if you are heavy not long!
Today I successfully hopped up 33.5cm (3 pallets) twice! YAY
did you do it on a 19 or 24 because i can do that on a 24
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Knoxuni, Have you seen a Schwinn? Have you ridden a Schwinn? Have you seen an old Schwinn? Did you bother to find out how much ‘Missing’ weighs? A 150lb person is going to have a different experience than a 250lb person.
There is no award for most posts count and one line answers are close to useless on any topic.
Now let’s get useful.
Missing, My story is similar to yours. Rode ~30 years ago on a 24" Schwinn and took riding back up about 3 years ago and I now have 3 Unis that I love but can’t ride because of bad knees. I’m still hoping and I’m seeing a sports ortho on the 17th. But back to you . . .
A search on Schwinn and perhaps ‘old schwinn’ should turn up a pretty good amount of topics about the Old Schwinns.
Check out THIS old thread from 94’: http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/hypermail/0874.html
From that topic: “Any Schwinn in a bike shop, especially one
that’s already more than 10 years old, can be considered a collector’s item
of sorts.”
Only more true 15 more years later. If you tell me it’s all still nice bright an shiny . . . I might cry.
The guy answering that question is still around and knows more about unicycles than most people have forgotten. I think he has something like 100 unis in his garage. There are quite a few very experienced riders and more than a few very good 'icycle mechanics. And some HELLA good riders!
Is it in good shape? Is it all original stock parts? If it is you really have something on your hands there. I think you are a lucky SOB to have a rideable 30+ year old Schwinn. I rode my Uni everywhere, literally since I didn’t own a car at the time. I rode my Uni to my first date with my 1st future ex-wife.
But I’ll give you a brain dump of what I think.
How much do you weigh? Are your cranks still tight on the axle? Like good and tight?
Those old Schwinn’s were built pretty tough. Everything is freaking Steel! No new fangled alloys on a good old Chicago made Schwinn Unicycle!
But the pedals and the cottered cranks are a ‘weak’ spot.
If you have the original pedals they will disintegrate under you at some point and the cottered cranks need to be checked OFTEN. But i’m guessing you already know that or you would have already have had dreaded crank wobble.
For normal hopping up and down bunny hopping I think your Schwinn will hold up fine (subject to normal weight limits). Iffn it was me I’d keep any drops at or under 12 inches or so. Not sure how much those cottered cranks can take before stripping the axle. If you have the original rubber block pedals I’m not sure I’d trust my ankles to cheap 35 year old pedals.
But I rode mine over countless curbs and there was about a 20 set of stairs I used to ride down pretty often. I’m still trying to get up the nerve to try a stair set again. But I also only weighed 150lbs at the time. YMMV
if you are so inclined you might consider letting a bike shop check your wheel for loose spokes and bring it back into true and tension. A well tensioned wheel is a strong(er) wheel.
But after writing all that I say be be nice to your ridable ‘antique’. Ride it well within it’s limits, and get a new burly uni for learning new skills.
I’m with those who are impressed with your quick progress on the 29" wheel. Good to have you around.
ezas,
thank you for the well thought out answers. I'll post more (better) pictures of the schwinn at a later date.
I am the original owner of this schwinn, and it is entirely original except the tire and tube. Even the pedals are still the original ~1975 pedals. I finally found a 24x1-3/4" tire for this a while back so that is now just like the kenda that I am pretty sure came on it. I have waxed it and removed the rust (not a lot, but some) from the cranks and rims using the aluminum foil method. Unfortunately the rust is returning in spots, I guess at this age ~35 the only way to rid yourself of it is to keep at it.
I was wanting to learn new things on this uni, but after reading your post, I am kind of getting a bit sentimental about it, and think I will most likely take your advice, and get a new nimbus or KH to learn on.
As for the conditions of the cranks, and wheel ... I don't notice any losseness as I ride this uni. I did lose a part off this uni recently ... there is a plastic cover that threads on and covers the crank attachment to the axle. I recently lost one of these on a ride. Although this is really only to keep crud out, and to hide the big crank bolt, I would love to see if I could find another one ... anyone have an old schwinn they wouldn't mind scavanging?
I did also notice the pedals where creaking as I was pedalling up hils on double track recently, and wondered how long they would hold up ... I guess maybe a while longer if I don't really stress them, not so long if I do.
Bruce
Gratefully still unicycling at 50yo!
When one must employ childish one-upmanship tactics then please at least try to employ good grammar and punctuation too!
Well as we’re being childish, I’m a beginner and I can do it on a 24" as well. I bet I’m better than you are too.
… and my unicycle’s nicer than yours - so there!
Sums it up nicely 
Can’t wait for more Muni on the 28th 
Probably getting a KH 24 some time between December and February too. Can’t wait!
I can’t wait til I can turn a corner consistently and cover those rough patches of tarmac where pavement becomes alley and then pavement again. :o
win.
beginner at wheelbuilding
Today I built my first wheel, im really happy with it 
You tapped all your spokes to make sure they sound the same?
I think there’s a table somewhere of the best tone for them to make with different length spokes. Not that it’s very helpful unless you got a decent mic and audio analyser software 
It’s quite a lethargic process isn’t it 
@knoxuni: Was that question directed toward me? If so, then yes. It was on a 19". I’m glad you can do it on 24," but I posted in this brag thread to avoid comments like that. If that question was for somebody else, then have a nice day.
i believe you are talking about john foss. if you have a question about uni-history, he’s your man. and yes he has dozens of dozens of unicycles in his garage.
Today I rode one-footed all the way down the street - probably 80 revs. I’m almost there with the other foot as well.
Today I rode 1.3 miles without falling, and rode about 8 miles total in two hours. Stoked!!
Today I accomplished one footed riding.
Request for tips - from a group of noobies
Hi Wiskow, would you mind posting on my thread “Learning Journal”? (It should be here in Rec.Sport.Uni, but when I started it I didn’t know about the Forums so it is in Just Conversation) There are actually several of us now using this thread as we learn, and it would be great to get some tips from you on the process you went through to get to this point. As a noobie I am still having a hard time just adjusting my foot on the pedal after a free mount if it is not where I want it. I have pretty ‘Grippy’ pedals with metal studs, so the only way is to un-weight my foot which pretty much ends up in a fine UPD!
Thanks, and congrats on this big accomplishment!!
BTW, does anyone know if there is a way to move a thread from Just Conversation to Rec.Sport.Uni? We want to keep the Learning Journal alive a while longer since there are several of us using but it really belongs in RSU…
Beginner???
The beginner thread made me wonder if there is something before beginning?
I have gone to the web to get advice on making the first hands free ride without breaking my neck.
The last time I tried riding a unicycle was probably 48 years ago. A friend loaned me his bike and I went out and crashed all over the place.
Last Xmas I bought my children and any of the other relatives unicycles I found on craigs list. Xmas is coming and I need to demonstrate I’ve learned something this past year.
For the past three days I have been going out in my back yard and with the aide of two sticks I have been climbing aboard and trying to go across the yard. I have only fallen hard once and my wife didn’t notice the blood or black and blue bruises.
I just get on and balance with the aide of the two sticks. Their about six feet tall and maybe two inches in diameter.
I am sixty eight and reasonably fit. Am I going about this properly?
One day will I be able to drop the sticks and go it alone?
Jeff2
Sticks sounds like a pretty cool way to go about it.
Most people start on a wall or going along a railing/fence.
If you can get on and move then it’s just practice from there on. You will get it naturally and I would say there isn’t that much we can tell you to do that you won’t realise yourself.
Anything specific you’re struggling with?