Just learn one-footed riding and you should be fine. 
I have seen a few pictures of that type of break on cotterless hubs. Is that crank held on with a bolt or a nut and is the hole in the hub threaded further in than the bolt went? I wonder if a longer bolt or a solid hub would have been stronger. Did you get that uni new or used? While square-taper hubs can break if you were only doing general riding it shouldnāt have been a problem although different brands may be different qualities and defects can occur. I have a 24ā sun that my parents got used for me as a birthday gift and lasted through my learning process and hasnāt failed from dozens of muni rides yet [knock on wood]. I ride my 20ā club which is also square-taper/cotterless off curbs often and that one has been fine so far [knock on wood]. Both of these were used and may be different from currently produced models. Mine both use nuts to hold the cranks on. Does anyone know if there is a notable strength difference between the two styles? I think I was around 140lb last I checked. At some point I will look into getting a better muni with a stronger crank/axel interface and a brake, but that costs money and I would first like to get a 36ā to expand on the types of riding I can do before upgrading muni. I hope you are able to get the manufacturer to replace/ refund it. If not you should be able to replace the hub or save/sell it for parts. Good luck and hope you are able to get back to riding soon.
Good luck. This is common on low end noname unis with cotterless interfaces. The hub metal isnt strong enough.
Club cotterless hubs are good, iāve never seen one with an issue, but with experience, I would avoid buying a noname brand one. Iāve personally had noname unis that develped cotterless interface issues too, and iām not that heavy.
Re: learning to do things on both sidesā¦ Iāve been riding 3.5 years and Iām very one sided. I should really put some time in to work on my other side (mounting and idling). But I have some right knee issues and thatās not so nice.
Hey, dude, whereās your other crank? Sorry, your problem doesnāt seem normal. Regardless, you have proven yourself worthy of a nicer unicycle.
I love my 24". It is well suited to my style of riding and my hilly conditions. Just wondering, though, about your needs / wantsā¦26" or 27.5" are definitely more common sizes. Are you thinking that 24" is the best size for learning skills and riding on the trails? Are you āsplitting the differenceā between a larger and smaller wheel?
Good question for VitR. @VitR, iām not an excellent municyclist by any means but a 24" muni is imo good for technical muni but 27.5 is good for more flowing trails. 24" is slow if the trail is easy/straight but easier to handle than a larger wheel if the course twists and turns. And a trials uni can also be used as an optionā¦ itās slower still.
Anyway, my 27.5 muni is a URC by M4O. I can recommend it.
My 24" muni is an old KH. It feels relatively heavy for its size. Sturdy though, and I find it very solid and robust for hopping on. The 27.5 feels very lightweight in comparision. Itās also lovely for distance rides in general.
Both have their uses 
Iām a big fan of the 24ā size and think it is ace to develop and learn on and then use for a mix of riding.
To my mind it is always about control, compactness and speed of lack of it.
If you are happy to go slowly down the path, smaller sizes are probably best. If you want to cover more ground more quickly 26ā-29ā and later 36ā (if you donāt mind how huge it is to store / push around.
When I moved up form 20ā to 24ā I was still amazed by the speed boost as well as general height and confidence over bumps.
If I could only have 2 unicycle sizes ever. It would have to be 24ā and 36ā.
What is clear from this thread is you are passionate enough to get a decent ISIS unicycling. And personally Iād say go as high as your budget will allow. Meaning the nicer gear / more pricey does tend to stay with you for longer if not forever. Iām not selling my KH wheels and doubt I ever will.
In the unicycle world I really do feel you get what you pay for.
Yeah, that was my first thought - I could try riding it one-footed. 
I donāt know the specification of the crank or hub, and frankly, I donāt care. It was a new uni, so itās annoying. It cost around 100 ā¬, so itās not that annoying. Itās hard to say whether itās just a cr*ppy brand or a faulty unit. From what Iāve seen on the internet, these Indy Trainers do not have exactly a bad reputation. I think that the downhill riding, combined with being close to the weight limit has played the major part - I was essentially descending down the hill in a step-by-step fashion, putting almost full weight at a single pedal each time. I think in such circumstances, 140 lbs vs 180 lbs plays a great deal of difference.
I have sort of opposite plan from what you say. First, do some MUni, then perhaps get 36", after some time.
Iāll definitely ask for a refund. Iām not too concerned about the result - this 100 ā¬ does not bother me too much.
Yeah, well, when I was starting with unicycling, I wanted a Club. But in Czechia, all the Clubs were sold out, both 20" and 24". In fact, all the good 20" and 24" unis were sold out. So, I ordered this Indy Trainer 24", since the seller (local Czech fun shop) declared that itās sturdy with load capacity up to 90 kg and suitable for beginners. 
Had I known this might occur, I would have looked to the German/Hungarian unicycle store and probably would have ended up with 24" Club MUni from Hungary, which is advertised there by unicycle.com affiliate (unicikli.hu) with a discount. Well, stupid me.
Sorry to hear about your knee issues preventing you from learning on both sides. Are these issues fixable? I also plan to learn on both sides eventually, but first, I want to develop my ridership abilities better. I have an idea that after Iāll be able to do a loop around the nearby forest (itās 3.5 km long, has several small curbs, some sharp turns and couple of 15% hills) without a single dismount, I will start learning everything from the other side. I just donāt see the point why should I learn it now, if I canāt ride well yet.
Yeah, I also feel Iām worthy of something better (and expensive). Anyway, I am not trying to split the difference. I am just trying to look for a unicycle that could provide an interesting alternative to walking (with my dog around the nearby forests, alone around the city) that could be easily transported by public transport (city buses have a limit of 60 cm of width for luggage - 24" uni is like 61 cm, so itās almost there and no one is likely to notice) and that could be with relative ease strapped to my motorbike for those trips where walking will be expected. 24" is an ideal size for all this and itās a bit faster for walking and adds certain fun factor to it + itās a good exercise.
As for MUni - well, as I like to walk around the forest via paths that contain roots, rocks and are unpaved, MUni will be able to deal with all this + the around the city stuff as well. I am also toying with the idea of eventually getting a 36" and do some road riding, but my current focus is on the stuff Iāve listed above.
Actually, right now I strongly like the idea of getting a 24" KH. Once it becomes slow and boring, I could get shorter cranks. Once that becomes slow and boring, I could get a Schlumpf for it. The only thing Iām afraid about KH right now relates to my skill level now. Would the brake get in the way? Will the flat seat thatās being sold with it be usable for me, as a beginner? (Iāve only sat on the U-shaped seat so far). How much different the handling will be from what I have ridden so far? Could the brake be damaged from the uni being frequently dropped onto the pavement? (I still tend to drop the uni far more often than Iād like).
My thoughts exactly. Though I could convert a 24" KH into a guni and have 24" and 36" in a single uni. 
I definitely like the idea of having a more pricey gear for longer time than go through various different mid-range gear over time - I hate selling/getting rid of stuff. My budget would definitely allow to buy 24" KH instead of brakeless 24" Nimbus MUni, as I planned previously (though doing so would prevent me from buying that cool leather jacket I wanted to get for my new motorbike).
Anyway, I will ponder on this during the weekend and order something on Sunday. No need to hurry with it now.
You could have the brake removed at a your lbs or do it yourself if you like and wait till you are more comfortable riding to add it back on. You should also be able to use the seat off of your current uni on a KH. If the Seatpost that the KH comes with uses a different attachment system than your current seat, and if your current post is a different size than that of a KH, you should be able to get a different post if you want to use your U-shaped seat.
I think we are quite close in our ālearning curveā so this is some input from some other newcomer (that own a 20", 24" and a 29" - but the 24" is currently my favorite as itās nimble and UPDs are uneventful due to the low height). I started riding approx 3 month ago and practice daily 30-60 min. I can do 1km+ without UPD on a 24" on some hard packed gravel with annoying road camber and a few gentle slopes. After 5km Iām exhausted. I believe I would be able to go further on paved road but thatās not important for me right now.
Just remove the brake (and rotor) yourself before you have the skills to use it. Thatās fairly easy if you have the right tools. It can definitely be damaged if you drop the Uni a lot. You need to be able to at least ride with one hand on the saddle before itās usable.
Saddles are a very personal thing. So that you will probably just have to try out 
Donāt be afraid of a change in handling with a new Uni of similar size.
Even with my relative limited skills I was able to freemount a friends 26" Uni in a few attempts and ride.
I donāt think it will be that different if the crank lengths are similar. I have tried 100mm, 114mm, 125mm, 150mm and 170mm. Crank lengths makes a big difference in my opinionā¦ next up is the tire.
Set your brake handle back a couple centimeters so that when the unicycle hits the ground the handle impacts first. I fall constantly, (probably 10xās a day), and have yet to damage my brake. I donāt think thereās a lot of force when a unicycle crashes to the ground once your weight is off it. Figure it weighs 6-7 kg and the part that is falling weighs less than that.
Yeah, from what Iāve gathered, KH 24" uses 27.2 mm seatpost, whereas I have 22.2 mm on the broken uni. Moreover, the stock KH24" in Czechia comes with the KH Zero saddle, which uses Pivotal seat post instead of standard one (has different saddle attachment mechanism), so that I would have to get a new seat post. In any case, since Iāll be filing the warranty claim, I assume I will have to ship to them the broken unicycle, saddle included. I suppose, Iāll just try the original KH saddle and see.
Youāre a bit further 
, I still cannot do more than 500 m without UPD on a paved road, but Iām getting there. Though maybe I can, yesterday I did not manage to get to a section that would be long enough for me to try how far I can go. There are just too many pedestrian crossings with traffic lights or curbs around here.
The removal of the brake sounds like a reasonable idea - I suppose the seller of the uni could do that for me. Iām not sure about having the proper tools to take it off myself and the pandemic measures make it very impractical to go obtain them (just have to order everything online, instead of going to a equipment store) 
. Same for bicycle shops - all closed.
Thanks, Iāll keep that in mind, but I guess I will have it taken off. I still canāt ride with a hand holding saddle (yet another skill that I must not forget developing!), so there is not much point in having it there now.
Yeah, it sucks. Looks like we have cranks and hub from the same manufacturer 
. Frankly speaking, Iāve always thought the bolt will be the thing that breaks first, didnāt expect the hub to do so.
Btw, yet another question (probably a dumb one), but is it possible to put a Nimbus seat post (or any other brand with the appropriate diameter) + seat on a KH muni?
The stock KH 24" that I can order has a seat post 320 mm long and Iām afraid it will prove to be just a little bit short for me, as on my previous 24", the stock 300 m seat post was a bit shorter than Iād like. As far as I know, KH does not make longer seat posts.
Yes. As long as the diameter is right for the frame, any brand will work.
A 24" might be a good candidate for no brake. My 24" is brake-less. I am able to ride down everything I can ride up, without a brake. The ability to do that, however, took some time and is mostly predicated on being able to hold on with one or both hands to stabilize myselfā¦and by riding with longer cranks. The reasons for a brake, in my mind, are:
- To learn how to use a brake.
- Fast downhill with shorter cranks.
- Downhill on larger wheels.
Personally, I would not buy the KH 24", because I have already determined, though experimentation with different cranks, that I favor a narrower setup. I suppose I could make the wider KH cranks work, but now that I know my preference, why bother.
If you want to save money while getting a durable uni, and assuming you can find it, the Nimbus 24" mountain uni is a nice choice. It doesnāt come with a brake, however.
I wholeheartedly agree that brake is a bit unnecessary on 24". Iāve experienced no need for it on that 16% smooth downhill I practiced and I doubt I will be doing some crazy MUni stuff that would warrant a brake.
Unfortunately Nimbus 24" MUni (brakeless or not) is to be had only from a non-EU country, which means long waiting time, high delivery cost and 14% customs tax to boot. In EU, it will be available only in July. I originally hoped my trainer uni will last till July and then Iāll get the brakeless Nimbus 24" Orange Uni
In terms of getting some reasonable 24", I basically have four options:
- 24" KH from dealer in Czech Republic for around 625 ā¬.
- 24" Qu-ax (brakeless, Q-axle) from Czech dealer (Iād have to verify that to be sure; the alternative is from Germany for similar price + shipping) for around 355 ā¬ with shipping.
- 24" UDC Club Muni (with cotterless hub) from Hungary for around 125 ā¬, with the idea of later upgrading to Nimbus.
- 24" Nimbus MUni either in July from Czech dealer, or order it now from China or Australia (U.S. dealer already rejected the possibility of shipping it to the Czech Republic) for around 360 ā¬ (+ fees depending on from where I order it).
I disregard the 24" Qu-ax rgb, as itās equivalent in price to KH and is not Schlumpfable.
Now that I think about it, 24" Q-axle does not sound so bad, especially when thereās a Czech seller (though the German dealer is from Nuremberg, which is not bad either from warranty-related standpoint).
What do you think about 24" Q-Axle brakeless uni?
You should have a neighbour who can help you out on this, its not rocket science
I suggest you can look at Mad4One as well. They come from Italy, and ship worldwide. Seeing you are really only looking at 24ās, Iād check out their 24" munis. It should be good for your purpose. I rode one no problem, straight onto beginner muni tracks, no learning curve really. You donāt feel all the little bumps.
If you are interested in building a uni from spare parts, here is the frame I have on my 24":
https://www.einradladen.com/Frame-Impact-Gravity-Black-24-Inch
It is a beautiful frame, light and strong. There is a limit on tire width however. Not a problem for me, but Iām pretty certain a 3" wide tire wouldnāt fit.
Just a small comment about size. Using a very unscientific ruler method. As you can see below a āmuniā / 24" plus size tire is quite big ~65cm - and I even think it looks bigger in real life than it really is because there is so much rubber.
A regular 24" tire is ~59cm and a regular 26" is ~65cm. Of course they likely perform quite differently (unfortunately I canāt test ) - because the 26" can hold a pressure of 5 bar and the 24" plus size is limited to ~2 bar - so it will never be as easy rolling on paved roads.
Thanks for the suggestion! I eventually discarded KH24" on the grounds of it being too expensive + worries about sufficient length of the standard seat post and viability of the standard seat supplied with it. So, it ended up being a decision between Mad4One URC (without brake) and Qu-ax, since both of them were in stock, and Iāve decided to go with Mad4One (fully in black). It had arrived today, so I will try it in the evening. It looks pretty cool, though the tire is huge (itās 2.6" - honestly, Iāve no idea how 3" or 4" tires look like after seeing this one). I hope the build quality is as good as the design and the customer support.
I wonder how large the difference will be from my previous uni, especially with regard to the fact that the trainer had 155 mm cranks, whereas this one has 140 mm. Hope the resulting setback wonāt be too large.
Yes, Iāve measured my new uni when fully inflated (to 3.8 bar (55 PSI)) and it is indeed 65 cm. But still, 26" MUni would also have fat tires and thus be closer to 70 cm. Btw, I wonder about how will this uni do on paved roads since my trainer uni had road tires with maximum pressure of 50 PSI and this one allows 10% higher pressure. I expect the MUni to be more difficult turn due to the added friction, but better over bumps and perhaps more stable on the downhill sections.
It will be differentā¦ it has two cranks.
As for tire and crank differences, Iām sure you will figure it out. Good luck and have fun.