Hey all, I was just thinking about the possibility of upgrading a 24” unicycle to a 29” by purchasing some new parts.
I would need new forks, new spokes, new rim, new tyre and new tube but I should be able to reuse the 24” hub, seat post, saddle, cranks and pedals.
Please let me know if this has been done and if it takes a lot of effort to respoke a hub and wheel.
I thought it would be the most cost effective way to upgrade. What are your thoughts? Thanks.
Yes, mix matching parts has been done. You just need to figure the price of parts you need and compare that to the price of a new 29" and estimate how much you could sell your 24" for. If it is cheaper to buy new and sell your old 24" it would make sense to do that.
If you can follow simple instructions (like those on Youtube) for respoking, it is not hard to do and a useful skill to learn.
Thanks JimT, that sounds like the way to go about it.
Even better: Buy a 29" unicycle and keep the 24". Now you have two unicycles!
And it might even be cheaper!
(or not much more expensive)
And you’ll have an answer to the question “Where’s your other wheel?”
I agree with johnfoss. Keep the 24". It could potentially be your muni. And, if the interest in a 29" is based on speed, then why not save up and make your next unicycle a 36"?
All you guys suggesting to keep the 24" obiously don’t remember being young and broke…
I agree with JimT, upgrading is doable, but you should check if it’s worth selling the old and buying new instead.
If you do the upgrade, don’t forget to doublecheck your new frame fits the seatpost, and the bearing spacing and diameter is correct.
I do remember being young and broke. But that also one of the times that I remember setting a goal and working hard to achieve that goal. ( which usually means working and saving money for the goal of first car, stereo, motorcycle, concert tickets, beach vacation, etc)
I’d suggest searching craigslist for a used version of what you’re after.
I’ve found uni’s in like new condition for half or less the retail price.
I don’t know anyone with just one unicycle, so to commit to a new size without being able to go back… I don’t know if I’d want to make that leap.
But, if you find a used one, and decide one or the other isn’t what you want, you can always craigslist the one you don’t want.
Yes , you need to come up with more cash, but that 2nd uni also has the ability to be ridden OR sold.
australia? not sure if that might be a bigger problem than in the US…?
You can find second hand unicycles on gumtree in Australia but 29s are not super common only 20’s.
Other than that there are a number of riders in QLD who perhaps are close enough that the OP could have a go to try the 29?
A hub of riders in Sunshine Coast and Gladstone
There was a nice Nimbus 29 for something like $175 on Gumtree late last year. It took a few weeks to sell. I have seen a couple of other 29s on Gumtree or eBay over the past four years. They were pretty ordinary but cheap.
Look regularly and trust the universe to provide.
Good luck.
Thanks everyone for the feedback and ideas.
Oh I remember. The unicycle I originally started to learn on was a loan; later a gift, from my next door neighbor. I had no money in those days. He either already knew it was a piece of crap, or just wasn’t interested (or both). When I did buy my first unicycle, in 1980 I guess I wasn’t broke because I think I spent $109 (for a brand new Schwinn Giraffe). Don’t ask. Not recommended as a first unicycle.
But buying half a unicycle, unless you’re using used parts, generally is no cheaper than buying a whole, with the downside of still only having one unicycle.
So try not to buy new; keep looking and give it some time. You never know what might turn up on eBay or your local equivalent. – Ugch! I eBay isn’t what it used to be. I just searched for “used unicycle 29” and got a list of new unicycles of various sizes, Russian postage stamps commemorating a cycling event, a Craftsman String Trimmer engine cover, and nothing used at all. So maybe Craigslist, and the Forums here, if you’re lucky…