------------------------------------------------------------------------ A poll associated with this post was created, to vote and see the results, please visit http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/35987 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question: Which is better for freestyle
- Long neck - Short neck ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Which is better for free style cause its gonna be my first free style uni whats the best i can free style on my trials so will it be much different
Long necks, are better, because you can get solid extension, and the uni is out of the way for wheelwalks and still very usable in standup/crown skills, No contest.
On 20" freestyle unicycles a long neck is better. The big problem with short necks is that tall riders (adults and teenagers) will need a really long seatpost if the frame has a short neck. If you're about 6' tall you could need a seatpost that is 450mm or longer. That's a big problem because most seatposts are 300mm long, some are 400mm long, but there aren't any that are longer than 400mm. That means that you'll need a custom made seatpost. At a minimum you need a frame that has a long enough neck so that you can use a reasonable seatpost.
The ideal solution is for the neck to come up to an inch or two or three below the saddle. You'll be able to use a short seatpost and also leaves minimal seatpost showing which makes for a nicer looking unicycle. The disadvantage is that shorter riders will not be able to use your unicycle because they won't be able to lower the seat enough.
On 20" freestyle unicycles a long neck is better. The big problem with short necks is that tall riders (adults and teenagers) will need a really long seatpost if the frame has a short neck. If you're about 6' tall you could need a seatpost that is 450mm or longer. That's a big problem because most seatposts are 300mm long, some are 400mm long, but there aren't any that are longer than 400mm. That means that you'll need a custom made seatpost.
Unicycle.com in the UK do 22.0mm and 25.4mm diameter seat posts at 500mm and 700mm long, as well as the more standard 300mm and 400mm.
But the United post does not fit the Miyata style saddles. I use a Miyata saddle on my freestyle unicycle and those United seatposts would not have been an option for me. My DM Ringmaster Advanced has a medium length neck. It's short enough that I need a seatpost that is at least 350mm long. At the time I got my DM there were no Miyata style seatposts that were that long. So I had to have a seatpost custom made by brazing on an extension on a 300mm Miyata seatpost. Then George Barnes came out with his GB4 seatposts and I switched to a GB4 seatpost. Long seatposts can still be a problem if you want the Miyata style saddle.
