Budget Coker

OK, i know the subject of coker wheel strength has been done to death, but i’ve recently been offered a stock brand new coker wheelset at a very reasonable price, i’d need a tyre, tube, seat, frame and seatpost to complete. Firstly, i don’t think i’m ever going to drop more than a curd on this thing, but i would like to blast along rough trails, will the coker wheel hold up to this? I can’t afford anything more than standard so essentially the question is will this set-up last long enough to get my money’s worth, bearing in mind if i really go for cokering in the long run i will have the cash to upgrade. Secondly, i need a frame, does anyone sell the standard one, the only one i can see in this country is the short person’s coker frame (UDC), which is too much cash. I’m prepared to make my own if necessary, any tips on this?

I don’t know if the standard Coker frame is available just by itself. I haven’t seen it in any of the catalogs. You might have to beg for someone who has upgraded to a new custom frame.

If you have one made I would think the 4K frame by Krashin’Kenny would be easiest and most economical way to make a Kustom Koker frame. The other custom frame options tend to get into the $200+ range for a frame.

Sounds like we’ve got another project to add to the list dave, after the bi-verti-cycle, and the uni video… I’m up for helping you on this, making your coker look better than Ruperts for less would be hilarious.

Oh yes also does anyone know where i can get bearing holders other than the standard nimbus type ones? They also seem a little flimsy, i’d prefer some nice solid KH type ones or similar.

The standard wheel will stand up to off road use, I used mine for 2 mountain mayhems and the C2C. It needed re-trueing occasionally, but thats not too hard to do.

It is possible to extend a smaller frame to fit a bigger wheel if your a bit practicly minded. Simon of IOU did a web page on that very project a few years back.

Sarah

Yes i was thinking about buying a Nimbus II frame, chopping the legs out and welding new ones in, so i didn’t have to work the crown and seat post tube, but maybe it would just be easier to buy some ovalised tubing and do it from scratch, it’s just a case of accessing certain equipment. Was also thinking of a hunter style frame, might even be easier to construct.

Bedford has coker frames for sale their liek 95$ his website is bedfordunicycles.ca thats the only way to get a frame aside from getting 1 from sum 1 or ordering the overly priced
KH 1 so yeh

I think the stock Coker wheel could hold up quite well for you. I rode with a stock Coker for about 3 years without tacoing it… and I abused it pretty good. The riding in my video at Rays MTB Park and a skatepark was all done on my standard Coker… and I did drop-off’s that were somewhat higher than curbs.

I did taco the rim twice when I first got it (after I learned how to turn aggressively), but I was quite heavy at the time (maybe 200 lbs). My third rim has held up for about 3 years, but will probably turn into a taco pretty soon because it flexed on me twice. I’ll probably cut a tight turn on it to intentionally to turn it into a taco (and try to capture the metamorphosis on video)… but not until I have a replacement rim to put on the uni.

To avoid tacoing the rim, I would recommend that you ensure that the wheel is true and the spokes are at the correct tensioning (not too tight or too loose). Once you’ve done that, I would avoid the following:

  1. doing much, if any, hopping
  2. attempting to ride up curbs (unless they are really small) or other objects like logs, rocks, etc., that have a wall-type surface that you’d have to smash the wheel against to get over
  3. really aggressive turns if you weigh a decent amount (I had two tacos in a row at 200lbs and zero tacos in 3 years at 170lbs)
  4. probably some other things I’m not recollecting, but I think the first three are the big ones.

That being said, I didn’t have any problem riding off curbs, down stairs, or doing drop-offs (from no more than about 2 feet). I did all of those maneuvers while riding straight and perpendicular to the obstacle – not at an angle (which I think would make you more prone to experiencing a taco).

I’ve heard that Bedford Unicycles sells stock Coker frames (for about $75 I think). That may be your best bet in terms of immediacy and the price isn’t too bad, either. Best of luck!