Newbie to Expert - Best Unicycle Setup

WanderingWOW · 2004-01-31, 04:10 PM

Hi all,

Boy was I excited to see a forum in cycberspace for Unicyclists. Here is my question for all you experts out there. I have been wanting to get back into unicycling since I was a kid and the way I am geared I plan to jump onto unicycling with both feet (yes, pun intended). Anyway, I will be starting as a beginnner but want a unicycle that I can grow into more advanced riding. My goal will be to do some trial riding and a lot of off road/mountian trails. What do you recommend for under $200 that can grow with me and take some beatings. Also, if you have any recommendations on some good places to shop for these unicycles I would greatly appreciate that info as well. Thankyou for your time and outflows of prolific widsom in these areas.

Ward

PS, great forum!!!!

tugboat · 2004-01-31, 04:20 PM

well it depends where you live. for UK or USA, probably unicycle.com is the way to go. For canada, darren bedford has awesome stuff. i get most of my stuff from him. not sure what you can get for under 200$ cause my unis are usually more than that and i havent really checked that price range before.

Kevin

paco · 2004-01-31, 04:27 PM

I can't recommend a unicycle, but I have learned a few things about how to get unicycles.
The first thing you can do is order it directly from unicycle.com . You'll hear a lot about them on here. There are other websites you can find that sell quality unicycles, but unicycle.com is the old standard.
The other place you can check is your local bike shop (commonly referred to on here as an 'LBS'.) Many of the more experienced riders do this, as they grow to know the people at their LBS, and trust their opinions and ideas and can interact with them personally. They usually can order anything you want. I personally wouldn't recommend them right now, because their expertise generally isn't unicycles and they might unintentionally steer you in the wrong direction. They probably don't know the difference between a DX, a KH, and a SH!
Anyways, these are my recommendations. There are others that could give you more advice.
Welcome to the site. This is definitely the place to ask any unicycle-related question, no matter how random. If you think it, chances are we've already discussed it.

phil · 2004-01-31, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by paco
They probably don't know the difference between a DX, a KH, and a SH!

Ha! Some people, not even knowing the difference between those three. I mean, really! Everyone knows that!

*whistles inconspicuously*

Erm... DX?

Obviously, I already know. Of course! I'm just testing... to make sure you do. Mmm-hmm. Yup.

Phil

fluffinator007 · 2004-01-31, 04:39 PM

If you live in the US and you end up going to unicycle.com then i would suggest going with the Nimbus. You'd have to make the decision if you went with the trials or Mountain unicycle(muni).

Link to trials - http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=744

Link to MUni - http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=745

Another MUni - http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=765

The first Muni is a nimbus and while it is a decent set up for the price it does not have a splined hub/cranks. If you ever decide to get real serious into it you will want splined hub and cranks. The Second Muni in the links up there is a torker. It does have splined hub and cranks but the tire width is quite disappointing, and i dont think the frame has clearance for a large tire. Larger tires are VERY much liked over skinny tires (by me anyway).

My opinion, If you start unicycling with one of these and decide you really like it your going to end up buying another more expensive unicycle (new unicycles are addicting). I would suggest just spending a little bit more right now and getting what you really want and keep it for a loooonnngg time than getting a unicycle of less quality. But if you think the torker or Nimbus will suite you, then by all means go right ahead. I'd be happy with you saving money. This unicycle ( http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=618 ) Though double your spending limit is of VERY high quality and will surely last you for quite a long time.

Heres the two links for buying unicycle stuff....

Unicycle.com (US/UK/Sweden/New Zealand) - www.unicycle.com

Bedford unicycles (Canada) - www.bedfordunicycles.ca

2004-02-01, 03:13 PM

Welcome here!

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 10:10:34 -0600, WanderingWOW
<WanderingWOW@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote:

>I plan to jump onto unicycling with both feet (yes, pun intended).
You may not know that you have referred to a way of mounting a
unicycle called a 'jump mount'.

Fluffinator007 wrote some great advice, I agree with every word of it.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
I have a feeling you might need two points of contact with the ground for such a thing to work? Or at least training wheels on the front and rear. - John Foss commenting on a picture of a one-wheeled vehicle he saw on RSU.

unidude9 · 2004-02-01, 04:52 PM

I think the torker dx is a good choice because you get a really cheap splined hub and a velo seat!

UNHicyclist · 2004-02-01, 05:00 PM

Welcome to the site!

I am fairly new to the site myself, but have already found that i'm checking the forums every day, enjoying all the interactions of the pros. Also, this has been the quickest and easiest way to learn about unicycling for me. These guys have a wealth of knowledge from personal experience, and often put up links to great other sources of information.
In terms of a unicycle choice, i agree with the recommendation by fluffinator on the Nimbus Trials. Although if you want a uni that has a splined hub (more durable than a cotterless setup) and has stronger cranks and a 48-spoke wheel, you may want to check out the Torker Unistar DX

I just got one of these a few weeks ago, and love it. It may not have a 2.5" tire, but i think that it is worth the extra $ overall. Plus, it may be easier to learn some typical freestyle skills with a less knobby tire.
Enjoy the forums!!!!

-Josh

fluffinator007 · 2004-02-01, 05:27 PM

It really all depends on what you wanna do. If you want to go just a little offroad but nothing heavy. And your not goign to be doing too much jumping or hopping with trials, then you should get the torker. But if you really would like to go pretty hard offroad and do some jumping and other trials Your going to wanna go with a bigger tire. This the Nimbus has. But the nimbus has cottered cranks. The hub is pretty strong and you probobly wont break it anytime soon but the cranks arent real excellent, you could buy some euro cranks for another little bit and it would be around the same price as the torker and decently strong.

But as i said before, if you buy the torker youll be slightly disappointed if you wanna jump high and go hard offroad or do big drops etc... If you buy the nimbus youll be upset it has no splined accessories. Thus, I myself would get a unicycle with both of these! Or built your own unicycle with a strong bimbus frame and some KH crank/hub set if it fits (?) and some stuff like that, your total would be around 300 or so I think. But youd have a unicycle to be proud of and htat you put some of yourself into. But with the extra money (depending on your financial situation) you would be much more happy with the results...I think.

joona · 2004-02-01, 06:04 PM

The Nimbus Maniac is back! My Nimbus is still holding up well with drops about three feet. I haven't bent the cranks yet. I think it's quite good value for money. You might want to tell more about yourself. If you're small like me (5'8" and 140 lbs, yes I have gained some weight

WAARGGHH!! HULK SMAAASH!! Muscle!!) A normal hub will probably work well for a while if you don't have the money to buy splined setup. And 24" is really great if you want to ride a lot of trails. 20" is more for trials.

If you live in Europe (probably not with that 200$$$ limit of yours) you might want to check the Qu-Ax unicycles at Municycle.com. Even if you live on the other side of the big pond you might want to cheack them. They are cheap. And pretty good quality too.

onewheeldave · 2004-02-01, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by fluffinator007
.....But the nimbus has cottered cranks. The hub is pretty strong and you probobly wont break it anytime soon but the cranks arent real excellent, you could buy some euro cranks for another little bit and it would be around the same price as the torker and decently strong.

??????????
I've never seen a nimbus with cottered cranks.certainly from unicycle.uk.com they ship with standard cotterless cranks.

Quote:

Originally posted by joona
The Nimbus Maniac is back! My Nimbus is still holding up well with drops about three feet. I haven't bent the cranks yet. I think it's quite good value for money. You might want to tell more about yourself. If you're small like me (5'8" and 140 lbs, yes I have gained some weight WAARGGHH!! HULK SMAAASH!! Muscle!!) A normal hub will probably work well for a while if you don't have the money to buy splined setup. And 24" is really great if you want to ride a lot of trails. 20" is more for trials.

I'm a big Nimbus (yuni in USA) fan too. My 24" with 3" tyre and 6" cranks has served me faithfully for years.

As someone who likes just riding and a bit of mild muni with no big drops I've found it superb value and have no hesitation in recomending it.

For riding and muni you definitly want the 24", 20" is good for trials.

2004-02-02, 06:53 AM

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 12:54:41 -0600, onewheeldave
<onewheeldave@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote:

>fluffinator007 wrote:
>> *.....But the nimbus has cottered cranks.
>??????????
>I've never seen a nimbus with cottered cranks.certainly from
>unicycle.uk.com they ship with standard cotterless cranks.

I wrote that I agreed with every word of fluffinator007's post, but I
had missed the word 'cottered'. I'm pretty sure he meant to write
'cotterless' though. My internal spell checker must have corrected
that before forwarding the text to my conscious brain.

I have the Nimbus II myself with cotterless 170 mm cranks, but after
1.5 years of MUni it seems to be nearing its lifetime.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
I have a feeling you might need two points of contact with the ground for such a thing to work? Or at least training wheels on the front and rear. - John Foss commenting on a picture of a one-wheeled vehicle he saw on RSU.

elmer · 2004-02-02, 08:28 AM

I own a 26" nimbus II mountain unicycle and a nimbus 20" trials. Sounds like you would do best with the 24" mountain unicycle from what you've described. I own a yuni (brand name)24" and consider it best (because of wheel diameter)for all around use. The original crank length was shorter than I prefer(150mm), but this is a personal thing with excellent riders having many opinions. I like 170mm cranks on the 24" MUni with a 3" tire. This will give you a pretty good leverage ratio for hills without hitting the ground much. In sum, get the Nimbus II 24" and perhaps some 170mm cranks to start with. Dotek 170mm's at unicycle.com are $25.00 and have a good review. These will work until you're hopping and dropping 10" or so depending on your bodyweight at which time you may want to upgrade to the Kooka's or some other good brand. By then you'll be hooked and price won't really be an object. Other's will undoubtedly say my suggestions are all wrong, and they may be quite right about it. That's what I love about this forum!

elmer · 2004-02-02, 08:34 AM

P.S. Before you start swapping cranks etc., invest in a crank arm removal tool. I didn't, and screwed up a lot of threads getting them off.($12.95 from unicycle.com)

john_childs · 2004-02-02, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by elmer
P.S. Before you start swapping cranks etc., invest in a crank arm removal tool. I didn't, and screwed up a lot of threads getting them off.($12.95 from unicycle.com)

The tool that they sell for $13.95 works better for unicycle cranks.
Park CWP-5

The one that sells for $12.95 has a long arm that gets in the way with short unicycle cranks. You end up needing to take the pedal off to use the tool. With long bicycle cranks (170 mm or so) it's not a problem, but with short unicycle cranks it is a problem.

2004-01-31, 04:10 PM	#1
WanderingWOW Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2	Newbie to Expert - Best Unicycle Setup Hi all, Boy was I excited to see a forum in cycberspace for Unicyclists. Here is my question for all you experts out there. I have been wanting to get back into unicycling since I was a kid and the way I am geared I plan to jump onto unicycling with both feet (yes, pun intended). Anyway, I will be starting as a beginnner but want a unicycle that I can grow into more advanced riding. My goal will be to do some trial riding and a lot of off road/mountian trails. What do you recommend for under $200 that can grow with me and take some beatings. Also, if you have any recommendations on some good places to shop for these unicycles I would greatly appreciate that info as well. Thankyou for your time and outflows of prolific widsom in these areas. Ward PS, great forum!!!!

2004-01-31, 04:20 PM	#2
tugboat Kevin McMullin Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Saint John, NB, Canada Age: 26 Posts: 484	well it depends where you live. for UK or USA, probably unicycle.com is the way to go. For canada, darren bedford has awesome stuff. i get most of my stuff from him. not sure what you can get for under 200$ cause my unis are usually more than that and i havent really checked that price range before. Kevin __________________ "You won't get hurt if you land it!" The Kevin McMullin Facebook Page Bedford Unicycles Unicycle.tv

2004-01-31, 04:27 PM	#3
paco Co-Founder of the PacoGild Movement Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Orem, UT Age: 35 Posts: 1,390	I can't recommend a unicycle, but I have learned a few things about how to get unicycles. The first thing you can do is order it directly from unicycle.com . You'll hear a lot about them on here. There are other websites you can find that sell quality unicycles, but unicycle.com is the old standard. The other place you can check is your local bike shop (commonly referred to on here as an 'LBS'.) Many of the more experienced riders do this, as they grow to know the people at their LBS, and trust their opinions and ideas and can interact with them personally. They usually can order anything you want. I personally wouldn't recommend them right now, because their expertise generally isn't unicycles and they might unintentionally steer you in the wrong direction. They probably don't know the difference between a DX, a KH, and a SH! Anyways, these are my recommendations. There are others that could give you more advice. Welcome to the site. This is definitely the place to ask any unicycle-related question, no matter how random. If you think it, chances are we've already discussed it. __________________ Blah Blah Blah BACON Blah Blah Blah --Harper a-la Catboy Still a work in progress . . . 768

2004-02-01, 03:13 PM	#6
Klaas Bil Newsgroup User Posts: n/a	Re: Newbie to Expert - Best Unicycle Setup Welcome here! On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 10:10:34 -0600, WanderingWOW <WanderingWOW@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote: >I plan to jump onto unicycling with both feet (yes, pun intended). You may not know that you have referred to a way of mounting a unicycle called a 'jump mount'. Fluffinator007 wrote some great advice, I agree with every word of it. Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict -- I have a feeling you might need two points of contact with the ground for such a thing to work? Or at least training wheels on the front and rear. - John Foss commenting on a picture of a one-wheeled vehicle he saw on RSU.

2004-02-01, 05:00 PM	#8
UNHicyclist unicycling changed my life. . . Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Durham, NH Age: 31 Posts: 20	Welcome to the site! I am fairly new to the site myself, but have already found that i'm checking the forums every day, enjoying all the interactions of the pros. Also, this has been the quickest and easiest way to learn about unicycling for me. These guys have a wealth of knowledge from personal experience, and often put up links to great other sources of information. In terms of a unicycle choice, i agree with the recommendation by fluffinator on the Nimbus Trials. Although if you want a uni that has a splined hub (more durable than a cotterless setup) and has stronger cranks and a 48-spoke wheel, you may want to check out the Torker Unistar DX I just got one of these a few weeks ago, and love it. It may not have a 2.5" tire, but i think that it is worth the extra $ overall. Plus, it may be easier to learn some typical freestyle skills with a less knobby tire. Enjoy the forums!!!! -Josh __________________ Random girl: Do you want to have kids someday? Me: Why, you offering?

2004-01-31, 04:39 PM	#5
fluffinator007 Expert UPD'ist Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Dubuque, IA Posts: 438	If you live in the US and you end up going to unicycle.com then i would suggest going with the Nimbus. You'd have to make the decision if you went with the trials or Mountain unicycle(muni). Link to trials - http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=744 Link to MUni - http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=745 Another MUni - http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=765 The first Muni is a nimbus and while it is a decent set up for the price it does not have a splined hub/cranks. If you ever decide to get real serious into it you will want splined hub and cranks. The Second Muni in the links up there is a torker. It does have splined hub and cranks but the tire width is quite disappointing, and i dont think the frame has clearance for a large tire. Larger tires are VERY much liked over skinny tires (by me anyway). My opinion, If you start unicycling with one of these and decide you really like it your going to end up buying another more expensive unicycle (new unicycles are addicting). I would suggest just spending a little bit more right now and getting what you really want and keep it for a loooonnngg time than getting a unicycle of less quality. But if you think the torker or Nimbus will suite you, then by all means go right ahead. I'd be happy with you saving money. This unicycle ( http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=618 ) Though double your spending limit is of VERY high quality and will surely last you for quite a long time. Heres the two links for buying unicycle stuff.... Unicycle.com (US/UK/Sweden/New Zealand) - www.unicycle.com Bedford unicycles (Canada) - www.bedfordunicycles.ca

2004-02-01, 04:52 PM	#7
unidude9 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 57	I think the torker dx is a good choice because you get a really cheap splined hub and a velo seat!

2004-02-01, 05:27 PM	#9
fluffinator007 Expert UPD'ist Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Dubuque, IA Posts: 438	It really all depends on what you wanna do. If you want to go just a little offroad but nothing heavy. And your not goign to be doing too much jumping or hopping with trials, then you should get the torker. But if you really would like to go pretty hard offroad and do some jumping and other trials Your going to wanna go with a bigger tire. This the Nimbus has. But the nimbus has cottered cranks. The hub is pretty strong and you probobly wont break it anytime soon but the cranks arent real excellent, you could buy some euro cranks for another little bit and it would be around the same price as the torker and decently strong. But as i said before, if you buy the torker youll be slightly disappointed if you wanna jump high and go hard offroad or do big drops etc... If you buy the nimbus youll be upset it has no splined accessories. Thus, I myself would get a unicycle with both of these! Or built your own unicycle with a strong bimbus frame and some KH crank/hub set if it fits (?) and some stuff like that, your total would be around 300 or so I think. But youd have a unicycle to be proud of and htat you put some of yourself into. But with the extra money (depending on your financial situation) you would be much more happy with the results...I think.

2004-02-01, 06:04 PM	#10
joona )-O <--Neat Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Finland Age: 29 Posts: 725	The Nimbus Maniac is back! My Nimbus is still holding up well with drops about three feet. I haven't bent the cranks yet. I think it's quite good value for money. You might want to tell more about yourself. If you're small like me (5'8" and 140 lbs, yes I have gained some weight WAARGGHH!! HULK SMAAASH!! Muscle!!) A normal hub will probably work well for a while if you don't have the money to buy splined setup. And 24" is really great if you want to ride a lot of trails. 20" is more for trials. If you live in Europe (probably not with that 200$$$ limit of yours) you might want to check the Qu-Ax unicycles at Municycle.com. Even if you live on the other side of the big pond you might want to cheack them. They are cheap. And pretty good quality too. __________________ You are my friend... 165 lbs. I'm not going to stop eating yet... I'll be a big boy soon

2004-02-02, 06:53 AM	#12
Klaas Bil Newsgroup User Posts: n/a	Re: Newbie to Expert - Best Unicycle Setup On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 12:54:41 -0600, onewheeldave <onewheeldave@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> wrote: >fluffinator007 wrote: >> *.....But the nimbus has cottered cranks. >?????????? >I've never seen a nimbus with cottered cranks.certainly from >unicycle.uk.com they ship with standard cotterless cranks. I wrote that I agreed with every word of fluffinator007's post, but I had missed the word 'cottered'. I'm pretty sure he meant to write 'cotterless' though. My internal spell checker must have corrected that before forwarding the text to my conscious brain. I have the Nimbus II myself with cotterless 170 mm cranks, but after 1.5 years of MUni it seems to be nearing its lifetime. Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict -- I have a feeling you might need two points of contact with the ground for such a thing to work? Or at least training wheels on the front and rear. - John Foss commenting on a picture of a one-wheeled vehicle he saw on RSU.

2004-02-02, 08:28 AM	#13
elmer uniimpaired Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: King City, California Posts: 248	I own a 26" nimbus II mountain unicycle and a nimbus 20" trials. Sounds like you would do best with the 24" mountain unicycle from what you've described. I own a yuni (brand name)24" and consider it best (because of wheel diameter)for all around use. The original crank length was shorter than I prefer(150mm), but this is a personal thing with excellent riders having many opinions. I like 170mm cranks on the 24" MUni with a 3" tire. This will give you a pretty good leverage ratio for hills without hitting the ground much. In sum, get the Nimbus II 24" and perhaps some 170mm cranks to start with. Dotek 170mm's at unicycle.com are $25.00 and have a good review. These will work until you're hopping and dropping 10" or so depending on your bodyweight at which time you may want to upgrade to the Kooka's or some other good brand. By then you'll be hooked and price won't really be an object. Other's will undoubtedly say my suggestions are all wrong, and they may be quite right about it. That's what I love about this forum! __________________ "At 40 life begins...to show."

2004-02-02, 08:34 AM	#14
elmer uniimpaired Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: King City, California Posts: 248	P.S. Before you start swapping cranks etc., invest in a crank arm removal tool. I didn't, and screwed up a lot of threads getting them off.($12.95 from unicycle.com) __________________ "At 40 life begins...to show."

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