Freestyle Unicycle

[nikkifrog]

Hi! I was wondering if anybody could give me suggestions on a good freestyle unicycle. The only uni I have now is a 24" Muni, and I'd like to learn some freestyle tricks. I'm looking at the Yuni 20" with 48 spokes: http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=594

Does anyone own this unicycle or at least know if it's any good? Would anybody suggest something different? Price range is about $250 or less. I'm trying to decide on a unicycle to ask for for Christmas.

I'd like one that'll last me basically forever or at least a long time. Is the Miyata saddle the best one for freestyle in most people's opinion? If not, what is?

Thanks!

Nikki

[nikkifrog]

Oops, forgot something.

I don't know anything about crank arm length and what's better or what's worse or what's the difference.

So I was wondering what length you would suggest for a 20" freestyle unicycle.

Thanks again!

Nikki

[leow]

110 mm cranks work well for smooth tricks like one-footing & pirouetting. They also suit me for Hockey.
125 mm cranks are better for aggressive moves like unispins and jumps.
Wheelwalking is indifferent to the cranksize.

Leo White

[nbrazzi]

Again, I'm answering a question that will probably be answered better by somebody else just because I'm bored.

The Miyata Flamingo seems to be the most common basic freestyle Uni. I saw approximately 3.7 million flamingos at UNICON. (I even borrowed one so I could play Quidditch and it was very smooth).
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=45

The Torker 20" also seems pretty common and well reccomended. It's cheaper. Depending on how much abuse you plan to put it through, this could be very good for you. I think its pretty common for clubs where they want several identical average-quality freestyle unis for people to learn on, they'll just get a dozen Torkers.
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=42

The Yuni is great. It's a very strong frame for not much money and its good for freestyle too, I think (I wonder if the extra width is a problem for freestyle..). If you know your never going to do anything rough with it, the Yuni might be a waste of money. It's really not that much more expensive than the flamingo, so you wouldn't be wasting a LOT of money, though. Plus, you could easily upgrade to a good trials uni later.

[nikkifrog]

Hi! Thanks for the advice. I think I'm still leaning towards the Yuni 48-spoke. But I was wondering if anybody has had any experience with the Semcycle XL Black Derby model. My computer doesn't seem to want to paste the link on here so just go to unicycle.com then to unicycles, then to freestyle advanced, and then to Semcycle XL. I haven't really heard much about Semcycle XLs. I'm thinking maybe people don't like them that much? I was just curious about it. Thanks!

Nikki

On Sat, 12 Oct 2002 08:47:40 -0500, nikkifrog
<nikkifrog.cey1z@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:

>I haven't really
>heard much about Semcycle XLs. I'm thinking maybe people don't like
>them that much?

Here in the Netherlands, Semcycle is a popular brand, possibly also
because of its Dutch roots. I have a Semcycle Pro 24" and my daughter
has a Semcycle XL 20". They are a joy to ride and they hold up very
well - but I should add that ours aren't abused very much. IMHO,
especially the XL is a fine medium-priced unicycle.

Klaas Bil

I posted only a single copy of this message.

[Mr.Obvious]

Originally posted by nikkifrog
Hi! Thanks for the advice. I think I'm still leaning towards the Yuni 48-spoke. But I was wondering if anybody has had any experience with the Semcycle XL Black Derby model. My computer doesn't seem to want to paste the link on here so just go to unicycle.com then to unicycles, then to freestyle advanced, and then to Semcycle XL. I haven't really heard much about Semcycle XLs. I'm thinking maybe people don't like them that much? I was just curious about it. Thanks!

Nikki

Hey Nikkifrog,

I recently purchased a SemXL Black Derby. It's an all around nice unicycle, but there were a few concerns:

-My XL came with different parts than what were listed on Unicycle.com. I suggest ordering over the phone so you know exactly what you will be getting.
-If your going to spend the money on a nice freestyle uni, upgrade the parts! Get a nice high-psi tire and some decent pedals. Also, the stock seatpost clamp is total crap.
-I personally didn't like the Sem Deluxe saddle. It's well-built, but doesn't hold an airseat conversion. I'd say go for the Miyata saddle, but...(cough cough)

[nikkifrog]

Ok, I'm thinking maybe the Yuni frame wouldn't be good because of the width. How about this, it has a better rim and cranks than the Yuni, too:
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=74

I was thinking if I got that I'd see if Unicycle.com would put a Miyata saddle on for me. I'd probably also get a GI seatpost clamp for $5.

Does anyone own or had experience with this unicycle?

Ewan said he was getting a custom unicycle but he was getting a Semcycle XL frame. He said it's one of the best, and that he thought the Yuni would be too wide.

Thanks for any advice!

Nikki

[leow]

The Semcycle XL frame is indeed narrower and it limits your choice of tyres to 1.9" at a pinch.

I prefer 2.125 tyres - others may not.

Also the Yuni/Nimbus2 frmaes are great for stand-up tricks.

Leo White

[evilewan]

sorry, i should have been more specific, i'm getting the sem xl (wide) not the racing xl frame
and i forgot to specify what size of rim, i'll just email roger now

the xl is wide enought to get a monty tyre in with insuficiant mud clearance!
and i'm after a 2.125 tyre and rim.



the yuni/nimbusii is a great alround frame i'd just like mine a little bit narrower,
loads of people use nimbus ii unicycles for freestyle.

[john_childs]

This one's easy. Get the Yuni. The Yuni is a nice frame and it will fit wider tires like a 2.1" or wider. Traditional freestyle frames like the Miyata can only really fit a 1.75" tire (or a 1.85" if you keep the rim very true). Having the option to put on a wider tire is nice if you ride outside on pavement or concrete. On a smooth gym floor a 1.75" tire works OK, but on pavement a wider tire is nicer. I use a 2.1" Primo The Wall tire on my freestyle uni and I love that tire.

No real need to go for 48 spokes unless you like the look with more spokes or play hockey. For hocky having more spokes closer together means it is less likely you'll get the ball stuck in the spokes which is a penalty. A 36 spoke wheel is plenty strong enough. Get one with a Kovachi wheel. A handmade wheel is much stronger than the machine built wheel on the standard unicycles. For a unicycle it's all about the wheel.

The Miyata is a nice freestyle saddle, but the new Miyata's are not as good as the "old" Miyata seats from last year. Since you're wating for Christmas anyways, might as well go for the Velo saddle. The Velo should be available by then. I'm wanting to get the Velo for my freestyle uni.

A Yuni with a 36 spoke wheel and a Velo saddle. Make sure the seatpost will be long enough for you. That will be a great freestyle uni. Ask for the "One Wheel - No Limit" video too.

[nikkifrog]

Hey, thanks for the advice! Yeah, I already asked for One Wheel-No Limit.

When is the Velo seat coming out?

Nikki

[john_childs]

Originally posted by nikkifrog
Hey, thanks for the advice! Yeah, I already asked for One Wheel-No Limit.

When is the Velo seat coming out?

Nikki

I don't know when the Velo seat will be available. Should be soon. The last guestimate I heard was sometime in November.

[U-Turn]

I have a Semcycle XL (freestyle width) frame with a 48-spoke 20" Sun BFR rim and a 2.1" Primo The Wall tire with 85 lbs of pressure. I use it aggressively (hopping, kick-up and side mounts) every day for hours and have no problems whatsoever with tire clearance or tire trueness. By adding the Bruce Edwards fix to my Miyata seat, the handle is doing nicely. I recommend the Miyata pedals because they are always solid and give a good balance between grip and shiftability for freestyle. They do not work that well, though, in the rain.

[Max_Dingemans]

I would recommend the Yuni with 36 spoke wheel. A rhynolite rim is strong enough that it's not worth the extra money for more spokes. Crank length is a preferance call. I like 114mm's for all around freestyle, but a little longer im doing more jumping and such. Many people prefer 125's for freestyle, and they work just fine. The velo seat looks to be good for freestyle, most likely worth the money. other than that, the 36º Yuni should be a good ride for you.