I love this thread - thanks @Bug72 for starting it.
It seems to me there are (roughly) four types of people who ride at an older age:
- Those who started young and just kept going - this seems to include a good number of the people who’ve really pushed the boundaries of the sport.
- Those who gave up riding when younger, then picked it up again, often really appreciating recent developments (especially the seats!).
- Those who’ve excelled at lots of active sports and take up unicycling as their latest challenge, often finding how satisfying it is to learn the skills, and progressing rapidly.
- Those who take it up without being sporty types, maybe because they’re looking for a quirky hobby, or because they have physical challenges they hope it might help with (a bad back or lack of general fitness), and enjoy progressing slowly.
(Apologies if I’ve missed out 90% of you!)
I guess I’m the last sort - I started in 2018 aged 51 partly because I used to fly a big kite in the summer on holiday, but our new dog hated it, and partly because I kept damaging my back doing day-to-day stuff, and needed something to strengthen my core muscles. I had a bicycle in the garage I never used (still true), but I enjoyed cycling and have fairly good balance, so suddenly decided I would learn to unicycle while away on summer holiday, buying a used one that was delivered to near our campsite.
It took me ages and I finished those 2 weeks going about 20 revs at best, but I stuck at it to the surprise of my family, and slowly got better, learning to freemount the following summer.
My first uni was a Nimbus 24" II from before they had ISIS cranks (2006ish but barely used), hindered in my case by a Maxxis Hookworm tyre (UK country lanes have lots of camber which the tyre is particularly bad at). I didn’t know any other unicyclists so I was reliant on advice and opinions online, where I found that (a) people often said a 20" was better for learning, and (b) the “coming of age” moment for unicyclists seemed to be when they got a 36". So those became my aims in my slow progress - along with trying to spend as little money as possible.
I first got a used 20" (but never really got the hang of it), then in 2020 I got a Nimbus 26" muni and a KH 36" that had belonged to the same guy - he had sadly died the year before and his non-unicycling friends were selling his unicycles. I started riding the 26" first, then gradually built up to the 36". However I had been very fortunate (I hadn’t realised just how fortunate at the time) that the 36" came with a Schlumpf geared hub (and a unique gear change system), however being so new to unicycling there was no way I was going to learn to use that on such a big wheel, so after lots of research and planning I bought a KH26 frame from another unicyclist and swapped the Schlumpf into my 26" wheel with the new frame. Then at last I could try out high gear, which was now equivalent to a 40" wheel, but harder to manage due to a narrower balance window for corrections as the cranks turn less than the wheel. I’m learning slowly (like everything else) and spend most of the time in low gear still, but it’s such a good feeling whenever I do get into high, even if it feels like I’ve gone down several skill levels in just trying to stay on.
I’ve not stopped enjoying unicycling throughout the now over 5 years that I’ve been riding, and I’ve never stuck at anything like this before. I’ve tried a few times to get into riding a smaller wheel (currently I have a 20" with 100mm cranks that’s fun to spin on, and a 19" trials, and I had a 20" 5ft giraffe for a year that I never even dared sit on!) but I’ve now (yesterday!) decided that I don’t need to go smaller than my 24". I’ve got so much to learn and develop, and I’m hoping up ahead I’ll have more time to ride (while also having to cut down on unis). I may even be getting rid of the 36" soon due to up-coming storage limitations, but as I currently mostly ride with our dog on a harness running with me, I don’t need to go so fast or far.
And one day I may even splash out and buy a unicycle that’s actually new rather than used, which I suspect will be a 27.5" or a 29", and will replace my 26" wheel. I can’t quite see myself parting with my original 24" at this point - it’s too useful and has too much history.
(Thank you for reading this far if you got here - and even if nobody does, I enjoyed writing it! 
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