I’am almoust beginner. I use to ride uni on a youth circus, let say 10-15 years ago, after that I’ve ride something like once a year. Now I’am “back” and like to purchase muni (or trial uni) for fun.
I need help with some questions…
In Finland there is no place to buy one (or is there?) so is www.unicycle.uk.com only place in Europe?
Next one is more important I think? First I’am thinking of buying 20" trial muni to train and get my self “back in business”. After that (if everything goes well) 24" Muni with brake for “real” riding. What do you guys (or girls) think of that? Do I need brakes tell, me how much those give more to riding? Sure I can buy only 24" but ones with brakes are quite expensive so I like to test my self with 20". Am I too big for 20" cause I’am 181cm and my leg is 82cm?
Finally what do you say about Onza trial uni? I’ve been reading threads about it but tell me those who have one or have tested it what do you thing? Give me tips about some other model if Onza is not good.
Ok that’s all for now. I really need your experience to find the right solution.
You are not too big for a 20" unicycle. I tried the Onza at UNICON. I am 186cm with 89cm legs. All you need is a long seat post. The Onza seemed rugged to me and was fun to ride. It would be difficult to break.
A 20" wheel is good for trials but it would be a poor choice for MUni. The wheel diameter is small and it would be hard to ride over roots or rocks that are close together. The wheel would not roll well.
> In Finland there is no place to buy one (or is there?) so is
> www.unicycle.uk.com only place in Europe?
>
I’ve seen some very cheap unicycles in bike shops here but wouldn’t
recommend them. I ordered my muni from unicycle.uk.com. Excellent
service and the shipping cost wasn’t intolerable.
> Next one is more important I think? First I’am thinking of buying 20"
> trial muni to train and get my self “back in business”. After that (if
> everything goes well) 24" Muni with brake for “real” riding. What do you
> guys (or girls) think of that? Do I need brakes tell, me how much those
> give more to riding? Sure I can buy only 24" but ones with brakes are
> quite expensive so I like to test my self with 20". Am I too big for 20"
> cause I’am 181cm and my leg is 82cm?
Harper already answered about the size and I agree with him. I learned
with a friend’s 20" and then bought a 26" muni for myself. I haven’t
regretted that choice. I’m 190cm with about 95cm inseam. The choice
between 24" and 26" for muni is a matter of taste. For steep uphills
and very technical stuff the 24" is probably better. 26" is better for
covering distance and rolling over roots and stones. I don’t have
a brake and so far haven’t needed one. It is difficult to find serious
downhills in the Oulu area…
I’d say a 20 inch to play on, a 24 for general purpose, a 26 for proper MUni.
The wheel size affects not only the ability to roll over obstacles, but the speed. At a given cadence (pedalling speed) a 26 is a third faster than a 20. It makes a difference.
Some people prefer a nominal 24 with a massive tyre which makes the actual wheel size almost the same as a 26.
As for brakes, don’t they remove the element of surprise? I doubt you’d need brakes except on very long steep descents.
The Onza trials uni is good with it’s Splined hub and all but if you want to drop the price a bit, and dont plan on doing stuff to kill your uni (big drops and stuff) I would recomend getting the Nibus II trials uni from Unicycle.uk.com
My personal choice right now would probably be the Onza uni if I had the cash.
Ditto, that, Checkernuts. I just got the 20" Nimbus II trials uni (known as the Yuni in USA) and its great. I like the Onza, but I don’t think I’ll be putting it through enough abuse to justify the extra cost of the Onza.
If your definitely not putting it through any abuse, just re-learning and doing basic trials stuff, you could even get away with a united or other cheap trials uni.
Onza or the Nimbus II (yuni) with Profile hub is great for taking abuse, I think. The basic Nimbus II (yuni) is good for mid-level abuse. If its never getting serious abuse, go lower.
I had brakes put on my Muni and love them. They originally planned to use them for long descents, for which they are grand.
For me, the brakes conserve a lot of energy after a long ride and allows you to rest your legs a bit.
They are a luxury. I can’t use them for short steep declines because, it takes too much time to fiddle with the brake lever and find it before you go down the slope or even to set up before going down the slope. I imagine with practice, this inconveneince could be overcome
So when those short declines come up, I just try to ride them out. With practice, this becomes easier.
Magura brakes are the only brakes that will fit around a Gazzalodi
3.0 tire. So if you invest in brakes and want to go with a Gazzalodi, then you have to pay a lot. If you don’t intend to go with a 3.0 tire and a frame that will fit it, then you could use some other type of brake setup.
The Maguras including brakes, lines, and lever will add about 0.5 kilograms to the weight of your MUni.
BTW, there is someone in Germany or Switzerland that sells Muni’s but, I can’t remember how I came across the site.
For variety, your still better off going to unicycle.com UK.