Here is the URL to the uni, http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Schwinn-Unicycle-20-Made-USA-/220812508169?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3369737c09#ht_500wt_1287.
I’ve never ridden a unicycle before and was looking for a starter unicycle. The thing is, this is in my area, so I wouldn’t have to pay shipping. My concern is I want it to ride around town in but it’s a 20" uni. Also, is it worth it monetarily? Basically, if you were a total newbie, would you get this as your first cycle?
As a non rider you might be better off purchasing something a bit newer to learn on. The old schwinn’s were the cadilacs back in their day however a number of advancements have been made since the late 60’s & early 70’s of which that unit came from.
Check out Unicycle.com and get an idea of whats out there. You should probably be able to pick up something from them at a very reasonable price (including shipping) Depending on your height you might also be best with a24" uni if you have plans to do a bit of short distance communting.
If you’re a newbie, I would not recommend it. Newer uni’s are easier to learn on, with better components and more comfortable seats. What is your budget?
Honestly, I have what might be an unrealistically low budget of $50-80 I was looking at this as well. But I have one further question which is, I’m only 5’5", is a 24" wheel too big for me? Would a 20" serve just as well?
Well, I believe that if you’re going to learn something, do it the right way. Starting with a crappy uni is no good. If you were starting to learn piano would you want one that all the keys didn’t work?
I think everyone can learn to unicycle, so I think it’s worthwhile to invest in a nicer unicycle. If you buy a $50 dollar one, you’re probably not going to be able to sell it. But if you buy a $300 dollar one, and end up deciding that unicycling is not for you, it won’t be hard to sell it for $250. Either way you’d still be out $50, but one gives you a much bigger advantage. (This is an example)
So what would you recommend?
Save up money while you research uni’s and unicycling. Then buy a uni of decent quality
But you don’t have a specific brand recommendation? What about in terms of wheel size?
At 5’5" you would be fine with a 24" uni.
Check out this one as it may be close your price range and would suffice quite well for your needs.
http://www.unicycle.com/unicycles/bymanufacturer/hoppley/hoppley-24-inch-unicycle.html/
As others have mentioned, you probably don’t want to try learning on something that may be getting ready to fall apart. It will not add much pleasure to your learning experience and could cause unnecessary injury.
I’d say you don’t need a flash uni to get started at all. Most people tend to start with a 20" as it is a nice manageable size and the learner unis which can be easily bought online on websites like ebay for around $60 will do just fine.
I did abit of research and bought one with a handle on the seat and with a newer style frame and it lasted me right up until I wanted to take it abit further and start doing drops of 1ft and tricks .etc
It really annoys me that people say you should spend so much on you’re first uni. You wouldn’t buy a ferrari as your first car would you? Unicycling is a cheap and fun sport to get into, then if you enjoy it you can save up for a better uni while still using your learner uni.
I don’t see the point in buying a uni that’s old and falling apart, that’s not going to encourage you to learn to ride. Plus if you decide uni isn’t your thing, you’re going to have a very hard time selling the piece of junk.
I’m not recommending he buys a KH, just not a junker.
KH with a geared hub and disk brakes would be the Ferrari in this example by the way.
Would you recommend that someone with no car experience or knowledge buy an old heap that needs to be worked on every week? Or would you recommend the middle-of-the-road, decently priced, durable car that will last them for a long time?
I don’t think anyone on here would recommend the schwinn. Having said that you don’t have to pay a lot of money for a starter uni. I paid $20 for a 20" unicycle off of craigslist that got me back into the sport. It is a piece of crap but it still works, I loan it to anybody, and I have gotten my money’s worth. Yesterday I bought a 16" Torker CX (craigslist again) in great shape for $50. I have nicer uni’s but it is a welcome addition to the collection.
Keep looking. People give up on unicycles and put them up for sale. Look for something newer and in good condition though. You can be frugal, demand is low.
I didn’t mean to sound harsh or directly aiming at anyone, I just think that unicyclings abit of a whim thing, one day you think “oh that would be cool” so you look into it more. If the first bit of advice you get is “wait a while and save up for a dearer one” it puts you off. Might aswell just buy a cheap 20" (not the schwinn, thats a museum peice) and ride it into the ground, if you dont enjoy it or you go off it, then you’ve still got a unicycle which you’ll keep and possibly get into it further down the road… plus its always a good talking point and party piece.
Plus the people on the forum as more experienced and extreme riders give “learner unis” alot of stick. I think its easy to forget that many people’s unis will never leave the ground or be thrown doing tricks, some people just simply want to ride uni and learn to balance.
If you are really motivated to learn right now I would pay the price for a nice new learner uni like a UDC Club, or a Torker LX, or a Nimbus Freestyle. If you have time and keep your eyes out for an old uni you can get a great starter for cheap.
I started with a Schwinn 20" that I got for $10 at a thrift store. It was in far better condition than the one you linked. I later picked up a later model Schwinn 24" with the blue aluminum rim for $40. That is actually a nice uni. It’s great for having around as a loaner for people who want to learn, and it fits standard tires. The older Schwinns with the steel rims use a proprietary tire size that’s getting more difficult to find.
Well, it’s probably my short attention span, if I’m not enjoying the experience in some way, then I just move on to something else. I learned on a torker LX, that was fine. But if I had tried to learn on the schwinn that someone gave me… oh man, I would have given up right away.
Have you seen the list price of this Schwinn? Its $499.99! Don’t buy it. That’s about $479.99 more than it is worth. It your height, I would say go with a 20". Here is a good one for you to start on. http://cgi.ebay.com/TORKER-20-CX-UNICYCLE-BLUE-NEW-2011-W-STAND-NIB-/170663374940?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bc54705c
It looks like it has one of those flimsy seat post clamps. I replaced mine with a good, solid aluminum seat post clamp
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/bik/2506952542.html
Deals like this are out there. To me its ok to spend money on something like this as long as it isn’t much. $50 is quickly forgotten and can be dismissed as an entertainment expenditure. Saving up for a sweet ride is another game.
Obviously, if you are more enthusiastic about unicycling like most of us there is no desire to buy a cheap uni but for entry level riding why not?