New Unicycle? Help needed

if i were you, i would go highest first. a kh would be a good choice.
most people slowly buy them self up to a kh or a profile setup,
meenwhile they break every uni they get on the way up to the splined
team.

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It makes sense to buy a good one I guess (: wow, they are about £300, I
could save that, it make take a little while though. Should I be looking
at freestyle, trials or muni's? I cant really tell, I know it depends on
what I will be doing with it ^^;

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total uni said:

*if i were you, i would go highest first. a kh would be a good choice.
most people slowly buy them self up to a kh or a profile setup,
meenwhile they break every uni they get on the way up to the splined
team. *

He doesnt say he wants to do trials, street or muni on it.

If you just want something to ride you can go with a 'torker LX 24'
(http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=675). Its a 24 inch
something faster then what you used to have. If you want a stronger
unicycle you can get a 'torker DX 24'
(http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=765) it can handle
hopping better and some drops more then the LX if that's something you'd
like to do. A 'torker LX 20'
(http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=634) that's a 20 inch.
There are a few more but torkers are good and last well for just riding.

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Tim said:

*He doesnt say he wants to do trials, street or muni on it.
*

or freestyle, in which case it would be quite a bad idea to get a KH.

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ah /: confusing stuff. That’s the problem, I don’t know what I want to
do. I wouldn't mind learning tricks and stuff, but I would love to be
strong enough to just ride my unicycle around town confidently. What do
I need?

By the way, I'm a girl (:

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Quoted message said:

around town

I would go with the Torker Unistar DX 24-inch that has already been
suggested. Or a Nimbus (I have the Nimbus26 and like it).

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Looking at the pics of the nimbus', they have much bigger wheels than
the one I have, I have heard this makes it easier to balance? They still
look quite 'short' but I don’t know. I guess it would help to have a
shop to try them out first, but that probably wont happen around here.
The nimbus's are very good value, are they well made?

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You can check out the "Unicycling Primer" section at Unicycle.com:
http://tinyurl.com/28mam

This gives a brief introduction to the various main unicycle types. Then
you can find out more about each one in that same education section,
such as Freestyle:
http://tinyurl.com/3w62m

I will agree with others that a basic 24" is a good all-around cycle
that will work in a club/ environment, allow you to dabble in many
things, and also get you from A to B much better than a 20".

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johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge

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my opinion is that unicycling fits the bill." -- Lloyd Johnson

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Thanks John (: that made a little more sense. Maybe something like
'this' (http://tinyurl.com/6t8qs)?

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I just got a Torker LX20. It's my first uni. I haven't touched a uni in
10+ years so it is taking a beating! Very sturdy, and tough unit. I'm
pleased with how much it has stood up too in such a short time. I
practice about 30 mins at lunch each day (on snow covered parking lot)
and 30 mins at night in my basement.

So if your looking for something that will hold up I suggest the
torker!

jm2c

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Get a Torker DX. A great unicycle for relatively little cost. Shop
around. Check out eBay.

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I'm in the UK, I cant find any Torkers for sale here(and I hate shipping
costs) /: I wont be buying one just yet though, so i could keep looking.

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Poppie, whereabouts are you? There could well be another unicyclist or
two near you who would have a couple of different unis for you to have a
play with and see which you prefer...
Whatever you end up with I'm sure you'll enjoy it to the max!

Kit

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Alternatively try and get to a UK UniMeet, held in Kidderminster and
occasionally in Exeter. These are a great place to try many different
Uni's of various wheel sizes and styles.

Torker's are rare in the UK, there is plenty to choose from over here
without having to worry about importing. Probably the most important
decision is wheel size, what have you at the moment?

Keith

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Here QU-AX is not really known. A German brand which makes really good
unicycles for half of the prize of a Kris Holm. I ride the QU-AX 2005
trials, and that thing is pretty unbreakable.
It's a little bit heavier perhaps, but very stable.

You would get one here:
'german uni shop' (http://www.municycle.com)

The service over there is really great AND fast.

wogri

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Poppie, if you Search the forum (using the Search button), you will find
a pile of threads with your exact question. We probably get about 1 per
week. Regardless, i understand your dilemma, since i was in your shoes
less than a year ago, so welcome.

Firstly, i think that you should think about which style of unicycling
you want to do. These are the main styles:

1. Freestyle - general riding and doing these skills:
http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/skills/skills.html
If you don't have a style, then you are probably Freestyle, thus the
name.

2. Trials - pretty much focuses on hopping up obstacles using sidehops,
crank grabs, and pedal grabs. It sounds weird at first, but it's pretty
popular and impressive.

3. Street - like skateboarding, but on a unicycles. Jumping down sets
of stairs and off ledges, and grinding ledges and handrails, all while
mixing in spins and other freestyle skills.

4. Mountain (MUni) - riding (mountian) trails. Riding over rocks,
roots, skinnies, etc all while out in the wilderness. These style is
very popular.

5. Distance - riding long distances, duh.

(I'll exclude the odd styles like giraffe riding, etc.)

I think that's it, but i'm sure that someone will perk up with a few
more. If you need more explanation for any of the styles, just ask, and
i'm sure the folks here can recommend some videos to help you out. But,
the most important thing is to decide which style you would like the
most. If you don't know, we can also recommend some general-purpose
unis for you to develop a style on. Personally, i didn't have a clue at
first so i bought a basic 24" uni for $150 CDN, but i used to skateboard
a lot, so naturally i now uni street on a $500 Bedford/Kris Holms uni
and love it.

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Poppie said:

*Thanks John (: that made a little more sense. Maybe something like
'this' (http://tinyurl.com/6t8qs)? *

That one looks really nice, and the price seems really good for what
you get. Three possible drawbacks on that one, none of which may affect
you:

1. For a "serious" trick cycle, the seat shouldn't have a handle. But
I'd expect the relatively low percentage of really serious Freestylers
to just by a non-handled bumper rather than leaving the majoity of users
without one.

2. The black tire could be a problem in a gym, if you have a gym. But
some black tires are fine indoors, so that remains to be seen. It looks
like a great Freestyle tire otherwise.

3. The cranks are too long. I used 140s on my 24" unicycles even for
MUni. Those 152s will be useful for learning tricks, but will slow you
down when you try to go places. I recommend 140s for all-around use, or
125s for cruising.

But that cycle is a great package, so I recommend it even if one or more
of the above things may affect you.

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John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
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"It's good to find something that makes boys into men and men into boys,
my opinion is that unicycling fits the bill." -- Lloyd Johnson

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(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
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Quoted message said:

Thanks John (: that made a little more sense. Maybe something like
this?

The 24" Nimbus II is currently my only unicycle and I use it mostly for
freestyle. I highly reccomend it if you want to ride distance and still
be able to learn most freestyle moves, but aren't that interested in
really big drops, lots of hopping, or rough terrain. So far mine has
been comfortable and very sturdy and it works for lots of advanced
freestyle, despite 152mm cranks. (I am considering getting shorter
cranks though.)

Also, here is a review of the Hookworm tire from unicycle.com "Had a
very difficult time finding a freestyle tire in a 24" to use for gym
riding. And at the heavier end of the body weight scale, I needed a
larger tire for support. Other 24" tires would either mark too much or
were extremely slippery on the gym floor. The 24"x2.5" Hookworm does an
excellent job at holding the gym floor during sharp cornering without
marking as far as I can see and I've finally gained the ability perform
pirouettes, something that the slippery tires wouldn't allow. I will
probably put my IRC Metro tire on the uni for this summer's parking lot
riding but only to save my Hookworm for when we're back in the gym. I
recommend this tire highly. (Thanks, JD!)"
It sounds like it works for gyms.

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*MrBoogiejuice*: I live in Somerset, anyone else live here?

*Keg*: I've left it at my boyfriend's but I'm guessing it's a 20" The
ones other people have at my college are all bigger, but i havent been
on them.

*Hecklar*: I'm sorry, I should have thought of that ^^; Thankyou for all
the info!

*Johnfoss*: thankyou for the input (: I may get that one, can I get
things like the cranks and saddle changed at a bike shop if they are not
right for me? I guess I would have to order them first.
We don’t have a gym(not that we can use) I am at art college so
basically we can unicycle around campus and there is a skills club once
a week, for all kinds of juggling etc.
I'd also like to ride around town etc. I have found it is faster than
walking, and although it is tiring, it will get easier as I get fitter
right?

*Jsm*: thankyou for finding the review on the tire, defiantly sounds
good!

Darn, I want this unicycle now! I will have to see what my funds are
after Christmas (:

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