I’m just getting started. I’m a street rider now but may do some Muni later.
I really don’t want to put up with broken gear so I’ll pay the bucks. What would you suggest for my 190 lb? I’m not fat (5’10" with a fair amount of upper body muscle due to my job).
Thanks,
Doug
in sunny south Florida
Nimbus ISIS upgraded with KH Moment ISIS cranks, upgrade to a KH fusion freeride saddle with CF base and Cromoly seatpost.
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1050
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=952
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=259
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1020 (in 25.4 for the nimbus frame)
This uni is stronger than a stock KH and around the same price. You’ve got an undrilled rim, splines ISIS KH cranks, steel frame (stronger than aluminum) and then a solid seat setup. The only other upgrade I might recommend is to the Large Marge rim, indestructible and deliciously wide:
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1177 (you can find it cheaper elsewhere)
totally agree. great job Brian.
yes it will work great for you i ride one and i’m 260
If there’s an economic issue then I Torker DX is a great choice, although a KH seat should quickly replace the stock seat.
He should ask UDC to replace the seat for him, maybe they will charge him less for it.
I think they will, add it to the special requests box in the order form. I would call udc first though.
The seat upgrade should be about $15.
I would try to get a KH from AEB or Ebay for 400ish
People have been writing a bit about the Nimbus frame and hub. It’s heavier and cheaper to buy, but made to lower tolerance and not really stronger then the KH parts, near as I can tell. So I would advise getting a KH 20, and then maybe replacing the pedals. Then go for the carbon seat and other upgrades later as you see fit. If you can swing 450 $ for a trials uni.
A stock KH is a better starting point, IMHO, if you want to make a strong custom uni, then anything else. It will end up lighter. Certainly anything else around 400 $. There is the high end Koxx one, likely as good or better then the KH frame, but so much more $ in the states that you won’t read a whole lot about it on this forum.
I’m a newish kinda crappy rider, but looking at vid’s of the really good riders, shows a sea of blue. And my KH’s have a fine crafted look about them, like they are made to the same standard as fine bicycles.
And some people have been writing that their Nimbus ISIS trials cranks and hubs are machined uneven, so that cranks don’t fit the same on each side of the hub . The quality is less then KH, and not much cheaper.
Sorry but that is all a load of bullshit. Where did you even read that nonsense about lower tolerance and parts not fitting correctly on the Nimbus? That was the KH hub and moments, don’t you remember? The Moment hub and cranks were machined with too low tolerance and cranks ended up not being in line with each other. My KH hub and cranks suffer from that whereas my Nimbus hub + moment cranks do not. Also, the KH hub has been screwing up for people at the flanges. This hasn’t been seen in the Nimbus hubs, maybe thats because not as many people ride them yet but the more probable answer is because their cutouts on the flanges are a better shape. Both the Nimbus frame and hub are arguably stronger than the KH equivalents. The hub isn’t drilled so while it weighs more by a very trivial amount it is more solid(literally). Also, the frame is steel which in theory and practice will outlast the aluminum KH frame (not that very many have had issues with them). The Nimbus II frame is a beautifully crafted piece just as the KH, have you seen the new machined bearing holders on the Nimbus II? Both the KH and the Nimbus are excellent unis but the Nimbus is a far better deal in my opinion, and that opinion is valid because I actually own both. With the money you save from going with the Nimbus you can end up with a CF base and Moment cranks on it for the same price as a stock KH. Feel the light, have you actually even seen a Nimbus ISIS in person?
Have I seen a Nimbus trials ?
No, I haven’t, I really haven’t met many local riders. I read about Nimbus troubles here, in this thread.
High end motorcycle frames are still made from both chrome moly, and alum. It hasn’t been decided yet which is better, but alum is slowly taking over. I think all the motocross bikes are alum, as well as the road racers. Could be a marketing fad though.
Cost spent making it is a better indicator of strength- quality. For instance, the Nimbus axle is solid not for improved strength, but to save the cost in tooling and labor it would have taken to drill it out. The metal in the center of a rod adds little strength, but plenty of weight.
So a reasonable comparison of the cheaper Nimbus to the KH, would show that the nimbus is heavier then the KH, due to a variety of economies taken in it’s manufacture, not because it is stronger. It costs about 1/5 the price of a KH to produce, so there is less work done on it to make it both light and strong.
In any event, I’m not bashing Nimbus. I just don’t see why someone who was going to pay a few hundred dollars on carbon and mag parts to save a pound or so, wouldn’t want to pay 150 $ more for a higher quality uni to start with, that will always be a couple of pounds lighter then a Nimbus. Maybe it would be more fun to put the fancy light parts on a KH. 
But sure, if you can only spend 250 $, the Nimbus isn’t so bad. By the time you add a KH seat and cranks though, it costs only about 50 $ less then a KH 20 from AEB. So you can save 2 lbs. for 50 $ going with KH, but instead spend 100 $ on a carbon seat base that saves a few ounces ? 
I am sure the carbon seat is a fine item. I’m glad I bought a KH 20 when the getting was good (363 $ delivered from AEB last May). Maybe someday I will buy a new seat base, post etc. But I haven’t broke a thing yet, and I’m a bit over 190 lbs.
I think someone who is going to spend 400 + on a trials uni, should get a KH or Koxx one. Or maybe the uber cool Sponge-Ti thing, if that pans out. Why save small dollars by buying a heavy frame-hub if you can afford better ?
The reason all the high end bikes are made of aluminum is becaus ethe people who can afford them can offord to replace them. like motocross superstars who break fames every other week.
i tend to disagree. i think the reason they dont drill it out is so people can take drops like 5+ with no problem. i have never ridden a “Nimbus hub” but i ride a kh 07 which is basicly the same.
In your “sea of blue” how many kh’s have you seen broken. and then compare it to the number of nimbus’s you have seen broken.
The reason people get the cf seatbase is not entirely to save weight. when someone dishes out 100 bucks for a cf seatbase it is normaly because they dont want it breaking. yea it saves a few ounces but its not usually for the weight.
The reason you havent broken a thing yet is because you probly dont ride it hard. i could ride a 20"sun all year without anything breaking if i took it out 2 times a week and only cruised around the block a few times.
A solid axle is just a poorish cheap design, it’s only justification is cost. And if they cut corners on machining, do you really assume they don’t cut corners on metallurgy and heat treatments ? A low price must come from somewhere.
The reason the axle should be hollow is the same reason frame tubes are hollow, you get a lighter part that way, for a comparable strength.
I didn’t mean to imply that my KH’s lack of failure means no one can break them. I ride a lot, but haven’t done any large drops. So I am not much of a test rider. However, I think it’s better to buy a KH or Koxx One , and try the stock parts. They should last a while. Then buy tricks parts as you see fit. This is cheaper then buying a tricked out Nimbus up front. You will also have the option of adding trick parts later.
To buy expensive parts to add to a cheap frame and hub set, sort of reminds me of that old saying " Don’t go trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear".
So we know that the Nimbus is a little cheaper and heavier then the KH. Do you have any data to show it is stronger ? The assumption that steel is stronger pound for pound then alum is false. Quality of manufacture, heat treatments, alloy cost, are all much more important IMHO.
Plenty of people who have ridden both have said that a Nimbus ISIS with KH cranks is the same strength as a KH. You would have a uni as strong as a KH for $200 cheaper just by upgrading the cranks. So your logic here doesn’t really work.
Dude… honestly, all you’re reasoning or whatever you want to call it is all good and stuff. But I think that the best way to know if something is good is from experience with the product. And I do believe that the nimbus has been used by guys doing some pretty big stuff.
Notice that I am not trying to be a snob here I am just trying to add my two sense.
Also notice that I didn’t get much sleep last night and I’ve been working outside all day so I’m feelin kinda grumpy 
strong light cheep, pick two
Nimbus is strong and cheep.
KH is strong and light.
All this bickering is pointless. Brian O answered his question very well in the first response and I would hardly call the Nimbus a “pigs ear”
What you are doing is creating extra un-needed confusion. It does not need to be explained that something that cost more does so because it has more work in the design, more costly materials and such. You dont have to know anything about unicycles to understand this concept. What you are forgetting is someone that is going to be ridding street or aggressive muni (actually riding there uni hard) is going to break parts on any stock uni. In this thread the person asked whats the best way around going through that process.
The point Brian was making and you seam to feel the need try and prove wrong is, that for less than the price of a KH(great uni) you can have a uni that is STRONGER, at a hell of a good price.
I dont see your logic. You claim buying a kh now and upgrading it when you need to, is cheaper… WHAT? The stock parts are going to break so why not upgrade when buying, UDC will let you swap out parts, so buying a nimbus with Moment cranks, CrMO post, KH seat, and a CF base will be the strongest uni you can build for anything near that price. Youd be looking at over 200 dollars more to get a KH that strong.
Is the Nimbus stronger then the KH frame ?
How many people have broken their KH frame ? 1 % or 2 ? I bet it’s a lot less then that. About the same for Koxx one it seems. I bet the reliability of the Nimbus is comparable. No one seems to have any info to back their statements one way or the other.
So it get’s down to value, not strength, so for purpose of debate, let’s call equal strength for all three.
A UDC Nimbus cost’s 320 $ with the KH crank upgrade. 340 with a KH seat upgrade. Then it will be about 360 $ cause UDC charges double for shipping.
So we are talking 360 $ for a mid grade 14 lb uni with a KH seat and cranks, at your door.
AEB or Ebay will ship you a 12 lb (with heavy pedals you will replace ) KH high end uni, to your door for about $415.
So that’s spending about 25 $/ lb. to take 2 pounds off your uni.
I wish I could keep playing that game. I could spend 300 $ and have a uni that weighed nothing LOL!
So I want to hear some evidence from you fan boy’s that the Nimbus is stronger. What else could you be thinking ?
I say, if you have 400 + $ to spend, you shouldn’t shop at UDC USA. There are better deals out there. Just the way I see it. Trying to help people out, save a little money while getting cool stuff. High grade stuff. You have to know this market. I bought my 05 KH 24 from UDC USA for 525 plus 25 shipping, when if I had known I could have got an 07 for 417 from AEB. Live and learn. But anyway, that’s my motivation, to help other riders on the forum to get the best deals for them. I kinda like UDC actually, I just don’t think they offer the best value in this case.
Ill say that the nimbus is equal strength, only because I havent seen or heard of anyone doing anything to big on it.
5-sets are the biggest things ive seen a Nimbus take, and I cannot call that big or a good test of strength. My cotterless sun 20" classic takes 5-sets, and the cranks arent bent right now, as with my friends Torker LX, which has his cranks bent just ever so slightly. My DX took 5-sets daily and was fine. (That didnt start to come looses until the 8 foot drops lol)
Now what I have seen a KH take is a lot more than what I have seen a Nimbus take. Personally I have taken my KH off large drops, some of them landing to flat. Bad form, I know, who cares, but in terms of strength, it needs to handle bad form, thats why CF bases are so popular. If you land wrong and mess up, it wont break. If I mess up on my KH, I know there is a low chance of bending/breaking anything.
So once I see bigger things being done on a nimbus hub, ill be more convinced of its quality. But until now, I say they are equal.
EDIT: I like UDC too. Prices aren’t bad, but I hate their shipping, but its fine for me, cause I cant get unis and parts anywhere else as easily.
What is AEB?
I’m looking at buying a 20", probably KH, so am looking for a reputable company and a good deal.
A E Bike
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=UN2020
They have to list MSRP, so that’s why it says 500 $. They have posted on this forum that they will sell one for a lot less. You just have to email them and ask. I read a while back that they are about 415 $ now.
I have bought a lot of stuff from them. Service is very good. They don’t list anything that is out of stock. They don’t really know much about unicycles They are a volume sales bike shop, and carry a lot of KH stuff. For what they have, they often have the best price on the net, and ship cheap. It was 8 $ shipping to send a KH 20 to Florida from Michigan.