> Does anyone have any numbers for these as far as weight, size of bearing
> holders, ability to add a break, tire clearance (height and width), and
> seatpost diameter.
I’ll take a stab at this. I’ve ridden most of these and I’m never short of
opinions 
UNITED: An extended United frame might be the lightest steel one. At least
it probably is before being extended. But it’s cheap stuff. Cheap steel,
inexpensive production. Bearing holders: are we talking split block main
cap or lollipop? If it’s lollipop, I wouldn’t even bother. But I have a
Chris Reeder Trials uni, and it has split block. My experience with those
types of frame is that sometimes the bearing holders come out a little
crooked (from the factory). Also they may fit the bearing too loose or too
tight. These frames are fairly stiff, though adding length may add a
little flex. No provision for brakes, tire clearance minimal before
customizing. No place to put a foot, though my Chris Reeder frame has a
nut simply welded to the side of the crown on each side for one-footing,
and it works great. Overall, probably the cheapest of the group.
HUNTER: These frames fit the 3.0" tires just fine, and are made from
narrow tubing so they don’t bang your legs. I don’t think the standard
Hunter frame fits the 26 x 3" though. The frame is still fairly light, but
my guess is that it contains more metal and may weigh slightly more than
the United. This is weight I would gladly pay extra for. split block
bearing holders; no experience with them on this frame. Stiff frame. No
brake mounts. No place to put a foot. Overall: this is the frame that
inspired both the Telford and the DM Vortex, and unlike all the others, is
built by a guy who is well known for quality bike frames.
WILDER: I have not seen this one yet, though I have seen and ridden the
aluminum unicycle Scott Bridgeman brought to MUni Weekend last fall.
Though it looked heavy and clunky in pictures, it turned out to be very
light, very stiff, and very impressive. I assume these qualities will be
the same, and probably improved upon in the Wilder frame. This frame may
be lighter than all the steel ones. I can’t wait to try one out!
TELFORD: This is the most meticulously crafted MUni frame. Geoffrey
Faraghan is so meticulous, in fact, that the waiting time for a Telford is
still unknown. This alone speaks for the quality of the cycle. To me it is
also the most beautiful frame, with its curved lines and sloping seat
tube. Precisely machined split block bearing holders. Very stiff frame. No
provision for one footing, and if you want to walk the wheel, forget it
(maybe you can sit facing backward?). Probably weighs slightly more than
the Hunter; not enough to notice. Brakes have been mounted on Telfords,
but I don’t know the details.
DM (ATU): Simple steel construction. Built to be bomb-proof rather than
light, it still works fine for me. split block bearing holders work great
for me, but the double-bolt seat clamp has problems. Making the seat tight
enough has resulted in the bolts curving through the clamp, and I risk
breaking them if I want to change my seat height (this has already
happened once), so I don’t. Definitely a drawback for air travel. This
frame fits the 2.6 Gazz, but not 3.0. Square crown with small slope is
knurled for excellent foot grip. Unlike all the frames listed above, this
one comes chrome plated, which I prefer. Paint looks great, but always
gets scratched up in the car. Overall, the chrome and the one-foot
capability are two of the strongest points, not to mention that Kris Holm
rides one.
DM (VORTEX): The Vortex uses thinner-walled tubing to reduce width. It
uses the minimal amount of tubing (David Mariner came up with the same
design I did), and fits everything up to the 26 x 3" Gazz. It’s still
probably a little heavier than the others, though real strong. However the
only one I have played with was equipped with the 26 x 3, brakes, and
other stuff to make it real heavy so I can’t really compare it with the
others. Split block bearing holders. Rim brakes. No provision for
one-footing.
And let’s throw in a few others:
ROGER DAVIES CARBON: I have a MK 5 frame, which I love. Unfortunately it
doesn’t fit a 2.6" Gazz, and so my carbon MUni has been eclipsed by my DM
ATU. This keeps it from getting dirty though… The carbon frame is
still the highest-tech material currently out there in a unicycle frame,
and of course it’s way lighter than all the others. Construction is from
three pieces of carbon fiber tubing, with an aluminum crown and (split
block) bearing holders. As a penalty for lightness, this frame does flex.
But this flex is only side to side, so it doesn’t affect the ride unless
you’re in really technical terrain. I have a suspension post and miyata
seat on there, so it flexes up there as well and is like riding a light
and springy, but strong unicycle. No provision for brakes, but the flat
crown allows easy one-footing. Overall, I love the exotic quality of the
carbon, and I know I have a MUni that is as light as I can get without
using wimpy parts.
PASHLEY: All the unicycles above are expensive! If you can’t afford them,
the Pashley is the next best thing. A simple steel frame, I’ve never heard
of frame problems, even from Brett Bymaster or Dan Heaton. The only MUni
that comes with water bottle bosses (front and rear)! This frame uses a
lollipop bearing, but not the same one as the cheap Taiwan and Chinese
unicycles. On the Pashley, the attachment bolts go all the way through the
fork so there is less stress on it, but it still places too much stress
where the bolts come out. Brett Bymaster has flat/round washers (made by
Tom Miller) to interface between the bolts and frame. No provision for
brakes or one-footing. Weight is probably medium for this group. Does not
fit the 2.6 Gazz with sufficient clearance to be usable.
SEMCYCLE DELUXE: This frame, based on the Schwinn/Loyd design, is the only
one here not designed for MUni. Its great strengths are its simplicity,
and its ability to fit most any tire width. The two steel blades are
probably heavier than most of the frames above, and flex more than any of
the others. Like the carbon though, this flex is only side to side. You
can’t run a tire that doesn’t have good clearance because the flex will
get into the tire. But the frame will open up to fit any width at the hub,
and if necessary you can add spacers at the seat post to make it wider at
the crown. This is a great frame for a 20" Trials uni as it’s lighter than
a Schwinn and easier than having a wide frame custom made. Bearings are
held very solidly in place. Harder to take apart than the main cap types,
but this design uses less materials than all the others around the
bearings. No provision for brakes or one footing.
DISCLAIMER: This is all off the top of my head. It’s as accurate as I can
dredge up from memory, but not guaranteed. Hopefully it provides the
information you need to compare from one to the other, but heed the
message below:
Frame alone does not a good unicycle make. Only coupled with good quality
parts will the frames above turn into the best possible unicycles. Bad
components on a good frame will just be a bad unicycle. For me, frames
have never been the crucial part. It’s important that they fit the tire
though, and can accommodate brakes if you want to use them. One-foot
riding and wheel walking to me are not important requirements for a MUni,
but most people don’t have as many other unicycles as I do. I have only
had a frame fail on me once, and that was from practicing a trick that
basically amounted to severe frame abuse. Remember the parts that usually
break on unicycles are axles, crank arms, and spokes/wheels, so make sure
those are up to the task as well.
Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone jfoss@unicycling.com
www.unicycling.com
“He who dies with the most toys is dead.”
