Does anyone have feedback that they would like to share on the plastic mag wheel
unicycles.
Wayne van Wijk wayne@jester.com.au
Visit www.jester.com.au for Entertainment, Workshops and Circus Supplies
RE: plastic wheel uni
> Does anyone have feedback that they would like to share on the plastic mag
> wheel unicycles.
I have limited experience. What I know is that in general they’re fine for
kids, but don’t hold up well under lots of weight and stress. Of course
there have been many brands over the years (though it’s hard to know whether
or not everything is coming from the same factory…) and some may be
stronger than others.
I imagine the weak point is where the steel axle connects to the nylon wheel. If
this is not a real strong join, breakage can occur here.
I’m not aware of any mag wheel unicycles that are nearly the equivalent of a
good 36 spoked 20" wheel.
Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone http://www.unicycling.com
“I’ve had football crammed down my throat all my life. So now I like football.”
– 90 year old Ravens fan, commenting on the Superbowl
Re: plastic wheel uni
I’m 5’ in height and 125lbs.
I’ve been riding a red 20" 5 spoked plastic wheel for a number of years now,
which I purchased in Japan in 1993. The brand name says “Garden Harvest
Plastic Co. Ltd”.
Each spoke has two side ribs, so the cross section of the spoke is a “+”. The
spokes, which are quite thick plastic, are not perfectly radial, but off
centered, like regular wheel spokes. Near the hub are additional reinforcements
of plastic. The rim comes with holes for a reflector, which I have not put on.
The bearings are Norco-style, with two bolts on each side of the frame.
The uni has cottered pins, which loosen once in a while, particularly if I do
lots of backwards riding, but I smack 'em down and tighten them up ok. I’ve
replaced the pedals and seat, both which were worn out. The frame has a U shape,
so putting your feet up for one-wheeled riding isn’t so easy, but then again I’m
not up to that skill level yet.
Unlike bike/better uni rims, the inner part of the rim has no extra metal bead
to hold in the wire of the tire, so I have to keep the tire pressure below 60
psi. I learned this the hard way by pumping up my tire to 80 psi and blowing out
the inner tube. Three times. I use a 2" wide IRC Flatlander tire (max 90 psi),
which is great. The rim has never gone out of true.
Riding my red uni is fabs. It’s light and nimble, and I continue to ride it in
the gym. I’ve learned lots of tricks on it and so far I’ve not cracked it up. I
do realize that it probably won’t survive a 3’ drop off a picnic table, so I’m
very careful with it. I have gone off curbs with no problems. It does not rust,
so riding in the snow and rain is worry-free. When I see a nice 20" replacement
with a double wide rim I’ll get it. When riding with my group the
http://torontounicyclists.tripod.com who all have standard chrome mounts, I do
get a lot more attention because the red really stands out.
Maybe because I’m light and very careful with my uni I’ve had good luck and have
not destroyed it. But if I was to choose between a metal rim or a plastic rim,
I’d go for the metal one. Metal spokes can be fixed. Once you crack your plastic
rim it’s game over.
Just to let you know, most of the kids in Japan that I saw, who ride unis for
physical education in elementary school, all use plastic rims, so they make lots
of these things. I found it difficult to find any uni other than one with a
plastic rim. Yes, Miyatas were around but were quite expensive.
I hope this helps.
Don.
In article <000701c08976$65d6dc20$c9302fca@pavilion>, “Wayne van Wijk”
<jester2@gil.com.au> wrote:
> Does anyone have feedback that they would like to share on the
plastic mag
> wheel unicycles.
>
> Wayne van Wijk wayne@jester.com.au
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