I’ve been asked to teach interested youth how to ride and would like some recommendations on beginner uni brands that will hold up to the inevitable abuse. Of course, Nimbus and KH are out because of money… which leaves me probably with 20" Sun, Torker, and Club options. Of those, which is the best to go with?
Or Qu-Ax, if that’s available in your country.
Our club uses mostly Clubs for beginners. They (the unicycles) have pretty long lives on gym floors.
I tend to shy away from Suns more than Torker and Club (about equal in my book, maybe some of the higher end Torkers are a little better). But with that being said, I’ve ridden a handful of Suns and they are definitely more than good enough for beginners.
As long as they aren’t hopping and dropping, most branded unicycles should be fine. Hell, after really spending a lot of time with my no-brand cheapo Chinese uni, I’m even starting to think that would be viable.
The low end (CX) Torkers lack seat handles, while the mid-range (LX) ones apparently use a non-standard bolt pattern, meaning swapping to a standard saddle also requires a new seatpost.
My 20" Avenir DLX is still rolling along fine. Parts replaced have been like-for-like – shorter cranks, longer seat post, wider tire – not because anything failed.
I have an unridden Summit trials. Indestructible. I’d let go for a couple hundred dollars. Liquidating old collection of unicycles and parts
Our team has mostly Torker CX’s for beginners, and has for many years. You don’t need a handle to learn to ride. Once they learn to ride and decide they want a uni of their own then something beefier is in order.
It’s not the lack of a handle that bothers me so much but the seat itself is tiny. It’s really to small for most adults.
Ended up …
getting 5 Torker CX models. Very pleased… these should work out well. Thanks for all the input.
