My 24" finally broke... what next?

Unicycles and Equipment
#1

As a little backstory, I started riding about two months ago. I was using a Savage 24" that we have had in our garage forever but finally wanted to try. After riding, I learned freemounts, followed by hops and dropping. Turns out that was a little too much for the cheap uni. One fork was starting to move around so I disassembled it and found that it had cracked where the nuts held it to the wheel. I’ve made a clamp like thing to fix it, but it’s only temporary.

So now I’ve been sitting and staring at unicycle.com for the last hour. I’ve narrowed it down to a 20, 24, or 29 inch. I’m starting to like street stuff like hopping which is the explanation for the 20. However, I also like riding distances, thus the 29. And the 24 is there because it’s sort of the compromise. I don’t want a 36 as my only uni for awhile.

My price range is ~$300. I want a unicycle that’s going to last me for awhile as I build my collection :roll_eyes: . So now I’m calling on your experience to recommend something. Even a size would be helpful and I can narrow it down from there. I have a new KH Fusion Freeride, so if the only thing holding down a certain unicycle is the seat, don’t worry. I’m not buying one anyway.

#2

These are a bit over 300, but easily the best deal on the web now. They are 07 models.

If that’s to rich for you, maybe an ax Torker from here

http://www.niagaracycle.com/index.php?cPath=82

The ax seats are OK. You will need a KH seatpost to put your free ride on it, because the bolt pattern is different. A KH seat post fits in my ax 29 just fine.

The ax Torkers are very light and good uni’s, but you will need to get a splined uni if you want to do trials or hard core muni.

#3

You may want to consider a Torker DX, but I think your best bet would be to get either a street or distance uni for now and worry about getting the other one in the future.

#4

That looks good and is in my price range. I’ll check it out. Thanks!

I’ve got a seatpost that fits the freeride on if that’s what you’re saying. I’ve been using it on my Savage.

I’d love to own a KH, but I just don’t know if I can afford it. Thanks for the recommendations.

#5

The KH’s and ax Torker use a fatter post, 27 mm vs the 22 mm for your Savage.

The Dx is about 3 lbs heavier then the KH. Tough, but maybe the heaviest uni’s available.

#6

get the dx 24in i got it and it is pretty hevy but you can get used to it i can get up picnictabels now and it will last you a wile i have had it for 2 years now and i havnt broken any parts and i do 5 foot drops pretty often

#7

Makes sense, thanks.

I’ve definitely narrowed it down to a 24". It will be the most versatile for me right now. Can a uni built for MUni still be used for road/some tricks? Or would I be better off with a road 24" and using it for occasional MUni? I love riding MUni, but I end up on the road much more often just because of my location.

http://unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=765
http://unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1057
http://unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1053
http://unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1013

That’s what I’ve narrowed it down to. Anyone have opinions on which one?

#8

like i said the torker dx is a good muni and is good for street i ride it to school every day and do some pretty big muni and can do 6 sets and i cant do many trick but i bet the uni is capable of it

#9

and as for the other uni’s on your list you would break if you started doing any kind of drops or hard impact, i would sugest the Qu-Ax but i couldnt find it on udc.

#10

I have a KH 24 muni

When the tires are new, it is very slightly rumbly, because of the knobs, but it’s not really a problem.

You are better off riding a muni on the street then a street uni in the dirt. It’s just a little more heavy, and heavy duty-light costs $. So there is no trouble riding a 24 muni on the street, it is hard to justify the extra dollars over an Ax if that is all you are going to use it for.

I don’t mean to trash talk the dx, they are plenty strong, and were a popular choice before the lighter Nimbus and the QBP priced KH’s became available.

The biggest reason not to get a dx, besides that there are lighter choices at the same price, is the cranks. The Nimbus and KH fit the same kind of ISIS cranks. These are the new “standard”, and will likely be available in lot’s of sizes for a long time. The dx is the last hold out using the old 10 spline Qu ax cranks. Qu ax went ISIS also.
These cranks are 100 $/pr , are only available in 2 sizes, unlike the ISIS , and may be total orphans 5 years down the road.
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=841

The KH-Nimbus ISIS splined cranks are 75 $/pr, and are better cranks, available for the foreseeable future, in many sizes. You can switch them between your muni, trials, or 36, years down the road. Those 100 $ dx cranks can’t do that.

http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=956

#11

That all makes sense, but what is your recommendation? I had assumed you were thinking AX over DX, but doesnt the AX also used 10 spline Qu ax cranks?

Very helpful and informative post, though. Thanks a bunch.

#12

You definitely do not want to get the AX if you plan on doing street with it since it isn’t even splined. You’d probably wear down the hub fairly quickly. feel the light does make a good point about the cranks on the DX since getting replacements may turn out to be a hassle if the need ever arises. I actually have a 20" DX, so if my cranks ever break I’m not going to be too happy if my smallest crank option is 145mm. Also, riding a muni on streets isn’t really a big deal, although you’ll wear the tire down more quickly by doing this. If you plan on doing any muni at all, then I would throw the Nimbuses off your list, although you may want to consider a 26"er.

#13

The ax is an excellent cotterless uni

The cotterless (square drive) hub is a universal standard that goes way back. I would say it is the best in many cases, because cranks are 10-25 $ pair and you can get really strong ones.

They are just a square tapered shaft, you bang on the square tapered crank and all is good, and cheap. Right up to the point where the large shocks of hard landings start to overwhelm those 4 corners, and the crank gets loose or strips off the hub.

To fix this, more expensive to make splined cranks and hubs were made, starting with Profile I think, maybe about 10 years ago . These were very expensive, but sold, leading others to come out with different spined designs, all incompatible with each other, for the most part. This lead to the adoption of the ISIS standard, about 2 years ago. :slight_smile:

The Torker ax is super light, and well made. At 170 lbs, I bang my ax 29 around, but I don’t do > 1 foot drops with it. It has held up really well, for the price it is a great ride, stainless spokes, nice tire, excellent light alum frame.

Compared to an ISIS set up, the ax uses a 17 mm square axles, compared to the Nimbus- KH- qu ax ISIS 22 mm splined axles, which can stand up to much harder use.

Which reminds me of another reason to dislike the dx torkers. Because they use a unique 21 mm axle, only they made bearings to fit it. They decided to price gouge because once you own a dx, only they have the bearings you need. So bearings for an ax are 17x40x12 mm size you can buy at any bearing house for 10/10 $. The dx 21x40 mm can only be bought from UDC or Torker for 30 $/pr.

All the splined uni’s are quite strong, but the dx is not stronger. If anything, it’s smaller axle is slightly weaker, but it’s real problem is orphan parts and weight.

#14

If he plans on jumping around on his uni, then I would definitely not get an AX. My friend bought the 26" Nimbus that I linked to, except he got it before it came with an ISIS hub. Well, he sure loved to hop around on that thing, and his hub wore down fairly quickly as a result. I’m not saying that the DX is the best uni around, but I’d have much more confidence in the splined hub over the square taper hub from personal experience. Anyways, I don’t think that replacement parts will be much of an issue since the DX has a reputation for being unnecessarily strong. I’ve had my 20" for a year now and have only had a problem with the saddle, but then again I don’t abuse my uni as much as some people do…

#15

I’ve had a DX wheelset (19") for 3 years and it has served me fine, no problems at all. It’s definitely a great unicycle for how much it costs, especially if you get it here. I would not recomend the torker AX if you plan on doing any jumping.

#16

Yeah, I agree with ^

The square axle uni’s, like the ax, will strip out if you do a lot of drops and jumping. It will last forever if you don’t, is the lightest, and very cheap.

If you need something really tough, save up another 100 $ over a dx and get a KH from BI. It’s not that Nimbus or the dx are bad, just that the KH is easily worth the extra $ IMHO.:slight_smile:

#17

The best deal on a Torker DX is going to be on e-bay.

The Nimbus’ you linked to would all be good for a variety of stuff, but the rim isn’t as good for MUni or trials as the N-MUni. On the X, foot on frame tricks might be easier for you, but I don’t think a 3" knobby will fit. Also if you get any of the Nimbus’ and plan to do drops, upgrade to the KH cranks.

The DX comes w/ brake mounts, but it’s heavy and the rim is a bit narrow. The Nimbus Muni doesn’t come w/ brake mounts, but is lighter, and has a wider rim (better for side hops and gives a flatter profile).

You can put Qu-Ax cranks in 127/145/170mm on a DX. In the past they have had all three lengths at UDC.US & UDC.UK

#18

I appreciate the responses from everyone. It seems that there is no one answer!

From what I’ve gathered, the AX is a great unicycle unless I do drops. I don’t really plan on doing big drops, maybe 1 foot at the VERY biggest. Mostly just curbs and hops. Would it hold up?

As for the KH 07’s, I would absolutely love one, but I can’t justify spending that much on a unicycle. Especially to just be my grab it and go kind of thing. If I end up doing street or trails, I’m going to get a strong 20". If I end up going the road way, I’ll get a nice 29er. I just need something to help me figure out what I want to do. That’s why I’m almost thinking AX, I’ve never been an adrenaline junkie and don’t plan on banging it around a whole lot.

#19

An AX should hold up alright if you’re only going to do what you said. You might also want to take a look at the LX if you’re leaning towards the AX, the main difference being that the LX is fairly heavy compared to the AX, but $80 cheaper. Either way you’re not going to be able to use your Freeride saddle with either of these unis unless you buy a standard seatpost, and if you buy one of these unis you are probably going to want to use that saddle since the LX saddle is slightly more comfortable than a brick.

#20

Thanks for that, Vincent. I agree, 1 pound isn’t worth $80 to me.

Now it’s really between the LX and the Nimbus X (with or without ISIS hub). Would the Nimbus X w/ ISIS be worth twice as much as the LX? And is the ISIS really worth the $40 or whatever they’re charging?

http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=675
http://unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1053

Again, I appreciate this help so much. I’m so close to ordering, I want to get back on a uni again.