I was riding around riverfront park after lifeguard classes yesterday. I had just mastered hopping up stairs when I thought I would try hopping down them. So I go over to about two steps and start hopping down them, well when I mastered that I figured I could do three. I hopped down three stairs about four or five times when all of a sudden when I land I feel this really squishy feeling like the wheel is squishing out of the rim. I didnt really notice that my wheel was tacoed until I started riding away and couldnt. My unicycle is a sun 24" I was wondering if it would be worth it to get a new rim and rebuild it or just trash it and save up for something better? I only payed $60 for it so its not that much of a loss.
It sounds to me as though rebuilding the Sun wheel would put an unnecessary damper on your evolving riding style. You should consider going for a stronger wheel for that frame, or for an altogether beefier uni.
The problem with getting a new wheel is that it can be rather expensive. It’s going to cost more for a new wheel than your entire unicycle cost new.
Typical costs for a new wheel (these are just round numbers off the top of my head):
$15 to $40 for a rim
$15 to $20 for the spokes and nipples
$20 to $30 for labor
When you get a new wheel built that is also an opportunity to upgrade the hub. A Suzue hub will be stronger than your stock hub. I think a Suzue hub will fit in the Sun frame. You’d want to ask unicycle.com to make sure.
If you pick a good rim and get a skilled person to build your wheel you’ll end up with a much better wheel than what came stock on your Sun unicycle. With a properly built wheel and if you keep an eye out for loose spokes the new wheel should take the abuse you’re dishing out without folding into a taco.
You can lose the labour cost if you’re willing to learn to true a wheel yourself. Truing a unicycle wheel isn’t all that difficult, it’s just like building a bike front wheel.
Ok I decided I am going to try and rebuild my wheel by using my cheapo hub and a rim and spokes and stuff from my 20" BMX bike. Hmm this rim is cheap! The tacoed one that is…
You’ll have to be careful with spoke length. You’re probably not going to be able to use the spokes from the 20" BMX wheel unless you get really lucky and the flange on the BMX wheel is the same height as the flange on the unicycle hub.
>
> I was riding around riverfront park after lifeguard classes yesterday. I
> had just mastered hopping up stairs when I thought I would try hopping
> down them. So I go over to about two steps and start hopping down them,
> well when I mastered that I figured I could do three. I hopped down
> three stairs about four or five times when all of a sudden when I land I
> feel this really squishy feeling like the wheel is squishing out of the
> rim. I didnt really notice that my wheel was tacoed until I started
> riding away and couldnt. My unicycle is a sun 24" I was wondering if it
> would be worth it to get a new rim and rebuild it or just trash it and
> save up for something better? I only payed $60 for it so its not that
> much of a loss.
>
> Alex
>
>
> –
> ajp529
Fill it with salsa and refried beans, then top with cheese.
