I need a 19" Trials unicycle so I can finally learn how to bounce in place and hop small logs. I’m an old distance junky (KH36G) who dabbles in MUni (KH29) when the trails are in suitable condition. I’m obviously a KH fan but would consider cheaper brands as trials is not my primary discipline.
Tire preference: I’m looking to maximize bounce. Beefy sidewalls are required for lower pressure. Tire weight would not factor in (doing it cheap means the whole thing won’t be ultralight) so paying a premium for the $45 Nimbus Cyko-Lite 20" x 2.5" seems silly. The wider (20" x 2.6") Monty Eagle Claw seems like it might have more volume. I trust the spec Kris keeps current so the Maxxis Creepy Crawler 19" x 2.5" is in the running. I’ve also heard good things about the Luna.
Rim: The 47mm rim is Kris’ current spec and I understand a wider rim adds stability on side hops. Again, weight is not a factor.
Seatpost and Saddle: I’m looking to upgrade the Slim on my KH36G to a Zero. If I were buying new, UDC is great about discounting the upgrade for the difference in a Nimbus Gel saddle. I have an extra KH Freeride lying around so you can keep your saddle. I’ll probably have to buy two seat posts because my son wants to “hop”. I’ve lowered the pressure in the Kenda Kikzumbut on his 20" Club but he needs more “bounce”.
Hub and Cranks: Prefer ISIS the standard on all my other unicycles. Again, were I buying new, I’d upgrade to 110/137 Spirit cranks that could be swapped with one of our 36ers.
I’m 5’11" weight 160 pounds. I’ll PayPal the shipping to Louisville Kentucky.
I’ve got a used Zero and a 150mm purple deity pivotal seat post that I used on my 19" trials uni. The only scratches are on the handle. I’ve only had if for about a month. If you’re interested I can sell it for $80 plus shipping, and I use PayPal.
A few things about tires. First off you’re not really paying a premium for the cyko-lite. At $45 thats at the lower end of the spectrum. It is very light but has very thin sidewalls. The creepy crawler is probably your best bet because the monty is more expensive and as far as I know they don’t make the luna anymore. The luna also has terrible grip.
Thank you for your kind offer but I’m probably going to pass on your Zero. Must resist personal purchases and focus on the kids for now.
I really appreciate the advice as I know next to nothing about what it takes to make a good trials unicycle. Distance, check. MUni, check. Trials, not so much. At any rate getting all my silly questions answered will keep my plea bumped where someone might feel sorry for me and cut me a deal on a trials unicycle that is gathering dust. Thanks!
I think I might have found what I’m looking for but I’m not sure what year/model it is. Would someone be able to “date” this for me? The advertisement says it is a “47mm wide rim (with holes) laced to KH Moment hub” and I understand that hub did not come out until 2007 (if that helps). Can’t quite make out the color of the hub but I understand (thanks jtrops!) the early (blue) models “had large KH cutouts in the flanges that are believed to weaken the flanges to the point of failure” and that certainly does not sound good. It has obviously been ridden quite a bit as evidenced by the paint worn away near the cranks. Aesthetics mean absolutely nothing to me but it makes me wonder if the bearings are still in decent shape. Anything else to look out for? Trying not to get ripped off. Thanks!
The Onza & KH/Onza were splined (BMX-like) interfaces. There is maybe a Onza ISIS hub but it isn’t very common.
For the blue KH Moment hub, I had one for years (2008-2014) and did a lot of Muni with it laced to a Large Marge 26in. It may be weaker in extreme situations (trial & gigantic drops) but for the average rider, I don’t think you will break the hub (and if you do you can brag about how you did it ).
Even if it were the blue hub, the cutouts most likely would not be a problem for the riding you intend to do. Many of the riders who had problems with it were riding some pretty heavy duty Trials and Street. Even then, it appears that the flanges bent long before failure on most of those hubs.
That being said, it’s not the blue hub version on this uni. The uni is at least an '08. The KH ISIS hub is black. The frame is externally butted at the crown. The wheel has the offset spoke holes. All of these are traits of '08 or newer.
Even if the bearings are shot, new ones are only $16 from UDC.
It is a used trials unicycle. Unless the frame is cracked or the wheel is extremely bent, it appears to be fine from the pics posted. It looks like the missing paint is mostly from shoes rubbing against the frame. I’d guess the rider did some Flatland riding on it. The other nicks on the uni look mild. You did not state a price, but unless it’s really high it’s most likely not a ripoff.
If you do want total peace of mind, you can buy a new Impact Athmos for $200 or a Reagent Gold (with what appears to be a Dominator rim) for $275 from UDC USA right now during the 12 Days of Christmas Sale.
Thanks everyone for all your kind advice. It’s great to be a part of this community of people who know. I’m going to go ahead and make the guy an offer on it. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I would get an Athmos or Reagent but the 32" (81cm) Minimum Inseam Length might be too much for my youngest whereas the 25" (64cm) of the KH20 is the same as our 20" Club which I know for a fact is not too tall for them. Now I just need an extra seat post for myself so we can share.
I’m closing this thread as I’ve made my purchase. Thank you Jim (IUni). It was a pleasure doing business (5 star feedback) with you! It was a Merry Christmas indeed.
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