Ok, here is an e-mail I just sent to darren bedford…
but I realized that you folks will probably have a great deel to say on the subject as well
Basically, I am doing a pretty good job of promoting unicycling in the area, and need to know what to recommend to people in the line of entry level off-road unicycles… Evil-nick and I will be unicycling together soon, and if all goes well, we will soon become a mottley gang, then a much bigger mottley gang
Hi Darren,
Could you describe your cross-country unicycles for me? the 20'' and 24'' 's? how are they different from free-style, munis? I suppose this is a pretty stupid sounding question, it should be pretty obvious...
I guess I am wondering what the point is of having a 20'' cross-country unicycle... I suppose the munis can take the really tough terrain, where the cross-country versions will last longer than the free-style and have nubbledy tires...
ok. key question. I have never gone off-road unicycling, (not much), so I am figuring these things out in my head…
a 24’’ unicycle is fine when you are relatively on the flat… but when you are in the woods, going over bumps, perhaps a 20’’ is much easier to peddle?
basically, I have a friend who is a beginner (but who can ride), and I want to invite him to come riding with my friend and I. both of us will have 24’’ munis, my friend will have lots of experience, me not so much. I want to have a unicycle that my beginner friend can ride. can he go on any old scrap unicycle? not so sure… a cruiser sounds perfect, but I don’t know whether 20’’ or 24’’ is better… 20’’ might be easier to peddle, but perhaps he will just find it impossible to keep up with us?
If your goal is to ride off-road, don’t get a 20" unless you’re four feet tall.
You can ride off-road on any unicycle; I competed in the MUni events at the nationals in 2003 on a 24" freestyle unicycle. But it kind of sucks.
The best low-end MUni right now is the Nimbus 24" at $260 from unicycle.com <http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1050>. You should require a splined hub for any unicycle you’re intending to ride primarily off-road; I would expect that Darren’s “cross-country” models have square taper hubs.
24" or 26" wheels are much easier to ride over bumps than a 20".
No one except very small kids rides a 20" for muni.
Like Tom said Nimbus ISIS 24" is the nicest cheap muni, but I dunno how much you guys get charged for import/shipping from unicycle.com. It’d be worth asking Bedford if he can build something similar, and how much it’d cost, and finding out from unicycle.com how much import you’d pay.
In terms of bringing along mates on rides - presumably if you have a 24" muni, you also have some piece of junk unicycle you learnt on - I’d just bring that as well - that’s how most of us learnt muni. If you can pop a cheap knobbly tyre on that is helpful if you’re riding somewhere muddy, wet or rooty. If it’s dry, summer weather, then any tyre will be okay. It’s also good if you have a nice uni, to swap over with the beginner sometimes, let them have a go on your muni - they will have fun, and are more likely to realise the difference between the muni and a normal unicycle, so more likely to buy themselves a muni too, which is always good.
Most people use the 24", but the 26" is reasonable. 26" is slightly faster, slightly heavier, slightly harder to control. But they can basically ride the same stuff.
perhaps I have brought my piece of junk further than you folks, don’t know, but it was a piece of junk when I got it (evil nick gave it to me because the crank was already bent). I fixed that problem by welding the cranks on, so that they were crooked, but at least didn’t move… in time, the pedals rusted themselves on… the spokes and tire have been changed several times each, and the rim has been re-bent (> 4’’ deviation)… those weren’t so bad. but now the axle has totally give up. It broke off while idling
So now it is a one pedal unicycle, with both cranks welded to their part of the axle, the pedals rusted on… and the rim is a 28 hole rim… so it will have to be replaced as well if I get a new axle. I suppose I could get somebody to weld the axle back together, but i’m not really convinced it will last long… and the bearings are shot as well
ya. used unicycle anybody? (if you can ride one footed with your left foot, or with your right foot but with the seet backward you’ll have no problem!)
ya, did I mention I have ridden this thing through three winters?
