Could do with some thoughts and opinions on buying a trial/street Uni. What should I be looking for…what is important?
Having learned on a cheapo 20" trainer I have now settled down to enjoying my 24" Nimbus Muni for rough and ready trails through the woods and a 26" Qu-Ax Muni for longer distance smoother trails.
I’d like to work on idling and riding backwards and to practice skills that would translate to the muni like jumping & dropping. I wouldn’t mind learning a few tricks either but I guess the trial skills are my main priority. At my age and fitness level I’m not going to be carving up railings or performing huge drops but I would like to be able to work up to some reasonably challenging jumps/drops where I can find them in a natural/urban setting.
I’ve been considering the Nimbus Trial as a mid price point 19" Uni that should fit the bill but I wonder if the much lighter weight Nimbus Equinox would make things easier (I know my Nimbus muni feels quite heavy).
I’m really loving my unicycling so don’t mind investing in something good if it is better suited to my needs but at the same time don’t want to buy premium if a basic 19" fat tired Uni will suit me for a few years.
I’m also not sure about seat hight for trial/street…I run my Munis at about 84/85cm and probably couldn’t go much higher…the short neck 19" uni’s appear to offer ~74 - 84cm and could drop a bit lower with a hacksaw. The long neck Equinox runs at 80 - 99cm dropping to 75 with some cutting. Both these uni’s seem to have the necessary maximum height but the Equinox wouldn’t drop much. Is that a problem? I’ve heard of people dropping the seat quite low for trials but I don’t know what the norm would be.
My 20" trainer has now been loaned out to a work mate and I hope that I can tempt a few more with it.
UL
Before anyone mentions it, I’m aware UDC UK have a deal on the Impact Reagent this week but all that white is going to look awful after riding outdoors…not sure it’s for me.
In my opinion I would spend a bit more and get the KH it is awesome
depending on how tall you are i would go long neck i am 6’5 and when i have the seat low it is about 5 - 6 inches out so i would say if your 6"+ i would go long neck but i would wait and see if someone your height reply’s to say what they think.
for tricks like riding backwards and idling you will want the seat higher up for more balance and stability. you would only drop the seat really low for more advanced tricks like uni spins and flips and stuff.
I’ve thought about getting something like that for myself now and again. It’s a tempting idea.
Comparing the specs of the basic Nimbus with the Equinox, it seems a bit like a deal where if you get the wheel, cranks, pedals, tire, and saddle, they throw the steel frame in for free. It looks like the same hub, rim and cranks either way. The Cyko-Lite and the Creepy Crawler are the same price and the Flat saddle and the Gel aren’t far apart, but those things are probably down to preference as much as quality. You might prefer something other than the two choices given you there anyway. (Try-All? Monty?)
One way to look at it is that, if down the line you decide that the Nimbus frame is too heavy, you could buy an aluminum frame then and not be out much extra, just shipping basically. It’s really the difference in price. Then you’d have a spare frame left over for building up another trainer to tempt another co-worker. I suspect that either one will feel light compared to your munis, and if you never try an aluminum frame you might never be the wiser.
Also note that UDC UK sells Kris Holm 20" frames in two neck lengths, and a Nimbus Trials uni plus a Kris Holm frame to put that wheel into is less than price of the Equinox. (Though you’d need to get a 27.2 seatpost and clamp too then.) Personally I might be more inclined to go that way.
My experience has been pretyy similar to your projection for a uni. I went nimbus trials, and I will upgrade frame to impact gravity longneck. The reason I’m all about doing this is that I don’t see foot on frame tricks any time soon and one good knee strike is enough to teach me a lesson. That lesson doesn’t include kneepads, it includes a less pointy frame. Plus I can feel good about the alu upgrade. I don’t know why, but my nimbus came with a kh rim, so I’ll be pretty happy about my setup in the end.
Cheers LargeEddie, I hadn’t really considered the possibility of upgrading the frame at a later point and I now see there are a lot of options.
I may plump for the basic Nimbus Trials (my first choice) as I think this will take me quite a long way and then upgrade the frame or other parts as my experience dictates.
I’m glad I asked the question now.
I went for the 19" Nimbus Trials in the end…as per UDC UK website but apparently they don’t ship with the Maxxis Creepy-Crawler any more. Instead they come with the Cyko Lite 20x2.5" tire.
On my death bed with a stinking cold at the moment so it’s not going to get dirty wheels for a few days but at least I’m home from work to get it delivered. Expect it to feature in my learning journal from now on
Very exciting! I’m glad that my suggestions helped a little bit, and I’m very much looking forward to getting your thoughts on the real item, when it arrives and when you’re feeling more robust. Plenty of winter ahead so take care of yourself now.
I was surprised to find that the component lineup was so similar between the basic Nimbus and the Equinox, but that would seem to suggest that what you’re getting is all good solid stuff. I can understand why UDC would want to switch over to their own brand Cyko-Lite tire. I don’t get the feeling that it’s a downgrade at all.
I was wondering how you were going to assemble it in that short amount of time and then you sped it up :D. Have fun with it! Btw that saddle is a nimbus “flat” saddle (Which is a weird name because it’s thin not flat).
Also, that’s a great accent you’ve got there. It makes me wonder if you would think that I have an accent.
Based on the cover I assumed it was a Nimbus Flat. I’ve just compared it to the Nimbus Gel on my 24er and the Gel is wider so I think this is correct and it’s been shipped with a Flat instead. Ironically it is just as curved as my Gel and ‘flat’ definately isn’t an adjective I would apply to it
I’ve just noticed that both these saddles have Kris Holm written on the bottom so I don’t know whether Nimbus saddles just use KH bases or if one is a badged up version of the other?
