I have been driving on a 24" unicycle for some time now, and now i am sure that longer distance unicycling is something i wanna do more, but the wheel limits be a lot. And as i can see in this forum a 36" is the way to go. So my question is what do you guys think i should invest in? Should i build one myself or just buy one thats already assembled? I have the money to buy something really good, but i can’t buy the geared hub
Hope you can give some advice; many of you must have been in this situation once.
When I wanted to start riding a 36’r I watched the Trading Post until a guy not far from me was selling one for a reasonable price, and bought it.
A year later I built a geared 32" from scratch, and then later sold the 36" on the Trading Post again.
So I think the Trading Post is a great way to buy a uni for less than the new price, so you can see how well you like it. And you can sell it again to upgrade, or whatever. I wouldn’t sweat the brand too much, at first you just need to see if you like the feeling of big-wheel riding. If you really take to it, then buy a new one that you really like, and you’ll know by then which features mean the most to you.
Good luck!
There’s something to be said for each way of doing it. Buying new lets you get the model you want in known good condition right now, provided at least one store somewhere has it in stock. If you’re willing to wait and then take something that’s more or less what you had in mind, you can save a lot of money buying used on this site and also help the other unicyclist who wants or needs to sell. Building from parts can be fun and rewarding or tedious and frustrating, depending on how you feel about projects like that. If you’re good at hunting for bargains, you could build for quite a bit less than full price for a new one, but typically more than you’d pay for a used unicycle with similar equipment. And it takes some planning and research to get parts that all work with each other.
As LanceB said, the 36" unicycles out now are all good enough to get you going. The unicycle I ride most often was built with parts from 9 different online stores, and that’s without a handlebar, brake, or lights. But I’ve done it each way and been pretty happy with all of them. Waiting for parts to go on sale or for a used unicycle turn up in the Trading Post here is a way to defer the question of which one to buy first if you’re considering a 36", a muni, one with a fat tire, one for trials, etc.
The no-fuss answer is to go with the KH with a dual hole setup (probably 125/150). If you have the money for it, it has all the parts you may want to upgrade to later. If you see yourself getting into it more and more, I would just grab a new one. You’ll put the miles on it and you’ll wear out parts, but it will take longer. If you see it as more of an occasional ride, a used wheel or titan may serve your needs just fine. There’s almost no such thing as a “bad” 36er, except for maybe the old steel rimmed coker, but those are pretty rare now, and still capable machines.
Building from scratch will cost the most, as always in the biking/unicycle world. You can hunt for used parts, and build your own wheel if you have the know-how and are willing to wait. If you have the cash though, you could be spending that time and effort riding.
