If you are one of those superheroes I met yesterday who could one foot idle the London Eye on 102 mm cranks whilst playing the trombone, read no further. But anyone who, like me, is reasonably competent and experienced at road and trail riding, who is considering either a 28 or a Coker… read on MacDuff.
A few months ago, I asked this forum whether it would be better to buy a Coker or a 28 incher. Inevitably, I now have one of each: a standard Coker, and a Nimbus 28. How do they compare?
The frames are almost identical in style and construction. Cranks, pedals and seat/seat post: no significant differences. The only difference is the important one: the wheel.
The Coker wheel is chromed steel, wide and heavy with a big fat juicy tyre. The Nimbus, sold as a ‘commuting unicycle’ has a lovely elegant 700c aluminium alloy wheel with a very skinny (700 x 35c) tyre with a tread pattern suitable only for roads and dry tracks - perfect for its purpose. The Coker weighs around 19 pounds (mine is slightly modified now) and the Nimbus 28 weighs around 12 pounds - the difference is obvious when carrying or packing it, and when accelerating/decelerating. As the 28’s tyre is so skinny, it needs to be pumped up harder, and the ride is less comfortable.
But what about riding? My Coker presently has 125 mm cranks, and the Nimbus has 110s (127s are standard). The Coker has a ‘ratio’ of 28%, the Nimbus 31%. (The standard Coker has 150s, giving a ratio of 33%.)
With such a slight difference in leverage, I am surprised that I have consistently mounted the 28 first time, and that I was immediately able to idle it with either foot. Even with the original cranks, I can only idle the Coker on my good side for a few strokes. Whether it’s the weight, the height, or the momentum of the Coker wheel I don’t know.
The 28 is much more like a big 24 than a small Coker. For road use, it seems as safe as a unicycle can be. I have no worries about mounting it, riding it slowly or idling for short periods at junctions. Cruising speed is comparable (no measured figures, but I did nearly 20 miles today on a familiar route). UPDs are rare, and the 28 is so light it stops and doesn’t tear the seat.
The Coker is more of a beast, and mounting becomes a challenge if I’m tired or the conditions are not ideal. On the other hand, that knobbly tyre will blast through or over a lot of terrain that would stop the commuter. Idling at a junction would be unsafe (at my level of ability) and slow manoeuvring takes more planning. And when you UPD a Coker flat out, it chases you down the road, tearing its seat to shreds. I have UPDd each in a ‘flat out’ speed run. I jogged away from the 28; I body surfed away from the Coker.
So which is best? The 28 is clearly the sensible choice for road use. It’s safer in traffic, more manageable when you’re tired, and lighter and more compact when you want to transport it. If ever a unicycle could be called ‘a viable personal transport option’ then this is it. For night riding on the public highway, it will be the 28 because it’s safe and reliable. But the Coker… well, if I could only have one of these two, it would be the Coker - it’s simply more fun.