I just started riding about two months ago and have already purchsed three unicycles. The fist was ebay junk for 50 dollars. It was a 20 inch economy.
Then i found a used Koxx i suppose it is. 20 inch for 150. it is really nice for offroad stuff. I like to try going down grassy hills on it the best. I’ve done some fairly level short runs on trails and recently found that gravel doesn’t work to well because it gets caught in the treads and hits the frame. I’ll avoid gravel for now.
I also have a 24 inch torker I use on pavment but my legs get fatigued at about 400 feet and I’m out of breath.
I like both types of riding and have been considering something with a brake for the hills so I can go steeper. The sales on the Koxx I have read about are look good on the 20 inch.
I guess my Koxx is considered a muni and my torker a trails but I use that for street. I don’t really understand the difference in what some are talking about with the lingo. I know a KH is Chris Holm that’s about it.
I don’t ride fast but would like to cover more distance and not looking to spend a fortune. Maybe 300-400.
Any suggestions. I’ll post my favorite uni in my pics.
So you are looking for distance, trails, and $300-$400? You might consider a nimbus 24" (or 26" when/if they restock) muni.
Generally the larger the wheel the more distance you'll be able to comfortably cover
KH (Kris Holm) unis are nice, but for your price range you're probably looking at a nimbus. Nimbus is strong but heavier.
I don't know how many people ride trails on a 20", I think most people that do trail riding are on 24/26/29ers. The larger the wheel the easier it is to just roll over stuff, but the larger the wheel the harder it is to do tight turns - and you don't have quite as much control as you'd have on a smaller wheel. Plus I'd imagine the larger the wheel the harder it would be to go up steep hills.
If you already have a 20" and a 24" you might consider a new size, 26 or 29. I ended up getting a used 26" nimbus muni myself. A bit contrary to my last bullet point, I found it a bit easier to go up hills on my 26" than I did on my 24", but that may have been due to overall unicycle quality. I could put a bit more force on the nimbus than I could my old schwinn. The duro wildlife tire has never had a problem with gravel. It can get a bit dicey/fatiguing where there’s a pile of loose gravel washout, but other than that it just plows through it.
Don’t worry about getting fatigued after 400 feet. Endurance will come with practice, plus your technique will get better over time - requiring less energy to pedal. Just hang in there.
Edit: Wow. Just checked UDC. It looks like their stock of 26" nimbus munis finally arrived. I don’t think they were up on the site yesterday.
Forgot about this bit and didn’t get it in before the edit. I’m sure someone will come along and correct me, but:
Muni is for riding trails, unicycling off road. You could ride muni on a 20", but I don’t think I’ve seen any 20s advertized as being specifically for muni. Usually it’s 24/26/29. Some people on this board can pull it off on a 36" wheel. Wow.
There’s also trials, unicycling obstacle courses. Typically a 20" uni.
Street - could refer to flatland, like doing tricks, spins, drops, hops, etc. Again this is largely for 20" unis.
Street riding also means just riding on the street/sidewalk/greenway (commuting/touring). In that case any unicycle will do, but you’ll want a tire that doesn’t have a knobby tread. I don’t know that I’d use a 20" uni for touring (or muni), especially if you are in it for distance. You’ll just end up doing several thousand extra pedals and feel like you are crawling. If you’re looking at pure touring I’d say go with the largest size wheel you feel comfortable with. If there’s someone in your area maybe they could let you try out larger wheel sizes.
It’s easier to ride over bumps and small obstacles with a bigger wheel. That is one reason that the range of Muni’s are from 24-29 (and some 36).
It sounds like you may be liking a 26 or 29 next. You may be jumping the gun a little bit on moving on to another uni. Don’t get me wrong, I love buying them too
I would put in as much time on your 24 as possible until you are cruising that thing around without any problems, even take it onto some dirt walking trails. Work on going up and down hills, you don’t need a brake you just need to develop the muscles, people are going down really steep hills without brakes. Once your at that point your move to a 26 or 29 will be much more smooth and satisfying.
I can remember being in your exact shoes about 5 years ago. I bought a Kh 29er and had a b*tch of a time with it, eventually sold it. I put in about a year on a nimbus 24 (which I had a street and knobby tire for) it would go anywhere depending on what I wanted to do with it. I learned a bunch of the easier street/flatland/trials moves on it, also did a bunch of off road riding with it. Finally I bought a nimbus 26 Muni and the switch was seamless, I just took off on the thing and after a day or two of adjusting I was tearing up the dirt with it.
Of course you need to do what you think makes sense for you, this is just my story, take what you will from it.
You can’t go wrong with either Numbus or Kh 26 or 29 unis. Just depends on how much money you want to spend. I just picked up a nimbus nomad 29, it’s my only uni right now and it’s great. I had a nimbus 26 muni and I loved it. I’ve had kh 29 and 24 munis and they are wonderful. It all comes down to $$. Pick one and put in a bunch of miles on it and you will do great, it may be frustrating at the start, but just stick with it and keep working hard. It pays off in the end.
In Europe trials (often referred to as 20" wheels, but are 19") unis are often advertised and used for Muni. I agree they are too poor at rolling over stuff and a tad slow.
+1
Change the 24" tire to one w/ more volume and knobs for Muni.
edit:
29" +, KH if you can afford it, but that’s ~$650-800.
I suppose I may be jumping the gun a bit. I was thinking bigger tire also. 26 or 29. Maybe I should hold off until I get better a decide what I really need.
Thank you for all the tips.
I can’t see myself riding too long of off road trails. I like paved trails and have more of that where I live altough there are some dirt ones. The 20 inch uni seems good for steep downhill and some bouncing.
What would be good for more distance…a 29 inch nimbus touring? Price isn’t really an issue…it just seems I’m still searching for what is right for me, so a very expensive uni might not make since at this point. That’s the only reason i say 300-400.
A 24" with a 3" tire has been the standard for off road. A 20" (or 19") is mostly for freestyle and trials (thinner tire for freestyle, thicker, 2 1/2" tire for trials). If you’re going to riding distance, a 29" or 36" would be the choice.
If you wanted to try out a 24" Muni I’d be willing to let you try one of mine.
I’ve got this one lying around. It’s the one without the brake. I need to get around to selling it as it’s an extra.
Absolutely, I sent you a private message. Hey everybody…check you the video section. I screwed up big time. It’s funny to watch. I know I need the safety equipment. The local stores don’t have anything that fits. I’ll have to order that too. Enjoy the video, it’s hilarious.
knee/shin - 661 4x4’s w/ knees cut off + S-one knee pads
fore-arm/elbow - Fox Launch
hip/but - 661 Bomber
helmet - Giro Xen
and my Camelback works like a back protector.
