what are the differences between the black 2204 KH frames and the new blue ones, are they any weaker or stronger? any info is appreciated!
old ones were steel and heaver and weaker.
were they considerably weaker? would a muni with one be a bad choice?
stormy is selling one for 275 with a maggie and i’m not sure whether to purchase or not, it wouldnt see extreme use or anything, maybe some 3’ drops and such.
I would not consider the black KH 4130 frames weaker than the newer models. A bit heavier, yes. Enough that it’ll bother non-race riders? Probably not. Will it break? I guess it’s possible, eventually. Everything breaks eventually if abused.
I think it would be fine for muni riding. The old aluminum frames were weaker than the current ones, but I believe the steel frames were strong.
i have one…i took it off a 6 1/2 foot drop…it was fine3, not even a crack.
i think it is the same if not stronger than the aluminum frames. much much much heavier. it is very heavy, but not as bad as torker. but very strong. crown is slanted which is nice for coasting and has gussets for reinforcing.
pros: strong, nice crown for coasting, nice and stiff, break mounts
cons: heavy, rusts if left wet,
does anyone know the approximate weight difference? is it too noticeable? it seems like since the weight is in the frame and not the rim there wouldnt be much more rolling resistance, am I correct?
These frames are awesome looking. They are very strong also, I’ve seen only one of these broken. I saw the one you are interested in, it looks in really good condition. I rode one on a 20" (not mine, but it belongs to someone that is harder on frames than me) it is really heavy, but it feels strong and looks strong!
Good buy!
That looks like a great buy on a great unicycle.
Unless you are interested in the frames history I wouldn’t pay more than what you can get a new Nimbus frame for.
Old KH frames are really cool though, almost as cool as the original “sponge” tritons.
I wouldn’t worry about the strength. It would probably outlast any aluminum frame you can currently buy.
I am usually pretty wary buying used aluminum frames but have no such compunctions about steel unless it is rusty.
EDIT: for even more cool points, I am pretty sure that those original KH frames were hand made in Canada.
I have been riding one for a year now on my trials unicycle. It has taken quite a lot of abuse and is still perfectly fine. I would say the 2004 frame is just as strong as the 2008 and + ones, if not stronger. As everyone mentioned, the weight difference is noticeable, but not dramatic.
I don’t think it should be a problem for you, considering that the unicycle you are looking for is already built, but don’t forget (if you have to change some parts one day, for example) that the frame has a spacing of 92 mm (between both bearing cages) and bearing cages that fit 40 mm bearings. As opposed, actual KH, Nimbus, K1, Qu-Ax, Impact, etc. use 100 mm spacing and 42 mm bearing cages.
Yeah, I picked one up w/ a 3" tire on it and it was easily one pound ligher than my Torker DX w/ a 2.6" tire.
From what I’ve heard its equally strong as a Nimbus, yet s bit lighter.
and in the unlikelyhood you do break it it’d be easier to reweld it.
One other downside is it has 40 mm bearings reducing your selection if you change hubs.
does the complete uni use ISIS or square taper cranks?
I have one of these unicycles and have not had any problems with it. I have a newer one now that is lighter, but that is also so that my wife can ride the old one 
These has some kind of custom KH splined cranks as far as I know. I guess you can find some of them in the UK department of Unicycle.com at least.
http://www.unicycle.uk.com/unicycle-spares/cranks/cranks-splined/kris-holm-splined-cranks-170mm.html
http://www.unicycle.uk.com/unicycle-spares/cranks/cranks-splined/qu-ax-8-spline-cranks-127mm.html
i noticed in pictures that there is a silver disk on the outside of the bearing housing, what is it?
and also, could the standard cranks on these be double drilled
(is there a tutorial for double drilling anywhere?)
The ‘silver’ disk is a bearing shield to keep some of the crud out of the softer side shielding of the bearing itself.
The original cranks are hollow, oval, tapered 4130 so drilling and adding a suitable pair of left and right threaded tubes would be a labour of love for a talented machinist.
One weakness of the hub design is its narrow flange spacing. This results in weaker lateral stability than the wider versions which followed.
Good luck
Those cranks aren’t made anymore but you can still find them in some sizes and maybee the hub too. If you break something (wich is unlikely for most) and/or want a different crank size and can’t find that model you would have to replace the hub & cranks w/ a new set. (different splined systems aren’t usually compatable w/ each other)
I know a guy who a few years ago had his 170 mm Qu-Ax hollow steel cranks drilled, welded and taped for a second pedal hole. If memory serves he got it done for $45 by a welder, but that sounds kind of cheap to me
I had a blue aluminum KH 2005 frame which broke (cracked at the inside top of both fork legs). I replaced it with a steel 2004 frame, bought from Darren Bedford. The difference in weight is not noticeable at all.
That leaves the rim, hub and cranks as the only original parts remaining on that unicycle.