I thought I would buy a couple of unicycles- one for my 11 year old
daughter and one for myself. Being a total newbie, I am not quite sure
where to start?? I have been looking at some learner models from unicycle.com. I guess I will need a 24 inch model, but I am not sure
what features to look for or shy away from, and what price range to
expect.
The Uni’s at unicycle.com are:
24" learner $105.00 +freight
20" kids learner $75.00 +freight
Any suggestions, I don’t want to spend $500.00 a pop for a unicycle, but
I don’t want cheap crap that will break and be hard to learn on.
I am also concerned that I am too old to learn- I’m 35. Anyone my age
just getting started?
I learned when I was 25…that’s basically 34 in skills and abilities. You can get a cheap-o one from unicycle.com like I did, but as soon as I was able to ride it, I knew I couldn’t take it on the trail (that’s where the real fun is) and I had to get another one. Spend a few extra bucks and get one that has an air seat…I feel that’s the only must, well, make sure you can get a fairly wide tire on there…at least 2.3
Just telling you from my experience.
You’ll both do great if you keep at it, especially if you work on it together
Go for it – it’s worth it when you succeed! I learned at 45. Do be prepared to put some time into it, probably 10-15 hours until you can freeride some distance.
I agree with the airseat being the only “required” upgrade. Totally worth it. With it, saddle discomfort just isn’t an issue for me. Without it – whew, what a pain! (altho I had an el cheapo seat initially)
The other big pain might be that your daughter could learn a lot quicker than you. So your pride might be wounded. On the other hand, watching her do well and enjoy a cool new sport should more than offset that. Enjoy your Dad time with her!
> I thought I would buy a couple of unicycles- one for my 11 year old
> daughter and one for myself. Being a total newbie, I am not quite sure
> where to start?? I have been looking at some learner models from
> unicycle.com. I guess I will need a 24 inch model, but I am not sure
> what features to look for or shy away from, and what price range to
> expect.
>
> The Uni’s at unicycle.com are:
> 24" learner $105.00 +freight
> 20" kids learner $75.00 +freight
Er, the mostly lightly built adult learner is $105. How heavy are you?
Hint: over 180# a different model is recommended.
> Any suggestions, I don’t want to spend $500.00 a pop for a unicycle, but
> I don’t want cheap crap that will break and be hard to learn on.
>
> I am also concerned that I am too old to learn- I’m 35. Anyone my age
> just getting started?
I’m 34, and just learning on a Coker. No problem. Patience is a fine
replacement for talent.
P.S. Just hypothetically speaking, how much would Item # U24XLAT-509 cost
with an air seat upgrade? And are any other yikes built with 240# riders in
mind?
“Jason Neumann” <nospam@nospam.no.no.no> wrote in message news:3CF57673.201FD4B9@nospam.no.no.no…
> Greetings,
>
> Any suggestions, I don’t want to spend $500.00 a pop for a unicycle, but
> I don’t want cheap crap that will break and be hard to learn on.
>
I would buy one 20" adult unicycle for the both of you (for now),
instead of getting two unis. Then spend the extra money
on safety gear. I’ve met a few people who started learning
without safety gear, fell and hurt themselves, and then quit.
I think the safety gear is more important than the upgrades
for a beginner. Initially you will spend more time falling
off than staying in the saddle.
Buy the 20" for your daughter and the 24" for yourself. Then you will have one of each size. Buy cheapos…they cost next to nothing and you will find out if you like it at all or like it alot. When you know that, you can buy cool, good stuff later if you want. You may want a MUni or a giraffe…you don’t know now.
Learn with cheap seats but not Savage seats (the worst) or Torker seats (too small) if you can avoid it. The seats will be beaten mercilessly as you learn. Why do that to a Miyata air seat conversion that you paid as much for as the 20"? Rip up a $20 Viscount which is not so uncomfortable.
You are SO lucky to be able to do this with your daughter. You are not too old to learn this. Jump all over this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Oh-oh. I have 800 posts now. My lifetime quota. I have to quit posting.
Scott Kurland wrote:
>
> > I thought I would buy a couple of unicycles- one for my 11 year old
> > daughter and one for myself. Being a total newbie, I am not quite sure
> > where to start?? I have been looking at some learner models from
> > unicycle.com. I guess I will need a 24 inch model, but I am not sure
> > what features to look for or shy away from, and what price range to
> > expect.
> >
> > The Uni’s at unicycle.com are:
> > 24" learner $105.00 +freight
> > 20" kids learner $75.00 +freight
>
> Er, the mostly lightly built adult learner is $105. How heavy are you?
> Hint: over 180# a different model is recommended.
I am 160#, where did you buy your Coker, and how much money did you
spend?
Once you are both able to ride, you won’t be able to ride down the street together with a 20 and a 24.
The speed difference is gigantic, you will be ‘jogging’ while she will be ‘walking’. Every wheel rotation will have you moving 4 inches farther. (one unicycle trip has approximately one billion wheel rotations)
I don’t think that Scott meant he was learning to unicycle using a Coker… I think that he meant he was tackling a new unicycle type (big heavy wheel) at his advanced, feeble age. Trying to learn to unicycle using a Coker would most likely be an exercise in futility.
> > > I thought I would buy a couple of unicycles- one for my 11 year old[color=darkred]
> > > daughter and one for myself. Being a total newbie, I am not quite sure
> > > where to start?? I have been looking at some learner models from
> > > unicycle.com. I guess I will need a 24 inch model, but I am not sure
> > > what features to look for or shy away from, and what price range to
> > > expect.
> > >
> > > The Uni’s at unicycle.com are:
> > > 24" learner $105.00 +freight
> > > 20" kids learner $75.00 +freight
> >
> > Er, the mostly lightly built adult learner is $105. How heavy are you?
> > Hint: over 180# a different model is recommended.
>
> I am 160#, where did you buy your Coker, and how much money did you
> spend?[/color]
> > I’m 34, and just learning on a Coker.
> >
> > I am 160#, where did you buy your Coker, and how much money did you
> > spend?
> I don’t think that Scott meant he was learning to unicycle using a
> Coker… I think that he meant he was tackling a new unicycle type (big
> heavy wheel) at his advanced, feeble age. Trying to learn to unicycle
> using a Coker would most likely be an exercise in futility.
AGE: My mate Andy is approximately 50 and has just bought a Nimbus 24. He’s coming on well and having great fun on it.
CHOICE: a 20 feels safer, is lighter, and is easier to mount. A 24 is 20% ‘faster’ (goes 20% further per revolution) and only 2 inches higher (as the height is governed by the radius, not the diameter. A 24 makes a very competent uni for off roading, limited mainly by the tyre.
So I’d go for a 20 inch followed by a 24. (Then a 26, a Coker, a 28, a 5 foot giraffe, 6 foot giraffe, mini giraffe and probably a 16, an ultimate wheel, a kangaroo uni and an eccentric.)
PI=3.1415 and a whole bunch of other digits. It’s the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The circumference of the wheel is the distance traveled for each revolution of the pedals, not the diameter. Two wheels of different diameters will travel distances that differ by PI times the difference of their diameters for each revolution of the pedals. So, a 24" wheel will travel PI*4 inches further for each revolution than a 20" wheel will.
You know I’ve often used PI in a sentaence, equation, ect… but didn’t recognize it when I read it? Weird. Thanks for clarifying. I see where I was wrong.
I’m 53 and I started less than a year ago. I’m having a blast with it.
Haven’t had so much fun on wheel(s) ever. Much better than rollerblades.
Safer too.
I got a 16" for my 11-year-old nephew and it seemed like the right size for
him. You might have to shorten the seatpost on a 20", for your daughter.
–Mark
Jason Neumann wrote:
> Greetings,
>
> I thought I would buy a couple of unicycles- one for my 11 year old
> daughter and one for myself. Being a total newbie, I am not quite sure
> where to start?? I have been looking at some learner models from
> unicycle.com. I guess I will need a 24 inch model, but I am not sure
> what features to look for or shy away from, and what price range to
> expect.
>
> The Uni’s at unicycle.com are:
> 24" learner $105.00 +freight
> 20" kids learner $75.00 +freight
>
> Any suggestions, I don’t want to spend $500.00 a pop for a unicycle, but
> I don’t want cheap crap that will break and be hard to learn on.
>
> I am also concerned that I am too old to learn- I’m 35. Anyone my age
> just getting started?
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Jason
> I got a 16" for my 11-year-old nephew and it seemed like the right size for
> him. You might have to shorten the seatpost on a 20", for your daughter.
I would get a 20" for an 11 year old. Shortening the seat post is easy
enough - and cheap enough to replace if a longer one is needed later.
A friend’s just got a 20" for his 9(?) year old daughter. She’d learnt
on a 16" the previous weekend and freemounted the 20" at the first
attempt. Grr.
Regards,
Mark.
–
Fujitsu Telecom Europe Ltd,| o
Solihull Parkway, | In the land of the pedestrian, /|
Birmingham Business Park, | the one-wheeled man is king. <<
Birmingham, ENGLAND. | O
