Or “Yet another ‘help me decide what I should get’ thread”.
Background
I’ve been unicycling for about half a year and own a Nimbus 26", which I love. It’s great for off road and commuting to school, but isn’t really suitable when riding longer distances.
In the future, I would like to participate in unitours and other events, such as Ride The Lobster. What to do? I think it’s time for a new member to join my (currently) small unicycle family.
What I’m looking for
I want a versatile unicycle, with focus on long distance. However, it should also be durable enough for XC/light Muni.
Being a student, money is a problem. This is going to be my “dream unicycle”, but I can’t afford to pay very much for something that’s only slightly better than its cheaper counterpart. If you propose an expensive component, please explain why it’s worth the extra money.
My list so far
Of course I know how to use the search button, so I’m not completely clueless. If it wasn’t for a certain person, I think I would have already decided.
General - A 29" unicycle. 36" would be nice to have, but somehow it doesn’t really suit me. I think a 29er is perfect.
Hub - It’s already decided, I want one of those fancy geared hubs. KH/Schlumpf.
Guess I’ll live on water and bread for the rest of the year…
Cranks - I like the KH dual holes (125/150 mm) on my Nimbus, can’t see a reason to switch. Nice combined with the geared hub.
Saddle- Same here, I like my KH Fusion Saddle. (haha, it sounds like I own a KH rather than a Nimbus, doesn’t it?)
Rim - Haven’t really thought about it.
Pedals - Not really important, as it’s easy to switch and they’re relative cheap.
Tyre - Same here, this one can wait. I guess I’ll try different tyres.
What I really need help with.
Frame
Doesn’t it sound as if a Kris Holm 29" would be perfect for me? Well, that was my initial plan: KH29 with a geared hub.
However, the KH frame is quite expensive compared to e.g. a Nimbus frame. I don’t doubt it’s fantastic, but is it really worth it? Except for the weight, what’s the advantage of the aluminum frame?
Which frame do you recommend, and why? Remember, I’m poor.
Brakes
If I get the Kris Holm frame, Magura Hs33 seems to be the natural choice. However, I have the same concern here: is it worth the money? I know you can get cheap ones on ebay, but shipping to Sweden is probably far from inexpensive. I can probably find one second hand for about 85 $ (US) here in Sweden.
Yep, there are already many threads about brakes (the newest one here), but if you’re going to propose components for the unicycle, it would be nice to also hear which brakes you would choose. And a small motivation explaining why.
If you’ve read all the text above…
and understood at least half of my poor English, you surly have time to post some advices, right? Well, bring it on. But first, some final thoughts/questions.
It’ll take some time before I’ll have enough money to buy everything. My plan is to have everything ready in September to celebrate one year of unicycling.
Is there anything I should wait for? (Unfortunately the geared hub won’t drop in price anytime soon, I think).
And finally, if there’s anything else I should think about, please tell me.
Thanks in advance,
Hans.