Birthday present decision (Nimbus vs Onza vs DX)

Unicycles and Equipment
1

I started off with a simple 24" Torker CX, moved on to a 20" LX, and now I also have a 28" Sun for cruising.

I like riding trials, but I also like some freestyle.

My CX seat is broken and incredibly uncomfortable, so I don’t ride it anymore (and the cranks are bent at a funny angle)

The LX has lasted me about a year and the only problem I’m having with it is the cranks (which loosen after about 8 strokes - even though I use loc-tite). I’ve taken it off picnic tables and truck beds, and not had much of a problem, but it’s time to upgrade.

The 28" Sun is fine.

My main question is, and I haven’t seen the same question posted before, “Which would be best for trials and freestyle?”

I’ve been leaning towards either the 20" trials Onza, 20" Torker DX, the 20" trials Nimbus, or the Nimbus Hoppley because I now know that I really need a splined hub.

One of the biggest concerns that I have regarding the Onza and the Nimbus is the crown of the frame. I can imagine some nasty cuts/bruises from the protruding forks. The DX has a flat crown, which I am more accostomed to.

If anyone has one of the unis that I’ve mentioned, please explain what sorts of problems one might encounter. Even if you don’t have one, I’d like to hear(read) what you have to say.

Thanks,
JoeB

Oh, and also, what options do I have as far as replacement seats/seatposts go for a Sun? I’m know that the Sun seatpost is thinner(ID & ED) than the Miyata-style seat(&post) from my LX, but I’ve also heard of someone having a KH fusion seat on their Sun(?). Thanks.

2

Dont worry about the frame, I have the nimbus one, and have never hitten anything on the frame, and its great grip for foot-on-frame stuff.

As for what unicycle, i wont say the DX, for the frame is weak, unless you plan on buying the 2007 version which isnt out yet. If I was you, I would get the nimbus hoppley, it has a great combination of parts which are very strong.

3

if i had a choice, the nimbus hoppley

4

i recommend getting the Nimbus Hoppley because the frame is stronger and the majority of the components are better quality.

5

nimbus
the frame is good cause you subconsiously not hit them with you knees

6

If you have the money… Onza hands down. Its has the best hub and cranks of the three and you will get used to the crown in no time. But for trials and freestyle the Onza Owns

7

i have an '06 torker Dx and it’s mighty heavy, other than that, it’s pretty good for the price. I’d get the onza if i had the choice to do so

8

First pick is the nimbus… then second pick is the Onza, then third pick is the nimbus again… (ps i have never seen any of these unicycles in real life, i am judging by what i have read or heard about them)

9

Could people please specify which Nimbus. I have to say for strength the Onza wins. Second probably the Nimbus Hoppley, thirdly the Torker DX and last but not least the Nimbus Trials. (I am going to eliminate the Nimbus Trials as it isnt strong (cottered) and wont be better than any of the other unicycles for freestyle.

For freestyle the the DX looks like it could be the best BUT I am not a very good freestyler and I believe that the frame on the DX is very weak. The Nimbus Hoppley and Onza appear to have very similar frames so I dont think the decision on these is important.

In conclusion I think that the DX should be ruled out as it is very heavy and not the strongest. This leaves the Onza and the Nimbus Hoppley. This choice is just going to have to be down to you, spend more money for a stronger Onza or less for slightly weaker (its still a great unicycle) Nimbus Hoppley.

So, more for a stronger Onza or less for a slightly weaker Nimbus Hoppley, your choice.

Mike

10

Thanks people, for all of your input. This has made deciding a bit easier.

I hear that the Qu-Ax cranks do not have the “nipples” (for lack of a better word) that the profiles/KH cranks do. Are they that bad of ‘ankle eaters’?

I think I’ve narrowed it down to either the Onza or Nimbus Hoppley.

I like the fact that the Hoppley uses a KH hub + QuAx cranks, and the KH 2005 Freeride rim with a Creepy Crawler tire.

The Onza, though, doesn’t specify which hub/cranks it has, and it comes with 140mm cranks. I understand that certain cranks are not compatible with other splined hubs, so I fear that I may be stuck with 140mm cranks (which I think are too long for a trials/freestyle uni). It also just says “Onza 20x2.5 inch tire”.

Both appear to have plastic caps on their crowns; do these fall off easily?

As I have zero experience with any of the above mentioned hardware, I’m kind of relying on what other people have to say.

11

I’ve actually been looking for the same exact thing, and also pretty much narrowed it down to the Onza and Nimbus.

If I could just ask one more thing… how does the weight compare on the Onza to the Nimbus? I’m really concerned about it being too heavy.

Also, I’m kinda leaning towards the 24" Onza trails. I know that there are benefits to a 20" for freestyle, and a 24" for trails. Does anyone have any advice comparing the two tire sizes??

12

Trails? or Trials?

A good tire for trails riding would be something larger than 20" that has a lot of grip, >2.5" wide, and can ride with a lower psi than a freestyle tire.

A good trials tire generally sits on a 19" rim, and has a lot of bounce for added jump height.

I think 24" and up is good for trails (like muni), but 20" is the standard for freestyle/trials (though a few people do trials on 24")

an example of a good trials tire would be the Maxxis Creepy Crawler (good bounce, good grip, won’t fold)

an example of a good freestyle tire would be a Hookworm (low bounce, higher psi, low profile)

I don’t have any trails around here that are rideable (all sugar sand), so I couldn’t help you with that.

The Onza, IMHO, looks cooler than the Hoppley, but I still can’t make up my mind; the Hoppley sounds like it’s a great unicycle.

13

hmmmmm, Onza ($409) vs Hoppley ($350)…

and just to clarify, the other Nimbus that I was talking about wasn’t the square-taper cranks/hub. I was referring to the Nimbus 20-inch Trials Unicycle with a Qu-Ax Wheel ($330).

I can get any of the above, but ideally, I’d like the best for the money.

Thanks to everyone that has posted so far.

JoeB

14

You shouldn’t worry about weight, not at all, for it wont effect you much at all, just makes you stronger.

IF money is no issue, go for the Onza, its a great uni, and will hold up perfectly. If money is somewhat more of an issue, and you’d want a uni that’s already customized and not all stock parts, go for the Hoppley. Both unis are very strong and will last for a very very very long time.

Oh, about the frames, you said it appeared they had rubber caps on the end, I don’t know about the Onza, but the Hoppley, which uses a Nimbus II frame, same one as I have, does not have any rubber caps on it at all.

Edit: Even if I had the money for the Onza, I would still got with the Hoppley. I think it comes with a gel seat too, and those things are soo comfy.

15

Thanks, Jerrick.
I was afraid that if a cap came off, the sharp metal edges would be exposed, making it more of a knee-shredder than a knee-biter.

I think I’m going to go for the Hoppley. It looks like it’s customized with all top-quality parts (and the gel seat :p) and it has shorter cranks than the Onza, which also appeals to me.

16

nimbus hopply has the same hub and cranks as the onza and the hopply has a thinner gel seat and the same tire

17

The hub on the Hoppley is the KH\Onza set, and an older model, but is extremly strong, my friend Phil has that and he gaps 12 sets and does huge drops, and the hub is still perfect, and thats after about 2 maybe 3ish years of riding it hard.

18

Thanks for all of your input.
I just placed an order for the Nimbus Hoppley and a pair of XL 4x4 661s.

19

Hope You Like It:)

20

I’m sure I will.

I just went with the standard UPS ground shipping because it’s only going from GA to FL, so I don’t anticipate that it should take more than 5 days…

hopes it arrives by Wednesday

Since this is the first uni that I’m getting from UDC, how long has it taken for parcels to arrive in your experiences?