The Uni/Bike Full Review

General
1

Ouch! My crotch hurts, my legs hurt, my back hurts, and my right wrist hurts. This IS MOSTLY because I was riding for about 6 hrs. Over all, the design is pretty cool. Where should I start?

The Unicycle alone: I was surprised by the quality of the unicycle, especially because no unicyclist helped to design it. Pros- The hub seems quite strong, and it seems like it is a bit thicker than the Suzue hub. It has enough room for a pretty thick knobby tire, it was riding on a 2.125, but had room for a 2.3 or MAYBE 2.5. Currently, a 24" does not exist, only a 20". Cons- Rounded crown! need I say more? The seat was a torker type seat, with a seat post that was WAY too short for me, but I was able to get by. The seat had a bicycle rail-type connection to the post (like the savage seat). Although these are real big problems, they can be delt with easily.

The uni connected to the bike: Fun, but gets very uncomfortable with time. Like Anne said, the angle is awkward. To answer the question of “what is the cable that goes to the rear do,” The cable controls a pin that comes out of the bike frame and goes into the unicycle. This pin is controled by a grip shift on the left handle. When put into the uni, the contraption rides SIMILAR to a bike. When removed from the uni, the back swivels 360 degrees, which is pretty cool. The turns can be made very tight.

The Uniqo (its name) is definately a very interesting ride. It will retail for about $150 U.S., and will probably be available from Greg Cohen at Infinite Illusions (www.infiniteillusions.com) around March or April. If you have an addiction to Unis, especially odd ones (Foss, Stone), this is a must. As far as an only unicycle, or as a trainer, forget it! With my suggestions as well as help from other unicyclers at the convention, hopefully some good shanges will be made, which would make this a really useful, cool uni.

Changes: Flat crown, Better seat, and 24" available. The CEO, Jack Wu already said that a longer seat post would be included with every Uniqo. That decision was made after seeing any non-asian try to ride. This Tiawaneese uni has the same prob as the Miyata: the desperate need for a longer seat post.

Hope that helped. Pictures will come as soon as i get my film developed. Any questions?

-David Kaplan

2

I stopped by the Toy Fair at the Javits Convention Center (NYC) today to see
what this was all about. This guy has designed a bunch of interesting
looking vehicles that look like mutations inspired by Dr. Seuss. Mostly
scooter type junk. Well, riding the unibike was like unicycling while a
Rottweiler humps your leg. The seat leans about 4 degrees forward. The
handlebars are directly over a 12 inch front wheel. Totally awkward and
rickety.

When I told him that the unibike will PREVENT people from learning
unicycling, it didn’t seem to matter to him. As a standalone unicycle, a
Torker is a high end machine.

As I’m leaving, a lady walks up to the booth to inquire about the products
The guy says the unibike is designed to help learn unicycling! She looks
interested. I realize they are probably not interested in my analysis and
head back to work.

Joe

Joe

3

Joe-

In the U.S. often one’s analysis must be green in order for others to be interested. In other countries different colors work.

4

> I realize they are probably not interested in my
> analysis and head back to work.

It was clear to me from the pictures (and experience with similar vehicles)
that the UniQ has nothing to offer as a unicycle training device. But anyone
who buys it gets a “free” unicycle along with it. This can only be good for
our sport. And the unicycle part looks quite decent, and able to hold any
adult who is sufficiently short enough.

JF