I’ve recently started unicycling again (I used to do it as a child, but my uni got abandoned as I grew up). 4 Months ago I bought a second-hand muni, and I’ve really got into flatland since then (I’ve managed to land some basic tricks, the 360 unispin is the hardest one I’ve landed so far).
This is looking like a long run race, and i want to upgrade my uni. My current one is too heavy and has some other defects (for instance, the axis and the cranks have some “looseness” -I don’t know the exact word-).
That being said, I’ve reduced the options to the following two:
a) QX RGB 19"
b) Impact Gravity Pro
Both have a similar price, same weight, and as far as I can see, quite similar in general. I need some help.
Does the Q-Axle axis make a big difference? Has technology significantly improved from 2015 (Impact Gravity Pro) to 2018 (Qx RGB 19")? Is the Qx RGB 19" frame strong enough? What’s your opinion? Which one should I choose?
If you want tried and true, go with the Impact with the conventional, 42mm bearings. The Q-axle interface may be better, but it is relatively new and relatively untested. The web page for the Impact says the 32mm bearings don’t last as long. I own a 24" Impact frame with the 32mm bearings. I use it for muni and have not had problems with the bearings. Looking at the 32mm bearings, I wonder if tricks that put sideways pressure on the bearings…if that causes them to fail (or if spacers are absent or not installed correctly). I weigh over 200 lbs, and the few times I tried simple flatland tricks like push-mush, I could feel the pressure I was placing on the bearings. I would probably break the thinner, 32mm bearings while doing those tricks.
QX-RGB +Nice frame. Strong (at least as far as I’ve seen) +Colours. +Lightweight.
-Q-Axle cranks are only semi good at roll tricks, due to the bolts clamping the interface. The Rollmops rollo disks make rolls possible, but if you want to do a lot of roll tricks, an ISIS crank is just better.
Impact Gravity Pro + Good frame, that has proven pretty strong + Eylets in rim (arguably stronger)
-Those bearings apparently don’t last long, and provide 0 (Zero) real world advantage. I see no point in the “pro” version for this reason. -I’m not a fan of Eiffel Tower cranks for rolls either, although they are better than the Q-Axle.
I’d (personally) be very careful on what seat you get when ordering, as they have changed around seatbases a lot. I personally only like seats based on the old Velo bases, or the KH base. You can probably get used to any of them either way, if you are not stubborn like me.
I know you said you reduced your options to those two, but I would strongly recommend you to check out Mad4one. Currently, it’s the brand that is most connected to rider feedback by far. I love UDC for what they have done for the sport (they own Impact), but they don’t seem connected to the “pro” trials/street/flat riders. QX has made some good steps in the right direction, and offer great Munis now, but they aren’t really focussing their energy on Trials/Street/Flat. There are quite a few things I’m not a fan of with Mad4one either, but the products show that they ask the riders the right questions, and incorporate their feedback. 387 Unicycle Round Mad4One ISIS MAD-TECNO 19" (not the prettiest name) is currently the only flatland unicycle I could buy out of the box and be happy with. (Although I’d probably go 20" and square frame, but I linked you the one comparable to the other two you mentioned)
Thank you for the comparison between those two unis, it is really helpful.
Just to let you know, I ended up with those two options because they are available in a store from my country. But also because I didn’t know about Mad4One unis :o . Now they might be my first option . I had seen the trademark logo in some unicycle videos, but I don’t why I didn’t know they were an unicycle brand (actually, I kind of follow Pierre Sturny, but I didn’t know he rides a Mad4One facepalm).
Also, the fact that both options have a rounded frame is just a coincidence (my current one has a square one, which I find quite useful for some tricks).
I’ve checking Mad4One’s web and I have some ideas, but if you had to recommend a Mad4One uni without it having to be similar to the 2 I mentioned in the first post, which one would it be? (My budget is around 500€, by the way).
Thanks a lot for taking your time, and specially for letting me now about Mad4One unis. I’m looking forward for your response!
Yeah, there is a whole world of one-footed riding skills that are nearly impossible on a rounded frame. For this reason, if you want to get an Impact unicycle, I recommend Reagent rather than Gravity.
It’s always difficult to recommend without knowing exactly what tricks you want to do.
If you haven’t been bothered by your square frame (hitting the knees), I’d get one again. I ride an Impact Gravity frame on my flatland unicycle now, but the next one will be square, since I recently discovered my love for coasting. It is nice however to never hit your knees with a round frame.
I personally love the idea of 20" (406mm) over 19" (387mm). Just a smoother ride, feels a bit lighter to me, cheaper tires, and as someone who occasionally rides in gyms the possibility of getting a non marking tire is great. I don’t really need the profile (on the contrary, I think it’s annoying), or the square- ish tire shape of trials tires. If you want to focus on flip tricks, or do trials the slightly bouncier tire you get with a 19" can be an advantage.
The Impact Sylph or Reagent could also be a nice alternative for you.
I personally would assemble my unicycle from parts, and choose the exact ones I like for every component, but I can see that that’s not really easy for people who haven’t had the opportunity to go to unicycle events and test a lot of different setups. If there is something nearby, I highly recommend doing that, as many things are very much specific to your riding style and body. For example, a lot of people love Impact Groovy cranks, but I constantly hit my ankles on them, so they aren’t an option for me.
Coasting is a “skill” I hope to learn one day, and definitely a good reason to get a square frame! Sadly, I still don’t have the one-footed wheel walk (!), but one of Leo’s posts inspired me to work on it, and I also am practicing wheel walking in circles and figure-8s. I can go one or two steps one-footed but then I always fall forward. I can’t decide if my steps and footsliding on the tire need to become longer or shorter, but when I watch videos of one-footed wheel walking, the answer seems to be “both.” People who wheel walk one-footed take a variety of long and short steps.
I too ride a 20" wheel instead of a 19" because of the broad choice and price range of tires, from thin to fat to knobby to slick, as well as different colors and pressures. I do always try to get the fattest possible 20" tire, though -a 2.4" or 2.45." A 19" does seem to be significantly better for trials, however. I tried one once, and even though it was an unfamiliar unicycle, I soon rode it down some stairs that probably would have frightened me if I had been on my 20.
I’ve ended up buying a 406 Unicycle PowerSquare Mad4One ISIS MAD-TECNO 20". I think 20" is a better option for me, since I’ll be mainly doing flatland, crankrolls, and so on, and not so many trials and jumps (I like the cheaper tires too:p). I already said I was going for the square frame better than a rounded one, so that’s no news. And I also ordered a pair of madapter to make crankrolls easier.
I’m just writing this to let you know, since you helped me a lot finding the best uni I could get for my porpuses, I thought you woud like to know what was the final choice. And, of course, to thank you a lot for your time and your big help.
Congratulations! I’m sure you’ll enjoy that unicycle, I hope we’ll get a few progress reports from you, since Flatland has really almost disappeared from this forum.
I’ve riding my new uni for a month now, and the experience has been awesome. The unicycle is great (much better than mine), i have nothing bad to say about it. Personalized colours, strong, light… (And the madapters are a great addittion, really useful for some tricks).
I also want to highlight the amazing customer service that Mad4One has provided during the process, and even post-sell.
If anyone is looking for a flatland unicycle, I absolutely reccomend going for this one.
In the month I’ve been riding with the new uni, I would say I’ve mastered 180º uniflips (I can now do them jumping down steps bigger than the size of the wheel), i’ve managed to land some 360º uniflips, learnt to seat drop, and do some crank rolls. I am really happy with my progress so far.
I’m glad your experience has been great with this uni Odradek, and congrats on the new tricks!
They don’t. I’d swear I’ve seen people use some Rollo disk things on Qu-ax Isis cranks, but those may have been custom. I know on some Koxx cranks people have gotten away with using KH Rollo disks, but they probably wouldn’t work on the Qu-ax shape without a lot of filing.
Some people have zero issues with them, some (like me) can’t use them because they hit their ankles permanently.
. I had seen the trademark logo in some unicycle videos, but I don’t why I didn’t know they were an unicycle brand (actually, I kind of follow Pierre Sturny, but I didn’t know he rides a Mad4One facepalm).