I’m tossing around the idea of building a freestyle wheel for my trials uni, not finding much in the way of info though. So the only part I’ve nailed down is the tire… The maxxis grifter 20x2.1. Hub will probably be just a regular nimbus isis, to keep compatibility with my current selection of cranks. Any ideas on which rim I should use? Just pick a rim from a bmx site (of course make sure it’s 36h)?
My main drive for doing this is I can’t get a more freestyle friendly tire for the trials rim. Is it worth it, or should I just pump up the creepy crawler til it’s hard call it good?
There is nothing wrong with the nimbus isis hub, its simple but does pretty much any job (except being lightweight) fine.
Rim wise pick something that is at least mid range bmx with 36H, or just buy the entire nimbus wheelset (eyeletted rims aren’t necessary but are tougher).
If you are planning on going crazy on the wheel and aren’t a weight weenie, there is nothing like 48 spokes for being bulletproof.
Have you considered the KH Flatland rim? It would be more cost wise and maybe not quite as nimble as a narrower rim but I ride that for uni basketball and like it a lot. You can ride it with less air for more bounce or more air for less rolling resistance. It does have holes so you won’t be able to pump it up to the full rating of the tire (110 psi). It may not be the best tire for an indoor freestyle routine but may suit your purposes.
@davejh - I don’t see where I can buy a complete nimbus wheel, I would have figured udc would have something like that, but they don’t even have any 20" rims on their website.
@waaalrus - Where do you get a kh flatland rim? Is it 19" or 20"?
It’s 20" and the KH Flatland uni originally came with the Grifter. UDC Canada has it and they could probably build you the complete wheel with the 36 hole Nimbus ISIS hub if you want. They’re always my 2nd choice if the US site is out of a part.
Aha! Thank you for saying that! I’ve been wanting to put a Hookworm on my KH20FL wheel for a while, specifically because of the possibility of pumping it up to 110psi. Do you know how much pressure it could take?
KH20FL has been discontinued, BTW, so if you want one and can find it, get it quick. The rim is good, but KH hubs are very noisy. Mine isn’t quite dead yet, but its creak has now become a loud clatter and gets the neighbor’s dog barking.
In case you do get it from UDC Canada, tell them to send it Canada Post through USPS.
No brokerage fee.
Brokerage fee can be like $50. Just got my equinox and the first unicycle I got there on sale, UPS picked it up and didn’t say anything until they were at my front doorstep with my unicycle but refused to give it to me unless I paid the hefty fee.
The weak point is the rim-strip covering the holes in the rim. If you want to up the pressure wrap some good fibre reinforced packing tape around the rim or rim-strip then pump away. Worst case you get a blowout at one of the holes which doesn’t damage anything other than the tube and strip.
UPS extorts ridiculous fees from you guys as well? I thought that was a uniquely canadian problem.
Yes, USPS is what’s worked for me. I got it to 80-85 psi with the stock rimstrip before I got concerned it wouldn’t hold but as Eric says you might go higher by reinforcing it. I think it feels pretty hard at 65, however, and ride it at 35-40 for basketball.
Man, that really sucks! …and they’ve got you by the balls, cuz the guy is holding your sweet new ride right in front of you.
Is it worth getting the KHFL rim? It’s about twice as much as the rest, but I guess that makes sense since it’s twice as wide I probably just answered my own question.
Yeah, and very little of the money goes to the drivers! They had a little mini-strike recently in Queens to defend a guy who was fired for clocking in early and for being outspoken.
Anyway, my KH20FL rim is as wide as a KH trials rim (47mm). A narrower rim would be more nimble, as Waaalrus suggests, but I chose this one because I didn’t want to rule out the possibility of eventually doing some trials riding while still having the huge selection of tires you get with a real 20-inch. I still haven’t done much riding that would really count as trials, or any drops larger than 8 inches or so, but I weigh 180-200 lbs, and this rim has never gone out of true in the 5 months that I’ve had it.
I probably just answered my own question.