Coker Info

Unicycles and Equipment
60

I have the ONLY Coker in Iraq!!

I have recently bought a used Coker and had my wife send it piece-mill to me here in Iraq. The shipping on the wheel was $60 alone! I have purchased a Kris Holm gel seat and installed a GB handle on it. I also bought a new Coker tire (original tire was bald) and a tube. All is ready to go but, my wife did not send the seat post (which was still attached to the original seat) so I am waiting on that and I will be in business.

I have not ridden it yet but can not wait. Due to the trouble of getting it here, I am about sure it will be the first Coker ridden in Iraq. So how many of you guys ride your Coker while packing a 9mm? :astonished:

From the reaction I have received from the Iraqis to my 24" Torker, it will be a BIG hit. I will post some pictures soon.

61

I have ridden my Coker while packing a SIG Sauer P220 .45, a SIG Sauer P226 9mm, a Walther PPK .380, a S&W model 13 .357 (no longer using due to naughty S&W political activity), and a Star Firestar .40…not all at the same time. I find the SIG’s in a SoB holster to be the most comfortable. SIG’s rule, regardless.

62

And here I thought your heavy backpack was just extra water and tools. I guess from now on when you tell me my shoelace is untied, I’m looking down…

63

Dear Todd,

Firstly, I’d like to say how grateful I am to Coker for producing such a wonderful unicycle. I really have had a lot of fun on mine in the 6 months or so that I’ve had it. It takes the distance in its stride and it impresses bystanders far more than any other unicycle.

It’s clear to me that the only thing about the Coker that everything universally likes is its large diameter. Personally, I love its frame, and was most disappointed that I couldn’t buy the stock frame without buying the stock rim and hub, as I had those replaced before I even laid eyes on the finished article. (I had mine quite extensively customised.) On the other hand, I know lots of people upgrade their frame almost immediately. I think if you could sell the parts in the following combinations, the cost of buying a Coker with after market upgrades would be reduced, which I’m sure would increase demand without actually requiring you to manufacture anything new.

  1. Tyre & inner tube
  2. Tyre, inner tube & frame
  3. Whole unicycle
  4. Frame only

Personally, I can’t see myself requiring a tyre with more tread. I ride on road 99% of the time and if my tyre wore out, I’d be bothered if I couldn’t replace it with an identical one, because it’s just right at the moment as when it snowed a while ago, the Coker handled it very well, as it did the ice that came afterwards!

Lastly, please try to work more closely with unicycle.uk.com as they have had supply problems with Cokers in the past. Did you know - it costs so much to import a Coker that they sell it almost at cost?

Best wishes,

Rupert

64

Coker in Australia

Hi,
This message is directed at all on the thread, but I hope that Corkey reads it. I have one of the two original imports into Australia. My original has a slightly rusty frame and a bent wheel. I will put it back together for a museum piece one day. The tyre is worn out but that is what is supposed to happen.
Corkey, I am so happy that you are reading this thread.
In the early days, I did a search for unicycles and your site popped up. I then bought the aforementioned 36" Coker. After riding a Coker on sealed bike tracks for a long while I then moved to the country. I put the Coker Big One aside as I only rode dirt tracks. One day I read a thread about a Coker could be a Muni by Brian Mackenzie. I rediscovered Cokers and have continually upgraded since and have done lots of k’s on tracks.
The original Coker has a place! Cruising on a sealed track or on a road it is great. Unicyclists seem a different breed and are happy pushing the envolope. Jumping, muniing etc.
Put logic aside, logic like 'what’s the point, why do you do this etc. There is no logic, we are show offs and like challenging ourselves.
I want a 42 or preferably a 48. End of story. The after market will fix the rest
Don’t thank us, we owe our thanks to you guys.
I wouldm like to organise a pice of me trying to ride down a steep hill on my “Coker”( Hunter frame, Dave Stockton wheel and a brake!

Mal at
www.municycle.com.au

65

What are you afraid of?

66

Clearly nothing.

67

Damn, damn, I knew I shouldn’t have started reading this thread. I want one. Anyone got one I can try?

Cathy

68

Amanda is borrowing Sarah Millers at the moment, I’m sure if you asked nicely you might be able to get onto the list for a little loan of it. It of course depends on how much Sarah might be using it.

Loose.

69

Cath,
You don’t need to want one. Wanting is showing envy. You need to need one because you cannot live without one, therefore logic is put aside and you will strive to get one because you need it.

Until the new Cokers are here, the UDC “Coker” with the QuAx road tyre works a treat (if you are just riding on the road that is).

70

Wow Cathy … what’s taken you so long to get to the point of wanting one ?

If you’re ever in the Rugby area, you are more than welcome to drop in and try mine or Sam’s :slight_smile:

Chris

71

Cheers guys.

I’ll consider it a project in progress. Something to think about on a rainy day as I save up some money.

Cathy

72

Steve, I think that’s your cue…

73

Congrats on getting a Coker over there. Defenitely need pictures of that. To keep it on topic Cokers Rule!

9mm…no, Kimber 1911 yes, Kel Tec P3AT yes… I would love to see pictures of that Coker being ridden while aiming with the 9mm and an M16 as well. Stay safe and keep your head low. :slight_smile:

74

My friend just got a Coker, so I have a few suggestions on how it can be improved.

You really need a wider flange hub for a wheel this big, Chromoly would be better than steel, and 48 spoke holes would make for a stronger wheel.

There were no bearing spacers, but even worse the bearings on it didn’t even match, one was NTN and one was NGS with blue sides, neither were either dirt or moisture sealed so we switched them for some decent bearings and now the wheel now runs much better. When I saw the mis-matched bearings I thought it must be a Friday afternoon job, but apparently this is quite common with Cokers, I told my friend he should have got it from unicycle.com who fix the bearings before they send them out.

Some stronger cranks would be nice, when I got my Coker the crank were of different brands, and different Q -factor.

The frame on my friends unicycle needed straightening, the chroming was quite poor. There was a sticker recomending reading the safety instructions before riding, but no instructions came with it.

The rim was not straight where the two ends have been joined together, so no amount of truing will make a decent wheel. again a 48 hole rim would add strength, and a double walled rim would also be an improvement.

The Coker is such a great unicycle to ride with the most amazing sized tire, it is such a shame the build quality is so poor.

jim

75

Funny just tonight I replaced the bearings on my Radial 360. It had the spacers, but only one cover on each bearing. And yes they were different bearing part numbers. I was shocked at finding open bearings. There is no excuse for not having the bearing doubled sealed when the cost difference may be a few cents at most.

76

But I have to tell you, UDC appreciated my note pointing out the problem and credited the cost of the bearings within 30 minutes. That is awesome service, as usual from UDC.

77

Todd and Corky,

Well the thread has wandered far and wide as is often the case with us. Hopefully in addition to the feedback on your frames and hubs, it’s also helpful for you to know what kind of heat we’re packing when we’re out enjoying our Big Ones. :smiley:

One thing that’s been mentioned a few times in this thread is how the Coker has really changed the face of unicycling, and created a whole new category–distance unicycling–that just wasn’t feasible with the hard-tired big wheels. Since you seem to be willing to invest some time in getting a deeper understanding, I thought it might be helpful to gather together some links to some of the bigger rides, riders, and events that the Coker tire has helped enable. You’ll see it’s helped some people push themselves to almost superhuman achievements (aspenmike), while others have combined unicycling and ambassadorship on extended country tours, or helped raise significant money for charity organizations.

I’m sure there will be others I’ll miss, but I’ve tried to include the ones that were most inspiring to me as I’ve tried to increase my own skill and distance. In the process of reading them, you’ll be introduced to some of your most serious product users.

Lars Claussen’s USA Tour: you’re probably aware already. Still the longest single tour on record.

Norwegian Unicycle Tour: a long distance unicycle ride starting in Trondheim, Norway and ending in Bodø, Norway. Ten riders went a total distance of 601 miles.

UniTours: One stop shop for info on the BIG distance rides like Norway. Includes links to this year’s Alps Unicycle Tour and several others, plus write-ups on equipment, profiles of some of the major distance riders, and lots and lots of photos of Cokers in interesting places, including above the Arctic Circle. :slight_smile:

Thread discussing people that have completed 100 mile Coker rides.

One Hour World Record Ride:World Record attempt on a geared up, outrageous custom Coker.

Seattle to Portland on a Coker (200+ miles in two days)

Unicycling Around Lake Tahoe: Two threads about one of the more picturesque rides in the country.

Why do you distance cycle?: Somebody asked, lots of bodies answered. May find some good insight into your customer base.

Cokering in skateparks: One guy has been pushing the boundaries here…Cokering on vertical ramps, bowls, etc. Here’s one thread with a video, but you could search on him and you’d find many more.

Ultra Achievement - Durango Challenge: Skip to page 3 for the write up of this epic ride by Aspenmike, one of the top mountain/endurance riders.

Aspen-Snowmass Cancer Ride: Another epic ride and write-up from Aspenmike, benefit for charity.

California Coast Classic: Scot Cooper did a 520 mile ride for charity.

Ken Looi’s 24 Hour and 100 Mile Record Ride: which also happened to benefit charity.

Tour de YoopRide planned next summer to raise funds for charity.

Laos Unicycle Tour: Upcoming tour to raise money for charity. Also has a link to the details on last year’s tour.

Distance Ride for Multiple Sclerosis: Thread on a ride I did this summer to raise funds for MS. First unicycle in the Washington ride, and ended up #13 out of 750 in fundraising.

Ride to raise money for AIDS

There are many others. Perhaps some folks will post links to their favorite Cokering threads.

78

Just out of curiosity, aiming at what?

79

The target.