Anywho, I suppose I’ll look into getting a studded tire for my LX. I have to clear my basement soon anyway because I want to get a weight bench, so hopefully I can get some practice done there too.
I’ve already got the bug though. I need a bigger wheel and a smaller wheel. I gotta go faster! Pumping my legs on that 24" took me only so fast, and I can only imagine how brilliant it must be to be gliding over the pavement on a 36" beauty. I also want something that’ll help me get into street/flat. Unfortunately being a poor student doesn’t lend it’s self to acquiring new equipment
I just wear my leg armor, elbow pads, and a snowboarding helmet. Well, my other clothes too You know it’s cold when you take your helmet off and it steams while your sweaty hair freezes in place
Unicycles are really good fun to ride in the winter. We don’t get deep snow here in southern England (very rarely more than a foot or so even on the hills) but I find it doesn’t really cause much of a problem for the muni. I feel much safer on a unicycle if it’s icy than on a bike - it seems to grip better and you have much more feel for how much grip there is, and then if you do fall off it’s much less nasty than crashing a bike. I use unicycles or bikes at random for my commute, but if it’s really cold and slippery I’ll always take the muni.
People who get deep powdery snow say it’s no problem to ride in that either, up to a couple of feet or more deep. The worst problem with snow here is it’s not really cold enough for proper powder snow and it tends to partially melt then refreeze, so you end up with an annoying crust on the top.
So, if it’s possible to ride, do it - it’s really fun.
Yea, I’d take off my hat b/c I was getting so warm and my wet hair turned instantly into needles stabbing me in the face, lol
I learned to ride through late dec. early jan. and some of my first real rides were on ice and snow. I was amazed how easy it was to uni on ice. Back before I started to uni, I always used to try to take my bike out in the storm when we had any nasty weather. Around here, that often means heavy, wet snow or freezing rain (only a foot or two of snow) and about half way through my ride, my jacket is soaked, pants are frozen stiff exept where the knees bend, and I have ice dreads coming out from underneath my hat. That’s one of the things I look forward to in winter. We don’t have any really good ski areas around here, so I’ve always taken my wheels for a spin. Last winter, my uni snow/ mud tire was a maxxis 2.3 swamp thing. It’s amazing to ride out on peaceful, snowy roads void of cars and trucks
Why just dress warmer and get yourself a studded tire for the uni. I have a cheapo Nashbar 700x35 studded tire. It is super skinny, which I don’t like (the usual tire is 700x42), but the traction is great.
I once rode out onto the local hockey rink, while some kids were skating, and they all stopped and stared at me.
I ride! Unicycles are suprisingly stable in the ice and snow. I recommend wearing a helmet and having a bailout plan. Nothing is more fun than ice and snow muni.
I definitely have to get a helmet soon. Once I’m a little more comfortable riding and have the balls to try some tricks and jumps and hopping and such. I also have to get a trials uni for such things. Damn being poor.
As much as I like to tease the guys in Eastern Canada about their lack of winter and cold compared to here in Western Canada, dealing with dumps of 30 to 60cm (1’ to 2’) of wet snow at any given time is not something to enjoy.
Winter conditions in Canada vary from almost no snow and plus temperatures (Vancouver) to many feet of snow in the prairies and northern Canada with up to -50 c temperatures in those areas and massive dumps of wet snow and ice storms throughout the east.
Winter can be a very tiring 6 to 7 month process but most of us usually do try to make the best of the good days that we get during the winter months.
i live in the GTA so only about 30 minutes away from toronto and i unicycle sun, rain or snow it dosn’t make much of a difference and keep practicing once you learn to ride everything will come quickly
If you want info on how to make a studded tire check out this thread. It is a tutorial on how to stud a tire that I wrote up. There is also some discussion of alternate ways of studding and my experiences with different studding techniques, chains, etc.
Bigger wheels work better than smaller wheels in winter. If you are riding a 20 consider getting a Muni for the winter if you think you would like to have one for the rest of the year as well.
I’ve got a 24", hopefully that will be passable for winter riding.
I looked into the toronto club practices. I’m a student with limited financial resources so I’m not super eager to buy another tire, pedals, and maybe shoes so that they don’t mark so I can take part in the practices.
Although, I know I should anyway because I need to meet some other unicyclists.
Growing up in South Dakota, I used to run cross-country, wearing a tshirt and shorts, down to -30C. Colder than that, and I would wear a long-sleeved tshirt and pants.
If the Fahrenheit temperature is larger than the SI temperature, it’s not cold.
Don’t let the gym floor issues stop you from coming to the club. Especially if you cant afford plastic pedals and separate indoor shoes (come anyways) and the tire issue has been solved by the cleanup ritual please come by if you are interested.
Also don’t feel you should learn to unicycle better before going to the club, its the best place to learn and improve.
Although winter riding is fun, this Canadian season is filled with wet, cold, and windy days that riding is pretty undesirable. Winter rides can only last a couple hours max because my extremities get cold even if I’m sweating. The Toronto Unicyclists club is a fun ride that is not weather dependent twice a week.
For someone who rides daily it is very disappointing to loose the warm riding season. Until I can buy expensive winter riding gear. I love snow riding but the season is still over to me. Makes me love the club even more.
You know it’s cold when you take your helmet off and it steams while your sweaty hair freezes in place 
