I’m trying a new frame for a 36" unicycle made by Rick Hunter of Santa Cruz.
I picked it up today and am going on a test ride tomorrow. If it works out,
I’ll get it powder-coated and take it along on the NUT in a week. It is 40mm
wider than usual so as to fit one of Dave Stockton’s “Super Wheels”. He
posted about these a while ago - with video of 3 people standing on one. I
can say that it feels absolutely rock solid, hopping, climbing, descending.
But I’ve only got about one mile on it so far!
Nathan, you remind me of that Jack Nicholson line in one of the Batman movies after Batman escapes from the museum: “Where does he get all those wonderful toys?”
What a cool looking frame. I’m a month into owning a Hunter 24, and I just love it. If the 36 concept pans out into production for us rank 'n files, I’ll be after one. Also cool to see he’s added the double brake boss…I wish my 24 had that instead of just the single, because I can’t seem to keep the things from shifting, getting pushed into the rim, etc.
Look forward to your reviews once you get some good distance on the frame.
Sweet!! I had contacted Hunter just last Thursday about the possibility of a Coker frame for the wide hub. He said that he had made one already. And now you post pictures.
I haven’t followed up beyond that initial contact yet, but I’m thinking that it’s very likely that I’ll end up with a Hunter frame for my wide hub. It’s also nice to see that he’s doing the two bolt Magura mounts now. I’m still debating with myself whether to get Magura or v-brakes. Cable brakes would let me run a drag brake, but Maguras have better feel. So many decisions.
Mine should be shipping soon according to Rick. I also went with the unfinished. Have you chose a color? Those wondering, it was $350 shipped, no brakes, no finish. Withdrawl symptoms are starting…
This is the third Hunter36 he’s made, but the first wide one and the first
with the double-bolt brake braze-ons. I asked him how much he likes doing
custom unicycle stuff and he said, “VERY MUCH”. www.huntercycles.com
So much for my little secret. I contacted Rick a few months ago about this project. I sent him a Coker deluxe wheel built up with a Semcycle deluxe hub so that he could set up his jig for a 36" wheel. I sent him an Avid “A” brake for fitting as well. I figured with standard bosses, I could run a cable brake or a Magura, as the stock booster will fit the Coker tire.
Mine has been shipped already and I should see it towards the end of this coming week (I’m on the other side of the Country).
I had mine powder coated so I’ll just mount the wheel and seat and I’ll be on my way.
I thought I was going to be posting a nice suprise for you guys and Nathan beat me too it.
Thanks for the photos Nathan, it's nice to see it came out so well. I have a 26" Hunter and love it and I knew that Rick would do a great job. He was very enthusiastic about the project right from the start.
I’m very interested in getting one of those accessory extension apparatus things mounted on the seat post - you know, the item with the handle bars and the computer mount and water bottle cage. Is that the Wyganowski extension? Is this something I could get from mr. Hunter or is there a mr. Wyganowski I should talk to?
Is it all part of the seat post, or is it a part that clamps onto any seat post? If its part of the seat post, it looks like I’d need to get a rail adapter for my saddle…
call and talk to J,drummond at uni.com.i know they had some of those awile ago but they are kind of an “under the counter item” but they are there somtimes.
The bar ends are standard mountain bike bar ends. There are many varieties and they come in different shapes and different curves. The ones Nathan has are made by LP Composites Almost any bike shop will have some selection of MTB barends in stock.
How stiff are the legs on the 36" Hunter frame? Meaning, if you take the wheel off how much can you flex the legs? The legs on the Hunter muni are fairly stiff considering the small diameter tubing, but it’s not as stiff as the KH frame. I’m just wondering if the longer legs on the 36" Hunter has a noticeable effect on flex.
3 weeks ago, i took an hour drive to see rick hunter about a frame. first thing you notice is how tall he is–about 61/2 ft tall. i could tell right away which of the bikes laying around was his. he also has a very cool, mellow demeanor about him–great to work with.
i didn’t realize that he made 29r’s and 36r’s. he had a coker wheel there also. never saw one before, sure was impressive though.
now, the thing about stiffness. not too sure if it applies to uni’ing also, but in mtn bikes (xc stuff), i figured out that too stiff a frame can actually hamper the ride (ovalized and oversize ti tubes) as in reflecting hits straight back to the frame which counters your forward energy as opposed to “floating” or working with the terrain (straight gauge ti). i’m talking about hardtails here. full suspension is probably another story–never had one and don’t plan on getting one. comfort (floating) gives a great ride quality which means a lot to me.
i guess what i’m saying is that “stiff” isn’t that great a factor for me. as with all things in life, a happy medium is probably better. just me opinion.
oh, what did i order? a 29r powder coated frame with 27.2 id seat and maguras set up for a 24 wide. i love versitility. one thing cool about his newer frames is that the “handle” part of the uni is now ovalized. it’s much more asthetically pleasing–according to rick.
My Wyganowski extension seemed to fit perfectly on a 25.4 seatpost. I may
have used a shim back when I had it on a 22.2 post - don’t remember. My new
Hunter is 26.8 and initially it looked like the extension handle wouldn’t
fit. But I just tightened the bolts and it miraculously fit perfectly. I
don’t remember the price - it was 2 years ago, about $125 or so? Yes it’s
sort of under the counter - Bronson Silva got it for me somehow. I think he
called Paul W at home… The one improvement I would make would be to have
four bolts holding it on instead of two. Also to use the same diameter
tubing throughout. The short piece in the front is narrower - I had to use a
triple rubber shim to attach my dual-water bottle holder.
I got the idea for using LP barends from Bronson (but I think Ed Mosiman
orginally found out about them). I got mine at
The ergo ones are the best (that’s what Bronson has), but my handle is too
narrow so I just used these (and they are great).
Someone else asked what happened to my KH36. Well, it broke so I threw it
away. Just kidding. It’s bombproof - did 6 laps at 24 hours of Adrenalin no
problem. But since I have the Huner, I’m selling it. Although the deal is
all but done, I’ll post if it gets undone and becomes available. It’s a
great frame, really great. But I like the WIDE hub and stronger wheel. I
rode over 100km on the Hunter36 yesterday and it was perfect. But the best
part was that I wasn’t sore afterwards! After the ride I dropped it off with
Rick and he had it powder coated. I picked it up today and it is great. I’ll
test it for a couple more days, then pack it up and off to Norway on Friday.
Rick says to write him by email if you have questions on custom stuff.
Another thing Rick makes is custom shims. My Hunter36 came with a beautiful
aluminum 26.8/22.2 shim in case I ever need to use a standard unicycle
seatpost. He can make any size.
Nathan: now that you’ve banged the Hunter 36 across Norway and up into the Arctic Circle, how about a summary review? I can deduce from your “I can’t believe you rode that thing this whole trip” quote (referring to a standard Coker) that the Hunter setup is superior, but I’m sure I’m not the only one that would love some more DETAILED commentary. What–exactly–is the current ultimate distance setup (UDS)?
