Sun Flat Top Extreme DX 24

Does anyone know if the Sun Flat Top Extreme DX 24 comes with a double wall or a single wall rim? The fact that the Sun site says it will support a rider up to 250 lbs would lead me to think that the rim is double wall but I haven’t been able to find anything online confirming either single or double wall. All the Sun site says is “alloy rim and stainless steel spokes”.

You don’t see many people on this forum riding or talking about them. I think the nimbus 2 would be a better choice.

Note: I do not have any experience with sun unicycles or have anything against them.

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From my research so far, the Nimbus line/ Nimbus 2 would indeed probably be a better choice over a unicycle from the Sun line but the Sun Flat Top Extreme DX 24 is a slightly different animal. The Extreme 24 will hold up to 250 lbs (as will the Nimbus) and it has a splined Isis crankset whereas the rest of the Sun line has the square tapered spindle. I just got an email from Sun Bicycles today and they informed me that the rim on the Extreme was single-walled so the Nimbus has a better (double-walled) rim.

This is how I’m looking at it so far. All-in, the Nimbus 2 will cost about $375. (uni+tax+shipping) All-in the Extreme 24 would cost $200. WAY back in the day when I learned on a cheap 16" Sears uni I rode it until it started falling apart. The pedals had about a 2" play in them when the wheel was held still and I also outgrew it to the point that the tire would barely hold my weight. I wanted to continue unicycling but I couldn’t ride it anymore. My main concerns with getting an adult unicycle was getting a good/reliable/durable crankset and a tire that would support my weight. It looks like both the Nimbus and the Extreme would fulfil those needs. I’m a 63 year old dude and I anticipate that my riding is going to be pretty low-key and tame, just having some fun and getting some exercise. I don’t see myself riding hard, doing tricks or making big hops or drops. I’m pretty confident that I will get into riding again after almost 50 years but there’s that chance that this could be one of those, “What were you thinking?” moments. I’m pretty sure either unicycle would serve my needs but with a price difference of $175, I’m leaning towards the Sun Extreme.

Just keep in mind, the wheel size you are going for is small for a guy your size. I only ride my 24 when I’m on a small trail or at a indoor bike park I ride at. Before you pull the trigger really think on that wheel size.

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A 24" seems huge compared to the 16" I remember riding as a kid and a 26" would be a bike tire! Since it’s been several decades since I last rode I’d be a beginner again. Would a 26" be difficult to learn on? It seems most buyer guides say that anything over 24" is for more experienced riders.

just my 2 cents worth, I learned on a 16 and then had a good 40 + year gap before I decided to give it a whirl again. I got a Torker 24" I believe the Sun Extreme is probably about the same. I relearned to ride within a week of 30 to 45 min practice sessions each morning before work. after that I just kept riding more and more, it took me almost 4 years to get to the point where I was hopping and pushing it to the point I broke it. I have a few now and replaced that Torker with a Nimbus II mini. what I’m trying to say is it’s a good plan to get the cheaper one while relearning as it may take you a while to out grow it. by then you will have a pretty good idea what direction you want to go

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I tend to be an over-thinker and over-analyzer so I’ll probably be torturing myself by changing my mind and going back and forth for a while. I’m pretty content with the idea of a 24" but then I think back to when I learned on 16" as a kid and how I had to pedal like an over-caffeinated gerbil to get anywhere! :smile: That makes me think that maybe I should go for a 26" for my size. I’ve watched videos of people riding 26-ers and they don’t look too big but I wouldn’t want to go bigger. If I go with a 26" I’m going to have to lay out a significantly bigger chunk of change. I wish Sun had a 26" Extreme at a friendlier price than the Nimbus .

I totally get the buy a cheapie (lots of them on Craigslist and FB Marketplace) to learn on approach but I’d be going into that knowing that whatever I got wouldn’t be designed to handle my weight (most seemed to be made for 150-200 lbs) and the practical me hates the idea of spending money and going into the deal knowing that it is not made for the task and bound to break plus I’d be going into it knowing that whatever cheapie I bought would just be discarded for what I really wanted once I learned to ride it. At this point if I went for a 24" I’d probably pick the Sun Extreme for the savings and if I went for a 26" I’d have to pony up for the Nimbus II since I don’t know of a friendlier priced 26" uni that’s designed to handle my weight and that would have somewhat comparable crank sets and wheels. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Now you see why so many of us have multiple unicycles. They are not as
versatile as a hybrid bicycle. When I started back riding I started off mith my old Schwinn unicycle and at that time I was 220 lbs. It carried my weight and I even was doing 3 to 5 mile rides. Once I was confident I bought the unicycle . Com 29 er trainer. I road this for years and a lot of it at 200 lbs. I still ride this uni along with it’s big brother the 32 inch UDC titan both with cotterless cranks. So if you can pick up cheap used 24 torker, sun or even a nimbus club to learn on you will probably be ok and save your money and your decision for when you have the experience under your belt.
I don’t suspect you will be doing anything close to muni for a long time. In the same vain you probably will not be free mounting for awhile either. That being said riding a 26 and riding a 24 will be very similar, infact because of your height the 26 er may very well feel less awkward. And make learning to ride easier, free mounting will be a little harder but with your height I think you will be good . Watch unimyra videos on YouTube, he is a big guy and you can watch him learn all the way through to his adventures unicycling, lots of really good videos.

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I suppose unicycles are like anything else hobby related. It’s like my ukuleles. I started out with a cheapie to see if I wanted to stick with it. It’s not what I would have wanted in the long run but it was good enough to do what it needed to do. Once I knew I wanted to stick with it the doors were thrown open. Then I had to decide whether I wanted a soprano, concert or tenor. Then you want a spruce top and a mahogany and so forth and pretty soon you have half a dozen ukuleles! (I have 8!)

Thanks for the tip on the videos, I’ll check them out.

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Trying to buy used is cut throat and brutal! This is my second missed opportunity. Yesterday I found a new Craigslist listing for a 24" Torker selling for $30.00. I responded saying I’d take it within 20 minutes of getting the email confirming it was still available and I just got an email saying it was already sold! My bad, I should have said that I would take it if it was still available rather than just asking if it was still available. Lesson learned! :frowning_with_open_mouth: I got excited because almost everything I find listed for sale used is 20", junk or overpriced.

Update: still hoping to buy used to re-learn and help decide better what I might want before buying new. I found a decent one and seller confirmed it was available and a 24". (All this is via email.) I said that I’d like to buy it and made a counter-offer which the seller accepted. It’s been 2 days and I haven’t heard anything from the seller. It’s just maddening!! If I was trying to sell something and had an interested buyer I’d nail it down and get it done! I’m at the seller’s mercy because I can’t force him to communicate or do anything. After the first 24 hours of not hearing anything I reached out and suggested a potential meeting place - nothing. I then reached out again and said I’d be open to whatever worked best for him for a meetup - nothing. I don’t want to be a pest so I guess now I just have to wait and hope he responds. He’s certainly not a very motivated seller. In the mean time I guess I have to keep looking around for another.