I just placed the order on Tuesday and the wheelbuild arrived Friday! Wow, A+ shipping, Unicycle.com :). I actually didn’t know the rim was white…I thought it was chrome, but white is even better!
I just took it for it’s first test spin - The weight difference makes a huge impact on the way it handles. Not only is it somewhat nicer to lug around, it’s also much more maneuverable. This should be nice to ride the LBI Unithon with.
I know, the Jim C’s are a bit bulky. I’m planning to pick up some twisted Odysseys soon.
Grrr… UDCUK haven’t had any spokes for ages. But if my wheel ever turns up it’ll be just like yours! (except I’m having a normal width ISIS hub). Very jealous.
I would’ve ordered mine in early april, but UDC (US) was out of the spokes until the 30th - so I was in a similar boat. ISIS hub, huh? I wish I had the cash to have sprung for that haha. Post pics when you get it!
It’s about the same price as the square-taper hubs… are you thinking of a Schlumpf geared hub?
I’ve got an extra-wide hub on my current steel coker wheel, but decided to go for ISIS this time (seems like the way unicycle cranks are going, and gives me the possibility of using the KH dual-holed cranks, although I’m not using those yet), which means no option of an extra-wide hub. In theory the standard-width hub will make the wheel a bit weaker, but I know loads of people using standard hubs with no problems, even cross-country, so I’ve decided to risk it (the new rim and spokes are better anyway so hopefully will make up for the narrower hub).
Hopefully Roger will get some spokes soon (he was expecting them a couple of weeks ago I think)…
OK, Roger’s spoke supply arrived and I got my wheel yesterday.
Haven’t had time to put it on the unicycle yet, but here are a couple of pics of the wheel FWIW. It’s certainly noticably lighter than my old wheel. I’ll weigh them when I’m doing the swap and see what the actual difference is. I’m guessing about 400-500g (the spokes alone save 200 I think).
I built up my 36er today and weighed all the parts as I swapped them over. The new wheel has saved a lot more weight than I guessed. For anyone who’s interested:
Old wheel (Qu-Ax steel rim, 12-gauge spokes, UDC extra wide hub): 3125g
New wheel (Stealth Pro rim, 14-gauge spokes, Nimbus ISIS hub): 2155g
Old cranks (steel): 685g
New cranks (Qu-Ax aluminium): 325g
Tyre (TA with about 2000 miles use): 1990g
Frame/saddle/seatpost/brake (Qu-Ax steel / KH Fusion / UDC 22.2 steel / bmx calliper with Tektro lever on steel bar end): 2670g
Forgot to weigh the pedals. They’re just standard DMR V8s (with pedal protectors at the moment).
Overall saving: 1330g, more than twice (almost three times) my guess, and all from the wheel.
I’m now starting to think I should save some weight from the saddle foam and bar end (it’s a REALLY heavy cheap steel one, but swapping it for a light one wouldn’t really make that much difference - I’ll probably cut the foam down a bit though and flatten the profile slightly while I’m at it).
I haven’t ridden it yet - might ride it to work tomorrow.
Here are a couple of pics of the complete machine (sorry about the quality - it was raining and the light was a bit funny):
I rode the new wheel to work today. Not at all sure if I like the 125mm cranks (I’ve always used 150s before) and because of that it took me 10 minutes longer than usual, but apart from that it’s nice. I’ll give it a bit longer to get used to the 125s, but I think there might be a bit too much cross-country on my route for those cranks - they’re OK on the road (although my top speed went down from 15.5 to 14.5mph because it felt so unstable, but hopefully that will improve as I get used to them), but on the gravel and grass on the moor they’re really quite nasty. I had to walk one stoney downhill section that I normally ride. And I missed every other freemount But it’s the first time I’ve ridden a coker on anything other than 150s, so I’ll give it a chance. I’ve got a pair of 145s as well, so I may end up using those for my commute and keeping the 125s for pure road riding.
Rob
EDIT:
No, 36. Qu-Ax made an exact rip-off of the original Coker with 36 hole steel rim…
I ride 125/150 dual hole KH cranks and as you have an isis hub I highly recommend them. I am also with you that 150s are very comfortable because I live in the mountains, however I like changing over to the 125s for longer distances.
I think 36" wheels look more impressive when they’re set up for shorter people, with a lower saddle. With loads of seatpost showing you lose the sense of scale. Those rocks in our wall are pretty big as well, which adds to the illusion… it’s definitely a 36 though, honest :o
I’m not ridiculously tall though - a bit under 6’2", with slightly short legs for my height (I wear 32" inside leg trousers).
I took a nice fall just yesterday when I hit a pothole I wasn’t looking for :). I’m okay though, just a few scratches. The T7 got a little banged up.
I rode 15 miles on Sunday and another 15 on Monday this week - My first decent rides on the new rim. It feels excellent. Powering up hills has never been easier. The best part is how much easier the overall handling feels. It’s much more nimble of a ride.
Give the 125’s some more time. My guess is that you’ll end up liking them a lot more. I went from 150’s as well and also felt a bit unstable at first. But once you get the feel for them, it’s almost as though hills get easier (?). Maybe it has to do with the extra speed you can pick up with them.
I’m going to try 114’s next. The wobble in my wheel at high speeds is starting to bug me.
I can see myself getting to like them on the road, but for my half-xc route to work I think they’re a bit too short. I’ve never been much of a road unicyclist anyway - that’s what bikes are for! That’s probably why I’ve never really become comfortable at high speeds on my coker - my top speed is around 15mph; any faster and I feel really unsafe. It amazes me how people manage to ride at 20mph without crashing on every tiny ripple in the road.
Actually the climbs weren’t too bad on the 125s - I almost made it up the steepest bit of my route (about 1:6 for nearly half a mile, with little bits probably 1:5), and I only stopped because of a horse in the middle of the road. I think I could have JUST made it to the top if I’d had a clear run, but there was no way I could mount on that hill (I can’t do it on 150s either). Downhills are a completely different matter though - utterly scary (and the new rim/brake block combination hasn’t bedded in yet )
I would’ve ordered mine in early april, but UDC (US) was out of the spokes until the 30th - so I was in a similar boat. ISIS hub, huh? I wish I had the cash to have sprung for that haha. Post pics when you get it!
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