I am so new I’ve never been on a unicycle. Haven’t bought one yet. I KNOW NOTHING. I’ve browsed through the last 5 pages of this forum, and haven’t seen a question specifically from someone as uninformed as me. I have no idea where in my community I could buy a unicycle, so I figure I have to do it online. So that means I can’t try one out first; therefore I need some good advice. I was thinking of going cheap on ebay, so if I get one that doesn’t fit me, or has a painful seat or whatever, I wouldn’t be losing that much money. I saw a 12 year old Schwinn for about $40 including shipping. What y’all think? And speaking of size, I’ve read that 24" is the best all-around uni, but then I read elsewhere that it has to do with your height and inseam (I’m 5 foot 6 inches tall, inseam about 30".)
I won’t even get into my questions on how to use these things, but if anyone has ANY advice on models, used vs. new, how much to spend in general, I’d appreciate it.
First of all, I wouldnt listen to the inseam thing. The easiest size to learn on is a 20". Then adjusting to a 24" unicycle isnt hard. I looked through ebay at unicycles and the best one I saw for you would be this one:
its a 20" sun. I ordered a 24" sun a few weeks ago, and Im a beginner and it has worked out fine for me. If for some reason you dont like this one, dont buy one thats too cheap. Also I wouldnt buy a used one. This one is a great unicycle for its price.
That one is okay, except the seat really sucks. It would work for a five year old, but get’s pretty uncomfortable after you’re about five feet tall.
I would definitely recommend the second one, my friend has it and it’s excellent. One of the best seats, too.
Both Torkers and Suns seem to be decent unicycles. I haven’t heard any complaints about them. You get what you pay for. I believe that Tokers are a little better quality, but are also slightly more expensive.
Check your local bike shops. Often they will carry a unicycle or two. It can’t hurt to check. But before you buy one, it would be good to check it out here as well. The guy at the bike shop may not know about unicycles. We know stuff. Trust us.
Even if I were to go cheap, which I often do, I wouldn’t go with the chrome Torker. I learned on a 20 incher and I had no problems with it. I would say that it is slightly easier to learn on then a 24, but the 24 is much more versatile. If you don’t mind taking a smidgen longer to learn, go with a 24. Lots of bike shops can get Torkers for cheap.
I learned on a bad uni. I later bought a good uni. the difference is substantial. And my “good uni” was just good quality, not particularly high spec.
Look for one where the wheel is held on with two sets of c shaped clamps (around the bearings). The alternative is called “lollipop” bearings where the bearing holder has a “lollipop stick” which pokes up the inside of the fork leg. These are much less satisfactory.
Look for one with cotterless cranks. That simply means you can’t see what looks like a nut and bolt passing through the crank arm at the thick end to hold it onto the axle.
All the ones I’ve seen in “local bike shops” are awful. (Correction, our local good quality bike shop is the home of Onza, but that’s a special case!)
A 20 inch wheel will be your best option. If you really take to it, you might decide to buy a different size later when you know what suits you. If you don’t really take to it then the 20 gives you the best chance of at least learning to ride it, and it will be easier to store or sell.
Where are you located?
You may be surprised to find that a unicyclist may live very close to you. If so, you could get a chance to experience uniiing firsthand
> Both Torkers and Suns seem to be decent unicycles. I haven’t heard any
> complaints about them.
The reason I don’t complain about my Sun is because I never expected
it to last and I enjoy rebuilding things. The major parts that broke
in a few months of moderate use were pedals, rim, and hub, in that
order. I found that upgrades to tire, seat, and cranks were big
improvements, so all that’s left of the original is the frame,
seatpost, and innertube. Note that my Sun was a 26" - smaller rims
should be stronger.
> You get what you pay for.
No doubt. I now have somewhere around $400 invested in my erstwhile
Sun, and it’s a great ride. I wonder how much I would have spent if
I’d started with a $200 unicycle…
I recently upgraded from a 20" Savage (total junk unicycle) to a 20" Torker LX and then just bought a 20" Summit for trials. The Torker isn’t strong enough for doing 3 foot drops
I wholeheartedly recommend the Torker for a beginner, I think most would agree. I haven’t heard anything bad about it, considering the price. The crown is flat which is better for learning 1 footed later on. You can’t go wrong with the $100 Torker.
OK, so far I’ve got: the 20" is easier to learn, but 24" is more versatile (please elaborate.) Don’t buy used. Torker is good but avoid the CX because it’s chrome (again, please elaborate,) and the seat is uncomfortable. Go for the “non-lollipop” bearings and cotterless cranks. The Torker LX has a more comfortable seat - does it also have the good bearings and cranks?
BTW, I live in upstate NY (Albany/Saratoga area.) I’ve never seen a unicycler around here, but I’ve never been afraid to be different! I wanted one since I was less than 10 years old, but my mom would never let me have one. So the other day, after not thinking about it for probably 25 years, I had a strange wonderful dream about riding one. I figured since I’m old enough to buy my own now, I should do it before I get too old!
Thanks for all the information everybody. I was this close to buying that used one on ebay.
The 20 inch is easier to learn I, I think because you have a lower center of gravity and the smaller wheel is easier to control. The 24 is more versatile because it can go faster and can roll over things easier.
There is nothing wrong with the Chrome itself. It’s just the CX come with a small rock as a saddle and a crappy wheel set. All Torkers come with cotterless cranks and main cap bearings (the good kind) but the chrome Torker has weaker cranks.
I learned on a 24 inch, but i’m 6ft, not that that should make much of a difference cause then you’d have to be 7ft to ride a coker ( 36") wheel. I can go distance pretty well on a my uni, I don’t know if i’d of wanted to start on a 20, I think they’re more for tricks, which you can do on a 24, so i’d recomend thinking about getting one, but thats just me.
www.unicycle.com is a good place to look at uni’s, they have videos and other things to.
I’ve been actually riding for a little less than a year and have owned a 20" 24" 28" and a Coker. I first attempted to learn on a 24" and after doing research here at RSU, bought a 20" Torker. Having a 30" inseam, I found (for me) the 20" was more “user friendly” for the true beginner
If you like fixing things like ken then go with the Sun unicycles, but if you want a good quality beginner unicycle then go with the torker. The saddle is ok, I have gone ten miles on it a few times…(the lx) I learned on the chrome torker 20" before it was called the cx and it never broke on me, i even took it on some access trails without a problem (when I still fit on the small seat). But after riding on a velo seat for so long when I try to ride my lx it isn’t as comfy as before.
I first got a 24" sun learned on that then I meet some guys who ride in the area and tryed a 20" summit rode it in the first try 24 to a 20 is an easy switch but learning on a 20" would probably be easier. You do have to be careful of torkers cranks though they do stip easely make sure you put the seat on straight.
