My Unicycles

I've been asked a few times recently about my unicycles, so I thought I'd introduce you to my family...

I have three unicycles that I mix between, a 20", a 29" and a 36", each of which are quite different to each other with different purposes.

Eli also has his own 20" unicycle and I keep two other 20" unis in the garage for when folk fancy having a go at learning to ride.

The railing along the wall is part of the kit for teaching others to ride.

Let's begin where all unicyclists begin, with a 20".

Okay, so not all unicyclists begin with a 20", some begin with a 12" or 16" wheel but the vast majority start out on a 20" which is pretty much the norm.

First up is my QU-AX 20".

This a German made uni and is pretty much an entry level uni, but is strong enough to take off road or perform some tricks on.

The 20" is mostly associated with the circus which is where most people know unicycling from, but let's just say that is a massive misconception about the sport of unicycling! Personally I use this around the garden messing about from time to time, and if I've been asked to ride it somewhere it's easy to throw it in the back of the car to take along.

Eli's uni is the same as this except he still has the original QU-AX saddle whilst mine has been changed for a Kris Holm Freeride.

Having just mentioned Kris Holm, let's look at my KH 29er.

This is a top of the line mountain unicycle (or Muni) though it's an older one with a rim brake rather than a disc.

If you know anything about unicycles you'll know who Kris Holm is, if not you'll probably never have heard of him. Kris is the guy who pretty much started the sport of mountain unicycling and went on to create a whole range of unicycles and unicycle gear to cater for the sport.

Mine has a 29" wheel and is currently fitted with a road tyre but I often swap between that and an MTB tyre. The brake is a hydraulic rim brake.

This also has KH Moments Cranks which allow me to swap between 125mm & 150mm crank lengths, which is the equivalent of changing gear. The longer cranks are slower but easier for climbing hills.

My current ride of choice is my Nimbus Nightrider 36er.

This is designed for distance riding and is incredibly comfortable. Currently I have a KH T-bar touring handle on it with a hydraulic disk brake. 

The brake is mainly for downhill riding when it's used for scrubbing a bit of speed off the wheel thereby taking some strain off the knees. Without the brake the knees take a lot of punishment.

I'm currently riding my 36er with 150mm cranks but have plans to get some Nimbus VCX cranks that will give me three gearing options.

I can ride 10ks in a smidge over 50 minutes on this beauty and love every minute of it, plus it's the ultimate core workout which is great for my back.

So there you have it, my family of three unis that I like to ride as much as I can. Before you go, it would be rude of me not to mention two websites which I use for getting bits. Locally, Oddwheel are a great source of parts as well as organising some unicycling events. Back in Blighty, the go to place for all things unicycling is Unicycle.com, their approach is fantastic, they're always ready to offer advice and enjoy a chat.

So why not give it a go yourself?