What do you get for the extra money? Well, it varies depending on how much extra money, but let’s work up from the ground:
Tyre. The fatter the tyre, the better, for most applications. Good quality tyres will improve the steering of the unicycle. Fat tyres will aid hopping, bouncing and dropping. There are different qualities of inner tube, too.
Rim. A cheap rim will be heavy and not very strong. Or it will be steel which will be pretty strong, but usually badly made and prone to rust. An aluminium alloy rim will be lighter by comparison. The strongest rims have a box section. Rims can be pierced for different numbers of spokes. 36 is standard, but some have fewer and some have more.
Spokes. Yes, it does make a difference to the weight and strength as well as the cosmetic appearance.
Hub. There are different qualities as well as weights. The most obvious difference is that very good hubs are usually splined, which means that the ends of the axle are shaped like cogs, so that the cranks are held in line more securely, and the hub is less likely to be damaged by sudden applications of extreme force - maybe by a drop.
Wheel build. Most cheap wheels are factory built by machine. better ones are hand finished. the really good ones are hand built which is labour intensive. A well built wheel will be stronger and more durable. It will stay straight (‘true’) for longer,and absorb greater forces without breaking a spoke.
Cranks. At the very cheap end you get cottered cranks, which have an unsightly and vulnerable soft steel cotter pin holding them on. Most mid range cranks are fitted with a cotterless system with a concealed nut or bolt. The best are splined, but need to go with a splined hub.
And the cranks can be steel or aluminium alloy, solid or hollow, heavy or light, nicely finished or crude. Some designs are available in a range of lengths, whereas the cheap ones only come in one or two lengths. The length of the cranks is the single easiest thing to change if you ‘tune’ your unicycle to optimise it for a particular style of riding.
Pedals. Good pedals give good grip for your feet and make a huge diffeence to your power and control.
Bearing holders. These are at the very bottom of the forks. The cheapest are so-called ‘lollipop’ holders with a short stick which pokes up the hollow end of the fork. They are held in place with two screws or bolts each. They can be wobbly, and can damage the forks.
Pashley unicycles use something similar to a lollipop, but better designed. They can be difficult to remove if you need to change the tyre.
Most good quality unicycles have ‘main cap’ bearing holders. these look like a C lying on its back and they are held in place with two bolts. These holders or ‘clamps’ can be pressed steel or (better) machined. Machined ones are stronger. This style of bearing holder makes changing the tyre easy, and the bolts are easy to adjust.
The bearings. Can be sealed, semi sealed, or not sealed at all.
The frame. Different qualities and diameters of tube. Some are nicely shaped. Others are just cut from cylindrical tube. The fork can have a lugged crown or a lugless crown. There are cosmetic and practical differences to the various shapes of crown.
Seat clamp. The cheapest can be a hazard. They have sharp bits that gash your leg. The best sort has 2 Allen bolts and looks smart whilst being very secure. Some need an Allen key to adjust. Others have a cam action lever for quick adjustment.
Seat post. Different diameters (must be compatable with the frame) give different weights and different strengths. Different types have different tops allowing more or less adjustment of the position and angle of the seat.
Seat. Lots of different qualities and styles. Comfort is the biggest factor. Good seats have bumpers which can be replaced when they get badly battered by repeated falls. Some bumpers are held in place with screws; others use nuts and bolts - much better. Some seats have carbon fibre bases and are lighter and stronger. Some have removable covers, allowing for customisation, such as putting an air pillow underneath.
Handle. When you get good enough to hold a handle when riding, a handle can give you greater torque, and greater control on difficult terrain. Some handles are moulded into the seat; some are plastic extensions to the seat; others are metal items, strong but crude, which are great for MUni.
I don’t suppose that’s everything, and some people will disagree with some of the details of what I’ve said. However, a quick tour of the unicycle from the ground up shows that there can be significant differences between every component on two superficially similar unicycles.
But how does this affect you? Well, it really depends how far you want to push your riding. For comparison, I ride on and off road, sometimes 30 or 40 miles in a day (although usually nearer to 10 - 15 miles), and I make sure that all my unicycles have the right length of cranks, and good seats and pedals. I have a good metal handle on my MUni, and a Miyata plastic handle on my road machine. I’ve fitted a good fattish tyre to my MUni. All my main machines have speed/trip computers. I’ve never spent the extra for a splined hub, but I don’t do big jumps and drops and I’ve never broken a crank or hub.
So don’t automatically assume that you need the best of everything. In fact, I think it’s better to buy a reasonable machine, upgrade and customise it, and find out what style suits you best. Then you can design the perfect machine for your preferred use.
Or buy several. ;0)
