Hey guys, I just ordered my first coker and I want to mount a rear rack on it. I’ve looked at few, but they all have a tilt on them so they work on bikes. Where can I find one without this. May I see some pics??? Thanks.
I put a rear rack and a trunk bag on my Coker. Pictures are in my Miscellaneous Stuff gallery. Details about it are in the thread JC Coker Handle (revision Beta 3).
The rear rack is made by Norco (Axiom). I just looked at their web site and I didn’t see that particular rack there. It may not be in the current catalog.
You’re not going to find that style of rack that will mount at a 90 degree angle so it is flat when used on a unicycle. They’re all designed for a sloping seatpost like on a bike. I took mine to a welder to have it cut and re-welded so it would be flat. The trick is finding a rack that has a design that makes it easy to cut the boom and re-weld it at a 90 degree angle. The Norco rack I found was perfect for that. The area where it is welded is flat. That means the welder could make a straight cut and an easy weld. But with that particular rack no longer on the Norco web site I don’t know how much longer it will be available. It’s still in the catalog at AEBike.com. Link to the rack is here: Axiom Journey Seatpost Rack.
Be aware that putting weight in the trunk bag will affect the handling of the unicycle. Sharp turns will be more difficult to do. Handling while climbing will also be adversely affected. But for just cruising on flat trails you don’t really notice the extra weight.
Doesn’t having a rack and bag of luggage there make mounting a bit tricky, and affect the steering?
The trunk bag doesn’t make mounting tricky. The trunk bag doesn’t really get in the way at all while mounting. You just spread your legs a little bit more and it’s as if it’s not even there.
The trunk bag does make mounting more difficult when there is a significant amount of weight in the bag. When I load up the trunk bag it takes me a couple tries to mount and every mount requires more concentration. With the bag being heavier you need to lift up more on the seat as you mount. It’s kind of like holding a dumbbell on the seat as you mount. Mounting becomes a weight lifting exercise. When the trunk bag is empty it’s not much of an issue at all.
I generally do a rolling style mount with the Coker (although not a true proper rolling mount). I line up the cranks in a known position. Push the unicycle two steps and then jump on. The trunk bag is not in the way for that style of mount. I can also do a static mount where you start with one foot already on the pedal, position the seat between the legs, and jump up and forwards.
The trunk bag does affect the steering. The weight in the trunk bag gives the unicycle more rotational inertia. It is more difficult to initiate an action-reaction style turn. It is more difficult to get the unicycle to initiate a turn and then once the unicycle is turning it is more difficult to exit the turn.
I wouldn’t ride with the trunk bag on an off-road style ride or a ride that would involve a lot of maneuvering. I also wouldn’t ride with the trunk bag if I was going to try the aggressive leaning over style turns. But for just regular cruising on mostly level ground or gentle hills the trunk bag isn’t a problem.
and that what I’m aiming to use it for.