I’m desperately trying to decide whether or not to get a Hunter frame on my U-Turn 29er I’m getting. I really like the look of them, but have no idea as to how well they perform. Would one be worth the extra $240 over a Sem XL frame?
Any advice/opinions would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
James
I have a major case of Hunter-lust. They are SOOOOO beautiful! I don’t own one but would like to. Several of my uni buddies have Hunters and they are all equally flawless.
My 2-cents.
Tommy
Spend the extra if you can afford it, it is worth the upgrade. I have both a 26 and a 36 (26 can also be used as 29), not one complaint. You can choose to use a lighter Thompson seat post (26.8) or any 22.2 with the adapter. Plus he offers many upgrades.
For the extra $240 you get a frame that’s hand-made by a professional bike frame maker. The Sem frame is mass produced in a factory in Taiwan or China. You also get a frame that looks much more unusual than the standard stuff, and hopefully your choice of colors.
On the downside, I prefer chrome over paint as it holds up better against scratches. Also in the event of damage (which could occur to either type), it will be more expensive to replace or repair.
If you’ve got the money I’d say go for it, I’ve seen both Hunter 26" and 36" frames in the ‘flesh’ and they’re both absolutely beautiful.
Andrew
Any pic’s of Hunter with 29" Big Apple?
Hunter Frames
I also have the fever to buy a Hunter 36". My question is if the wheel is the most integtral component what is the real value of a
super strong frame. I can see it for Muni but on a 29" or Coker used primarily on the road what’s the point. That being said I will probably wind up buying a Hunter or one of Max’s dad’s frames.
Generally the strength of a frame is not an issue in any style of unicycling in my opinion. Bearing holders can make a difference though. The guy I know with a Hunter 36" frame said he felt it was definately a noticably better and smoother ride with the new frame. I’m guessing most of that would have to be a result of nice machined bearing holders. Other than that, yes it does look absolutely beautiful.
Andrew
The strength isn’t really important in unicycle frames, but the torsional stiffness around the vertical axis (transfering seat twists into hub twists) does seem to be important. Hunter style frames are awesome in this regard because of their triangulation.
This kind of stiffness is harder to achive on a bigger wheel because the stays are longer, and it’s more important in riding styles where the rider wrenches the frame around with the handle on the front of the seat. This might explain why Hunters are popular on Cokers, and for Muni and trials.
I really like my Hunter 36, but I also like my Yuni 29. The Hunter 36 has a super-stiff U-turn built wheel and is a really smooth milage machine. The Yuni has a Big Apple tire and gives a nice casual ride. I don’t worry about the Yuni when I crash it. If I were going to unicycle across Europe I’d bring the Hunter 36. When I want to roll down to the store I take the Yuni.
Yeah, good point. I forgot about that.
Realistically, chances are he ‘felt’ it was better because he just paid all that money for it
True.
But after reading 'cyberbellum’s post I think a lot of it would be to do with the stiffness and lack of twisting in the legs.
Andrew
Don’t get me wrong…I really really want one!
There’s a lot of truth to that. Elite atheletes trying for a tiny advantage have a “need” the top quality stuff, but for everyone else more practice is the better value.
Then again, the Hunter IS a great frame and it isn’t THAT expensive. As custom anything goes it’s a bargan. If you have the cash to spare you might as well get one.
The most important part of the unicycle, as far as performance goes, is the wheel. A good hub, good cranks, good pedals, good rim, good tire, etc. The most important part of the unicycle, as far as comfort goes, is the saddle.
That said, a good frame does make a difference. A strong frame with machined bearing holders will be stiffer. There will be less flex and twisting when climbing. This is even more important if you’re running a brake. If you’re running a brake get the better frrame.
Machined bearing holders are more secure on the bearings. The stamped metal main cap bearing holders, like on the Yuni and Nimbus, can move around on the bearing. That leads to frame flex. Ride a frame with machined bearing holders, like the Hunter or KH, while the bearing holders are slightly loose. Give it a good ride, climbing hills, riding off-road, jumping around. You’ll feel the wheel rocking and moving around in the bearing caps. Now ride a frame with stamped metal main cap bearing holders, like a Nimbus or Yuni, while the bearing caps are tight. You’ll feel the same type of movement of the wheel as you did with the good frame when the bearing caps were loose.
The better frames like the Hunter have a better neck and will grip the seatpost better. That means less twisting of the seatpost. A seatpost that doesn’t twist is a very nice feature.
The better frames like the Hunter use a larger diameter seatpost so you can use a high quality bicycle seatpost like the Thomson. Larger diameter seatposts have more clamping power because there is more surface area to clamp.
A fancy frame does make a difference, but it’s not a big difference. It’s not like bikes where there is geometry issues and ride handling issues. A unicycle frame is too simple for that. But having a solid frame that holds everything together tightly with minimal flex and movement does make a difference. The frame is the last part of a unicycle that I’d upgrade. The wheel and saddle are more important.
Well, I ride a 24" Yuni frame for muni and commuter with a 24x3.0 fireball, and althought the frame is unimportant on the scale of things, I plan to upgrade to a home-built Hunter soon. The reason is that whenever I heavily torque the wheel the frame flexes about 1/4" and the tire rubs. Trust me, when you’re putting all your energy into torquing that wheel to get up a climb and you feel that tire rubbing, you will go home and start saving for the Hunter. So, save yourself the time and get yourself a Hunter. Even on skinnier tires, the Hunter is still a nice ride and will most likely ride better.
Not to completely jack this thread, but I’m curious, would it be possible to make a Hunter out of aluminum? I’m getting a few TIG welding lessons soon, and would like to do a few Hunter-like frames for practice. Is there any reason I couldn’t do one out of aluminum, other than the increased difficulty involved with welding aluminum? or, are there any other frames that would be good welding projects to try? The Aletis-type frames are too difficult (a ton of welding, plus a bunch of specialty sheet-aluminum work involved).
Re: Anyone recommend Hunter frames?
I think many of the posts above make the technical arguments for why a high-end custom frame like the Hunter will be better. There are a couple other arguments in favor. First, the visual argument:
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuw54/My_Pictures_large0008
The second argument I made to myself before shelling out for the Hunter/Profile/Magura setup was one around potential. When I was first learning to play guitar, I had a beater POS of an Epiphone that I probably paid $50 for used. I was practicing practicing practicing, and getting frustrated that I just couldn’t seem to get rid of the buzzing in my barre chords, and my scales weren’t making the progress I thought they should be. Then I met a girl who let me try her Martin guitar. Chord buzz immediately gone. Scales easier to run. Heavens open up, angels sing. Sudden realization that in all my practice, I’d become better than my guitar. The Epi was actually holding me back. I sucked it up, saved my pennies, and ultimately bought a Martin for myself. There is no danger I will ever be a better player than it is a guitar, hence my potential on this instrument is limited only by myself.
Long story, but I used the same logic buying my muni. I knew I was prepared to commit lots of effort to improving as a rider, and I wanted to get a machine that would always be better than me, so my only constraint would again by myself. The Hunter w/ profile setup meets that criteria. I’ll never max it out…
If you buy a Hunter, make sure you talk to Rick and get the double brake boss setup. Mine has the single, but I believe he has improved his design now. The single requires use of a brake booster, which is less than ideal.
Tom, a happy Hunter owner
Well the wheel is going to be a U-Turn built one, which I’ve only heard very good things about. I think it will consist of a unicycle.com hub, Rhyno Lite rim and some magical spokes that I know nothing about. The saddle is also a magical U-Turn air seat. There’s gonna be a V-brake too. It’s the Endurance 29er from a while ago, but with some modifications!
I figure if I’m having an awesome uni shipped over then I may as well go all out and get the Hunter frame, so I just wanted to make sure they were worth the $£$£!
Thanks a lot guys!
What about the “blizzard” frames they seem very like the hunter one’s?
http://www.unicycle.uk.com/shop/shopdisplayproduct.asp?catalogid=265
Re: Re: Anyone recommend Hunter frames?
not nessesary for a 29er