I used to ride when I was young and my son wants one for his 16th birthday? I’m big (6’-2" tall 220 plus pounds) and my son will be big. I learned and rode a Schwinn but I don’t remember the wheel size.
What is a good unicycle to learn on? Cheap but NOT the cheapest. What is the right size? Brand? Seat style? Something that can stand the beating of the beginner but be a good unicycle he can take with him to college.
The Torker LX is a good learner. Either a 20 or 24 inch is good for learning. The 24 inch is probably better if he wants to use it at school for getting around. If he gets to the point where the Torker is not strong enough (drops, jumping, etc) he can upgrade. You can usually find used Torkers on Craigslist, depending on your location. It’s a great way to start.
We need to know what you and your son are panning on dooing with the unicycle before we can really give a good recomendation but for a bigger guy you can’t really go wrong with a 24" Nimbus II with ISIS hub which will be able to stand up to anything you throw at it. They are very overbuilt unicycles for learning and freestyle and I would not hesitate to put a knobby tire on it and hit the trails. It is a bit pricier than other “learner” unicycles but you get what you pay for.
If you are not expecting to be too hard on the unicycle, as in not hopping or dropping with it, and staying mostly on pavement I would suggest the Club 24. The Club is comparable to the Torker LX but is quite cheep at the moment.
Some people say that 20" wheels are easier to learn on, but I found it easier with a larger wheel. Everyone is different but at 6’2" I would lean towards getting a bigger wheel to start off with.
My story is similar to yours. Rode a Schwinn 24" when I was younger, (in my 20’s). And at 50 decided to start riding again. My first new uni was the the one that Sasky mentioned the 24" nimbus II. I like the Nimbus so much and its such a great value I now own three of them (20", 24" and 29").
I think at your size you would probably be happier on a 24". I’m 6’ and weigh 200 lbs and now that I have both a 20" and 24" the 20" feels small and I feel like my feet are going around in tiny little circles. Mostly I’ve been using the 20" to learn to dribble a basketball. Having worked on idling on both the 24" and the 20" I find it easier on the 24" (the longer cranks make it easier to me). Also pedaling a 20" for any kind of distance gets old fast. For someone your size a 24" is a very versatile size.
Just my .02