Uni vs. Muni for a newbie

General
1

Hi,

I was hoping for some advice, I am currently very interested in getting started,
I am a beginner who is interested in someday getting into commuting. I spend a
lot of time mountain biking and would love to carry this over to the unicycle.

My question is: Is there any good reason why I should not purchase a 26" Muni
as a rank beginner? I am sure the knobby tires may affect the learning curve
but I would happily put a “slick” on the rim if it would make the learing curve
less vertical.

Thanks in advance for any help you may have to offer.

Rob

2

Re: Uni vs. Muni for a newbie

Rob <robnj@hotmail.com> wrote:

: My question is: Is there any good reason why I should not purchase a 26" Muni
: as a rank beginner? I am sure the knobby tires may affect the learning curve
: but I would happily put a “slick” on the rim if it would make the learning
: curve less vertical.

We’ve had a few people learn on large wheels (couple of 24s — smooth, and a 26
knobbly). It didn’t seem to bother them. It was funny to see them freak when
they mounted 20" machines though.

–
Steve Carter, York, UK. steve@juggler.net The opinions expressed here are not
necessarily shc103@york.ac.uk my own, let alone those of the University of York.
URLOTD:Paper Sizes http://www.smartype.com.au/sizes.html :slight_smile:

3

Re: Uni vs. Muni for a newbie

Rob,

I would DEFINITELY recommend going straight to a MUni as you are considering. I
was riding single track 2 weeks from the day I first picked up a unicycle, and
while we all approach things at different rates (I was riding 8 hrs a day at the
time) it will avoid LOTS of frustration to go ahead and start with the right
machine, and will not adversely affect your learning curve at all. I would make
sure you start with plastic pedals (not the metal BMX pedals that your MUni will
likely come with) to save you some likely shin damage, and lots of cloth
athletic tape on your seat will help to protect it while you are learning. Also,
you can really jump start the learning process by using a shopping cart for a
couple of hours. (You may already be beyond that point of course)

Good luck!

Bruce Bundy

Rob wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I was hoping for some advice, I am currently very interested in getting
> started, I am a beginner who is interested in someday getting into commuting.
> I spend a lot of time mountain biking and would love to carry this over to the
> unicycle.
>
> My question is: Is there any good reason why I should not purchase a 26" Muni
> as a rank beginner? I am sure the knobby tires may affect the learning curve
> but I would happily put a “slick” on the rim if it would make the learing
> curve less vertical.
>
> Thanks in advance for any help you may have to offer.
>
> Rob

4

Re: Uni vs. Muni for a newbie

Rob (robnj@hotmail.com) wrote:

: My question is: Is there any good reason why I should not purchase a 26" Muni
: as a rank beginner? I am sure the knobby tires may affect the learning curve
: but I would happily put a “slick” on the rim if it would make the learing
: curve less vertical.

Go for it , it’s only a little larger than 24 and lots of people learn on them.
Where in the world are you? If you find you don’t like the Pashley saddle I can
recomend getting a viscount saddle and seat post from DM engineering in Dorset,
he uses the same dia tubing. Or of course you could get his DMATU 26 inch uni in
its entirety. Have fun. sarah