Unicycle wanted???

General
1

I’ve had a question lingering in the brain along this “uni wanted” type of posting for awhile. I see an occasional uni advertized on Ebay or in this newsgroup that mentions it was purchased at a “sale”. Although yard sales or estate sales have some good bargins, I usually can’t stand taking the time to stop and browse. However, in the times in my life that I have stopped, I have never seen a unicycle in the mix. They seem to be very few and far between and I haven’t happened in on the “between” yet. I can assume a couple things for starters, 1) unicycling is just now becoming more popular, 2) folks don’t like to part with a good thing.

Here’s the question: How often if ever have you run across a unicycle at a sale of some sort (excluding Ebay of course where the prices with shipping included are upwards around prices of new uni’s)?

If yard salers would only post their signs as, “Yard Sale - Unicycle included”

2

I sold a 24" Oxford at a yard sale 3 years ago for $20. It had cottered cranks. The pedal threads were stripped on the cranks so the pedal axles were welded in. The seat cover was duct tape. The pretty metallic blue finish had long ago chipped and rusted so the frame was primer gray. I do not yet miss it but the day will come when I wish that I had kept and restored it.

3

Re: Unicycle wanted???

“yoopers” <yoopers.431ra@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote in message
news:yoopers.431ra@timelimit.unicyclist.com…

> Here’s the question: How often if ever have you run across a unicycle
> at a sale of some sort

I have been disappointed 100% of the time so far in finding unicycles at
yard sales.

> If yard salers would only post their signs as, "Yard Sale - Unicycle

I agree. Frequently bicycles are listed specifically. But then again, I see
bait and switch schemes in the making wherein we’re lured with promises of
unicycles and leave only with monopoly games missing some chance cards.

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

4

Re: Unicycle wanted???

I had a killer find in LA about 3 years ago. I visited as many used bike shops
as I could, and in one I found a used Miyata Deluxe that was actually new for
$40.

Never been able to repeat it.

David Maxfield
Bainbridge Island, WA

5

Re: Unicycle wanted???

“Maxfield D” <maxfieldd@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020503114850.02590.00009641@mb-dh.aol.com…
> I had a killer find in LA about 3 years ago. I visited as many used bike
shops
> as I could, and in one I found a used Miyata Deluxe that was actually new
for
> $40.
>
> Never been able to repeat it.

Well, to enter confessional mode for a minute, when I was about 28 or so and
moving frequently from one apartment smaller than the previous, I gave a
Miyata away to a kid in the local bagel shop. I was spending way too much
time in East Village basements listening to punk bands and “performance
art”. (Was kinda fun though). I hope the kid learned to ride it, though. He
seemed interested and I didn’t think I’d ever ride again.

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

6

Re: Unicycle wanted???

in article yoopers.431ra@timelimit.unicyclist.com, yoopers at
yoopers.431ra@timelimit.unicyclist.com wrote on 5/3/02 10:06 AM:

> Here’s the question: How often if ever have you run across a unicycle
> at a sale of some sort (excluding Ebay of course where the prices with
> shipping included are upwards around prices of new uni’s)?

The bike club I belong to holds a “bike swap” every year. This year somebody
brought a 20" CyclePro unicycle to sell. The seat was completely wrecked
(shaped like a “U”) and it had really cheap plastic pedals. They wanted $54
for it, nobody bought it.

I took a couple pictures of it with the wrecked seat on it, but it was new
roll, so the film is still in the camera. I’ll post them once I get them
back. (I know, I should really get around to buying a digital camera).

-Carl

7

My first two unicycles were a Schwinn 20 and a Schwinn 24. Both were purchased used. I found them in the little tabloid size community classified papers like “Nickel Ads”. When I was looking for the unicycles it was easy to find them in the classifieds. That was way back in the late '70s before there was an eBay.

john_childs

8

Before buying my first Uni new I tried a wanted Ad in a free ads paper. I received one phone call asking if I had been successful, this person was also checking the paper weekly in the hope of buying. I gave up and went to the local juggling shop.

I had a chance buy of an old giraffe in the local bike shop when I was shopping for some new pedals.

Finally my best buy involved even less effort. The In-laws were at a car boot sale and someone was selling a 16" and an 18", they are in reasonable nick and of Taiwanese origin. He rang and told me the price and I told him to get them. He then managed to talk the price down by 25% by persuading them they were going to a good home! It has taken a year but my 4 year old has now grown enough to mount the Uni with the aid of a table and the 3 year is eating well so as to join his sister…

Keith

9

RE: Unicycle wanted???

> Here’s the question: How often if ever have you run across a unicycle
> at a sale of some sort

Me? Almost never. But over the years I’ve had many friends buy unicycles for
me, thinking they were doing me a favor. I have a bunch of “crap” unicycles
in my collection, most of which came from this source. People selling
unicycles in yard sales usually just want to get rid of them, so the price
is always a bargain.

That is, assuming the unicycle is worth having. If it’s built with tricycle
parts, it basically isn’t. Some tricycle-technology unicycles are much
better than others, but in general they should be avoided. A person is
better off learning on one with real bearings and real pedals, than getting
frustrated on one that has high wheel friction, short cranks that are too
wide, and/or a hard plastic tire.

But sometimes the yard sale unicycle is a Schwinn, a Miyata, or other
high-end model. These are almost always priced to move! The problem is
finding them. You have to cruise a lot of sales to spot a useful amount. For
this to be worth your time, you have to be into garage/yard “sailing”. I’m
not. If I’m driving by a sale I’ll always look, but that’s about it.

Occasionally you can also find unicycles for sale in the paper. I bought one
for $15, and used it for several years as my handlebar cycle in shows. It
was a “Pro” from Japan.

On eBay you can find all sorts of unicycles if you’re patient. Schwinn
Giraffes are coming up all the time, along with old Japanese models, Miyatas
Univegas, Loyds, etc. You never know. Just don’t believe everything you read
on eBay. Most people estimate what they’re selling to be way older than it
is, and make wild guesses about them. The best sellers are the ones who
simply describe what they see, assuming nothing. I’ve seen several where the
person reads the info off a bike seat and assumes this is the manufacturer
of the unicycle it’s on… :slight_smile:

Stay on top,
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
jfoss@unicycling.com

“If people want to truly understand mountain biking, they have to do two
other things: ride a unicycle, and master the trampoline.” – Joe Breeze,
one of the originators of mountain biking, in a conversation with Tim Bustos

10

my old uni

my first uni i got from a garage sale for 15 bucks, well my dad did, and he brought it home for me,and 2.5 hours later i was ridin it around, im glad he bought it for me, cuz its the only thing im good at, so thank you dad.

11

Re: Unicycle wanted???

A yard-sale unicycle is what got me started (last June). It is a 20 inch
“Cycle Design” (equivalent to a Torker). They were asking $35, I took it
away for $20. (Ultimately the total cost was $30 because I had to blow $10
on a new seatpost – someone had hacksawed it).

That was the second unicycle I have seen at a yard sale (unless I saw the
same one twice). I passed up the first one.

I am a recreational yard-saler. I have a rule: When I consider buying a
yard-sale item, I always try to run a mental simulation . If I can’t
visualize myself actually using the item, I won’t buy it.

I think I bent my rule a little bit on the unicycle. I figured I could
probably learn to ride it. But it seemed like a dead end. Suppose I did go
to the trouble of learning to ride it. What then?

But having bought it, I felt compelled to justify the purchase by actually
trying to ride it. Digging around on the web, looking for how-to-ride tips,
I started to realize there is no end to the entertainment value of a
unicycle (or 5 or 10 of them).

–Mark

–
Mark Newbold
Montpelier, Vermont USA


Alternate email: manx@sover.net