I have recently been riding my (rather unimpressive) Torker CX to my bus stop approx. 1 - 1 1/2 miles away. Many times, while I’m waiting, I just ride it around doing small drops, tricks ect. Two Wednesdays ago, I did just this and placed itin a nearby woods, and chained it to a tree before the bus had come. Anyways, when I came back to look for it, it is, alas, gone. I’ve even gone to the extent of putting posters on nearby telephone poles and offered to give a ($20) reward to anyone who found it, which I probably shouldn’t have done considering the uni’s quality. After a couple weeks, I am convinced that nobody near me has any info on it, and I am thinking about getting another unicycle. Since you’re the experts, I’m posting it here. It must have the following attributes:
•Relatively cheap (under $150),
•Can take moderate abuse,
•Designed for freestyle/maybe trials,
•and a comfortable seat (unlike the CX)
Though I’m being picky I’d like to see what you guys would choose, as you have a more diverse range of unicycles than me, and probably have a better idea of what has better quality for the price. I have also tried to look through past threads with limited success.
torker dx
The Torker DX would be a good one. It comes with a splined hub and cranks so it will be able to take some abuse from doing jumps and drops. There’s a 24" Torker DX on eBay right now for $139.99 + $24.99 S&H. Slightly more than you want to spend but it’s a good deal. You aren’t going to find a unicycle with a splined hub for less.
I think the 20" Torker DX is out of stock at the factory. If you want a 20" size it may be difficult to find right now.
I like 20 in. ones, as they tend to hold up a little better and are easier to do various tricks on. There are some unis that look good at unicycle.com: namely the Nimbus II and Torker LX. I’ve considered both the LX and DX before, but I have heard that their crankarms bend easily. Is this true?
The DX has very strong crank arms. They’re like splined BMX cranks. The DX cranks aren’t going to bend.
The LX has a standard square tapered hub and standard cranks. The cranks are bendable and the hub is breakable if you do jumps and drops with it.
The Nimbus II also has the standard square tapered hub and standard cranks. It’s in the same category as the Torker LX, but the hub is just a little bit stronger than the LX hub. I’m not sure what cranks are on the Nimbus II. They’re standard square tapered cranks, but some square tapered cranks are stronger than others.
If you want to jump around on things then a splined setup is the recommended option. Otherwise you will eventually break the hub or a crank on a standard unicycle.
If you’re light and nimble you can get away with using a standard square tapered unicycle for doing small jumps and drops. At least for a while. You have to learn how to land softly and smoothly. You have to restrain yourself from going big. You have to realize that eventually the hub or cranks may break. But you can get away with it. The lighter you are the better.
You can contact that eBay seller and ask if he still has any of the 20" Torker DX unicycles.