[email protected] said:....Now you've got me wondering if unicyclists discuss whether steel,
aluminum, titanium, or carbon-fiber frames give a stiffer, yet more
compliant ride.
Are there unicycles with suspension?
Do they use clip-in pedals?
Had a friend years ago who rode unis off road, he thought that was a nice challenge after having mastered the knack of jumping an uni like a pogo stick up and down a (narrow) spiral staircase. His off road uni did have have a suspension seatpost, which he considered to be more show than actual performance - like the switch from chrome to some sort of low-gloss paint job. But he did say it made things a bit less uncomfortable when he misjudged a landing.
I can't remember him ever talking about materials, but for really abusive riding he did favor a high spoke count wheel.
He experimented briefly with spd's as a result of a bet regarding his time on a 100 m sprint, (something about a small wheel giving good acceleration while a big wheel giving better top speed, ands spd's on a big wheel having the potential to offer the best of both...) but after having gained first-hand experience of the consequences of an UPD (Un-Planned Dismount) in combination with spd's he decided that the potential for pain outweighed the potential for performance increase....
But apparently some diehards do use rigid strapless toeclips and similar more easily disengaging devices.