emailing torker about their line of unicycles

Unicycles and Equipment
1

To whom it may concern:

Myself and the rest of the unicycling world are quite pleased with your 2004 unicycles, but we have noticed some things that we would like to be changed for the 2005 models.

In the CX: this design is great, but you might want to consider making a slightly larger seat than what is on there already for the bigger models. For the 16 inch, its fine, but for the larger sizes, there really arent too many people riding the 20 and 24 inchers that are that small. All the seat does is hurt us.

In the LX: the LX design is great the way it is.

In the DX: this is where I see the most problems. This unicycle has a splined hub/crankset for going offroad, but the frame can only accommodate up to a 2.3 inch tire. For rough-terrain unicycling, a 3.0 inch tire is a must. It puts the max traction level WAY up there, enables you to go places you thought were previously impossible, and also absorbs shock, which makes your unicycle last longer. I would suggest making the inside width of the frame about 4 inches, leaving .5 inches of space in case the rim isnt true. As the unicycle is right now, it is not suited for freestyle, because it is splined, and this adds too much weight, and is complete overkill for freestyle. Also, it is not suited for offroad, as the tire clearance wont let you put a 3.0 tire on the wheel. It is not suited for trials use because the 20" frame cannot accept a 2.5 inch wide tire. It is not suited for general riding either, because it is too expensive, and the hub and cranks are overkill. it is not suited for commuting, because the wheel isnt big enough. So what we are left with is a unicycle that is in between everything, and we arent quite sure what to do with it.

Ok, my revision ideas for the DX line are as follows:

Make the 20" frame 3.75 inches wide, allowing for the use of a 2.5 inch tire. Use a 19" trials rim, so you can accommodate a trials tire.
Make the 24" frame 4 inches wide, and lengthen the fork legs by 1.5 inches, making room for a 24x3.0 inch tire.

Many of us in the unicycling community feel the same way about this problem. The DX line of unicycles particularly. Many newcomers are dicouraged from buying your unicycles for the reasons I have stated. If you would make these improvements, (which, I know, are difficult) I gurantee you would make at least twice the sales as you do now.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I sincerely apologize if this is not the right department to send this type of email to, but I trust that you will forward this to the right one.

Thank you again,
Dewey Anderson

what do you think of that? any feedback would be appreciated. btw, feel free to copy/paste this and send it to torker at: info@torkerusa.com

Im sure that the more people we get to email them about it, the more they will be persuaded to change their unicycles.

2

Maybe consider improving the grammr and capitalization a little to make it look more professional?

Try this:

To whom it may concern:

        Myself and the majority of the unicyclists throughout the world are quite pleased with your 2004 unicycles, but we have noticed some things that we think would make them much more versatile for us and better sellers for you. Implementing the below imporvements on your 2005 line and changes on your 2005 line would surely have a beneficial effect on your sales and the quality of your unicycles.

        In the CX: Perhaps a full sized contoured saddle could be an option on this unicycle for adult riders.

        In the LX: The LX design is great the way it is. The alloy rim and quality seat make this a great entry level cycle.

        In the TX: There have been safety issues with the TX because the sprocket is threaded on to the hub. The possibilty exists that the sprocket will dethread while someone is riding. The lockring is insufficient to hold the sprocket in place. Bolting the sprocket to the hub would be far safer.

        In the DX:This is the unicycle with the greatest potential for improvement. The DX has a splined hub and crankset and a strong seat whcih makes the 20" version appropriate for trials and the 24" version appropriate for off road unicycling. However, both frames are not wide enough to accomidate appropriate tires. Unicyclists like to use 2.5'' tires for trials and 3" tires for off road use. 

        If the frames were made wider, a 19" trials rim and tire would make the DX 20" the most inexpensive splined trials unicycle available. It would surely be a hot seller. Also, if the DX 24" could accomidate a 3" wide tire it would be a quality mountain unicycle for a very low price. 

         Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I sincerely apologize if this is not the right department to send this type of email to, but I trust that you will forward this to the right one.

Thank you again,
Dewey Anderson

That seems a little better. Maybe a list of names would help give them the idea that this is a general consensus among unicyclists.

3

scary! lots of big words confusing.

4

I’ve heard through the grapevine that they are already working on these improvements (at least on the DX). It couldn’t hurt to email them again, but we may be seeing some of these things fixed sometime in the future.
I would recommend mentioning to them that they will be filling a niche for an affordable splined trials/MUni if they just change the frame width.

I really like Torker. They seem to be the company who has been making the most changes in their unicycles, and I see them becoming one of the powerhouse unicycle companies within the next few years. I can’t wait until you can buy the hub and crank combo by itself!

5

Good stuff.

You know, if they had just given me a prototype uni after I gave them their sales guy the idea of using their splined BMX stuff on uni’s these problems would have already been addressed.

Or Tall enough.

6

the cx is supposed to be really tiny for freestyle and your barely ever on ur seat in freestyle so why would it matter if it was comfy or not?

7

Perhaps make a new LX for learners unicycle.

I say this because I bent my rim while learning. All I did was ride on flat the entire time. No jumps or falls, not even in the garage, and the list of damage is extensive.

1 stripped crank from a pedal being ripped out

1 severely bent rim (I got it trued, then bent it again)

1 broken seat post clamp.

8

Their sales would explode if they had a trials wheelset on their DX 20" I mean, the hub is great, the cranks are great, the saddle is great, it’s half the price of a KH 20"…

Same goes for the DX 24". If the frame were able to accomidate a 3.0 tire, they would have a unicycle of greater or equal quality to some selling for double or even triple the price.

A lot of people have complained about busting up their CXs on simple drops and such, and it’s for that reason that torkers are synonymous with “cheap.” This is not true anymore. They are beginning to make high-quality unicycles.

Give 'em another year or two, and you will have top-end unicycles for a lot cheaper. I think it’s great