help please sorry im a moron

I just got my sun 20 incher today and I love it. I can go about 120ft.
and considering I just started like 4 days ago I think thats pretty
good.😄

--
concretewave
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Once you learn how to ride what style would you like to continue with?

Muni
Trials
Freestyle
Commuting

David

--
darchibald - Unofficial level 4.5

"Testacles still intact" ~ My mom's reaction after watching me do a
suicide mount.
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Hi Ben
Not too long ago I was in the exact same situation. I spent countless
hours here on this forum, and at unicycle.com checking out all the
selections. Unfortunetly, on my computer, your stats (as far as height
age and inseam are conserned) are blank, but I'll report on my own
experience as much as it might be worth.
1.I have a feeling age does not matter.
2. Height and weight--I am 6'3, about 235 lbs (in America, I have no
idea how that translates abroad, but lets say I should still shed a few
pounds)
I decided on a Nimbus Muni 26 inch because of the following--a muni is
generally built for rough conditions. I am a big guy in New York City,
which may not be a forest filled with obstical courses, but it is an
urban environment filled with its own challanges. Any 24 inch I tried
felt a wee bit too small, any 29inch felt promising but too difficult to
begin with, so the 26 felt just right. I discovered, while trying out a
few unicycles, that the 3" muni tire was a pretty good confidence
builder because I felt more stable upon it. This may or may not be a
good thing in the long run, but when trying something as ubsurd/profound
as unicycling, I think one should begin with the confidence builders.
That considered, I looked at all the Sun unicycles--and I resisted
ordering one because I kept hearing all sorts of stories on how their
rims and axels went out--perhaps it is rubbish, but I thought it might
be better to spend just a bit more. I was torn between a 26" Yuni
Journeyman and the Nimbus 26" with the 3" tire. I went with the nimbus
because it appesared to have a tougher saddle and the 3" tire, simply
for 20 bucks more. I ordered it yesterday--my local bike here in
Manhattan is an official dealer of unicycle.com, and by ordering it
though them, I know that competent people will assemble it correctly.
The desire to unicycle puts you into an interesting group of
humanity--pick something good because a [censored] unicycle might be
discouraging. A good Yuni or Nimbus will have resale value, by the
way--I could have gotten a Sun 3 weeks ago, but having waited as I did
before ordering the Nimbus, I am glad.
Now I know I have to work my ass off to learn how to ride the darn
thing!!!--It will be fun.
I hope this was helpful,
Steve, NYC, USA

--
dogbowl - New Unicyclist--I keep falling down

"Got an urge, got a surge, and it's out of control now. Uncontrollable
urge I want to tell you all about it." --DEVO
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For your current situation 'www.unicycle.com' (http://www.unicycle.com)
is the place to go. Since you're just starting, chances are you don't
want to spend more than $200(us). I know someone who is just starting
out and they've got this 'unicycle'
(http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=744) and it's working
out great. By the time you've killed that one (or whatever uni you end
up getting) you'll know exactly what you want when it comes time to buy
you're next.

--
zactor29 - Sleep Expert
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It's surprisingly simple: just buy a reasonably good one!

The easiest size for a learner (other than a small child) is a 20 inch
wheel. Anything smaller is twitchy, fiddly and slow.

The second easiest size to learn on is a 24.

It is possible to learn on any size, though.

A good unicycle has the wheel held in place by two C shaped clamps at
the bottom of the forks. Ones with "lollipop" bearing holders are
generally less robust. (A lollipop bearing holder looks like a
lollipop, with the "stick" going up inside the hollow end of the
fork.)

A good unicycle has cotterless cranks. In fact, I'd go so far as to
say, don't buy one with cottered cranks. Cotterless cranks are the ones
where you can't see any nut, bolt or anything else holding the crank on
because it's concealed by a dust cap . (Just like on a decent
bicycle.)

Once you have bought your unicycle, learn to ride it, and enjoy riding
it. You will find yourself pushing your limits in one direction or
another. You might find yourself wishing you could ride further, or
faster, or you might find that riding over obsatcle or uneven ground is
what challenges you. Some people prefer to develop technical skills, or
even string together a performance.

When you have identified your preferred style of riding (and you won't
really know until you've been at it for a while), you can start to
"tune" your unicycle. Typical upgrades in approximate order might be
longer or shorter cranks, a fatter or grippier tyre, grippier pedals, a
better seat, or a seat handle.

Then you will find that you are pushing your upgraded unicycle to its
limits, and you will start to daydream about the perfect machine - the
perfect combination of frame, wheel, cranks, pedals, seat... and then,
from this position of knowledge and experience, you will be able to
choose a second unicycle that meets your personal requirements.

So, if you are an average sized person, just get out there and buy a mid
range 20. If you are taller than average, you might want a mid range
24. If unicycling is for you, it won't be the onyl unicycle you ever
buy, so don't worry if it's not perfect first time - you don't know what
perfect is yet.

--
Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

Well, it all depends on what you mean by "semantics".
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At times I wonder if I should have bought a 20" unicycle instead of my
24", but then, maybe I could ask this: once I did learn, would I be
better off with a 24" for riding around camp? Granted, I would learn
faster on a 20", but could I cover much ground?

--
kraze - Army Of One Wheel

Post proelia praemia.
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kraze said:

*At times I wonder if I should have bought a 20" unicycle instead of
my 24", but then, maybe I could ask this: once I did learn, would I be
better off with a 24" for riding around camp? Granted, I would learn
faster on a 20", but could I cover much ground? *

I've done 20 miles in a day on a 20. Does that count as "much
ground"?

Put some 110mm cranks on it and you will have a fast, manouvreable,
light and fun machine.

I've seen someone do some serious MUni on a 20, too - with such a small
wheel, it will go up or down almost any slope.

--
Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

Well, it all depends on what you mean by "semantics".
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I'd consider getting a 24" over a 20", for the following reasons: -

*It's a good general purpose uni i.e. commuting, learning, tricks

*It's better for distance than a 20", being faster, smoother and better
able to roll over stuff

*You'll get less clown comments once you're proficient on it

*as well as being a good general purpose uni, it's the machine of choice
for off roading

If you suspect that you're going to get into freestyle or trials, then
maybe a 20" is best, but, if you've any intention of useing it to get
around, I'd go for the 24" (plus get a set of pinned pedals for when
it's wet).

I'd dispute the belief that 20" are easier to learn on, I think it arose
mainly because in the old days 20" were the main uni size available, so
it's what most people learnt on.

Now 24" are commonplace- they may be slightly less controllable, but
I'm sure the extra momentum makes up for that. Also, in theory they
should work better on grass, which can be a good place to learn on as a
beginner, as you'll be happier about falling.

For the money, Nimbus' are really nice.

--
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 love my 24 way more than my 20.
A 20 is not only slower than a 24, it is also more difficult to go up
hills. With the larger wheel base, a standard 24 with standard cranks
gives you much more speed, control, endurance and better trick
capabilities.

--
oregonguy
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onewheeldave said:

*
I'd dispute the belief that 20" are easier to learn on, I think it
arose mainly because in the old days 20" were the main uni size
available, so it's what most people learnt on.

*

I'd dispute this based on physics. When learning it's easier to
compensate for smaller movements. With a 20" wheel each 1/2 pedal
revolution moves the wheel 31.4". With a 24" wheel it's 37.7". For any
jerky or uneven pedal movement you might make the wheel is just a little
less likely to move out of the balance point.

That aside, it's definitely possible to learn on either. I agree with
Mikefule. Don't worry about finding the 'perfect' unicylce. Just get
something in your price range and start riding. If you get hooked
you'll end up with at least 2 or 3 unis anyway.

Have a ton o fun 😄

--
underdog - level 1 rider

toast is god's way of saying 'eat more butter'
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my learner was a torker CX they are relatively cheap i think it was a
pretty good learning uni so i would say to invest in one of them

--
JVTFm - decent unicyclist

"all your base are belong to us"
"life is short and god is man"
"purple monkey dishwasher"
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You should get either a 20" or a 24" to learn on. I think the difference
in difficulty between the two sizes is negligible, provided the 24" has
long enough cranks, say 5 or even 5.5-inchers for learning on, to give
the same degree of control as the 20". A 4' person on a 20" wheel is
proportionally the same as a 4'10" person on a 24" wheel, give or take a
few tenths of an inch. If you have some idea of what kind of riding
you're most interested in eventually doing, it will help you choose a
wheel to learn on. But either size is good. I learned on a 24 myself; I
don't think the 20 would have been a whole lot easier.

Anyway, if you do end up hooked, your first unicycle won't be your last
one, and if you don't, then it won't matter...

--
weeble - There can be only one... wheel

==============
Another Joe in MN
Level 2 and holding
==============

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I'd go with the 20" if you want to concentrate on doing tricks,
especially if you have long legs. The fork will be at a better
location for 1 foot riding. Wheel walking will probably be easier
because your legs won't be all scrunched up. I'm having trouble
learning it on my 24" just because my feet are almost hitting the
seat.

If possible, try out a few--it is well worth it to attend a unicycle
club meeting--even if it means getting on a train and going to the next
town, or whatever. Do a google search, your city, plus unicycle--there
might be a unicycle club. From what I have seen (and read here on this
website), unicyclers are very friendly, and if you find yourself at some
kind of unicycle meeting, you will have plenty of opputtunity
(spelling?) to try out several unicycles.
For a beginner, there is this one question-- does one buy a cheap uni to
pound the [censored] out of while learning, or does one buy a decent uni to
learn on that can be upgraded later. I went with the latter.
Here is what I chose (after similar questions that you are going
through)
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=746
I myself respectfully disagree with many here who argue for the 20inch
or 24inch solution. What is important is what gives you the desire to
keep riding. In my case, I knew I had to order the 26inch.
Try a few, if you can....
--Steve

--
dogbowl - New Unicyclist--I keep falling down

"Got an urge, got a surge, and it's out of control now. Uncontrollable
urge I want to tell you all about it." --DEVO
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I haven't read this thread, but I'm sure they all gave you good
advice.

I recommend the 20" Torker LX 2004. Or the 24" if that's what you want.
The 20" LX '04 is less than $100, is cotterless, has a Miyata style seat
(read very good). It is a beginner freestyle unicycle so you can't do a
lot of trials on it. But you won't be doing 2 ft drops anytime soon
anyways.

--
Rayden
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kraze said:

At times I wonder if I should have bought a 20" unicycle instead of my
24", but then, maybe I could ask this: once I did learn, would I be
better off with a 24" for riding around camp? Granted, I would learn
faster on a 20", but could I cover much ground?

You made a good choice. A 20" covers about 17% less ground with the
same cadence. That doesn't sound like much but the difference is very
noticeable.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
be sure to remove the saddle and simply sit on the seat post. this is far more comfortable - tennisgh22 on the comfort of Savage unis

onewheeldave said:

I'd dispute the belief that 20" are easier to learn on, I think it arose
mainly because in the old days 20" were the main uni size available, so
it's what most people learnt on.

<http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/agelearn_short.htm>. Statistically,
adults on a 20" or smaller wheel learn 30% quicker than adults on a
24" or larger.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
be sure to remove the saddle and simply sit on the seat post. this is far more comfortable - tennisgh22 on the comfort of Savage unis

Over the last few months I've been converting some of my rock climbing
buddies to unicycling (so I'll have athletic partners) and we've gone
through the 20" vrs. 24" inch debate many times. This is how it's all
played out:

The first unicycle you own (or learn on) will NOT be the uni you will
eventually ride all the time, so go for the cheapest or most available
model you can get your hands on.

If you learn on a 20", the process might be a bit faster, but not a
whole lot unless you are under 5' 6" (roughly). And once you are up to
speed on a 20" model, you can get fluent on a 24"er in an hour or so.

In short, learn on anything--it matters little. Don't buy an expensive
model till you know where your interests lie--MUni, trials, et al.

If you're anything like most of us, you'll end up having most all models
(as money allows).

Lastly, what you end up on is largely a matter of available terrain. If
there's no moutains around, you'll likely spend times Cokering, doing
street trials, or if there's a club nearby, doing freestyle in a gym.

If you've got mounatins, you'll probably get into MUniing and pick up
the other skills when your legs are too beat to go MUniing or when you
only have half an hour to practice.

In closing: Just get any Uni to learn on. Many of us learned on
Schwinn junkers (circa 1965) but we learned. The rest of the process
will work itself out in ways you never imagined.

JL

--
vivalargo
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vivalargo said:

The first unicycle you own (or learn on) will NOT be the uni you will
eventually ride all the time, so go for the cheapest or most available
model you can get your hands on.

I'd avoid the very cheapest. I bought a Sun 26" as my second
unicycle. The thing looked great in the showroom, but self destructed
(pedals, rim, hub) in a matter of months. In the end, I replaced all
the components (except frame and bearing holders) to turn it into a
good unicycle.

Compared to the stock Sun, the Schwinn I rode in the 1980s was great.

Ken