15

Motivation: I'm a casual cyclist (I ride around 4 miles per day, to school and work and back) but I wanted to get into unicycling to casually cycle through parks and the like; nothing too extreme, but just to be able to take it on a bus and cycle around the town. I was unsure of what to look for in a beginner's unicycle, though.

Main Question: What types of things should a beginner unicyclist look for in their first unicycle? Is it worthless to buy a unicycle labeled as a "beginner's unicycle"?

I browsed the other unicycle thread, but it didn't explicitly apply to people just starting to unicycle.

Improve this question
1
  • 2
    This is pretty much the same question as Unicycle recommendation, but maybe you can get more specific info here. Your question pretty much cuts out large-wheeled unicycles; the other question author also never said what kind of riding they'd be doing, which makes any recommendation far less useful.
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Dec 20, 2010 at 6:01

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
5

If you are an adult, I would say that you will be more comfortable using a 24 or 26" wheel versus the 20" wheel which is mainly for trick riding. Especially if you want to commute a bit the larger wheel will come in handy. Once you are comfortable on a 24 or 26" wheel, you may want to graduate to a Coker or big wheel cycle for getting around fast (I can average 12 to 13 mph for over 20 miles) Go to unicycle.com and look under commuters and you will find some really nice cycles. I used to ride a 42" Tom Miller big wheel from The Unicycle Factory and switched about 10 years ago to a 36" pneumatic tire Coker. I have made many modifications over they years so that now the only Coker item left is the tire but it's a great cycle. I hope this helps.

Improve this answer
5
  • 1
    Will @james be able to get a 24 or 26" wheeled uni on the bus?
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Dec 28, 2010 at 3:59
  • 1
    This is good news! Until this post, I figured I'd be doing something around 5mph on this thing, tops. I've been looking at a 26" model, so I'll no doubt be on here more asking things about it as I get into it more.
    – james
    Dec 28, 2010 at 4:07
  • @james - Perhaps you cold modify your question to indicate that speed is a priority, if it is?
    – Goodbye Stack Exchange
    Dec 28, 2011 at 21:06
  • Larger wheels are typically considered harder to learn on, in my experience.
    – user229044
    Jan 1, 2012 at 7:36
  • A 24 is in many ways easier to ride than a 20, as balance changes develop a little more slowly, pedal cadence is smoother and more natural, and bumps are felt less. That remains true, albeit with some initial intimidation factor when going up in size through 26 or 29, though a big wheel like a Coker or other 36er is both challenging to get onto, and given the substantial tire weight notably more challenging to accelerate to stability speed.
    – Chris Stratton
    Apr 29, 2017 at 18:00
1

I have a few different answers for the first question, if you have a larger budget than I would say you should buy a nimbus unicycle, you should try to aim for around 20 inches, but a bit higher or lower is not that bad. The next option is what I would pick is the torker cx line, these are good sturdy cheap models, but without a doubt I would get a new seat for it immediately the one it comes with is condensed agony. I have the Kris Holmes fusion free ride saddle and that one is great for learning. You should probably buy two or more new saddle hand grabs, they go by pretty fast. Now your last option is if you want to buy one second hand, this fine, but keep in mind to research the manufacturer, and then see the retail prices, you can find some good deals but be sure to avoid companies like cyclepro and other stuff that gets bad reviews, if one unicycle by the manufacturer is bad than most of them are bad. But make sure to check. Don’t worry about the price on second hand places, most of the time people just get really mad at it and just want to get rid of it. Now, new if it’s too cheap retail (about under $50 is bad usually, but you can find good ones about this price even though it’s a good rule of thumb.). And remember; do not make your first unicycle your only one, EVER! They take a lot of wear and often don’t suit your needs. Now finally when you get to the buying stage, some good places to go are http://www.seriousjuggling.com/unicycles.htm http://www.unicycle.com/ (the first is the lower price range and the second is the higher.)

Improve this answer
1
  • A 20 inch unicycle has potential for learning and for ticks, but it's useless for going anywhere, even in a tourist fashion. A 24 would be a compromise for both learning and some park rides, but likely the poster would soon want a 26, 29 or larger. So perhaps find a used 20 or 24 to learn on and then buy a quality 29 or 26.
    – Chris Stratton
    Apr 29, 2017 at 18:04

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.