Forum: bicycles.stackexchange.com
Tags: <unicycle>
Title: What are the advantages of owning a Unicycle?
Question: What are the advantages of owning a Unicycle, as opposed to owning a bicycle?  I can think of several:   They are lighter and smaller than bikes  Easier to maintain, fewer moving parts  They provide good practice for balancing

Answers:
sents: text: Presumably a 50% reduction in punctures?
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/427/mgb
score: 19
sents: text: One less obvious advantage is that they are not a bicycle, legally speaking.
text: So while you can't ride on the road in most places, you can take one on public transport and into buildings etc.
text: I commuted to university on one for that reason - I could ride into my lectures :)
text: For a while anyway, there's the "Moz Memorial Rule Against Unicycles" now.
text: They work a different set of muscles, and train a differet set of reflexes.
text: Balance skills are useful to have, and the entertainment value of a unicycle should not be ignored.
text: Both in the "I'm waiting, I know, I'll practice stairs" and the "look at me, put money in my hat" senses.
text: For commuting I found a 26" was ideal as a compromise between speed and size, although I ended up using a 20" a lot just for easy of parking.
text: If I could have got the Schlumpf hub it would have been perfect.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/None/
score: 10
sents: text: From an exercise standpoint, a unicycle works a much different set of muscles than a bicycle.
text: You use a lot more core strength to maintain balance and steer.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/1357/GDorn
score: 6
sents: text: A unicycle is almost the ultimate cross-mode transport system.
text: I mix it with our trains and buses without restrictions (we have public transport policy that separates unis from bikes).
text: I commonly put it in the back of the car when I go somewhere with my wife that is not parking friendly.
text: I can carry the thing through shops and malls without any issues.
text: It is easily stored under my desk at work.
text: It is fine in winter if you have end-of-trip faciliities, better in fact than when I was capable of riding a bike.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/1439/colinoldncranky
score: 6
sents: text: Impressing your friends with your awesome skills should you master the thing?
text: Potential work in the circus field?Vast improvement in balance?
text: On the downside...
text: Lost skin, closer relations with your orthopedic man... Good luck!
text: I've always been rather balance-challenged.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/1297/M. Werner
score: 3
sents: text: More fun.
text: I've ridden a uni for 30 year, and it feels like skiing or skating.
text: Biking, for me anyway, is just boring.
text: Also, in regard to another post, unis now-a-days do have disc brakes.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/8339/Aaron
score: 2
sents: text: Good for your posture and lower back I would have thought as you're engaging those muscles in order to balance.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/1358/John Hunt
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Unicycles work different muscles to conventional bicycles. They require more balance and thus work the core and lower back. They cannot be ridden on road but they can be taken on public transport and carried into shops and malls. Moreover, riding a unicycle impresses people and is more fun than a bicycle.
Unicycles are more flexible in terms of transport, as you can carry them on public transport and into buildings, and store them at work or in cars. They train a different set of muscles and develop balance skills. This works towards improving your posture and core strength in particular. Finally, riding a unicycle can be entertaining for yourself and others.