I have a 20" schwinn, and I was wondering if it is a good unicycle to jump with. I can jump around on it, but not very high…is the schwinn heavier than most unicycles? If so, what is a good freestyle unicycle that is good for jumping. Also…would it help my jumping if i had a different seat, or a seat handle, what is the best seat for jumping?
Schwinns are heavier but you can jump with them. If you have the standard 20 x 1.75 tire you may want to consider trying something like a 20 x 2.1 Primo The Wall tire for a little more volume for bounce.
Things like hopping up steps and jumping onto things are do-able. Drops are possible too but the standard steel Schwinn cranks are prone to bending/twisting from repeated or higher drops.
We have a teen in our club who’s only uniycle is a 20" Schwinn. He does steps, jumps, uni-spins, 2+ foot drops, and gaps with it. So far the unicycle has held up but his cranks are bent.
How old is your Schwinn? I think the current Schwinn seat is the same as the Viscount. It is fine for hopping.
The Schwinn seat post has the four-bolt bracket. You could go to a seat with a handle like the Kris Holm/Velo seat. The Miyata type seat will not fit on the Schwinn seat post. You can buy a Miyata type seat and post and drill it.
Hopping and jumping have a lot to do with technique. You can do a lot with the Schwinn but rather than a bunch of upgrades to the Schwinn consider getting a Trials Uni.
If your Schwinn is older, it only has 28 spokes. Even those old wheels were known for taking a lot of abuse, but it won’t hold up forever. Count your spokes!
I think the 28 spoke version goes up through 1983.
i dont know what kind of riding you do but you might want a trials for hopping and stuff
It depends on how much you weigh. If you are a skinny teenager you shouldn’t have any problems, but if you are a big fat old coot you might bust the hub. Some Schwinns were manufactured with no-good hubs, this situation has been remedied.
carjug, a fat old coot who broke a hub.
I have a 99’ model, the only thing about the schwinn seat that i have found is that when i grab the front of it, it hurts my fingers a lot. Is a Kris Holm seat worth it for the comfort of the handle type thing in the front? I am eventually going to get another unicycle or two, so i might consider getting a trials unicycle, what is a good model for a trials unicycle?
I have a Schwinn about the same age as yours, and I know what you mean by the seat hurting when holding the front. then I got my KH seat. I find there is a Huge differene with the handle. My height almost instantly improved, and this year I did the entire Slickrock trail in Moab with minimal pain in my fingers. And I pulled on the seat a lot on those steep sections!