+1
Am I the only one that thinks it is interesting that the main complaint against Nimbus unicycles is that you don’t see may videos by pro riders riding them? Now consider that Nimbus/UDC does not sponsor riders and that sponsored riders tend to ride the unicycle of their sponsor in videos to showcase their skill and equipment (that’s what it’s all about right?)
Nimbus parts and unicycles have a reputation of quality for a reasonable price. I have Nimbus hubs in all my unicycles except the Schlumpf (for obvious reasons) and have never had any problems with them.
Perhaps this thread should be a wake up call to UDC that they should start sponsoring riders to expose their products more to the video watching crowd, obviously a growing demographic.
I could care less what people ride, i listen to reviews and try for myself. The reason you dont see any nimbus unis in the high level street/flat/trials videos is the same reason I don’t use my nimbus anymore, it is a heavy frame and inferior wheelset… that doesn’t mean it is a bad uni, it just means for that range of riding, nimbus doesn’t have a good mid range product. Their trials uni is a great beginner uni, and I would imagine the titanium uni being good for a high level price. If they released something closer in price to a KH or impact etc uni with higher quality, i might be tempted to try it out…
I used tor to bypass the censorship.
It’s worth the effort, the vid is great. I wish I’d been this bad ass when I was that age. Heck, I wish I’d be this bad ass, now!
I’m going to jump into this “dead” thread now (BTW, the only way to “kill” a thread here is to stop looking at it :)).
UDC has nothing in common with Walmart. At all. If you had to compare UDC to a large retail chain, I would pick Sears. Perhaps meaningless to you youngsters out there, Sears more or less invented the idea of having a big catalog with everything in it. Unicycle.com did this for unicycles, way before anyone else. Sears sold a huge range of quality products, which you could buy from anywhere that had a mailbox. UDC is the online version of that, with unicycles.
UDC pioneered much of today’s unicycle market. When they started in 1999, you could barely call it a market. Unicycles were a niche within a niche in the bicycling market. Nobody paid much attention to them, and nearly every unicycle out there was designed by people who weren’t unicycle riders.
That said, UDC does not carry every brand of unicycle there is, and there are plenty of good brands. I give UDC partial credit for us having all those choices, by showing how unicycles should be sold (online, that is).
UDC does not sell low-end unicycles. In fact, none of the companies mentioned in this thread do. But they’re easy to find; have a look on eBay. Lots of cheapies, often with no brand name, mostly designed with price in mind, not by unicyclists. Today you can insulate yourself from most of the junk just by shopping at one of the specialty unicycle retailers.
Trials is the key word there. There aren’t really any low end Trials unicycles on the market, but there are some cheapies that look like Trials unicycles. And yes, “cheap” also has the connotation of being crappy. Cheaply made, and so on, which Nimbus products are not. In many cases the Nimbus brand is great for any rider on a budget, including me. I have a Nimbus Trials, and I’m a total nobody in the Trials world. Or I might be known as a Trials photographer…
I can name one: Roger Davies. He’s not famous for Trials, but he’s great at road riding and other things. Like designing unicycles.
As seen here in these forums or in a limited amount of other online places. The offline world is not often well represented in these forums. That’s where that other 99% that Roger mentioned are.
Based on what you’ve read here. Aware of any actual sales numbers? Manufacturers don’t often like to share those, but I bet Triton is one of the smallest sellers of (titanium) unicycle frames. This is not an indication of quality; it’s probably more about price, and about less people being aware that the brand exists.
Julia, you’re an excellent writer, especially for your age. But the hard part about online debating is not to write something that you understand, but to get it where your audience understands. It takes a lot of practice. Stick with it (not necessarily in this thread)!
So you admit you are squabbling! 
Just kidding. Yes, Roger is as old as he is, and you are as old as you aren’t.
Nobody can make you come back. That’s up to you alone.
Some people need to buy ultra strong to compensate for their developing technique. Others might be fine with a lower-priced model, as they’re lighter on their equipment, as I hope to be. If I ever get out and start really using it… 
Nimbus is not intended as a mid-level or low-priced brand. There’s actually a wide range of relative “level” within the brand. The best road handle on the market is the Nimbus Shadow (unless you prefer one of the others out there). And there are other excellent models throughout the brand. The Nimbus Trials (current version) is a big improvement over the Torker, for example, simply by not being a tank. It’s not a KH either; it’s $280 less (in the US market).
Julia just defends her personal meaning and I think that is legitimately.
Roger is an excellent designer and Nimbus is (my opinion) the most innovativ big brand.
And what exactly is the problem 
A lot of unicyclists like to be different (me too;)) and for my opinion it would be boring if everyone would ride Nimbus (or only one other brand).
lets be different and let us have different points of views - thousands of riders prefer Nimbus, some other happily do not!
@ Nurse Ben:
mad4one, Axel CF base, MountainUni, Triton, some high end Koxx parts and certainly some other (Surely?) products are not produced in China etc. and they will not move there cause it disagree with their philosophy;)
@ scott ttocs
+1:)
Small, young companies, too early yet to tell if they will stay domestic. KH was locally made at one point, as was Patagonia, North Face, etc…, while some just fade away: Surly Conundrum.
There is a lot we could talk about in regards to local vs global production. In the good ole USA we are gradually reducing our capacity to produce goods and when we do produce goods we limit the labor used to produce them, the result of which is we have eroded our employment base to the point that all we have left is white collar and service industry.
Feel for the young, they are going to grow old in a world of fewer choices and a lower quality of life 
It’s all very nice being sponsored and all, but the best thing about not being a sponsored rider is that you ‘can’ pick the parts you like.
I can’t speak for Street, but for XC Muni and Road, I’ve got a mix of Nimbus parts, Triton, Schlumpf, KH, Impact and Quax. Being restricted because of sponsorship means you don’t always get the best equipment.
Besides that, I can give an honest opinion on the stuff I use. For instance, I think the Nimbus Hub is rock solid, I’ve never been a fan of the 1st Gen Nimbus T7, but I can’t wait to try out the new version. My KH parts have been ok, but I’ve now wrecked two frames- it’s Triton or nothing from now on. I use Quax cranks because they’re lighter and straighter than KH Moments. I could sit on an Impact Naomi all day, but previous to that have been chopping up all my KH seats for a thinner version. I prefer riding Ungunis, but I’ve now got three Schlumpfs. Go figure.
I had all nimbus parts at one point and to be straight forward the cranks bent in less than 2 weeks and when i had the PC’s on and shaved CC with a tiny tube the unicycle was still heavy but i didnt much care about weight. Soon i replaced my frame with an Impact then replaced my wheelset with a K1 because i got some killer deals and i could still have a light strong unicycle.
now i ride a 24inch and my biggest concern when i started riding it was weight. Now my 24inch weighs in around 12.75lbs and its one of the strongest unis i have now.
UDC you guys make great products for the beginner level rider that is affordable and that is AWESOME.
I know you mentionned more or less, but I would say that Michael Thonet actually invented the idea of a catalog.
I will keep this short and sweet.
I simply wanted to mention the fact that UDC (thus Nimbus) does sponsor riders, depending on which country you are. I know that atleast UDC Canada, New Zealand, Australia, UK and Denmark do, can’t tell for all the others. It is not a full sponsorship like KH or K1 though, so it might be why you do not necessarily recognize their riders in videos. Plus, they do not have to ride only Nimbus, since UDC sells other brands.
Also, concerning street and trials riding only, Nimbus definitively has a strong wheelset. The hub is just as strong as a KH and the rim is almost unbreakable. Yes, it is smaller than others, but is is also one of the only undrilled rims left. This may sound like a drawback, but some people still prefer undrilled rims over drilled rims (weight vs strength ? :p). The weakest parts are the cranks, which are still appropriate for most kind of riding.
That’s all folks…
Hugo
Hey,
Interesting (dead) thread =)
Here are a couple of comments:
- There’s two ways to be low, mid-range or high-end. The first is by accident - e.g. to produce a (usually) low-end product because the ‘designer’ doesn’t understand what’s needed and can’t produce high quality. That pretty much sums up the low-end unicycles produced by no-name outfits and currently the big bike companies as well.
The second is by intention. In the this case, the designer is perfectly capable of producing at any part in the range, but is choosing to target a certain customer. This approach is challenging in the sense that you need to make hard decisions to reduce cost while understanding the major priorities of a mid-range customer. Except for a few items at the high-end, most of the Nimbus lineup fits this category.
In the case of my KH brand, I aim for the high-end of unicycles that can still be made in larger quantities. The higher price point lets me use more expensive materials and methods of production, at a price that’s more expensive than mid-range but still reasonable compared to the totally boutique (think $350 carbon Wallis saddles). This is also an intentional choice that reflects the strength of the KH brand and my own priorities as a rider myself.
- In addition to their support of festivals and meets, UDC does sponsor riders. Seven of the nine 2011 KH Factory Team athletes are co-sponsored by Unicycle.com franchises, and in some cases the KH team rider also is named within a team by the UDC franchise. UDC carries their house brands + independent brands too, and there isn’t conflict in a UDC team rider using KH gear.
Kris
There is a lot of great input in here for the thread being “dead”.
Now my only question is, has anybody actually come up with a list of distributors?
I only have a couple, but ill start.
Bedford unicycles(I can’t find the website anymore)
K1, I don’t know how to get a hold of them.
Those are the ones I know, even though I know there are at least a few more big ones. And a ton of places that carry the real cheapies, meaning inexpensive terribleness…
Sorry, never heard of him. Is he a giant retailer? 
I knew that history would be a little rough; just an analogy of what large chain to compare to. And I don’t know what countries Sears is in.
Any such list should be broken down by country. For example, Renegade.com is (was?) the exclusive distributor of Koxx-One in the US. But to get those same products in another country means you need a different source. Depending where you live, it often makes sense to buy from the distributor in your own country (if there is one). Shipping in from other countries can get expensive, as well as slow.
Da white rimmed nimbus
wtf, all this bout “nimbus is for beginner/intermediate”…untruee!!
first of all, i thought we already established in another thread that nimbus is just an old kh(05-06?) with the exception of the frame and venture cranks(which honestly are a tad weak, but that’s what moments are for :p)
they’re just as strong as the kh/koxx/mad4one or whatever. the only reason you’re paying less is because it’s an extra 1.5-2lbs.
that being said, yes they still need to finally make an undrilled 47mm rim for the nimbus. however, that doesn’t mean the rim is weak by any standards…just more prone to pinch flats.
don’t think that if you buy a nimbus and become a good rider your nimbus is going to just bite the dust and fall apart. that doesn’t even make any sense since beginning trial/street riders have absolutely horrible, rim smashing technique.
/SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMsPAM
this is only a fraction of riding done on this uni(white rimmed) i got back in oct09. i have done absolutely no maintenance on it, except changing frames because i get bored of colors. i literally haven’t even turned one nipple one degree, and the rim is 99.9% true. there’s one tiny little spot where it comes out maybe at most 1mm. after a year and a half of hard riding. and i weigh 185lbs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWKudakcSZs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20APvvw3RM8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG4S30z9YtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw2y0LYqJa4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiAF21xs208
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9Jr3-mPJ-4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6nkeCBwmNQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-6Lth99JN0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qciSxJrpjy8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8ZmmDyihoY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_Ja2mmwpps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKeLqKSEvI4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz775uuDH-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uCS7a32h70
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxs0rB_R0BQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB0hcIXowEk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaAarJcHrD0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OG77-gy-P0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbGx9bRL5zk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhBg8i9ykCg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CACgxDZ0Gtc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnKB_KgohGE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ0dqt1I7CI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwOGsGme-X0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bv1oGJxIH4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXQUSJOjH54
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEGURrBn6_0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVVVlrBJEx4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCQpQ48LVao
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qIsrwQ7uo8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOj7f5ICH4g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddB_KDkHrho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WBVa8isTvs
from the beginning to now. this uni will last forever:p
so…don’t let this thread discourage you from buying a nimbus(basically an older model kh)
if you’ve got the $580 and more, yeah go for the new kh or koxx, and mad4one hubs. i would. they’re all worth it and super light. but if you’re broke as hell and you only have $350, don’t go thinking "aww naw i’m not spending $350 on this “cheap” “beginning/intermediate” uni that won’t last.
cause it will last. again, i would recommend kh cranks though 
btw this is 1 of 4 of my nimbus :p. one is a 3 year old 48 spoke that’s reallly been beat down…and although not completely true…after all the thousand horrible technique drops the rim is more true than you’d think it would be haha. it’s still totally ride-able and probably will be for a couple more years.
/SPAMSPAMSPAM
oh yah, +1
Agreed on that one!
The adjectives low/mid-range/high-end don’t have anything to do with rider skill. Lots of beginners purchase top-end product, and many experts ride on mid-range product, and all of the above can for sure be happy with what they use. It’s a choice, not a value judgement.
It’s also worth some perspective here, on what is expensive, given that the top end of the pricepoint would barely get you a low/mid-range mountain bike. Vancouver (where I live) may be location central for the latter - it’s common for used mountain bikes to sell for over $4000 and over this past weekend of riding in Squamish, BC, I didn’t see a single mountain bike (of many) that I would estimate was worth less than $3000 new. I love that we get to ride the same terrain on something so much less complicated, and usually more reliable and less expensive.
Kris
I get a real thrill out of being able to afford to own and use the best unicycles made - something I could never afford to experience as a mountain b*ke rider.
It’s right to step back a little and remind ourselves that unicycles give a massive thrill return for your £/$ compared with most other bits of high end recreational kit. A KH24 will cost you the same as two pairs of oakley sunglasses!
+1 DSchmitt
Someone stated that the Qu-Ax was a low end. Their yellow hub uni is plenty strong, and has a wide rim. The 48 spokes makes it super strong and IMO overkill for most.
In addition to sponsorship a big reason why people don’t see top riders on Nimbus is they will get the lightest, reasonably strong uni they can afford, and therefore steel and Nimbus is out for most.
Also like Kris just said unis cost peanuts compared to MTB’s. The least expensive biginner FS mtb at my lbs is $1350 (the least expensive Specialized makes) and they have bikes in stock in the store for over $7500 
and that’s a road bike.
Is th eunicycle Universe Growing or Shrinking
Tons of good brands have disapeared that were the “thing” in their day: Wilder, Hunter, Dirt Muni, DM, Live Wire and Pashley Just to name a few.
Are ther e other distributors? I have seen Kris Holm being sold on Amazon, AE Bikes, (They gave a real bargain. I am sad that they were probably strong armed out of the business.) Bike Parts, Performance-Downhill, Outdoor GB, and AllUnicycles. Tons of Local Bike Stores cary various Unicycles. I have bought small Sun unicycles for my young boys and they are great for them.
In Short, “Search and ye shall find!”
Now those Kox One prototypes look cool as all hell!
I think that it would be safe to say that Nimbus is like Toyota. They are not the Maybach and Rolls Royce of the unicycle world but give you decent bang for the buck. My first serious unicycle was an Onza(With colabeled KH hub and crancks.) Not a bad unicycle but I should of bought a KH right off the bat.
Tooo many videos.