I have run out of space in my storage, so I am needing to get rid on one of my unicycles out of necessity. It is an original Coker that I’ve had forever. It’s the same unicycle that I am riding in this video:
This unicycle has some rust but should be able to be cleaned up nicely with a bit of TLC. The main issue with it, however, is that the seat post has become rusted and fused to the frame, so it is impossible or nearly impossible to adjust the frame height. I’m about 5’10", so if you are anywhere between 5’9" and 5’11" I think you’d probably be able to fit on it ok. I will probably keep the pedals because they have these cool bumpers on the ends of them that were given to me as a gift by their inventor when I ran a Rolling Trials competition at Ray’s MTB park (the same place as in the video linked above) in Cleveland back in 2006 so they have some sentimental value, plus I thing they’re really cool.
I’d very much like this unicycle to go to someone who has really been wanting a 36er but hasn’t been able to afford one or get their hands on one for whatever reason. I am willing to offer this unicycle for FREE to anyone who will come pick it up.
To the future fortunate owner of this unicycle, if you fold a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil a few times to make a small rectangle a few layers thick, dip the foil in vinegar and then rub (not scrub) the frame, the rust will lift right off of the chrome and stick to the foil.
Here’s a before/after photo collage of the difference it made in my Titan 36”.
What a wonderfully generous offer! I’ve been toying with the idea of a 36er ever since I learned on my 24", but it was difficult to justify the cost. I would be very much interested, though I’m not in your area. Is there any possibility of shipping it? I’d be happy to pay for the shipping, plus a little bonus for your trouble. I’m located in Iowa.
Thank you. Your kind words are very much appreciated. That unicycle brought me a lot of joy and many great memories so I’m kind of bummed to let it go, but if I can find a good new home for it (and not someone who will just try to sell it), then it won’t sting as much to say goodbye to the unicycle that I loved more than any I’d ever owned or ridden prior. I actually preferred that rim over the lighter rim on my second Coker because the heavier weight and inertia of that rim made it very stable and allowed me to dive it into hairy turns (where my toes touched the ground) with a lot more ease than the Coker I had with the lighter rim. Back in those days I was kind of known at my local unicycle club (and in my neighborhood) for doing those severely banked turns. Unsuspecting New Yorkers and tourists who saw me banking those kind of turns would sometimes think I was about to wipe out and scream. Well the only other thing that eases my pain a bit in letting this Coker go is knowing that I have my Schlumpf hub and one day I will use it to build out a new 36er. And that 36er will have plenty of weight and inertia!
As soon as I saw a 36er for my first time I instantaneously knew they were something special and I set out to get my hands on one as soon as I could. After purchasing my first Coker (the one I’m offering) and going for my first ride, I was blown away. 36ers were an instant game changer in my opinion. They are what got me back into unicycling after a very long break (I hadn’t ridden since I was a teenager).
Regarding your question:
I do prefer to let it go locally because I am very busy at the moment and dealing with a lot of stuff in my life, but I won’t rule out shipping it to you. Not sure when I’d have time to get to it. Probably wouldn’t be immediately and could take me up to maybe a month or so.
The unicycle is old and definitely rideable, but surely needs TLC (removing the rust, truing the rim probably) and the shipping would likely be costly. I’m not sure it would be worth it. It may make more sense to spend your money on a used, local 36er that’s in better shape. Also, keep in mind that the seat post is fused to the frame, so you need to be somewhere close to 5’10" to fit on it comfortably. However, if a good local home cannot be found for it fairly soon, I will send it to you (at your cost) if you still want it. I won’t charge you anything for my time or for packaging materials. I will try to find someone in my neighborhood who is throwing out a refrigerator box or something similar and I will use that to make a custom box for the Coker.
Ray’s is great; I lived in Cleveland for a long time (pre-unicycle) and would hit it up. I was back to Cleveland for a visit a few years ago and went riding there on a rented bike, and asked the guy at the counter if anybody rode on a unicycle - he said somebody used to. Probably you!
Very generous offer, I hope it finds a good new home.
I completely understand. I’m in no hurry, so if it takes some time, that’s fine. And if you find someone in your area, good for them. Whoever gets this deal is fortunate indeed!
I’m 6’0", so I think it would be pretty close, even if not ideal.
As for finding a used one locally, there aren’t too many unicyclists in rural Iowa, so wherever I find one it will require shipping (or a road trip). I did hear of one guy riding a unicycle on RAGBRAI, but I don’t know what size. Hopefully bigger than my 24". It’s fun, but not exactly quick.
Given that you seem to have a fairly strong desire to enter the world of 36" unicycle riding and since you responded to my post before anyone else who could make good use of the unicycle (and asked about it), I wouldn’t feel right about giving my Coker to anyone else at this point. It’s yours.
When I can find some free time, I will ride my electric unicycle around my neighborhood searching for a cardboard box that will be large enough to transform into a box for the Coker. My eWheel will allow me to cover a greater distance during my search more efficiently than a traditional unicycle and since I’ll be standing up and not pedaling, it will make it easier for me to hold on to the box while riding home with the box that I find. It could be anywhere from a few days to a month at most until I find the box, pack up the Coker, and ship it off to you. I will keep you posted as I make progress. As mentioned in my post, I am going to hold on to the pedals (unless they won’t come off, either) because of the reasons I mentioned in my original post.
I hope you enjoy this new realm of unicycling! My best advice regarding learning is just have a lot of confidence and go! Don’t try to ride slow until you’ve mastered riding at a normal stride. 36ers open up a whole new world! Have fun with it!
Ray’s is awesome! Glad to hear they’re still in business and hopefully thriving! I ran a Rolling Trials competition there in 2006 and 2007. It was great fun! Who knows, maybe I could revive the event at some point if there were enough interest. In the meantime, I have an idea for a new unicycle discipline that I plan to introduce at a New York Unicycle Club meet sometime this spring. It may just be an exhibition, but it will give me a chance to see how people respond and get some feedback. I’ll try to post photos and video of it to the forum shortly afterward.
There’s a good chance that it was our group he was referring to when he said that unicyclists had been there before.
Wonderful! Thank you so much! I’m super excited. I’ll make sure to get good use out of it, and when I’m done with it (if ever) I’ll pass it on to someone just like you’re doing.
My pleasure to pass it on to a good home. That sounds great!
If you’re just going to be cruising it on the street, it should be fine, but if you’re planning to go up or down curbs or do off road riding on it, I highly recommend truing the rim first. And if you want it to look nice, I highly recommend the suggestion @Uni2ONE2 posted in this thread. I once found a tall rack someone was throwing out that fit perfectly in a small space in my kitchen. It was structurally in very good shape but very rusted up. I used that aluminum foil trick to make it look like new again. It works great!
After I find a box, customize it into a Coker box and get the Coker all packaged up, I will DM you for your address.
Hey Andy, great to hear from you. That video was thrilling, especially all those cool lines at Ray’s. I wish we had a place like that around here (Sacramento). Rember Bradley Bradley, who we used to do Sumo with? I would suggest him, but I don’t know if he still rides unis at all. He lives in the Huntington area but I haven’t seen him in many years, unfortunately.
Your stuck seatpost may be fixable by experienced bike shop people, though it probably depends on the severity of the rusting. It might not be a hopeless case.
I always liked the idea of Rolling Trials, but unfortunately it never became a thing. I liked it so much I stuck to trying to roll as many things as possible while others were getting better and better at big hops. I still don’t have a decent hop height. Lastly, I’m very curious to know what you plan to exhibit at an upcoming NYC Uni Club meeting…
Well, I’m a mechanic by trade, and I live in the rust belt, so I’m no stranger to rust, lol. I’ll have to see when I get it. Or maybe it’ll be just right for me and I won’t have to worry about it.
