I intend to buy my first unicycle. From the reading I’ve done
I understand the 20" is better for tricks, and the 24" for speed/distance.
As a beginner, I want to ask what would be better - easier to learn on, the 20" or the 24".
I’m 5’11", over 200 pounds.
Thanks
You might want to have a little look through the archives. This subject often comes up. You’ll probably find that there is no right answer. I personally think it is best to learn on a 20" and I think most people do learn this way.
Never to Many
I think it’s quicker learning on a 20" unicycle, but I am only 5’4". I think the 24" is easier to ride that the 20" but if you learn on the smaller one the 24" will give you no problem. If you are a tall person get the 24". Or purchase the 20" just to learn on like some of us and the upgrade to the 24". By then you will know just what you want, (Maybe a Coker)…You can never have to many. 
I think learning is easier on the 20, especially freemounting. You can ‘step on’ to a 20 where a 24 involves more of a ‘step up’. Also, you can step off a 20 where a 24 feels a bit more like a fall.
The 20 is surprisingly capable on dirt roads and trails, too - it’s just slow. You’ll probably want a 24 if you get into that side of things, but then the 20 is good to have around for evangelical purposes…
Tim
i recently converted someone to unicycling, and within 1 hour of riding, they can now consistantly ride 50meters on concrete, sometimes freemount, and ride quite well on bumpy grass, for about 30meters. He learnt this on my 24x3 muni. I think its quite easy to learn, because it has a big stable platform, so requires less side to side balance, and more front to back. This largfe base also makes turning harder, encouraging him to go in a straight line, rather than twisting, which usually makes beginners fall off.
Re: Which uni is best for me?
I’m learning right now on a 24" Torker unistar (the black one). Various
posts in here said it was a pretty good learner’s model. As I am
practicing on pavement, the seat scuff guards and pedals are getting
very scuffed. That’s why I bought it though, so I don’t worry
about it getting beat up a bit. 
I figure that
once I’ve learned and get into it, I’ll be able to ride this one
around on some easy trails, and if I want to do more freestyle
riding I will buy a nice 20" at that time.
I’m 5’8" 150 lbs if you’re curious. According to data posted
by Klaas, the people surveyed learned faster (20% or 30%?)
on 20" unicycles than on 24" unicycles.
-Rob
Speaking of the 24" Torker unistar, that’s what I’ve been taking trail riding now that I’ve been unicycling for a month. If you’re really 5’8", I’d say go for the 20" though. My friend who’s 5’8" can’t touch the pedals on my 24" even when I lower the seat all the way down, although that may just be a problem with the Torker design (but no problem for me at 6’2").
<edit>Then again, my friend might just have really really short legs…</edit>
Re: Which uni is best for me?
On Thu, 24 Apr 2003 05:24:13 -0500, murasaki
<murasaki.mdy4n@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:
>I intend to buy my first unicycle. From the reading I’ve done
>I understand the 20" is better for tricks, and the 24" for
>speed/distance.
Yes I think 20" is the best size for tricks. 24" is a
jack-of-all-trades: still good for tricks, somewhat good at distance.
For real speed/distance, you need a 28" wheel or larger.
>As a beginner, I want to ask what would be better - easier to learn on,
>the 20" or the 24".
>I’m 5’11", over 200 pounds.
Statistically, a 20" is 30% quicker to learn on, see
(www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/agelearn_short.htm>. There you can also
download a spreadsheet to estimate YOUR learning time; you can enter
various wheelsizes to see the effect.
But the real question is: What do you want to do with the unicycle
after learning the basics? I would recommend to make that the basis of
wheelsize choice.
“Oh no, not again.”