs than anything. Would 24" still be a good size for me or should I look into dropping to a 20"?
Learning to ride should take you just a fraction of the period that you plan to have only one unicycle. So for the choice of unicycle you should focus on what you want to do with your uni. For the riding I think you want to do (riding around town both on pavement and offroad), the 24" is the uni of choice. There may be a slightly less steep learning curve (meaning that it takes slightly longer to learn!) but that is more than offset by the amount of fun you’ll have with a 24" compared to a 20" once you can ride.
I thought that my experience might be useful to you. I am new to unicycling and just got 20" Torker LX this week. I am almost 5’7" and I had to set the seat to the lowest possible setting, so I can sit with my knee just a tiny bit bent when my pedal is down. (Please correct me if this is not how it is supposed to be done.) If I were a little shorter, I guess I would have to saw off a part of the seat post.
I have no idea how seat post lengths compare on different unicycle brands and sizes. Just wanted to let you know that you might encounter this issue.
In general I found 20" to be a good size for learning (not that I am even close to unsupported riding ) But again, can’t compare it to other sizes.
Well, I am off to practice before it gets dark and cold!
I’d really love to learn to ride one well. 
