Customer Reviews

Avenir Deluxe Unicycle (20-Inch Wheel)

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bought this unicycle for my 11 y.o. son. Had some trepidation in picking 20" vs 24" wheel. Glad we picked this size. He's tall but friends all recommended starting off on a 20". I now agree. We adjusted the seat as low as possible without the bar touching the wheel. Assembly was fairly easy, but no instructions were included. Be sure to note the left (L) and right (R) pedals and install them on correct sides. Otherwise they will twist off when riding. They screw onto crank arms. If you're short, you may need to hacksaw off some of the pipe the seat attaches to. We just managed with the shortest setting. Friends with unicycles suggested duct taping the seat for protection as the cycle falls a lot when a beginner is starting off. Seems a good quality cycle and a great beginner one. Would recommend to others. It took about 10 days for my son to learn. Helpful videos on learning to ride unicycle on uTube.

Actually, it might deserve a 5 star rating. I'm still afraid to just hold on to the counter top, not holding on to a chair w/ other hand. Watch the videos at YouTube. I think they're good.
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When it came (quite quickly), I sprayed the whole thing w/ a silicone lubricant. (It dried, and I think it'll act like a wax job). I assembled it easily. In the past, I played w/ a lot of bikes, so it was all very obvious, as to assembling the thing. We all have different backgrounds, so maybe it would confuse some people. There are no instructions. Understand that the left hand pedal must go on the left side. This is so that when you pedal, it will tend to tighten that pedal( a bit). If they didn't make the pedals that way, you might ride the bike and literally unscrew the pedal. That wouldn't be good. All bikes are made that way. For the left pedal, righty-tighty/lefty loosy is reversed. Look at the pedals. Somewhere, one pedal has an "R" on it, the other, an "L". This means there's a front and back to the unicycle. Remember, or mark one pedal as left or right. Put the saddle on in the appropriate direction, I think the fatter part of seat should go towards rear.
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A little logic, don't panic, and I believe assembly will be obvious. Anyone who's ever messed with bikes can help you. The seat post is very much like your older bikes, look at an old Schwinn (or any older, 2-wheeled bike) and see how the seatpost clamp fits.

Go to YouTube, type in "how to build your unicycle". Its a very nice video, done by a British man. Towards the end, he'll talk about quick-release-lever for seat. I don't believe this uni has a quick release, but everything else in video is perfect, it will help if you're lost. The part about the quick release comes towards the end, so most of the video will help you a lot.
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The bike comes w/ a warning that its not intended for rugged use. No kidding. Why would a beginner wanna do stunts anyway? I figured if I don't learn, or I do learn how to ride, and wanna move up, I can probably get back most of the purchase price. Or, I could keep this bike for specific purposes. Most of the videos at YouTube advise you to start w/ a 20" wheel.
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My bike came w/ all the right parts. As for the man who bought one for a kid, I don't blame him. Poor guy got all excited about giving it to this kid, then found out he had all the wrong parts. I'd be as mad as he was.
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I've dropped the uni several times on the kitchen floor, the seat seems to withstand the damage easily. Concrete or asphalt would probably be more abrasive, maybe scratch the seat. I don't know.
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One can find old Schwinn unis, but the catch is, the old Schwinn rims required you to buy only Schwinn tires. So, you're stuck buying only Schwinn tires. Few or no options. AND, if you wanna buy a colored tire, to avoid marking up the floors in your place or any building, I doubt you'd get them in an old Schwinn tire. Schwinns are now made in Asia, and they no longer make the rims to trap you into buying Schwinnn tires. But this means you'll be buying ancient technology tires, any new tire technologies won't be incorporated into these old Schwinn tires. Most likely, they're just using some ancient molds. This problem only involves older Schwinns, I believe.
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Also the older Schwinn unis have seat post adjustment where a bolt goes thru some holes drilled in the seatpost. Kinda like a belt, what happens if you actually need a hole between two of the holes? I felt that this Avenir might be better than buying an older Schwinn. If you're really short, the seatpost might go down so far it rubs the tire. Then, take a hacksaw, remove a few inches from bottom of seat post.
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Placing the fork on the wheel wasn't obvious at first, just stop look, play with it, it becomes obvious, as it can only go on one way. There are 2 "u" shaped clamps, these hold the frame onto the wheel. On each side, tighten each bolt a bit, going back and forth between the 2 bolts. Don't wrench one down all the way, but go back and forth, keeping about the same tension/tension/tightness on each bolt. Get both bolts on that side nice and snug.Don't forget to use the lockwasher on the bolt. A lockwasher is a washer with a "cut" in it.
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Again, this bike is NOT intended for jumping curbs or any tricks. This bike is suitable only for riding up and down the street, don't abuse the thing. But this is a beginners bike, so you won't be hard-core yet anyway.
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I suspect you'd be happy w/ this uni if you're a beginner, can't guarantee it, but I think so. Then, if you learn to ride, figure out what type of riding you like, spend the money and buy something really good.
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I bought this unicycle with money that i had saved up and let me tell you it is well worth the money. At only $60 it is a steal. Also, other reviewers have stated that the pedals didn't fit, but that is no longer a problem as the manufacturer has resolved that issue.

I'm extremely pleased with this purchase. The primary reason I decided to learn to ride a unicycle is to help combat one of the preventable effects of aging, now that I'm in my early fifties. I've noticed that some older people seem to start losing their sense of balance, and I can't think of any better exercise to prevent or even reverse that loss than unicycle riding.
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The product assembled quite easily due to the simplicity of a unicycle, and all necessary parts were included and correct. Unfortunately, the amount of torque needed to tighten the seat clamp in order to keep the seat from twisting off-center would seem to hinder quick readjustment to accommodate different-height riders, but for me that is just a good excuse not to have to share my unicycle ;-)
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I've been learning to ride in my apartment on light tan carpet, and there are no signs of any black marks from the tires, although once I take it on the street it will have to be an "outdoor only" cycle. I hadn't even counted on being able to ride it indoors, but once I put it together, indoor use seemed quite doable, especially with the smaller size and greater maneuverability of a 20" wheel. Riding down a hallway may even be the perfect place for early training. It worked well for me, and I've even managed to keep from putting any marks on the wall.
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It's been a long time since I've been this happy with a purchase. This Avenir unicycle seems like the perfect opportunity to discover the benefits and satisfaction of learning to ride a unicycle, and for a very reasonable price. Be sure to let me know if there are any unicycle gangs for seniors that I can join ;-)

I bought this a few weeks ago for myself.
It took me a few days to get used to it.
Now I am going up and down the street no sweat!
It came with all the right parts and was easy to assemble.
Its great!

I purchased two of these superbly built 20-inch unicycles - one for me and then one for my son. Both came with pedal threads too small for the cranks. A quick call to Raleigh America Inc. at 1-800-222-5527 (ask for Tyler in Customer Service @ Ext. 346, or Tony in Sales @ Ext. 250) set everything straight. They immediately shipped the proper pedals free of charge. Raleigh America is aware of the situation and has taken steps to correct it. This is a great little unicycle at an unbelievably reasonable price.

If you're looking at this, you're probably either a beginner or someone buying a unicycle for a beginner. There *are* cheaper unicycles on this site, but you will get what you pay for. I've had this unicycle for around four months and have used it daily. I fall off of it a lot. So far, besides some scratches on the seat (which people tell me can be avoided by taping the seat up somehow) there is absolutely no damage to the unicycle -- it is an extremely strong little thing!

I'm also a short guy, around 5'4", and I'm near the lowest possible setting for this unicycle. I'd worry that maybe someone much shorter than me wouldn't be able to ride it. Other than that, I highly recommend this. It's a lot of fun, and don't get discouraged if you aren't able to ride it at the beginning -- it took me a week to be able to go more than a few inches!

Everything seemed to be fine until my husband went to put the pedals on. The fittings were the wrong size and he had to go to a bike shop to buy the right pedals, making this not the best deal afterall. Another reviewer had the same problem. We are happy with unicycle, and it was shipped promptly.

My first impression of this unicycle was very good, but it turned out my 12 year old son quickly learned to ride it and rode it often. Now it's 4 months old, and one of the pedal arms will not stay tight. For very light use, it my be fine, but if one of your kids really takes to it, it won't last long. I do like the seat design and it has held up well, but the design of the shaft and the way it mates to the pedal arms isn't good.

I was really excited when I first got it in the mail. After I screwed in everything and pumped up the wheel, I tried to get onto it and being unexperience, I'm not sure if it was just me or the unicycle was too tall. I put it at the lowest it could go before the bar started scraping the wheel and it was still a bit tall. And I'm not sure if the wheel is supposed to flatten like it is but I always pump it up to the max but it still flattens. It's still a great ride though!