At the end of this year i am travelling to Syria for 2 months to continue my Arabic Language studies from university. I will be staying in Aleppo for the majority of my time there but hope to also see some of Turkey and Iran. I am facing a bit of a dilemma though on the issue of whether or not i should take a unicycle, and if i do- what sort?
I think a 36 is way out of the question in terms of portability and unwieldliness. A 29 might be better for finding my way around the rat race that is the streets of Damascus and apello but it is still quite large- especially if i am getting around in the mini busses that are so regular and cheap in the country.
I am not sure if i am comfortable with the prospect of traveling without a uni though… I do know though, that if i take one it has to be useful for getting around and not hinder me too much if i want to backpack.
Does anyone have any advice or experience that they might be able to share to help me make up my mind?
Cheers,
mark
You don’t need it. You have already made up your mind. If you really had a dilemma about taking a unicycle or not, you would ask some non-biassed people. But, instead, you asked unicyclists. Everyone here will say take a uni, which is the answer you are looking for.
As to which one though? Well, I don’t know what you have in your fleet to choose from, or if you’re prepared to buy one just for the trip. But if you have one, or money is no object, then as Hobo Chuck says, a 24" guni sounds like it’ll fit the bill nicely.
Otherwise, do you have a 26" to hand? That should be fine for getting about, not too big to transport, and still nimble enough for muni.
Considering what it probably costs to ship and the chance of the airline “losing it”, I would buy an inexpensive uni when you get there and sell it before you leave. I would get a 24 as a compromise between maneuverability, speed and compactness.
I was recently on vacation and rented a uni for a week. Any more than that and I would have just bought one there and either shipped it home or sold it.
Unless you’re a big trials rider, I’d take a muni - either a 24 or a 26. Fast enough to get around on, easy enough to pack up into a bag.
Very easy to travel places with, put on buses / trains etc - I’ve taken my muni on trains, planes, buses, ferries etc. without any hassles. It’s also much easier to have a 24/26 for those moments when you need to get around town with all your luggage - you can actually ride a muni sensibly with a decent sized rucksack on.
Also, it’s surprising how far/fast you can go on a muni if you have to - I went 30 miles on mine on Thursday, and that was off road in pretty big hills, with some long technical sections. They are really handy in cities, particularly crowded ones, as they’re very manouvrable, yet faster than walking. In very crowded cities, they are sometimes even more convenient than a bike.
Don’t worry about losing it on the plane, just have travel insurance that covers it - to go to somewhere far away like that you’ll most likely need insurance anyway. It’s only a small risk anyway - I’ve taken my 29" uni tons of times on planes with no problems. It is an even smaller risk with a small uni like a 24, as you can pack it so it just goes through like a normal bag.
I’d really consider how much you want to draw attention to yourelf in Syria, I’ve had western friends followed by the secret police and all sorts over there in the last coupe of years.
I’m not sure you can readily buy unicycles in Syria. Even here in the US, it’s difficult to just walk into a shop and walk out with anything but the most basic learner uni.
