Buying a unicycle

Very sorry to any particularly observant readers, i have already posted this in other toys, but thought this may be read quicker.
I think i may buy my first unicycle, but actually have no idea about them. Found a 'brand new' one on ebay for AU$70, and am not sure if this is a good price or what to look for? I mean, do they come in different sizes... how do you tell a 'good' unicycle from one that will just fall apart?
Or can i just pull the front end of an old bike? (sorta... i'm not that silly! )
Any help or advice would be much appreciated. Please and thank you.

First, be wary of buying a unicycle from e-bay, there have been some posts on unicyclist.com forum about bad deals.

You need to do some research; where are you? unicyclist.com has branches in several countries and sells unicycles that are well designed, so check that out.

What are you going to do with it? i.e. just learn to ride a bit or maybe get into muni ('off roading') or do distances on it?

Many people will say 20" wheel for beginners- it's an out of date cliche; a 24" has many advantages especially if you want to ride in the streets or off road.

I wrote a FAQ covering some of the issues with different wheels sizes, its's here: -

http://www.poiinthepark.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19

There's links to some excellent unicycle resourses and links to some very inspiring Kris Holm vid clips.

If you're buying new you can get a cheap uni such as: -

http://www.unicycle.uk.com/shop/shopdisplayproduct.asp?catalogid=511

Fine to learn on, but note from the description that it has 'lollipop bearing holders'; this means that eventually it will break- the frame will develop cracks where the bearing holders fit in.

If you can afford something like this: -

http://www.unicycle.uk.com/shop/shopdisplayproduct.asp?catalogid=485

then consider it. Nimbus ('Yuni' in the U.S.) unicycles are excellent for the price, my 24"x3 Nimbus has ridden a lot of miles, both on and off road, over the past few years, it's still in excellent shape.

You'll see from the description that it's 'entry level'. that means that you can't land 4 foot drops on it without it breaking. However, for street riding and off roading without such extreme drops it's a superb machine.

It has 'main cap' bearing holders, which means there are no frame cracking issues. (sorry I've no pics of the difference between 'lollipop' and 'main cap' bearing holders, just be aware that there are issues with lollipops)

Read the FAQ, check some sites, take notes; feel free to post further questions and I'll try to answer them. (Please don't pm me; I've been getting a fair few pm's asking about unicycle stuff and I'd rather answer on a public thread cos then more people can get the info).

Good luck, unicycling is great, especially if you get into the outdoor stuff, it can be as life changing as spinning

Wow, thanks.

I was only considering it as a thing to play with in the driveway, to be honest i never really considered off-road unicycling, or actually using it to get places! . Presumably you get tired alot quicker then on a bike? I have saved a few hundred dollars for a new bike, but i may be able to donate some to the unicycle if i can justify it as more then a 'toy'. Don't know if i really want the attention from passing moterists though.

You helped so much. Will do some research of my own ( ) on the webpages you gave me and if i have any other questions then you will know about it!
Thank you, thank you!

Lidl currently have a £25 special unicycle offer

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20080310.p.Unicycle.ar6

I understand cheap cycles are a bad idea often but some feedback on unicyclist.com suggests it might be fine to learn with.

http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68146&highlight=lidl

I'm going to give it a go anyway

We noticed that today

Shame that we already have one

I work next a lidl they sold bolt cutters one week for £4 then bikelocks the next week for £2.

I've been tempted to get another for the sake of it, £25 is nothing kinda, but like dave said Lollipops are only good when there are in your mouth!

In your mouth? Whaaaaa?

what if your riding a unicycle while eating a lollipop and you fall off and swallow it, what happens then?

OK OK.. you're referring to the forks right? The uni doesn't have lollipop ends.. at least I don't think it does (having done a little reading).

I saw you post over on Unicyclist.com fake t, have you heard any other comments on this particular uni?

the lidl one? only what's on uni.com, but for £25 you can't go far wrong, especially if your learning or just want to try it out, even if it falls apart you can find out whether you like it or not.

i might buy one and do a "review" that way i have an excuse to buy it

i havent really got time to read all this stuff, but i do have a 20" trials uni for sale if anyone is interested pm me!