No matter what though, I find the Fusion freeride saddle the most comfortable overall. I had a new QX Eleven saddle but it felt too hard for me. Nimbus gels (discontinued) are pretty good, but after riding some distance I tend to get some pain/discomfort at my front bits.
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I want to throw in my 2 cents on the saddle issue only, I have a KH fusion, a nimbus stadium and 2 mad4one handle saddles, a small with the muni finish and a medium with the road finish. I move my handle saddles around to my different unicycles because I like them by far the best, especially the medium, the small is a little short for my hands, and my hands are small, but I really love these saddles, I don’t use my other saddles at all anymore.
Quick question, can you show me the road vs. muni finish for the Mad4one saddle handle please?
I have one in the small, it’s ok, I just think the sitting pressure on the seat is just straight down on my crotch just next to where my legs are. The medium would give a much more generous handle, for sure.
There are good pictures on their website of what they look like. I found that I had to use an angle adjustable seat post for my handle saddles otherwise I had the same problem you have, it wasn’t comfortable at all, but once I did that it was all good.
I"m wondering what the downside of the long saddle would be? It looks like you could hold the handle close to your crotch for hopping and then further out for smooth terrain and it’s narrow enough I wouldn’t think it would be a hazard in an UPD.
Can you include the links? This says muni and road, so i am not sure there is a difference muni vs. Road.
https://unaruota.com/ZC/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_19&products_id=1086
Here is a screen shot of the difference. The Muni finish is wider, leather, and the race (not road, sorry) is narrower and a tape finish.
Ta. Yep, Road vs. Race. 2 different things. That’s why I needed the pic for clarity. (Btw, I work in IT and support users, a picture tells a thousand words)… anyway, maybe the race finish could be more comfortable for me, I have one with a muni finish and I think there’s just too much padding between the legs.
Update… I think Mad4One need to check their own terminology to help their customers
Secondly, is the medium naturally a bit narrower than small? Maybe it is. Only found this mentioned on the race finish description
I have been thinking about the 07 medium for long distance ridiing. I think I will like the flatness and “half-seat” design. No pressure on the front hehe
I’ve thought before that a few of their terms of phrase on the English site could do with some fine tuning by a native English speaker.
Agree. Plus font standardisation.
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Hi Gockie and All (I thinks this goes to whole board?),
Kathryn here–beginner from Hershey PA/USA, a few months ago I posted a gruesomely long intro post lol. I am still using the Nimbus Stadium seat that came with my 24" nimbus muni. Almost got this KH one (seelink), but I am doubtful that softer will be better for me, and I am occupied still getting some riding basics down. I strongly suspect that if I keep getting into uni and adding gear that I will turn out to like firm to hard, maybe a zero with a cover or something, but not quite ready to own two or more saddles just yet (though I understand the advantages of having 2 or more). For one reason, I may get a 32 nimbus when they are back in stock soon and choose a second saddle then. Also the stadium is already so much like the freeride. Anyway, I see in the string you are detail oriented, so if you don’t mind, can you confirm that this saddle is the same as the fusion freeride that you like so much? Kris Holm Freeride Saddle | Unicycle.com Thank you!
That’s the saddle! 
And, what you wrote is good. Take your time, no need to rush into buying it. Just know that this saddle is an option. Also, if a local has one, you might be able to try theirs before committing to buy. Saddles are personal preference
Hi Kathryn this is Mike. I’m from Shartlesville PA. My children and I ride and have a bunch of different unicycle sizes and saddles. I have the KH fusion free ride and fusion one saddles. Feel free to come try em out. You can email me if you have any interest.
mike.brubaker@yahoo.com
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Wow, small world! I can totally come to you there, Mike, I know it mainly from the AT out that way. So great of you to offer! Unicyclers remind me so much of whitewater kayakers, a small enthusiast niche, with a lot of generous, gear-fluent folks. I will email you shortly.
Also thanks Gockie for the response. I gleaned a lot generally from the string, you and the others.
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I am not sponsored by anyone, just thought I’d add my 2c here. I bought a HK27.5 after reading nothing but praise about KH products. I had to return the first one I got, and the replacement wasn’t much better (it was trading one set of problems for another). The quality control was disappointing considering the price. I am now considering either mad4one or Qu-Ax for my 29" build. I’ve seen a Qu-Ax uni in the flesh at a store and it looks like a step up next to KH in terms of workmanship, it really is a beauty and oozes quality. With KH I’ve experience sloppy welds, rough edges and hand ground parts that really should have been CNCed (brake mounts etc). The KH cranks I got had corrosion on them, as did the rim (old model with silver sidewalls), and the 4-bolt seatpost crown was very poorly finished with a visibly uneven surface that resulted in a poor mate between the post and the saddle. I ended up buying a cheap made-in-China seatpost that cost me half the price of the KH and didn’t have this problem, been using it for two years now.
Another problem I’ve had with my KH27.5 unis is frame flex. As I pedal the frame flexes and causes the brake rotor to rub one brake pads, creating this annoying cyclic rub noise. This is not a set-up problem, because my brake caliper is perfectly centered and there is no noise when I spin the wheel by hand whilst holding the uni in the air. Maybe this is a problem in all unicycles with disk brake, I don’t know.
There were other small quality control issues that I think show lack of attention to detail on KH’s part. I don’t mind spending more but it has to translate to quality, and KH hasn’t given me that. My overall judgment is: overpriced and overrated.
That said, KH makes the strongest wheelsets of the bunch, with durable and wide-flanged steel hubs (vs aluminium) and eyeletted rims. If you’ve watched Ed Pratt’s videos you’ll know that aluminium hubs eventually break.
Regarding proprietary cranks, my initial worries with my KH uni have have proven wrong. I’ve ridden the thing for almost two years and I can say with confidence that the cranks is probably the last thing I’ll need to replace. Of course, YMMV. My riding is not anything you’d call extreme therefore I expect my cranks to last very long, but if I was riding trials not being able to run other brand cranks could be a deal-breaker.
Regarding buying a Quax instead, I’ve been riding a Quax RGB for the past four or five months and the one real complaint I have about it is a lack of crank choices. Quax cranks are only available in lengths up to 145mm and with no q factor. I’ve come to prefer the 145mm length and don’t mind 137mm, but I hate a narrow q. If I had to do it over again I would choose something else based mainly on crank choice, but also on the fact that I am a heavier rider and Quax builds their unis with an eye towards lower weight over strength. You can buy longer ebike cranks, but they generally start at 160mm and they do not work with the stock spacers.
Otherwise, there’s nothing I can really fault it for. The pedals it came with didn’t have metal pins, but pedals are easy to replace and some people don’t like metal pins. The seat initially tended to crush my testicles, but as I got used to riding it I just learned how to sit on it without crushing them and I now like the saddle.
What wheel size do you ride? I also wish they would do a 3-hole crank. I hadn’t thought about the Q factor. Do you regularly hit your ankles on the cranks? Does it make a difference to stability and steerability?
I’m looking through Qu-Ax’s cranks, their Q-Axle range (the gray finish ones) seems more ankle friendly as they have rounded edges, while the CNC recess on their ZeroQ range cranks (the black ones) could certainly feast on one’s ankles…
I have a 27.5. With 20mm pedal extensions and 145mm zero q cranks I really like the way it rides, but unfortunately I broke one of my pedal extensions last week. I tried riding it without the extensions for 5 days, but I found everything was harder. I had been doing 8-10 idles at a time, but without the extensions the best I managed in 5 days was 7. When I switched back to 170mm ebike cranks with a wider q I managed 13 idles on the first day. I also couldn’t climb as well with the narrower q. I have a grassy hill in front of my house with parts I can climb and others I can only attempt. The difference in my climbing ability was substantial even after five days. I did have far more heel strikes and toe rubbing. I don’t usually find them painful, but they affect my balance and cause me to ride awkwardly while I try and shift my feet.
Perhaps most peculiarly though, I noticed my lower back always got sore about 1 mile into my usual ride. That was something that had mostly disappeared about the time I got the extensions, but I figured at the time that my muscles were just getting stronger and my form better. I notice when I ride without the extensions that my knees are noticeably wider apart than my feet.
So for me at least, a wider q factor seems to be very important. I’ve ordered another pair of pedal extensions and these ones are solid stainless steel, so hopefully I’ll soon be back to riding with the setup I prefer.
This may not be the case for you. I’m a big guy, 185cm, 110kg, and I’ve got wide hips and a wide stance. From what I’ve read, it seems a lot of people prefer a narrow q. If I remember right, the distance from the outside edge to outside edge of the cranks on my RGB was approximately 175mm. If that’s a distance you’re comfortable riding on then you probably won’t have any issues.
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It might be the bearings. I’ve found that even when the bearing caps are adjusted to remove all the lateral slop there can still be some movement when the frame tries to twist.
That is, I can’t feel any movement when I grab the top of the wheel with one hand and try and force the centre of the saddle from side to side the the other. But when I hold the front of the wheel with one hand and the front of the saddle handle with the other and push and pull from the side, there’s obvious movement. It’s even more noticeable with a handlebar due to the extra leverage.
To get rid of this slop I have to tighten the bearing caps to the point where the wheel doesn’t spin perfectly freely. Maybe the extra preload isn’t a problem, not sure. Maybe better quality bearings would help.