First things first, i hate that my first post is a [wanted]! So sorry for that.
Used to Unicycle a lot about 2 years ago, and recently met up with a mate from back in school. So this mate ‘randomly’ happaned to have my unicycle on her so i finally got it back after just over a year of not seeing it!
Getting back on was a little strange @ first, but i’m defo starting to love it again.
Main problem, it’s still a begginers Uni! Fair enough i’m not great, but i can plain cycle enough for me to need a new one!
So basically back to the fact - i was hunting around, and now im lost in the whole, MUni/Trial/Commuters business. Would love to have a Uni i could ride to work in the morning but also after something that can be used for general messing about. Not sure if theres any viable Uni’s that can do a little bit of everything rather than being great in one area.
Maybe one day i can afford to save for a collection of Uni’s!
Thanks in advance
It would be nice to think you could have one uni that could do everything, but ultimately you do need to decide what kind of unicycling you like to do most. If you ride to work but want to also do some trail riding, but you don’t plan on doing much in the way of trials, then a 29" muni would probably make the most sense.
If your commute to work isn’t very far, then a 24" Muni would let you do everything. This is partly what I was thinking of when I came out with the 125/150 mm double holed Moment cranks. You could commute in the 125mm length, and mess about in the longer length for muni and trials.
It’s about a 2km commute or so, but even at that i can quite happily walk some of it if my legs arn’t coping. More effort would make it a work-out @ the same time?! Excuse to not go to the gym tbh.
If a 24" Muni can be good to learn tricks and mess about, while also getting a good ride out of - sounds like the one.
Onto the double-holed Moment cranks… Lemme go wiki/google rofl! - Not quite fluent in Uni either yet!
With your cheapy 20 (I presume) uni. You will want it for teaching friends. It will be be good for learning stuff yourself, before you try it with larger wheels.
A 2 K commute can be done with any size I guess. So ask yourself what uni do you want to buy next ? Assume it won’t be the last !
I would suggest not getting a 20 trials next, cause trials is a bit advanced and you have a learners 20 already.
Buy a KH unless you are really poor. In that case, wait and get more $ and buy a KH. It’s cheaper in the long run to get it and be done with it, then to buy lot’s of other uni’s and replacing them or upgrading.
Your local riding areas are an important factor. If there is lots of low traffic, not to hilly roads to explore, you will want a 36 ". I’m not a good rider, and can’t free mount mine. It takes only a few miles for the terror to fade. If you can ride a 20 for a mile, you can learn to ride a 36 in one afternoon. In this application it is clearly the best uni.
To decide between a 24 and and 29 is harder. If it’s really dense and hilly then go 24. Open, low traffic and flat leans to 29. Except in that case you need a 36 as well.
Maybe get a KH 24 now, and a 36 later. Do a search for A. E. Bike. They have the best KH deals now.
Most of the area i’d be riding in is a populated city centre kind of area… Not a huge amount of rural near by but there are a few good spots. Was looking @ getting a trials and mod’ing my current one a bit to be more suitable for a general commute…
I know the trials are a bit advance, but is it worth getting that if i wish to progress to that stage? Rather than having to buy another Uni next year or so
Trials unis are not “too advanced” to get because they ride just like a regular uni, for learning, and whether trials is hard or not just depends on what kinds of trials you’re doing. It’s really a question of what you want to do. If your commute is only 2 km and otherwise you’d use it for messing about as in looking for trials stuff to play on and improve technically (ie urban obstacles), then get a 20" trials uni. But trials unis are pretty slow if you plan to use it to get around town or get groceries or ride on trails. So if messing about means things like hopping up or riding down stairs, or dropping off stuff, plus you want something to get around town, the 24" would be good.
If you already have a cheapo 20, ask yourself, can I ride forwards, backwards, idle, hop, and drop? I can do some of that, but not all of it yet. So I maintain that trials is hard. Even then I’m lying a bit, cause it’s really impossible.
I do not regret my recent purchase of a KH 20. After gassing all around on it for a couple days, I use it now in the living room while I watch video’s. I think it is great in this small space, to practice idling and pedaling backwards.
It is terribly dull for neighborhood touring. The scenery passes way to slow. If I were a better rider, I could do fun tricks along the way , but I am not so good, and the 20 is dull around town for me.
So I say get a bigger wheel if you aren’t " ready ", for trials riding, and you don’t wish to own several uni’s. Kriss is right though, anyone can ride a 20 trials bike. It is a duller, slow ride until you are ready for that more advanced stuff.
I will ride 24 and 36 from now on, except in my yard, where the little 20 is so cool !
You might like to consider the Nimbus family of unicycles. For example a freestyle nimbus 24 or something like that might suit better, with a smooth tyre for riding to work and general messing about.
(Although I feel a bit rude mentioning this in a thread replied to by KH. Sorry.)
I missread Cathy’s post slightly. You can fit that tire on a Nimbus II, but not a Nimbus X. Also the II would be good to uprade to a splined hub if you get into drops and break the original hub.
I think the II would be great to get because it dousn’t cost that much and diff crank sizes are cheep so you can deside which you like best, and while you discover if you like trials more, technical trails or flat fire roads (20, 24, or 29).
But if you know the type you are going to do and you can afford it, definately get a KH.
Do a search for A. E. Bike. They have the best KH deals now.
