I am planning on buying a freestyle frame for fairly-heavy-duty flatland-type skills. I have noticed that the crown fork of the frame of the Torker LX OR DX 20" and that of the Wyganowski custom uni look FAIRLY similar. Although the Torker has only one “ridge” and the Wyganowski has two “ridges,” do you think that would make that much of a difference in strength? I am prepared to buy either the entire Torker LX or DX (are they the exact frame design??), since you cannot just order the frame by itself on unicycle.com, OR the Wyganowski custom frame (I have a Miyata 20" wheelset).
UniBrier: I just bought a 24" Torker DX uni from Harvy, but haven’t gotten to try it out yet because we haven’t gotten the seat post chopped off enough for the seat to be low enough for me. I WOULD really like to try out your 20" Torker DX at next practice; I am planning on going…Is the next (and first) practice of the year this coming Tuesday (Jan. 6th that is)?
I am leaning towards just getting the Torker LX or DX and using the frame from that with my Miyata wheelset…
You’ll get more response if you post questions like this in the main RSU forum. More people read that forum and questions like this are not exactly product review questions.
Harvey’s Bicycle Shop in Lynnwood has both the new Torker DX and the new Torker LX unicycles in stock. You can take a look at the unicycles there to see what the frames are like. The LX and DX have slightly different frames.
The Torker LX and DX both look to have over-built frames. They’re probably heavier than they need to be. I’m not sure if the crown is close enough to the tire for optimal use for advanced freestyle skills like gliding and standup wheel walking. Take a look at them at Harvey’s and see what you think of them.
The Wyganowski frames are great freestyle frames but they cannot fit a tire that is wider than 1.85". I like 2.1" tires so a Wyganowski is not an option for me. I’d rather have a frame that can fit a fatter tire like a 2.1".
The Semcycle Long Neck frames are great freestyle frames. They’re the best freestyle frame available for under $100 right now. They’ll fit a 2.1" tire. The crown is close to the tire which makes them great for gliding and standup skills. Awesome frame. It’s not the strongest frame, but it’s strong enough for most everyone. It’s only $65 so you can replace it without breaking the bank in the unlikely event that you break it.
You could fit your Miyata wheel in this frame.
If cost is no object the best freestyle frame (in my most humble opinion) would be the DM Ringmaster Custom. It will be an expensive unicycle. Unicycle.com should be able to order it for you from DM in the UK. But man, it’s going to be expensive. It’s a frame that’s on my want list. I have a regular (non-custom) DM Ringmaster Advanced frame for my freestyle unicycle and I love it. The DM Ringmaster Advanced and DM Ringmaster Advanced Custom are great unicycles. The custom has a flat crown and a made to order seat tube length. Awesome! But very expensive.
Another option is to get a frame from Carol Dingemans (Max Dingemans’ dad) in the TCUC. His frames are great for freestyle. Flat crown. The crown is close to the tire. Max has tested them. They’re not cheap, but they are good frames and they are designed specifically for aggressive freestyle. They’re Max tested and approved.
The Semcycle Long Neck frame is great and not too expensive. Since you already have a wheel that will fit it, it makes a very good choice.
I never really thought much about a frame which, in my opinion, looks a bit similar to a Miyata frame (since that’s what I have right now). However, the Semcycle Long Neck frame does look really nice…and it should probably hold up for the type of riding (flatland) that I plan to do. SO, now THAT is yet another option!!
I think that the DM custom is too expensive for me, and I would really not like to get the DM Ringmaster because I am not all that fond of the slightly-angled frame. Thanks for spelling out all my options, though; this has really helped! And I’ll see you at next practice if you’re there (I think it’s gonna be this coming Tuesday, Jan. 6th??
The Sem Long Neck frame is a great freestyle frame. It is specifically designed by Sem Abrahams for modern freestyle. The crown is wider than a Miyata and the Wyganowski so you have more room on the crown for doing standup skills. The crown is close to the tire like the Wyganowski. It has a long neck to get the seat clamp up higher and more out of the way. All in all, it’s a very well designed freestyle frame.
I mentioned the other unicycles just to give a basis for comparison. Some of them are very expensive and beyond what you could get. The Sem Long Neck or the Carol Dingemans frame would be my two choices for a good freestyle or flatland unicycle. The Carol Dingemans frame may be too expensive for you. If money is no object then the DM Ringmaster Expert (the Custom) would be my choice. The Custom version was not available when I got my DM Ringmaster Advanced otherwise I would have gotten the custom expert version.
I’m still undecided if the new Torker LX or DX would be good for freestyle. They’re definately great choices for a beginner but I’m not sure how they’d be for advanced freestyle.
To: Anyone. How do I get in contact with Max/Gus/Carol Dingemans?
Hey again,
I have read some various posts by John Childs which described the Carol/Max/Gus Dingemans frame in pretty good detail and I think I want to get one of them. I think Max posts/used to post as Max_Dingemans, but how do I get a hold of him or his parents? Like, does anyone have an e-mail address, phone number for them, etc? Also, are there any pictures on the 'net of this freestyle frame? I can’t seem to find any…
The Torker frames tend to be welded crooked (at least on the 20" LX). The pic below is of mine, my friends is similiar but not nearly as noticable/obvious.
The ‘twist’ does not affect ride-ability (for me), but may be of some concern to more advanced riders.
