52" wheeled uni ?

[jona]

Has anybody had any experience with the PennyFarthing style Unicycles.
They come in sizes up to 52 inch. I emailed, and his response was the tire wears out quicker as a uni but the tires are still good for 3-5k miles.(solid rubber) At $750 compared to $2000 for a geared 36" I wonder if this is an option for commuting purposes only. This is the link to the store. Interesting stuff.

http://www.hiwheel.com/antique_replicas/unicycle.htm

[Fatlazypig]

Looks a nice idea but with it being an antique replica I would expect it to be heavy

The UK UDC site has some penny farthings. Looks like 2 of the 3 are sold.
The impression I get is they are old design, but use light weight
Modern materials

If youre serious about a big wheel uni I'd talk to the guys at UDC too

[bungeejoe]

Among my collection I have a Semcycle Big Wheel 43 inch unicycle, 50 inch ordinary bike, and a 36 inch KH Schlumpf. Although less expensive than a 36 KH Schlumpf you will likely find the Schlumpf easier to ride and commute with and the wheel of choice.

Road camber, hills, and wind all have a greater effect on the rider as the tire/wheel size increases. With experience the 43 inch will allow you to go any where the 36 inch Schlumpf will go in high gear. But the 43 inch will give you a terrible time when riding the same places that the 36 inch Schlumpf manages easily in low gear. Head winds, side wind, and quarter winds on the 43 inch wheel require skill to ride in. If you add road camber to wind effect the ride will become challenging on a 43 inch.

I probably have 40,000 miles on 36 inch unicycles (both geared and un-geared) and only 4000 or 5000 miles on the 43 inch. But my pb for non-stop riding is on the 43 inch Semcycle (over sixty miles). But not any of my century rides are entirely on a 43 inch. I have ridden up and over mountain passes on the 43 inch.

After researching and talking with both Rideable Replicas and Semcycle I decided on the Semcycle. Teresa and Sem are both great people to work with. Give them a call. The 43 inch Semcycle is a beautiful work of art with nice detailing and on the right condition will really move. The hard rubber tire is not noticeably worse than a 36 inflated to a high psi. The large wheel helps smooth out the bumps. It is the vibration that you will notice when riding rough pavement.

You must have long legs if you plan on riding a 52 inch. I need short cranks and have to stretch to pedal a 50 inch.

Hope this helps.

JM

[jona]

Great input Bungeejoe,
Does your 43 have a brake? My commute is fairly flat, but thinking down the road a bit, if I wanted to ride on a hillier route. Freemounting a 43 and larger may be a trick at first too. Thank you for the response. I've never seen anyone riding, owning or even talking about these.

[bungeejoe]

A few pics...

Glacier to Mt Baker upper lodge (NorKa Ride 542 route)

[bungeejoe]

http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/sho...39#post1408639

http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/sho...42#post1236642

[Dane]

I have ridden the Rideable Bicycle Replicas 48" unicycle and its rediculously heavy, they are not suitable for proper riding but are great fun as you are soo high up. I was finding that i was having to wrestle with it all the time just to get it to go where i wanted. Getting on is also very difficult with the wheel being huge although may be possible with practice.

I have attached some pics

Dane

[jona]

Beautiful pictures of the big wheels and the scenery. The 43 sounds like something I should get. I'm not 100% sure Semcycle is still open. Type in the address and no store comes up. The link in the mail connects but I'm not sure.
I sent them an email. Thanks for the input. 52" is off the list.......jona