So I am looking at unicycles, specifically Kris Holm and Nimbus. I think that the consensus here is that Kris Holm unicycles probably have a better build quality, but they are made out of aluminum while Nimbus unicycles are made from steel. Isn’t steel supposed to be stronger than aluminum, or is 7005 aluminum different. I am looking for sturdiness.
That depends on the Nimbus Unicycle you are considering. The higher end Nimbus unicycles also have aluminum frames. Both brands have a reputation for high quality products. The lower end Nimbus stuff will be heavier but possibly stronger than the more expensive goodies.
On steel vs aluminum alloy, steel is stronger per volume while aluminum is stronger per weight. Steel can take more stress cycles without weakening. A aluminum frame tends to be lighter and stiffer but will have a shorter service life. Most people will never break an aluminum Nimbus or KH frame.
Unless you are doing some pretty crazy stuff I don’t think you have to worry. Kh or any nimbus will serve you well. What type of unicycling are you planning on doing. What’s your skill level and budget?
Both KH and Nimbus are great uni’s. An aluminum will eventually crack at some point, but it’s probably unlikely you’d ever get to that point, or you’d see a lot of frames on here cracking and breaking. You could potentially bend a steel frame, but you can usually bend it back without any issues. Aluminum doesn’t bend.
Aluminum will be stiffer and lighter, but in the frame, weight really shouldn’t make much of a difference. KH frames have a disc tab on them, Nimbus frames use the D-brake. If you brake a disc tab, you need to get a new frame, if you break/bend a D-brake, you just need a D-brake.
I however really like UDC and their Nimbus products, so I tend to be very loyal to that brand. I’ve never had problems, and have beat the dog sh*t out of my Muni’s with no issues at all. They are a bit heavier, but a lot of that can be fixed with lighter tires/tubes etc.
It’s like with bikes, as the weight goes down, price goes up.
That’s my .02, hope it helps…
Thanks everyone. Your answers helped me a lot. Although I like the look of Kris Holm unicycles, I think that I’ll probably get a Nimbus instead. I hear that bigger wheels are weaker than smaller ones. How much weaker are we talking about here. Can it carry 300lbs (me, supply, groceries, etc)?
You shouldn’t have an issue. The Nimbus rim is probably stronger than KH, which isn’t a weak rim by any stretch.
Wheel strength isn’t the issue it used to be and is a bigger issue with bikes which have much skinnier (and off-center) hub flanges. I would stay clear of the Oracle if you are worried about wheel strength though. Basically as long as you have a well built symmetrical wheel and a modern wide rim you should be fine.
If you get a standard Nimbus and want to add disk brakes adding KH cranks and a D’brake adaptor would work a treat, or you could throw Brycer a bone and pick up a set of maguras.