idling and wheel sizes

Hi, welcome to the sport.

First, the wheel sizes. The simple answer is that a 20 inch wheel is 20
inches in diameter; a 24 inch wheel is 24 inches in diameter, and so on.
That means 24 inches across, from the outer edge of the tyre to the
outer edge of the tyre.

However, it's not quite that simple. If you buy a standard 24 inch
unicycle, with a fairly average tyre on it, then it will be 24 inches
across. If you take that tyre off and put a big fat off road tyre on
it, then the actual diameter will increase, but it will still be
referred to as a 24.

So, think of the wheel size as 'nominal' or approximate. It is a
guide.

As a general guide:

12 inch and 16 inch wheels are mainly for children, or very small
adults, unless you particularly want a small wheel for some special
reason.

20 inch is a good beginner's size. It's easy to learn on. It's light
and manoeuvreable.

24 inch is a good all round size. You can learn on one. It's a bit
faster than a 20, and it will roll over rough ground better.

A 24 with a very fat tyre (3 inch section) is effectively 26 inches in
diameter, and very good for off road use.

A 26 is good for off road, but a bit less manoeuvreable than a 24.

A 28 is good for road use, and covering distance.

Put a fat tyre on a 28 and you get a 29, which is good for going fast
over rough ground.

A Coker is a 36 inch tyre (made by the Coker Tire Company) and a Coker
is very big, very fast, great fun, and is good at covering long
distances and rough ground as long as it's not too hilly.

Idling: This is one of the vital skills for a good safe rider. It's a
way of staying in one place without having to dismount. The rider's
head stays still, and the wheel passes a short distance forwards and
backwards beneath him/her. Imagine a pendulum.

Idling takes a bit of time to learn. There are threads giving lots of
advice. Use the search facility in this forum to find those threads.
If you can't get on with that, ask again, and someone will give you
whatever advice you need.

Idling on a 20 or 24 is pretty easy, once you have the skill. As the
wheel size increases, idling becomes more demanding. Idling a 28
requires care, and idling a Coker is hard work.

Later, you may want to experiment with different length cranks. Short
cranks make the unicycle faster, but less controllable. idling on short
cranks is harder work. very long cranks (170mm or more) also make it a
bit harder. Your first unicycle will almost certainly have 125mm cranks
or 150mm cranks. (125 on a 20, 150 on a 24.) These are the 'right
size' for general use, and learning.


--
Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we
fall."
Confucius
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