I own a 24" Torker, and it has served as a great, durable learner uni, but I know soon I will want more. The seat is rather uncomfortable. I know I can replace my seat, but can other things on this Torker be upgraded too? Basically, is uni-stuff universal? Will all the crank-arms/pedals/hubs/wheels they sell at unicycle.com fit on my Torker?
And one more… If I plan to try muni sometime in the near future, would I be better off upgrading my 24" Torker or investing a little more in a new 20" made for Muni?
Thank you so much, and this looks like a great community!
According to Mojoe, you can fit a Yuni frame onto the Torker wheelset. This would allow you to fit a larger tire onto the wheel (although make sure you get the 26" Yuni if you want to run the 24x3" Gaz).
Buy a second uni. Your Torker will be great for learning tricks, and it will always be great for the next person to learn on. But a 20" anything makes for a relatively lousy MUni.
So, within your budget, find a MUni you like. 26" nominal wheel size. What I mean by nominal is that the really fat tires, like the 3" Gazz, are basically 26" in diameter. Watch out for the 26 x 3" Gazz, because it’s really big, at over 28"!
I’m no expert, but I’ve used a 20" unicycle for MUni, and I’ve heard that they are okay for that sort of thing. The only problem is that you can’t go really fast. You can get better torque out of a 20" (in my experience) and they are lighter than 24- or 26-inchers. You can go significantly faster with a larger wheel, though.
A 20" trials uni with a really fat tire would make a good low-speed MUni, I think. Just a thought.
Actually, a lot of people use 20" wheels for MUni, espeically in the UK apparently.
But yuck. I have a 20" Trials uni. I find it great for hopping, and terrible for pedaling on rough terrain. That little wheel sticks on every little bump! Sure it’s a challenge, I’d just rather be challenged by other stuff.
I’ve ridden trails on 20", 24", 26", 28", and 36" wheels. For any ride over a mile, the 20" would be my last choice, regardless of terrain. But if it’s real steep, the 20" would switch places with the Coker. Other than that, give me a 24 x 3" Gazzalodi (prox. 26" actual diameter) on any frame, and I’ll be happy. Most happy on a Wilder! Brake optional.
For long, rolling trails, an even bigger tire would be better. For really long rides without lots of hills or technical, the Coker is good. I used one for the Iron Horse Trail at UNICON (17 miles of basically flat fire road). For any real short or super-technical ride, a 20" would be okay, but I’d still prefer more diameter for the rolling parts. 20" is definitely better for hopping, because it’s naturally lighter.
A small diameter (20") wheel tends to get wedged into the irregularities of the trail when riding MUni. The larger the wheel diameter, the more easily the MUni will roll over the terrain or texture. Wheels larger than 24" that are strong enough for MUni get heavy quickly.
>So, within your budget, find a MUni you like. 26" nominal wheel size.
>What I mean by nominal is that the really fat tires, like the 3" Gazz,
>are basically 26" in diameter. Watch out for the 26 x 3" Gazz, because
>it’s really big, at over 28"!
John your point is valid, but to me and possibly to others your use of
the word “nominal” is confusing. “Nominal size” is what a tyre is
called, e.g. the 24 x 3" Gazzaloddi has a nominal diameter of 24". The
actual diameter of that tyre is close to 26". (The difference is
caused by technicalities in the way tyre diameters are defined.)
Klaas Bil
As long as the forum<->newsgroup link is only 50% reliable
I will post on both platforms. Sorry for any inconvenience.
No corrections planned for a future stats page.
Thanks for the comments, all! What I will probably end up doing is put some shorter cranks, better pedals, and a decent seat on my Torker and use it for neighborhood riding and learning stuff. Then in the near future I’m gonna build my Muni part by part, with advice from you guys of course :D.
I find a (real) 24 is most manoeuvreable in tight but fairly level spaces. The bigger wheels roll over obstacles better, but unless you put massive cranks on, you get less torque, so slower acceleration/deceleration. And re-mounting gets harder as the ride progresses. The (real) 26 is the best for stuff I consider to be rough, but I’m no MUni hard man; the 28 is best for speed and distance when the ground isn’t too rough, and the Coker is best for speed and distance when there is nothing to slow you down. It will blast through/over a short obstacle, but once it’s bogged down it’s bogged down.
And a 20? For the rider who seeks the most challenge but has the least opportunity? I know from bitter experience it’s a bad choice for a 20 mile ride in full Morris kit.
For someone of my weight and size (5’7" 140 pounds) 24’s the best all rounder.
