Nimbus Oregon Review!

Unicycles and Equipment
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UDC asked me to test their new 26er Nimbus Oregon, and give them my feedback. Struck with a sudden burst of creative ideas, I decided to go all out and make a comprehensive review video, highlighting the unique features of the Oregon, technical riding, and my rating review.

There’s lots of variety and humor throughout, and I found some fun ways to describe certain features, like, “The super wide Larry tire has more volume than a WHO concert!” :smiley:

I was also inspired to make a cool little animated “morphing” promo, including a slogan I wrote for it as well. At the very end see how my other unicycles “react” to the newest arrival, haha!

I would love to hear insights and opinions from other Oregon owners, Larry tire users, and/or those who might be thinking of getting one. I put more time and effort into this video than anything I’ve done, and I hope you enjoy and comment. :slight_smile:

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monster muni !

nice video , you are the guy !!!
(from the sunshine state)

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Great review! Looks like a really fun unicycle. I loved the ending with the unicycles talking, hilarious!

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haha the best bit is the ending with the talking unicycles :slight_smile:

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Funny stuff Terry :smiley:

Lots of tire, really makes a differnce playing with psi, we’re running 8-12 psi depending on rider weight (150/200#) and surface conditions (snow/mud = 8-10psi, hardpack = 10-12psi.

I see UDC is now using the bearing mount for the caliper, interesting, wonder why they skipped the frame mount…which did have some issues in the early model.

It is a lot of tire and would likely benefit from a bar of sorts, both to get more leverage and for steering. I noticed you seemed to work a little harder on jumps, and drops, which makes sense considering the wheel and tire " bulk". The downhill rolling comfort and abstacle absorption is the beneficial trade off.

Are you running the stock 165’s? We bumped up to 170’s for more control, but have considered trying some shorter cranks (150’s) since that’s what I’m riding on my other unis.

The hub width is worth mentioning : UDC increased the width to accomodate the disc, adding 25mm, so the cranks have minimal Q factor, but are still as wide as a standard 100mm hub running KH Moments. In other words, adding a high crank would make it super-super wide.

The disc brake is pretty amazing, no wet weather fade, low maintenance, can chqnge out wheels easier, and it has all the power you’d ever want. We’re running a Shimano M535, which is a low end caliper and weaker caliper than a Avid Juicy, but works fine because a more powerful caliper might be too powerful.

So Terry, do you think you’ll ride it much compared to the 24 x 3 or the 26 x 2.4 guni?

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I find the Oregon to be almost the same as my other unicycles. It isn’t any harder to ride up/downhill. It isn’t any harder to turn. My only issue is that I feel so much trail camber. As much as I hate road camber, the Oregon really exaggerates the problem both on and off road. I’ve played around with tire pressure, but haven’t solved that problem yet. It means that I usually choose a different unicycle to go ride.

The fat tire is good in loose rock, gravel, and sand. It is not good in mud. Thanks for the video. It inspires me to get out there and play around with it. The brake line is way too long. I don’t know how to shorten it so it’s wrapped a couple of times and still hits my leg.

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Thanks Ben and everyone for the comments. Here are some specific thoughts on the “Nimbigon”. :smiley: Btw, I thought of a funny little line: “Want to ‘Roll a Fatty?’ Get a Nimbus Oregon!” :stuck_out_tongue:

The Larry Tire, etc. I found it to be a very “cushy” ride, absorbing and rolling over tech-terrain with ease. But…it tends to throw you off line at random times, making it harder to control and maneuver than more traditional, narrower DH tires.

I think this is mostly due to the long, narrow knob design, and not the actual tire’s shape (round, not square) or the width. I believe that if the knobs were shorter, and more sqaure, it would solve the “wandering” issue. Tweaking the psi does seem to help, and also after a break in period, it could become more controllable as well.

Since most people will want to cut off a LOT of excess from the brake line–I HATE wrapping it around the seatpost–that UDC should include an extra “olive” type fitting. My LBS had to find the right one and it took a while.

Also, the long, vertical configuration of the master cyl. on above the brake lever makes it hard to reach! And if you want to add a spooner, which I strongly recommend, you’ll need to snip off 1/4" from the end of the lever to make it fit.

And the lever was also a little tricky to install onto the under saddle brake post. I had to loosen the lift handle before it would slide on in the correct position. It also requires a T25 star-shaped driver to loosen/tighten; the same tool used to install/remove the disc.

The little clip that holds the brake line broke within 15 minutes after I started my ride, and so now I have a regular zip tie on it. But a velcro strap (they make them small) would be best for quick release when necessary.

The frame’s width may be an issue for some who might brush against it while pedaling. I didn’t have that problem though. And I thought I might not like the nimbus gel saddle, since I’ve gotten so used to the FFR over the years. But to my surprise, it was very comfy.

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Yep, it does tend to “self-steer” a bit, and wanted to go one way when I wanted to go another. Again I think this is due to the long, dagger shapped knobs, and not the tire’s width or general shape, which is pretty round.

It sure is, and that’s why I think udc should include a fitting with the uni so it can be shortened, but you also have to know how to cut the line and insert the fitting without having to bleed the line, which is how my LBS did it, thankfully.

Btw, if you think the 3.8" wide Larry is fat, try the BIG FAT LARRY! :astonished:

I just found another 3.8 surly tire, the “Nate”. It looks like it would be much better on the trail, with it’s more traditional knobby tread pattern. The link shows the steel bead, but it also comes in a folding bead, and 200 grams lighter.

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I was going to ask for a written review for all us folks with dialup speed internet but looks like your post today covered most of it.

For the wandering tire feel please let us know if switching to a Nate helps. Personally I think it has more to do with the really wide tire with light casing needing a wider rim to support it.

When I first got a Larry to use with my Triton frame I used it on a 46mm rim and it was really bad for picking its own direction to go, switching to a 50mm rim helped a little but it was still not very good, tried a 65 and things felt pretty good all around and then got a 80mm rim and the wandering is almost gone but I am affected more by camber and it is harder to control in high grip situations.

In my cold snowy climate the Larry on a wide rim is doing very well on sintered/packed snow and is fun in light powder. In low grip situations camber doesn’t seem to matter.

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Looks like a really big unicycle for a really small practical riding range.

Boggles my mind that something like this would make it into production. :thinking:

Why wouldn’t they make a sweet 26 muni with a disk brake that was light AND PRACTICAL???

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…

[missed the 10 min. cutoff to edit, and had a bit more to say…]

I think I understand the driving force behind this thing, but to me it seems like they are going about it from the wrong side. Why come out with a huge tire/wheel combo that most people don’t need or want, instead come out with a tire/wheel combo that most people would benefit from, that would also accommodate the big huge tire.

Maybe I’m just thinking about this too logically…

Anyway, it’s a great review. The talking uni’s at the end are awesome!

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Nimbus already has a nice line of MUnis, If you want a “practical” unicycle you can get one of those.

They already had the wide disk hub, there were a lack of fat unicycles since Surly got out of the unicycle business, fat bikes are starting to take off so there will be spinoffs, and it has major cool factor. Seems like a good enough reason to develop a product and help drive an underdeveloped market.

And some of us have more snowy months than dry. The Oregon is probably the most “practical” production unicycle for people who ride a lot on snow trails.

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I am deciding between this and a n29 any suggestions?

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You’re points are good ones. So really, this is a machine for snow? ( I’m just trying to understand it.)

Sometimes I forget about the rest of the world, parts covered in snow and parts covered in sand. I suppose it makes more sense to me now :slight_smile: It definitely looks badass

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Couple more thoughts on the Oregon:

The large size of the Oregon may make smaller riders work harder, esp in off camber situations. There are other fat tire choices, but the Larry seems to be the best so far. I tried a BFL and it was worse on off camber trails; the wider tired on the same 65 mm LM rim made the tire crown. I played with a Nate yesterday, met a guy who had one on the back of his Pugsley and a Larry on the front. The Nate has a central mini chevron pattern which would likely worsen the “autostear” problems, kinda like the original Surly fat tire: Endomorph.

If you are having problems with the tire having a “mind of it’s own”, I strongly recommend dropping the pressure as low as you can go without rim strike. A smaller person, say 125-150# could esilly run as low as 6psi. It also helps to run a better tube, I’m running a 26 x 3.0 Duro DH tube, and though it’s heavy, it helps support the sidewall and lets me run lower pressures safely. In order to run the shraeder valve you need increase the valve hole in the rim, which is easilly done.

The stock Nimbus Bengal brake master is not my fav and resides unused on a shelf. It has all the problems Terry mentioned, which is why I use a Shimano. I sorta wish they’d spec the Oregon without the brake option as some folks may not even need a brake, esp with long cranks; this would also allow buyers to pick their own brake.

It’s very curious to see Nimbus using the bearing cap brake mount, makes me wonder if they will use it for all their new munis vs a frame mount. Anyone?

Oh, and shorter cranks would also reduce wandering, maybe a 150mm Venture?

I’ll be pulling out the Oregon when I get home and changing cranks, so I’ll let folks know how that changes the wandering, though I have to admit that I don’t find the Oregon to wander so much as insist on holding a line. Hmmm, that reminds me, the Oregon likes a lot of body language and once on a line it wants to be ridden straight down the fall line, so setting up for a line on DH is a bit more technical. This is in part due to the
large tire height as much as it is the width.

@ Anton: the Oregon was designed around a fat tire, it is for snow, mud, and riding over obstacles with maximum shock absorption. It is not meant to be agile as there are many, many other munis that are agile due to having smaller tires; and those smaller tirs are nowhere near as good in mud and snow. Think of tires as being the single biggest difference between munis, so width and heighth dimensions, tread design, casing design, wheel size, all make a muni specific or “better” for some uses than others. Is the useful range of application for the Oregon narrower? I don’t think so and neither does the designed (Josh) or my son who both ride an Oregon most of the time. My son is 6’4", and Josh is no shorty, so height probably plays a part in what they like. My son considers my 29 x 2.4 to a sports car while he calls the Oregon a 4 x 4. I use the Oregon for snow and mud when a bigger footprint is best for traction, and what i notice most is that it sucks up technical terrain that would stop a 29er.

I’d like to see the frame narrowed so it would be more practical for wheel swap, say to a 26 x 3 or a 29 x 2.5, that would make it more usable over a range, but as it sits the frame is very wide for the Larry and way to wide for a 3" tire.

Also keep in mind that the Larry is not just wider, but taller, with nearly the same diameter as a tall 29er tire like the Ardent or Dissent, so it rides big and fast. When Surly started the fat tire craze, they had in mind to build a fat 24" and went as far as to create a 24" LM rim, but the 24" tire was never molded. Such a tire; 24 x 3.8" would be on par with a Gazz, but less bulky.

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@ Wes, dude, just ride your 26, you don’t need another muni. You rode my Surly, do you remember how much more challenging it was to ride than your Torker? As to a 29er, yeah, they are great for going fast on XC, but they are also more challenging to ride on technical terrain. For example, Haw Ridge is harder on a 29 than on a 26 due to all the roots and rocks, whereas Concord is easy XC and is better with a 29 because you can go faster. When we rode Raccoon Mountain, do you think you could have handled a taller wheel and/or a harder to ride muni?

Last Spring I rode an 18mile single track mtb race at Panther Creek, two laps of nine miles, first lap was on the 29er, second lap was on the Oregon. The Oregon most definitely wore me out more than the 29er and though the ride was softer, I had to expend more energy to do the same job. The trail was variable from easy XC to moderate technical terrain, might have been better to ride a 26 guni :smiley:

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Like rolling on a bloated hoop-snake! Terrific video and review and the ending was much appreciated by me, myself and I and the other guy.
Mighty fine riding by the way.
What psi are you rolling on that Larry?
Shug

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Thanks Shug. I don’t know what psi I was running since I kept letting air out until it just “felt” right, haha. That’s how I usually do it, and go by feel. But it’s probably around 10 psi I’d reckon.

And here’s a little breakdown of the “making of” the video:

Making this video was more complicated than anything I have previously done, and required a lot of trial & error. When I started talking about the features of the Oregon while on the trail, there was a great deal of wind noise, so I had to go back to a local trail the next day, to re-record the narration, replacing the original that was mostly inaudible.

Then, rather than just have one long shot of me talking about the features, I decided to intercut close ups of each component as I described them, to make it more visually interesting. Later, while giving my review, you notice I’m wearing my sunglasses. I did this because I had my written review in front of me next to the camera, so I could read it, while still appearing to be looking directly into the camera!

I had just written it about an hour before and didn’t have time to memorize it all, plus, my camera was about to lose battery power, so I had to get it done in one take, which luckily I did. It’s also why I seem to be speaking pretty fast, haha!

Then the “picture in picture” of the spoke “nipples” part was tricky to get right, and took a fair amount of time. The animated morph segment was actually the very first thing I made, before any filming was done. It took about three days to complete, starting with finding the software to do it, then learning how to use it, and coming up with the idea and slogan. I must thank Dani Buron for helping me a LOT with learning how to use the software!

Finally, and by far the most challenging part was the “stop action” end sequence, with the unicycles “reacting”, laughing and talking. Talk about trial & error; there was a ton of that! For example, just the “shaking heads” segment consisted of close to 100 separate clips, less than 1/10th second each!

The only part that was filmed in “real time”, was the Oregon’s moving brake lever/mouth. I attached fishing line to the spooner, and ran it up to the ceiling, fed it through an eye hook, then back down to me, out of camera. I simply pulled down on it to make the lever go up and down.

I did all the voices, but the “laughing” sounds were from the movie, “Evil Dead 2”, where the possessed furniture starts laughing demonically. It was great fun making this video, and I basically learned a lot of new filming and editing techniques as I went along.

So, if you want to “Roll a Fatty”, get yourself a Nimbus Oregon! :slight_smile:

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Great review Terry. Now it’s time for a road trip up North so that you can test the Oregon on some Oregon soil. I’m your first stop just across the border. See you soon.

Geoff

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I have been riding a few days a week of muni and rideing to school on the street so i am going to do the 29er