Should I buy a giraffe at 46 years old...or am I asking to get hurt?

mountain shooter · 2011-11-21, 08:04 PM

A neighbor is selling a torker tx 5 footer for $75 and I am tempted to buy it. I have a 26" but mainly ride my 36". How hard and dangerous is it to learn to ride a giraffe?
Thanks

saskatchewanian · 2011-11-21, 08:27 PM

I only had one for a short period of time. Other than free-mounting (I never even tried) it was quite easy to ride.

The problem with giraffes is that unless you are a performer there sin't a whole lot you can do with them and they take up a lot of room compared to other unicycles.

Yeti · 2011-11-21, 08:46 PM

Why not? Due to slow speed and short Giraffe (5ft means feet are about 2ft above floor) drops are less painfull than dropping off a 36" at full pace. And with a Giraffe you not only can perform. In my early days of unicycling I used my Giraffe (the small one, 6.5ft) for touring. It was an amzing experience. Not only for the stunning bypassers. Butbthan you should be proficient in fremounting for not getting stuck in the middle of the tour when you need to dismount.

bungeejoe · 2011-11-21, 10:46 PM

I was older than you when my wife got me a giraffe. I usually commute to work for one week each year during the summer. I have upgraded it some. Better cranks with a chain ring to gear it equivalent to a 28" wheel. It can be a lot of fun if you actually get it out and ride it.

JM

rawcyclist · 2011-11-21, 11:02 PM

You must live in a cool neighborhood to have two unicyclists living next door to each other!

blueharmony · 2011-11-22, 01:28 AM

Buying a giraffe at any age shouldn't cause discomfort, riding it on the other hand...

I'm 52 and still learning things on the giraffe that help me on my smaller unis, cross training is very usefull.

Some things are actually easier on a giraffe. Think of balancing a yard stick on your finger versus balancing a pencil, yard sticks are easier. notice how much your hand moves but the top of the yard stick stays fairly stationary. Similarly, concentrate on keeping the wheel under you as much as possible. If you start chasing the wheel you are doomed.

harper · 2011-11-22, 01:29 AM

I rode my 6 foot giraffe a couple of times this year. I got it when I was about 50. A 5 foot giraffe is much easier to mount. Think about how far down you have to go during an emergency dismount onto concrete. It really isn't that far. The 6 footer bothers my knees landing on concrete but I'm 59 years old and one of my knees has no cartilage. We once went on a giraffe ride in Seattle with four riders. It was a gas. We rode about six miles on a paved bike trail. Keep in mind that a giraffe is much easier to control than a standard unicycle, it's just harder to get onto it.

Nasher · 2011-11-25, 09:11 AM

I started riding a Giraffe when I was 55 years young!

Now 57, I regularly ride my local promenade - it's great fun.

I was lucky enough to be able try a giraffe briefly before I bought one - is that something you can do?

After the brief trial, I then bought a cheap reflex 5ft giraffe (£60 including shipping) and after a few months purchased a nimbus performer as my confidence grew.

Hope you get to try it & hope you enjoy

Nasher

Revobuzz · 2011-11-25, 10:31 AM

Why not.

BillyTheMountain · 2011-11-25, 12:06 PM

Is there any concerns about how the wheel has farther to go from where you land when you dismount on a crowded sidewalk? Could the wheel slam into passers-by inadvertently during a UPD?

deadbeatpope · 2011-11-25, 06:08 PM

Since it is your neighbor maybe you can try it out somewhere safe with space before you decide?

I paid $100 recently for the same unicycle. I ride it a little. I have stored it upright against the wall in the garage and it isn't taking a lot of space. Some folks say it is easier but I certainly feel less free up there. The height isn't really that much, about another wheel up.

mountain shooter · 2011-11-28, 05:13 AM

I love this site. I am going to buy it. Thanks.

Nasher · 2011-11-30, 02:32 PM

Good for you - let us know how you get on

Nasher

colinoldncranky · 2013-01-20, 08:01 AM

It's been ages now mountainshooter. How did it go?

Shmolagin · 2013-01-20, 02:50 PM

When you buy a 5' giraffe remember that even though the seat might be 5' tall your feat are only about 2 and a half feet of the ground. So if you are careful always to land on your feet, you are only jumping down a small drop. For me always landing on my feet with my giraffe has never been a problem, I may have landed on my side a couple of times trying to master freemounting, but even then I wasn't up in the saddle so I didn't fall very far. $75 is a pretty good deal for a giraffe, so if you decide that you don't like it you might even be able to sell it again.

Edit: oh wait you already bought it, oh well what I said about only falling down a short drop is still true

2011-11-21, 08:04 PM	#1
mountain shooter Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boulder, CO Age: 48 Posts: 39	Should I buy a giraffe at 46 years old...or am I asking to get hurt? A neighbor is selling a torker tx 5 footer for $75 and I am tempted to buy it. I have a 26" but mainly ride my 36". How hard and dangerous is it to learn to ride a giraffe? Thanks

2011-11-21, 08:27 PM	#2
saskatchewanian ERIC P Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Denare Beach, Saskatchewan, Canada Age: 27 Posts: 5,244	I only had one for a short period of time. Other than free-mounting (I never even tried) it was quite easy to ride. The problem with giraffes is that unless you are a performer there sin't a whole lot you can do with them and they take up a lot of room compared to other unicycles. __________________ My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world. - Jack Layton

2011-11-21, 10:46 PM	#4
bungeejoe J Myers Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bellingham, WA Age: 56 Posts: 489	Yes I was older than you when my wife got me a giraffe. I usually commute to work for one week each year during the summer. I have upgraded it some. Better cranks with a chain ring to gear it equivalent to a 28" wheel. It can be a lot of fun if you actually get it out and ride it. JM __________________ ... Bellingham Muni Weekend June 7, 8, & 9, 2013 ...

2011-11-22, 01:28 AM	#6
blueharmony Kenny Cason Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Snoqualmie, WA USA Age: 53 Posts: 471	Buying a giraffe at any age shouldn't cause discomfort, riding it on the other hand... I'm 52 and still learning things on the giraffe that help me on my smaller unis, cross training is very usefull. Some things are actually easier on a giraffe. Think of balancing a yard stick on your finger versus balancing a pencil, yard sticks are easier. notice how much your hand moves but the top of the yard stick stays fairly stationary. Similarly, concentrate on keeping the wheel under you as much as possible. If you start chasing the wheel you are doomed. __________________ - Kenny

2011-11-22, 01:29 AM	#7
harper 768 - It's in your DNA Join Date: Sep 2001 Age: 60 Posts: 8,556	I rode my 6 foot giraffe a couple of times this year. I got it when I was about 50. A 5 foot giraffe is much easier to mount. Think about how far down you have to go during an emergency dismount onto concrete. It really isn't that far. The 6 footer bothers my knees landing on concrete but I'm 59 years old and one of my knees has no cartilage. We once went on a giraffe ride in Seattle with four riders. It was a gas. We rode about six miles on a paved bike trail. Keep in mind that a giraffe is much easier to control than a standard unicycle, it's just harder to get onto it. __________________ -Greg Harper Destroying the climate by shutting down nuclear power plants, one by one, since 1979. JC is the only main man. There can be no other. "A fool on a unicycle is redundant" - J.D. Miller

2011-11-21, 11:02 PM	#5
rawcyclist Another unicycling geologist Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Northcote, Vic, Australia Age: 43 Posts: 138	You must live in a cool neighborhood to have two unicyclists living next door to each other!

2011-11-25, 09:11 AM	#8
Nasher Registered User Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 70	I started riding a Giraffe when I was 55 years young! Now 57, I regularly ride my local promenade - it's great fun. I was lucky enough to be able try a giraffe briefly before I bought one - is that something you can do? After the brief trial, I then bought a cheap reflex 5ft giraffe (£60 including shipping) and after a few months purchased a nimbus performer as my confidence grew. Hope you get to try it & hope you enjoy Nasher

2011-11-25, 10:31 AM	#9
Revobuzz Registered User Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: UK Posts: 20	Why not.

2011-11-25, 12:06 PM	#10
BillyTheMountain Happy Wal-Mart Employee Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: NYC, USA Posts: 11,440	Is there any concerns about how the wheel has farther to go from where you land when you dismount on a crowded sidewalk? Could the wheel slam into passers-by inadvertently during a UPD? __________________ While you and I are having our cake-and-ice-cream party, the others are having a drink-the-blood-of-the-poor party in the back room. --[QUOTE=maestro8;1433130]

2011-11-25, 06:08 PM	#11
deadbeatpope Some call me Kevin Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Lakewood, CA Age: 41 Posts: 920	Since it is your neighbor maybe you can try it out somewhere safe with space before you decide? I paid $100 recently for the same unicycle. I ride it a little. I have stored it upright against the wall in the garage and it isn't taking a lot of space. Some folks say it is easier but I certainly feel less free up there. The height isn't really that much, about another wheel up. __________________ ---------------------------------------------- Art is a misspelled rat. "The unicyclist is the purest form of rebel"

2011-11-28, 05:13 AM	#12
mountain shooter Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Boulder, CO Age: 48 Posts: 39	I love this site. I am going to buy it. Thanks.

2011-11-30, 02:32 PM	#13
Nasher Registered User Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 70	Good for you - let us know how you get on Nasher

2013-01-20, 08:01 AM	#14
colinoldncranky Look mum, no training wheel! Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Perth WA Posts: 282	It's been ages now mountainshooter. How did it go?

2013-01-20, 02:50 PM	#15
Shmolagin Uniquecyclist Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: lllinois (United States) Posts: 343	Theres not much reason not to buy it. When you buy a 5' giraffe remember that even though the seat might be 5' tall your feat are only about 2 and a half feet of the ground. So if you are careful always to land on your feet, you are only jumping down a small drop. For me always landing on my feet with my giraffe has never been a problem, I may have landed on my side a couple of times trying to master freemounting, but even then I wasn't up in the saddle so I didn't fall very far. $75 is a pretty good deal for a giraffe, so if you decide that you don't like it you might even be able to sell it again. Edit: oh wait you already bought it, oh well what I said about only falling down a short drop is still true Last edited by Shmolagin; 2013-01-20 at 02:52 PM.

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