Have you seen the Black Torkers? Not Black Helicopters, Black Torkers.
I saw them at Harvie’s B*** Shop in Lynnwood, WA today. They have a United/Savage style crown but with main cap bearings. The seat is a black Miyata clone with handle. The frame, tire, rim, spokes, and cranks are all black.
And there’s more: 48 spokes! All yours for $129.00 plus tax.
Didn’t see them on uni.com yet. Are we that close to the holidays?
This sounds interesting and it’s right up the road from me. What wheel sizes did they have? I see it as
Harvy’s Bike Shop
19920 Hwy 99 Suite C
Lynnwood, WA
(425) 774-8951
Anyone else seen these “stealth” Torkers?
Re: Black Torkers
very interesting can you get a photo up?is the Miyata clone handle an exact clone to the (real)Miyata?does it seem like stronger plastic at all?
EDIT,Harper already got off the 1st responce so I see,he has a camera!go Harper GO!
That’s a good idea. I called the guy and he asked if Steve told me about it. At the time I didn’t know unibrier was Steve and I didn’t think the guy would know who unibrier was. I also didn’t know Steve broke his leg falling off a nine foot giraffe but then the guy also told me he was carrying another unicycle made by “unicycle.com”. Hmmm… I told him that was a distributor in Marietta, GA and he still claimed he was going to carry the whole line. Whatever.
I’ll try to bop up there with a camera. The wheel is 20" only. Maybe Steve can limp over there and take a picture. He’s closer but perhaps less mobile.
Stealth Torkers
I didn’t fall, I landed wrong on dismount!
I hope to walk again tomorrow. But enough of me.
Harvie says he is a uni.com distrubutor and can get anything they offer. He was talking of even carrying some pretty good Muni stuff and a Coker. He always has a full supply of chrome Torkers for 79.00 (plus State Tax of course).
I go within a mile of his shop on my daily travels, I’ll snap a digital tomorrow and post it in my gallery.
Re: Stealth Torkers
Woo-Hoo! I’m off the hook. Thanks, Steve.
well who’ever does the photo shoot,get a couple of the underside of the Miyata clone.I would like to see the bolt patten.
dont forget to give it a pull or two,just to feel if it may be a better plastic than the newer Miyata handles…
Also, use a very tiny camera and talk in a Russian accent. And act very casual…
Stealth Torker
Pics are posted at:
http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albun39
If the link doesn’t get you there, go to Galleries, UniBrier, then Stealth Torkers.
The seat is a Miyata, not a clone.
No time for snappy comebacks, got to get the kids off to soccer.
Excellent and very complete photo set, Steve. That is a cool looking ride. Not the standard Torker frame with the narrow forks and flat crown. Also, a nice 1.95 wide tire on it. Too bad about the wimpy new-style Miyata seat but it’s MUCH better than standard Torker saddles. This looks like a good value. Thanks for going to the trouble.
ok
Where can you get a Miyata saddle in black?
Wow, Steve. What a great looking uni! The story behind their origin would be interesting.
I though it was interesting that, in the first picture, the uni was leaning up against the wall next to a sign advertising health insurance.
Bruce
thanx uniBrier,
48 spokes on a cheaper uni is a good thing,i wonder where these were sorced from?ive seen grey Miyatas but never black.
hopfully after soccer you will have some time for snappy combacks.
Snappy Comebacks
To nbrazzi, “Also, use a very tiny camera and talk in a Russian accent. And act very casual…”:
Too late, Harvy beat me to the accent. His real name is Hany Massoud, you do the math. How do you hide a Minolta DiMAGE 7i?
To Harper: “Thanks for going to the trouble.”:
You’re welcome. (hold it, that wasn’t snappy)
To Scott Stephens, “Where can you get a Miyata saddle in black?”:
Torker
To yoopers, “sign advertising health insurance”:
When you wake up tomorrow, here’s another sign advertising health insurance: http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albun41
End snappy comebacks.
I think Harvy spent some serious time at a bike expo. He seems to be sincere on providing a wider selection of uni’s. It will be interesting to see what he has when his uni.com order comes in.
Re: Snappy Comebacks
nothing for me?Icant belive this 
Just for Jagur
“dont forget to give it a pull or two”
nuf said, lets keep rsu under PG13
Re: Just for Jagur
aaaaah,i feel better now,thank you.>:-)
Funny, I thought Torkers had flat top crowns. This one looks like a United.
Hmmmm.
Name: Torker
Frame: United
Saddle: Miyata
Color: Black
Location: Seattle
Who is this Mad Scientist??
Harper!? 
I went out to Lynnwood today to see Harvy’s bike shop. Naturally I was prepared to buy one of these Stealth Torkers if necessary. When Harvy offered it to me for $99 instead of $129 it became necessary. He had another one there at the time plus a number of 24", 20", and 16" standard Torkers as well as a 6’ Savage giraffe and a 5’ giraffe which I suppose was also Savage except neither of them had Savage saddles…rather they were of the Zephyr or United variety. He also had a radially spoked, eccentric 24" Torker. He does have two penny-farthings on order and plans to carry Cokers. The owner is not a rider nor is any of his staff from what I could tell. I think he had alot of bikes there but I wasn’t paying attention.
The Stealth Torker I bought had overtightened maincap bearings which I adjusted at the shop to make sure they spun OK. They were fairly severely overtightened so I showed them the technique to properly adjust them. The rim is aluminum alloy and the hub is drilled for 48 spokes. The hub appears to have painted steel flanges and an unpainted steel axle, probably just the inexpensive 48 spoke Taiwanese hub. The wheel is true and strong. The cranks are painted aluminum with large “Q” and are probably Lascos or the equivalent although the manufacturer is unspecified. The pedals are cheap, plastic Wellgos. The frame is painted steel and is of the wide, curved crown United variety rather than the narrow, flat crown that you are accustomed to from Torker. It has a 1.95" tire and the frame will easily accommodate a 2.5" tire. The seatpost is painted steel and is 25.2mm in diameter. This threw me a little as I will need an extension eventually and I’m hoping some knowledgeable fellow out there will tell me where I could get one. None of the Viscount-United or Miyata seatpost hardware will fit it. It has a nice quick-release seatpost mechanism if you like that sort of thing. The saddle itself LOOKS like a Miyata saddle except for the back bumper which is labeled Torker. The seat seems stiffer to me than the new Miyatas, more like the old Japanese versions. The steel, seat base shape is the same as the standard Miyata.
If any of you know whether or not 25.2mm seatpost extensions are available or common please let me know. I haven’t begun a search for them yet. If I can’t find one I think I would rather sell this puppy to a shorter rider than go to the trouble of making a seatpost for it. I have not tried to disassemble the seat.
Please excuse Greg- we was pritty excited when he wrote this (he’s usualy profound, not profane).
Iddle speculation (awww, it’s even more tenuose than that- it’s one foot idle specutlation)- Miyata decided it would do wrong by a certain Internet vendor of unicycles by outsourcing production of sadles to China/Tiawan; it was foolish of them to expect that outfit to tool up for production and not unload sadles where ever they could, considering the long standing tradition of scrupolous adhearance to western copyright law. Viva la Torker.
-Christopher