Over the past year, I bought a number of 20 inch Torkers and a Schwinn for riding along the local paved aerobics exercise routes. My unis are typically $40 on Craigslist as these are usually cheaper than ordering parts. I enjoy riding but am also curious about the better quality unis such as Nimbus or KH. For a guy who cannot do anything but ride long distance on a uni, is a Torker just right? Or am I missing out on a really great riding experince by not having a higher end uni?
Also, a question regarding parts: With the Torkers, I wait until another Torker pops up on CL for replacement parts. In the Dallas/Fortworth area, Torkers (or similar) are offered weekly so I haven’t suffered any down time waiting for parts. The point is that I have gone through many parts and all I do is ride down a paved trail: no hopping, no jumping, no flips…nada. Yet I have had to replace my seat, post, pedals, and wheel (twice). With a higher end uni, do you still replace parts at the same rate as the inexpensive units?
Thanks. Dan
I’m certainly not going to tell you that you’ll never experience another problem if you buy a quality Nimbus or KH uni, and I’m also not one of those who looks down upon anything of lesser quality, but to some extent you DO get what you pay for. I have a stable full of Nimbuses (Nimbi?) and ride them hard, on trails and on pavement, and the only repair work I’ve done is replace a couple of broken spokes.
Look up the DFW Unicycle Club on Facebook. We meet weekly in Allen and ride various trails or White Rock Lake a couple of times a week. We’re all happy to let you ride our uni and point out the components that led us to invest a little more.
Yeah, u get what u pay for, quality and experience.
I think the thing you’d like the best is a bigger wheel, like a 29". U wouldn’t need to get a more $ brand, but personally I’d never consider something lower than a Nimbus or QuAx, now that I can ride and now what kind of riding I like to do.
Thanks for the offer. It would be great to meet uni enthusiasts in the area…
I see your next meet is Sunday the 10th. Can’t make it then, but I will keep looking.
Thanks again.
Dan
If you are riding CL specials into the ground then you should definitely consider a better uni. However, the type of riding you are describing doesn’t necessarily require a $350+ ISIS hub uni if that’s not in your budget. A decent square taper uni should be suitable for extended paved road/path riding.
As for whether Torkers are suitable they have several different models of unicycle.
The CX is the basic model and designed for children. Smallish saddle and small wheels: 16, 20 & 24". If these are what you are buying I wouldn’t get another one.
The LX is better quality overall and is more suitable for larger riders (teenagers, adults.) It is available up to 26" wheel size. Do you know if any of the Torkers that you bought were LX?
The LX Pro is even better quality but only comes in 20". I’d suggest a larger wheel for distance riding but if you are gonna stay at 20" this is a much better choice than the LX (ISIS hub, Velo base saddle) for a little more money. $150 shipped off eBay atm, I usually see them around $180.
Club unicycles from UDC are also square taper. A little better than the Torker LX but also a little more expensive, especially if you have to tack on $30-$40 more for shipping.
Hayneedle has a decent selection of Club (and Nimbus) unicycles with free shipping.
eBay generally seems to be the cheapest source for new Torkers.
BTW, what kind of wheel failures did you have? If you are shearing off spindles then maybe you should steer away from square taper after all.
Purchasing a Nimbus unicycle in the appropriate sized wheel for your style would be money well spent in my opinion. A few people I work with have purchased lower end unicycles to learn on and they just sit in the back room while they learn on my Nimbus 20". The point is; there is huge quality difference and riding on a stiff stable unicycle with a comfortable saddle is much more enjoyable. One more big plus for you also will be an end to your broken parts, Nimbus uni’s are built with great components that are strong enough for just about anything.
Mad: Now that you mention it, the last Torker I bought was a LX.
I moved the wheel over to my CX frame (only because I like the color blue).
Looking back on it, I should have moved my existing saddle and seat post to
the LX. That would get me onto the LX level.
You’ve probably seen the Nimbus 29er listed on Dallas’s Craigslist. That’s a high-end uni with a top of the line brake setup you can pick up for about $500. That’s a lot, but it would meet just about any need you have. The guy selling it is often at the Sunday evening meetings in Allen and would probably let you test ride it. He also once mentioned the potential for selling it for less without the brake.
I’m getting back into uni (muni). I’m wondering if I should go with a 24" or 26" nimbus. The red 26" is on sale right now. I’m 6’ 3" and will be riding trails in Austin… but I’d also like to do some tricks on the street in front of my house. Any suggestions?
I’d get the 26 that’s on sale. I don’t think the trails around Austin are rocky and steep enough that you need a 24 to get through them. The 26 gives you a little extra speed and many more tire choices.
Neither one is going to be that great for tricks, but honestly you adapt to what you have. I’ve seen people coast, wheel walk, do big hops, and trials on munis before, so it’s all possible.
Since you are tall i say the 26. i ride a 26 on true downhill trails and lots of steep drops. I have also ridden trials and street on it. i can coast and kinda WW so you should be good. fyi im 6’4
I’ve known two taller guys in Austin who ride 36" wheels on the trails like Walnut Creek and St Ed’s. I’ve seen them ride some stuff that I’d be reluctant to do with my 24x3 Muni, but they’re younger and crazier than I am. Those Coker riders are a pretty radical bunch.
would you say a 24" is way more nimbler than a 26" or just somewhat more nimbler that a 26"? Is there a muni group in austin? I saw some webpage but it didn’t look “thriving”.
There’s a mailing list for Austin unicycling with some Muni riders on it:
You’re right there’s not been much activity lately. But send a message and I am sure you’ll get a response. There’s also activity outside of the mailing list.
2" isn’t much. The difference is noticeable, but it’s not night and day. With practice you can be very nimble on a 26".
I think 26" tire selection is a nice advantage. That Nimbus muni comes with a big heavy DH tire. You probably don’t need that where you are. There is a variety of lighter mountain bike tires that would improve the way it handles.
You have to know the secret trails that would require the use of the 26x3 Duro.
Some of the trails are littered with loose pebbles made of ground-up limestone that easily allow you to spin a wide grippy tire. It’s like riding on marbles sometimes.
The red 26" nimbus muni (300 bucks on sale right now) is on the way. It’s funny how excited I am. I haven’t ridden for probably 26 years… I’ll let you know when I’m ready to hit the trails. Thanks for the tire info Aaron…
Rather than make a new thread, I would like to ask here how to tell if my muni is 24" or 26" the outside diameter of the tire is about 26", (its a duro wildlife leopard) so I assumed that is what size it was, but the Duro says 24x3.0. Does this mean that my 26er is actually a 24er?
