I’ve put my Oregon through a lot,
and just recently sold my KH24 (which i loved dearly).
So I figured now is a good time to type up a review of this beast of a unicycle.
Spoiler: It’s one hell of a beast!
let’s get right to it:
Pros:
- Dwarfs other MUnis
After any decent seat time on the Oregon, other MUnis may start to feel like dainty little toys. At first I thought this "macho"ness would begin to wear-off, but it’s been many rides and it’s still going strong.
- Super-smooth riding
The fatty of a tire soaks-up all sorts of little things that would normally send jitters up your seat post and into your testicles.
- Eats rocks
The larger diameter, and fat tire allow this MUni to roll over things that were otherwise non-rollable.
- Flies
The massive air-volume in this tire allows for phenomenal compression/flight. If you hit any ramps, this MUni will likely launch you further and higher.
- Super Traction
More rubber to the ground = more traction. Meaning: less slips and less “burn-outs”.
- Lots of tire / rim options
There are already a substantial amount of tire / rim options currently available that would fit this MUni. Fat bikes are growing in popularity… and that means even more tire / rim options are bound to pop-up.
Cons:
- Harder to control
Noobs need not apply. This MUni can have a mind of it’s own sometimes and you need to know how to tame the beast.
- Ride characteristics change drastically with tire-pressure
No big deal if you take the time to dial-in the ideal pressure, but if you aren’t dialed-in then it can be Mr Toad’s Wild Ride.
- Heavier (brakeless KH24 = 14.6lbs. Nimbus Oregon (w/brake) = 17.4lbs.)
For the most part, the additional 2.8lbs isn’t a big deal. But when it comes to long up-hill climbs you’d likely get further on a brakeless KH24. But who buys a MUni for long uphill climbs anyway?
- Harder to travel with
Takes up more trunk-space, and requires a larger bag for airplane travel. The MUni still flies without extra fees if you get the right bag (Easton Double Wheel Travel Bag).
- Expensive
Be prepared to spend ~$1,000, and replacement tires will run you ~$150.
- Skinnies are more challenging
Perhaps it’s obvious, but skinnies are trickier w/ a fatter / larger diameter tire.
- Doesn’t like landing w/ sideways movement.
The larger tire folds more on sideways landings. Pinch-flatting is possible in such scenarios. As an added bonus, when the tire is squished sideways like that it will quickly re-bound from such a strange landing. If you land with sideways movement, expect this tire to push-back a little.
- I experienced initial brake-problems.
And it was driving me absolutely crazy. Josh @ UDC says my brake issues were not experienced by others, but he was willing to work with me to find a solution to my problem. I now run a Magura brake caliper + disc instead of the stock Tektro. I still use the stock Tektro brake lever though.
Final thoughts:
- The Nimbus Oregon is my go-to MUni.
(it’s now my only MUni)
It’s only a matter of time before similar (“light-weight”) fat-tire MUni’s like the Nimbus Oregon become the norm. I’m looking forward to seeing future 26" Fatties.
I’ll be rockin’ this MUni till I find something better.
now for some action pics:
(taken from Tom Holub’s Flickr account, which is made awesome by his awesome photography skills)
link to Tom’s blog:
-Josh!
