I’ve been looking around through local bike stores (im in Ontario, near toronto) and all they seem to have is the norco unis. I recently started on some no-name base model which i banged up quite a bit, and i can go long distances and do basic turns. I’m looking to try some offroading. Are the norcos good enough? Will they withstand average abuse/ relatively small drops? Alternatively, what is a good unicycle in about the $200CD price range.
I had a Norco M-uni (I have no upgraded it beyond recognition), and a friend of mine has a 24" Norco. The biggest question to ask you is what do you plan on doing with your uni, and which model of Norco are you looking at (I think they have a 20", a 24" and a trials that sais muni on it).
I can tell you pretty much all you might wanna know about them if you ask me some more specific questions. The Norco uni’s are not that strong (well at least the hub/cranks aren’t and they are rather important). The 20" is kind of pointless to buy if you already have a learner because that is all it is. The 24" is about the same but some people enjoy 24’s as a race unicycle but the Norco isn’t really built for that and since both have rounded crowns they are kind of pointless as freestyle unicycles.
The Norco Muni is a decent beginner trials uni but the problem with it is that it has a cotterless crank/hub setup, which means that if you do any larger drops, you have poor form landing from smaller drops, or you weigh more than nothing, you will probably bend or twist it pretty quickly. I bought one of them but with the intention of putting a higher quality hub and crank set up in it. I kind of regret doing so because it cost a fair amount more money than if I had just waited and bought a complete unicycle with a quality hub, but I really wanted one quick and it did well until it was upgraded.
Hopefully that helps, if you have any more questions please feel free to ask them, also which Norco uni where you looking at?
No you shouldn’t.
I had a norco, and it only broke after I did a five foot drop the third time. Two of my friends got a bedford light trials, and their cranks bent after going down a curb a few times.
DO NOT BUY THE BEDFORD LIGHT.
I have a norco with square-kind frame, and it lasted a long time. Now I have a profile in there:) . If I were you, I would buy an isis cranks set from division8.ca and replace your norco’s cranks.
The norco and the Bedford light duty are the exact same except for the frame (the bedford one has less tire clearance so is better for freestyle), seatpost clamp (the bedford one is less dangerous, I have lost all feeling in my foot from the norco one on multiple occasions.), and last but certainly not least is the seat, the norco one comes stock with a better one but if you get the bedford light it comes stock with a bedford seat I believe.
The cranks are still united cranks on both models. The same cranks also came on my lollypop uni.
The cranks are different. Bedford lights are shit, norco’s will last longer. I have had exprerience with both, and Norco is the longest lasting. My norco now has a profile in it, so I won’t need to worry about it.
My crank came bent… but that’s because my friend who owned it before me was doing jumps and grinds.
I bent it back straighter with a long piece of pipe, and I haven’t bent it yet.