I’m a 5’9" adult with a 30" inseam (175 cm and 76 cm, respectively). And
I’m hoping to get competent enough to ride the slightly technical
mountain bike trails in my area by next spring/summer. But I’m having
trouble figuring out what to buy. I’m looking at a Torker LX, but I’m
not sure whether the 20" or the 24" would be more appropriate. So
here’s my questions:
Is learning on a 24" more difficult than on a 20"?
I’m also looking at a Torker DX, is learning on a muni more difficult
than on a non-muni?
I’ve heard that it typically takes about 10-15 hours to learn to ride
a unicycle. Roughly how many hours of practice should I expect before
I’d could go (easy) off-road and do more riding than falling?
To help me decide between buying a cheaper model then upgrading vs.
just starting with a higher-end model, which question (from my
significant other) would be easier to answer?
a. (short term) You spent how much on a unicycle that you don’t even
know how to ride yet?
b. (slightly longer term) You bought another unicycle?
No. A lot of people have learned on a 24 instead of a 20". And from what you want to be doing on the uni, a 24 will suit your needs much more than the 20" would.
It can be slightly harder because of the bigger sluggish tire. It can be done though. Just pump up the tire to be harder than usual, so you have more control and response on the concrete.
For some people, it has taken them 6 weeks to learn how to ride, others can ride within a few hours. For me, it took about 1 week. Its different for everyone. Im not sure how many hours exactly, but once you can ride on pavement for as long as you want without falling off, can ride down curbs, hop up them, then youll be good for some Muni.
How sure are you that your gonna want to uni? Most people will say to buy the cheaper 24" Torker LX, then once you get better, and still want to move into harder Muni, but the Torker DX. If your already set on, “I want to uni, I want a 24” to hit the trails with." Then get the 24" DX.
Jerrick is right, you’re tall enough to learn on a 24 and it is far more versatile than a 20" unicycle. A DX with enough pressure in the tire it will be similar to learning on a cheaper version with narrower tire. You may be able to put a cheap 1.75 tire on the rim, too.
His last statement is especially true. Go cheap at first. If you don’t like it you haven’t lost much cash. If you can’t live without it, you’ll end up with ten unicycles like many of us anyway.
It took me 12 hours to learn. I didn’t MUni until more than 35 years after I first learned to ride.
Why do you answer questions like that from your significant other?
I learned on a 24" DX in ~12 hours… over five or six weeks. I would practice for 30 minutes at a time, and not every day of every week. I’m 5’ 6" and have a 33" inseam with shoes on (so a bit less than 32" without), and the 24" DX seatpost was too long, so I rode with a cut down seatpost.
As others said, if you’re going to commit, then get the DX now, but if you’re not sure, start with the LX and get a better unicycle later.
Another argument for buying the cheaper uni first and then the better one later on is that once you learn, you can give the cheap learner uni to your significant other for them to learn on while you get the upgraded unicycle. If the significant other is not interested in riding, then you can always loan it to friends that might be interested in riding. This will help ensure you have a riding buddy so you won’t have to always ride solo.
i find that a fat tyre helps you get stable at first… When i was still quite bad, could freemount and go along, i changed tyres to an onza sticky fingers and i noticed it was alot easier to be stable on it…
It took me about 5 hours to learn, but I did it in a little less than an hour each week for a month and a half. I wonder if that affects the time it takes to learn.
I learned on a 24 i was all right but it was an lx and had a skinnytire. when i got my kh 24 with the 3 incher it was really different and it took me a couple of minutes to adjust. but just get it as hard as it will go. i was able to go out on the trails in like 3 weeks. at first i just rode around my house to get used to going over bumps. oh yeah, the torker dx 24 is a great muni for the price, very durable.
This is what I wish I had done. Get the 24" LX and when you are able to hop up and down curbs get a really nice Muni, like a 24" Onza , Koxx, or Kris Holm. Then you have a really nice Muni and try to ride the other as your only transportation, put on some shorter cranks and you can go pretty fast, for a uni. The more time spent riding the faster you’ll improve.
Yeah that is another great use of your learner. I have three and two are loanded out to friends.
Edit: 24" DX, 16" LX, and a free 20" no-name (in order of aquizition).
i must be gifted becaust i learned in 2 hours on a trials unicycle i feel good now