Which unicycle!!



R

RosscoAP

Guest
Hi people,

You guys must get these questions all the time, so thanks for taking the
time to read this.

I am new to unicycling. I am looking at buying my first unicycle
(standard introduction...).

I live in Australia, so the range here is limited. I went to a bicyce
show today, and got a product list from the people from unicycle.com.

I want to do be able to do this with my unicycle:
- Be comfortable
- Ride moderate distances (and depending on how I go, longer
distances)
- Some basic tricks (ride backwards, one foot pedalling, and thats about
all)

I do not want to do this:
- Treat my unicycle like a pogo stick (ie. jump on and off things)
- Ride it off road
- Juggle (I can barely juggle off the unicycle)

Now, I test rode a 24" Nimbus 2 today and it was so comfy and smooth.
For an extra $35 (AUS dollars) I can buy the 29" version. Question I
have, what size should I go for? I am slightly above average height
(184cm, of 6ft something in imperial).

I would probably favour commuting over tricks. Are tricks at all
possible with a 29" wheel?

Thanks for your help
Ross


--
RosscoAP
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Well, if you want commuting, I'd say go with the 29.

But if you think you are going to do a sufficient amount of tricks, I'd
go for a 24, just because of personal preference.


--
digitalattrition - Hand Signals are Key

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If you enjoy unicycling as much as the rest of us, you'll end up with
both at some point.

I'd say 24" is a good compromise, and if you want to use it for more
commuting, get some shorter cranks.


--
BoojiBoy - Punk Rock Rider

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www.purevolume.com/skawabunga
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I've got a 24x3 nimbus and a 29" nimbus.

Both are great.

Generally the 29-er is considered best for communting, but I use the
24x3 a lot for getting around on.

Do you want to commute on the roads or the pavements (sidewalk)?

The 29-er is good for the roads, having more presence and speed; on the
pavement, particularly with the usual 5" cranks, it's got disadvantages
in that it's more intimidating to pedestrians and less controllable.

A 24 x 3 is slower, but easier to control, good amongst pedestrians, ok
for short bits on road, but not for continuous road riding.

If where you live is exceptionaly hilly, then a 24 x 3 will have the
advantage- Sheffield, where I am is not idealy suited to the 29-er with
5" cranks, but few places are as hilly as Sheffield.

Another option is to fit 6" (150mm) cranks to the 29-er, getting better
control and making hills easier- this is my favourite 29-er set-up.

A 29-er with 5" cranks is theoretically faster, however I did find that
to have good control with it meant very regular rides; particularly if
you're on the roads- you have to be a good confident rider on the
roads.

Whereas the 24 x 3 is a machine that you can jump on after a long lay
off, and still be able to ride it well.

A 29-er with 6" cranks lies between the two in that respect, probably
closer to the 24x 3 in terms of control.

There're both great unis, you won't go wrong with either of them :)

If you get a 24 x 3, I recomend getting it with a 29-er frame switched
in, this gives you the option of putting in a 29-er wheel later on.

Here's links to some previous threads that may be of interest, doing a
search or following links will turn up loads of info: -

http://tinyurl.com/6c8ca (discussion of pros/cons of longer cranks on
big wheels)

http://tinyurl.com/4jwo3 (a thread on commuting on a 24 x 3 muni which
elaborates on some of the points made above)


Lastly, to a large extent 'good for tricks' = 'not particulalry good for
commuting' and 'good for commuting' = 'not particulalry good for
tricks'; so you're going to have to come to a decision on that one.


--
onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"He's also been known to indulge in a spot of flame juggling - but it's
the Muni that really fires him up."

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Smaller unicycles are easier for one-footed skills for several
reasons: Shorter cranks make it easier to pedal smoothly; you can
pedal faster (thus you can correct more quickly) without going very
fast; it is easier to put your foot on the crown; and there is less
distance to the ground when you make a mistake (falling of a 20" is
just like stepping off, on a 29" its more like a short drop). When
learning one-footed I had troubly placing my foot on a larger unicycle
and was very happy to get a 20". In general you can count on picking
up skills quicker on the smaller wheel.

For commuting on roads and trails you do not want a 3" tire. These
fat tires are best for technical off road riding and hopping. The
wide knobby treads make it hard to turn the unicycle and wear down
quickly on pavement, especially when idling. But I really like fat
road tires like the Hookworm 2.5 and the Big Apple 2.3 sold on some of
the Nimbus line.

Ken
 
I use a 3" contra on concrete and it's fine, I've done hundreds of miles
on it.

The knobbles do wear off after a few weeks, but it then becomes a fat
slick type tyre- it lasts ages as well in that state.

The characteristics that make it good for off road also work when it
comes to urban obstacles like rolling up and down curbs, and nices a
nice comfortable ride (in a similar way in which, with bicycles, a racer
with skinny tyres is best for fast distance, but for comfortable urban
ridng, a fat tyred mountain bike is a more comfortable ride).

I don't have any problems turning with it.

Having said that I've never regularly used a thinner 24" tyre so I can't
offer comparisons; but from experiences using a 28"tyre then switching
to a 29-er, I'm in no rush to put something smaller on the muni :)

A lot of people here have said the 3" Gazz is problematic on concrete,
but that's a bigger and heavier tyre than the contra/duro/lepeard and
with a square profile.


--
onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"He's also been known to indulge in a spot of flame juggling - but it's
the Muni that really fires him up."

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I say 24". My United trainer served me very well. Sun doublewide rim
was indestructible. Never had any trouble with it. Fat tire made for a
smooth ride and it stood up to hopping too. Replaced the cranks and
pedals and it is fine. You can have it if you want. $200. Or any
reasonable offer.

Sorry for the sales pitch. I'd like to get rid of it once I get some
new parts on it.

:D :D


--
Sigurd - Proud owner of a new Summit!
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Lots of good advice in this thread. Just a couple more points:

>I am new to unicycling.


Well, welcome!

>I live in Australia, so the range here is limited. I went to a bicyce
>show today, and got a product list from the people from unicycle.com.


I'm surprised that none of the Oz guys have responded to this thread.
They're probably all out to an event or something. The main branch of
unicycle.com in the USA has hefty shipping costs to Australia but
there are also indigenous supplies. Check
<http://www.unicycles.com.au> but maybe they are the people you spoke
to already.

Also, learning to ride is better done on a smaller wheel. 20" is ideal
for learning (yes, also for your height), 24" takes you about 30%
longer, 29" is probably even more difficult to learn - but of course
doable.

'Tricks' (we call them skills) are possible with a 29" wheel, some are
not very difficult, but most are easiest on a smaller wheel.

If you are like most of us, you end up buying several unicycles, in
which case it's best to start with a 20".

Personalised learning time estimate here:
<http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/agelearn_short.htm> (download the
spreadsheet).

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
"I (...) made it without dying, which means mere mortals can do it. - John Foss"
 
But bear in mind that the 20" is hopeless for commuting.

If you are going to end up with several unis then maybe a 20" could be
good to start with, but if it's just going to be one, then get a bigger
wheel, especially as commuting seems to be a priority.

Even if it does take up to 30% longer to learn on a bigger wheel, I
think that's preferable to learning quicker on a 20" but then having a
unicycle that isn't suitable for what you want to do.

A 24 x 3 is IMO, perfectly fine to learn on; a 29-er with 5" cranks is
problematic if you can't yet ride at all- if you're dead set on a 29-er
then getting 6" cranks will make it a bit easier to learn on.

A helmet and wrist guards are always a good idea, more so if you do
decide to learn on a 29-er.

But, from your original post, you do say that you test rode a 24"
Nimbus, so presumably you can already ride to some extent?


--
onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"He's also been known to indulge in a spot of flame juggling - but it's
the Muni that really fires him up."

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hey i was at the bike show today as well and i no someboby who can help
you. (if you are based in vic)
julian laffey is the runner of www.unicyclevictoria.com email him and
he should be able to help you.
hope this helps you.

-Rhys


--
bobgob - crazy monkey on a unicycle

the 50/50/90 rule. anytime you have a 50% chance of getting something
right, theres a 90% chance you'll get it wrong.
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RosscoAP said:
Hi people,

You guys must get these questions all the time, so thanks for taking the
time to read this.

I am new to unicycling. I am looking at buying my first unicycle
(standard introduction...).

I live in Australia, so the range here is limited. I went to a bicyce
show today, and got a product list from the people from unicycle.com.

I want to do be able to do this with my unicycle:
- Be comfortable
- Ride moderate distances (and depending on how I go, longer
distances)
- Some basic tricks (ride backwards, one foot pedalling, and thats about
all)

I do not want to do this:
- Treat my unicycle like a pogo stick (ie. jump on and off things)
- Ride it off road
- Juggle (I can barely juggle off the unicycle)

Now, I test rode a 24" Nimbus 2 today and it was so comfy and smooth.
For an extra $35 (AUS dollars) I can buy the 29" version. Question I
have, what size should I go for? I am slightly above average height
(184cm, of 6ft something in imperial).

I would probably favour commuting over tricks. Are tricks at all
possible with a 29" wheel?

Thanks for your help
Ross


--
RosscoAP
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Having read all the responses I'm amazed 26inch did not come up.Its a size that does everything well.Tires are mountianbike size so choices are unlimited.A 24in. wheel can be used with a 26in. frame,and a tall 26in. road tire is similer in size to a 28in. tire.
 
I have only been unicycling for about three months, but I'm enjoying it.
I bought a 20 inch Schwinn. It was in-expensive and it's good enough for
me. Mosy may say that it wouldn't bee good for commuting, but I think
that it is fine (for the distance I ride atleast). I ride atleast 2
miles a day. I actually just got back from a six mile ride.


--
LegoBoy
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Get a 29"er frame uni. You could put on 20" wheels for learning skills,
24" or 26" wheels for muni and 29" wheels for commute. When you get
better at skills or muni, a new frame is all you,ll need.:)


--
jawnz - Somebody stop that unicycle!

Those who long for immortality don't know what to do on a rainy Sunday
afternoon.
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Thanks for all of your replies so far.

I was thinking I could get a 29" uni, which would let me use the frame
to attach a 24" (or 20") wheel onto it as well.

What parts do I need to put a 24" wheel on?

Do I need to get a hub, wheel and cranks to do this?

Thanks


--
RosscoAP
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RosscoAP wrote:
> *Thanks for all of your replies so far.
>
> I was thinking I could get a 29" uni, which would let me use the frame
> to attach a 24" (or 20") wheel onto it as well.
>
> What parts do I need to put a 24" wheel on?
>
> Do I need to get a hub, wheel and cranks to do this?
>
> Thanks *



It might be a bit wierd. But you can buy complete wheelsets, so you can
switch out the wheels.

Like these:
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=457
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=713
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=338


--
Catboy - I enjoy the taste of dirt!

[image: http://pics.xs.to/pics/04063/catko.jpg]
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