new at MUni

General
1

Hello all,
After 3-4 years of not unicycling, I heard something from a friend of mine about Mountain Unicycling. I have done research for the past several weeks and THINK I found a good package deal. I only have $650 in budget for the MUni, so I can’t get a top o’ the line one. However, I think I pulled together a halfway decent deal. I was hoping some more experienced unicyclists out there could advise me on this investment. Here is the package deal that I have so far:
Yuni $299
Sun Doublewide upgrade+$40
Carbon fibre Miyata air seat +$175
Kooka cranks +$170
Reeder handle +40

Is this a good deal? Also…any comment about the Yuni frame or the Sun Doublewide upgrade? For the past 3 years I have been into mountain biking (hence why I gave up the unicycle), so I HOPE that doing drops and other high impact tricks won’t be a problem for me. I just want to know if the rim can handle it. Anyway…if you have any suggestions on this deal (or any other deal that might be good), then please give me a holla’. Thanks.
David Wohlers

2

sorry…shoulda’ been a bit more specific. Here are the specs on my package. I’m getting everything from Unicycle.com. Seems to be the place to get stuff.

  1. Yuni 24-inch MUni-$299
  2. sundouble wide upgrade rim-$40.00
  3. Miyata Air Saddle with Carbon-Fiber Frame–$175.00
  4. Kooka 170-mm DH Cotterless Crank Arms–$109.00
  5. Reeder Seat Handle–$40.00

thanks!
david

3

The Yuni seems to have filled what used to be a large gap between cheap unicycles and expensive munis. I have no personal experience with them but they look like a good deal to me.
As far as the upgrades:
I have the Sun doublewide on my Wilder and I think for most of us it is indestructable. Whether it is a neccessary upgrade, I can’t say.
I love my CF base air saddle so if you can swallow the price, you’ll like it.
I also have the Kooka cranks and I think it is pretty safe to say something else will break before they do. What do you want to break first?
As far as the Reeder handle, I have never had a real complaint with the Miyata handle, but I got mine back when they didn’t break. It works great for me so I have not seen a need for a Reeder on my uni. If you haven’t ridden off road much you may not know which hand you will link up with, or if you will alternate. I would say skip the Reeder until you see what you like when riding.

I don’t think you will beat a unicycle.com deal, or thier service.

Some will tell you go straight for the Profile hub, but if you can keep from jumping off huge stuff just because it’s there, there is a whole lot of muni to learn that won’t bend an axle. Also depends on how heavy you are, and technique.
After 15 years of mountainbiking I got on a muni a year ago and never looked back.

Have fun!

Scott Wallis

4

I definitely think you’ve made a good choice here. If I could by a new Uni right now, this is probably the one I’d get. It looks like your going for unbreakability (kookas, carbon fiber). With your budget in mind, I would probably work it a little bit different:

24" Yuni with Profile - $629
(complete unbreakability in your hub and cranks)

Miyata Base Stiffener Plate - $10
(They say it rivals the CF base and its a lot cheaper - you would have to open up your saddle and put it in, or if you get Unicycle.com to build you an airseat, you can probably get them to put it in there for you - http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=607)

Kinport Miyata Handle - $19
(Granted, I still haven’t had the pleasure of trying out a reeder handle, but the CNC Miyata handle-clone is my handle of choice. I’ve found mine to be rough, tough, and strong. It looks pretty good and its much more comfortable to use than you might think - much more comfortable than the stock Miyata handle. Just remember, if you want the matching rear bumper, it’s another $19
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=609)

Definitely stick with the airseat conversion of your choice. I can’t imagine doing MUni without air. You listed $175 for the airseat, but keep in mind either of the Yunis will come with a miyata saddle and I believe Unicycle.com offers an upgrade to air for around $50 (price will vary depending on which seat cover you choose). That way, rather than buying a second saddle, just do an upgrade on what comes with the uni. You may need to talk to the Unicycle.com people on the phone to confirm the airseat upgrade stuff. OR, you could buy the parts and do the upgrade yourself.

I don’t know much about wheels, so I can’t really comment on the wheel upgrade.

With my configuration, you save on the seat base and the handle and dump that money into an unbreakable hub/crankset. I think the handle and plate stiffener are definitely comparable in strength to the parts you listed.

Of course, the numbers don’t completely add up to fit your $650 budget, but these alternate options might be worth thinking about. Heck, you could even stick with the Kookas and switch to the handle and stiffener plate I suggested and really bring down the price.

I hope this isn’t too much crap to wade through. Have fun with your new MUni.

5

yuni frame = good, i have one on my 20" trials uni.
The only downside i have experienced is the standard bolts won’t last for ever if you land on your bearing cases often, (more of a consideration for trials than muni.), but their not particularly unusual bolts so don’t worry about it.

you can’t get a better frame for the monney.
unless you want to pay a rediculous amount of cash for a kh or wilder frame, frames don’t generaly break anyway.

sun doublewide
i’ve heard people say the alex dx32 is lighter and just as strong.
however this may well be lies because i don’t actualy know.

reeder handle, i love my reeder handle, but then again i’ve never used a miyata, so don’t listen to me.

i would say that the standard yuni with profiles would be a kind of best buy
anything else could be considered an upgrade at a later date.

6

if your 650 limit is truely there, i would suggest the bombproof yuni with profiles and switch to a velo seat when it comes out would be the way to go. i have a alexDX, it seems very very nice, i only have a suzue hub, so im not willing to really put it to the test, but does anyone have stories of either one breaking? i think the profile upgrade will do a LOT more than kooka’s, if kookas are that strong, the hub is going to feel the real force when you do something huge.

in any case, make sure to call up unicycle.com, they are very nice people, and can tell you if there are options not available in the online catalog(thats how i got the cranks i have now) online research can get you very far, but it gives you a tilted perspective on stuff, and it doesnt help at all unless the stuff is actually online

7

I think if you go with the Reeder handle you will be very pleased. I have one for obvious reasons(cousin of George), but this would not alter my opinion on the Reeder handle.

I feel it is much sturdier, and more confortable. This handle is built to take hard drops on the handle.

One thing to note is whether you will hop with your right hand or your left on the handle, this will make the difference in which Reeder you will want to order(right or left).

Best of luck and happy riding!
-Aaron

8

David,

I make the Reeder handle you mentioned, but I’ll try to be objective.

I detest the Miyata handle. I used one for about 2 minutes of hopping and decided that I didn’t want tendonitis. All Miyata handles I own are being used as paperweights in my shop.

If you want to know more about the Reeder handle, you can look at my website. You can also search the forums for past reviews.

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~gbarnes/

If you don’t go for the carbon fiber base, definitely spend the $10 for the stiffener plate mentioned above.

If you’re mechanically inclined at all, put your air saddle together yourself. It’s easy to do and there are plenty of “how to” writeups on the net.

If it were me, I’d get the Profile the first time around. I bought two 24" non-splined unicycles before I got a Profile. I’m of the opinion that its cheaper to get the Profile the first time around.

9

I like RancidFlannel’s idea. Go for the less expensive Velo saddle and upgrade to Profile cranks.

It sounds like the Velo saddle will be available in December. Use a temp saddle until the Velo is available. I haven’t seen the new and improved stiffer Velo, but I’m sure it will be a real good saddle. I’m going to be getting a Velo myself. No need to spend $170+ on a carbon fiber based saddle and then $40 more for a Reeder handle. The carbon saddles with rail adpater and the other extras are crazy spendy.

If you’re looking for a good temp saddle use a Viscount with sock airseat conversion that was described in an earlier thread.
<http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20623>
The Viscount has a metal base which will be strong. You can play around and figure out some sort of temporary handle for it. It’s only going to be temporary until you can get a Velo.

The DX32 is an excellent muni rim. The DX32 is 32mm wide (inside dimension where the tire sits). The Sun Doublewide is 33mm wide inside dimension. The Doublewide is only 1mm wider. The Doublewide is also a hefty rim. The DX32 is noticeably lighter. The DX32 is strong enough to take abuse. I don’t really consider the Doublewide to be an upgrade because I’d rather have the DX32. Save the $40 and put it towards a Profile hub instead of a rim.

A strong hub like the Profile is such a nice thing. You can huck and jump with no fear of breaking the hub or cranks. The other real nice feature is that the cranks are never going to fall off or get loose in the middle of a muni ride. It is so nice to have equipment that you can count on not to let you down in the middle of a ride.

A Yuni with Profile cranks, Velo saddle, DX32 rim and 24x3 tire will still be under your $650 budget. Yum.