What features should I be looking for?
What is a cheap but good quality freestyle unicycle?
I guess it depends on how much $$$ you have. My first freestyle unicycle was a Nimbus X. It cost me something like $300 and i still have it. But my friend wanted it so badly that i sold it to him. He comes over every now and again and we just cruise the town in search of obstacles to try our tricks on. Also welcome to unicyclist.com Jeffvt.
I posted this in another thread a while back, see if it help you any.
What is wrong with going with the cheapest unicycle I can get that has the flat part above the wheel? Is there a big difference?
Not all flat parts are created equal. Some are much further away from the tyre (which is less desirable when doing certain wheel walking skills). Some flat parts match the shape of your foot better, giving a more secure footing and making it easier to do 1ft tricks.
The new 2007 Nimbus X frame is a good choice.
See http://www.unicycle.co.nz/View.php?action=ProductDetail&Code=NimbusXFrame
for a picture of just the frame.
The frame has a lower tyre clearance than previous frames and takes a 22.2mm post (Which means a narrow seat tube) and hence has more real estate for resting your foot on. It was developed in conjunction with TCUC who turn out some of the best freestyle riders in the world.
I’m looking for a pretty good one, preferably under $200.
Miyata unicycle is good for freestyle. freestyle is soo much fun!! Try freestyle everybody!!!
-Kaori
Hah Miyata’s are gorgeous. My dream would be to own one of these, unfortunatly its a bit out of my, and your price range. But it would give you something to shoot for in terms of perfection.
Quality: take Semcycle XL freestyle, and compare it to that Siegmono one that LOOKS exactly the same and -how typical- has almost the same measures, and is cheaper… the Siegmono does’nt have a heat-treated chromoly hub, heat-treated chromoly crancks, heat-treated chromoly axes in the pedals, and the tubing might not even be chromoly steel. These features makes production expensive, but your unicycle -on the long term- cheaper that the cheap model.
Or take the Nimbus 2007; it does’nt have a decent crown. With skills that produces forces like these, I rather have a stronger connection between the tubes. Again such a crown will involve more welding, and again will cost $omething more. But if it prevents your frame from bending or even breaking…
So my independant advice: take the $220 Semcycle XL freestyle. I use that myself to for stand-up skills, for all other stuff I ride the Semcycle Pro 20".
What about the Torker LX? Wouldn’t this be perfect for what he is looking for?
Cheap, relatively slim seatpost clamp, and what I believe is a good crown.
Isn’t that exactly what he is looking for?
Does anyone else think an LX will work for me?
well yeah i do, its pretty strong, got an okish freestyle frame and its got a myata style saddle which are really nice for freestyle…
The new Nimbus X 2007 frame is no normal frame; it is fully made from CrMo with a 100mm CrMo insert at the crown welded on both the top and bottom of the crown. It is made like this to offer a big foot area with greater rigidity along with it’s streamlined design reducing knee knocking. The frame is based on the Max Daddy frame made by Gus in Minnesota and the exact trick that you show is done by Max (the famous frame breaker who weighs considerably more than you!) on the MaxDaddy frame and has never broken it!
Have a look at Trev’s old Sem XL frame…
(I know it says it is a Nimbus but it is not, this is an XL having a bad day)
The Sem XL frame is not CrMo at all, it does not have machined bearing housings. The wheel, while it may have a CrMo spindle, has flanges 25% narrower than the Nimbus and only 36 spokes. The Nimbus X wheel offers considerably more rigidity and robustness over the Semcycle XL. Comparing the two unicycles is like comparing a Ford Escort to a Porsche. A better unicycle for less price!
B****cks!
Independent! who are you trying to fool Leo. Please be up front about your connections with Sem. I openly admit I have connections with Nimbus and Unicycle.com and I will be biased in what I say. You should do the same with Semcycle.
http://semcycle.nl/html/very-special.php
skate4flip… the frame you are referring to is not the one that leo is dissing
Roger (or known in the office today as the grumpy old man)
What are the advantages to machined bearing holders? They look nice but do they do a better job of holding the bearings than the other kind?
Bearings last longer, probably more important on a trials uni.
A wide hub, such as the unicycle.com CrMo hub, isn’t always an advantage. The unicycle.com hub is too wide to fit in a Koxx one Signature frame, for example. I’ve tried
since both have 100mm centres on the bearings it is odd you can not fit them together?
The UDC wide flange hub came about because of a reality check. We realised that the standard hub was based around a standard bike hub and then the bearings placed to fit a lollypop bearing. That is old hat and not required, so the flanges were moved out to match the modern bearing housings.
If it does not fit the Koxx frame then I would suggest that it is a design feature of the koxx design not to include other hubs.
Roger
I’m sorry but watching the parts (crancks and pedals) and especially the distance between tire and crown, I’m pretty sure that that is no Semcycle XL at all, but probably a Siegmono or another replica. Maybe a Nimbus like the title said? Like I wrote in my earlier reply they LOOK very alike. But they are not. So I think that picture is a good proof of it, and showed exactly what I was warning for.
I agree, though Semcycle always used to be called the Rolls Royce among uncycles. The comfort and durability never disapointed me. And after more than 10 years I still daily ride my 1st and 2nd unicycle I ever bought. For that reason I gladly recommend it to anyone who’se asking what’s a good freestyle unicycle to buy.
I’m sorry for you but I have no connection with Semcycle. If I want one I pay exact the same price like any other person. If Semcycle sells something (or not) does not affect me in any way. At least no other that I’m happy for them (just like I’m happy for you if you sell something), but especially happy for the new unicycle-owner, as s/he bough a great product.
But I have not any relation with any unicycle manufacturer or shop at all. I do sell some my own unicycle related t-shirts online. As that’s just t-shirts I still dare to call my advice independant.
In the past I’ve had offers by at least 3 unicycle brands (EXcluding Semcycle) and by some other unicycle-companies to join, but I’ve never felt that much attracted to give up my freedom!!!
If you based yourself on wrong information, no problem. But otherwise I wonder who’s fooling who.
I don’t feel for talking in ****'s as well, still I like to mention I’m dissapointed that you feel the need to implicate I’m not honest.
Semcycle sells a normal 20" XL as well as the longneck freestyle so couldn’t it be the normal verson? That one has more tire clearance than the freestyle one.
The Signature frame does fit a Qu-ax hub though, as well as Koxx hubs, obviously. So the problem as I see it, is that the flanges of the unicycle.com hub extend too far, and there’s no space between the bearings and flanges for the housings to fit.