I am buying a KH24 and i would like to upgrade the seat to a airsaddle. I have a miyata style torker saddle from a torker 24’’ i bought about 6 months ago. Can the torker be converted to an airsaddle the same way a miyata could and with the same hardware. And would the GB4 stiffener fit inside it. But my main concern is what seatpost or seat post accessories im going to need to get the torker seat/seat post to fit inside the KH seat tube. Has anyone done this or something similar? Any suggestions?
Re: Torker Airsaddle on KH
shim. use a soda can or similar object to fit the seat post. the seat post for miyata is smaller than kh.
Re: Torker Airsaddle on KH
Yes.
Yes.
The KH seat tube ID is about 29.0-29.4 mm which is HUGE compared to the standard Miyata 22.2mm. You will have a hard time, I think finding a shim that will do that for you; I don’t see one in the books I have here. You have two options:
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Get a larger seatpost (say, 25.4 or larger if possible) and use a reasonably-sized shim. The shim that comes with is a 27.2 - 29.4. Problem Solvers puts out a shim that takes a 25.4mm post up to 29.4, and another that takes it up to 29.2. They cost about $7.00 each; order from your LBS. This solution is okay, but somewhat of a compromise. uni.com has a 25.4mm GB4 seatpost that you could use that costs about $20.
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Get the right size seatpost. The KH seat tube is a really odd size and there aren’t many seatposts that size with no set back. However, Thomsen puts out one that should fit. Then you need a rail adaptor for your seat. The Thomsen-Elite seatpost is a really great one and costs about about $75. The rail adaptor costs $69 now that it has the KH label on it. I have this setup on my Pashley MUni.
I don’t know whether 29.2 or 29.4 is the best size to buy for option 1. I measured the tube at 29.0 but the included spacer implies 29.4. For option 2, Thomsen only has 29.0 and 29.4, so you will have to make an intelligent guess or do some more sleuthing.
A soda can would not bridge that gap usefully.
Re: Re: Torker Airsaddle on KH
The Taiwanese KH frames have a 27.2 mm seat post. The Canadian made KH Pro frames have weird sizes but the Taiwanese ones are more normal.
Unicycle.com has a seat post shim to fit a 22.2 mm seatpost (like the Miyata seat post) in a 27.2 mm frame. Seat Post Sizer I can’t find the shims in the online catalog. I had to search on “sizer” to find them.
Re: Re: Torker Airsaddle on KH
true but once you do that the stock bolts are no longer long enough to mount the seat post since the GB plate is so thick.you will need new hardware
are we haveing fun yet? 
Hey hey thanks John; I’ve only dealt so far with this one. Is there any obvious way to tell the different frames apart besides with a caliper? Also, are there only two versions of the frame?
Good point, Jag. Basically I always replace all the hardware with stainless of completely different dimensions, anyway. The stiffener also makes it harder to put on the adapter because the plates makes the bolts point out like the curvature of the seat, but the adapters are made as though the bolts can be manipulated around at will.
There are a couple of different versions of the KH Pro frame. I think the difference is the size of the bearing. Some frames use a 1-5/8" and some are 40 mm. I don’t know if there are other changes in the different versions of the frame.
The KH Pro comes with a shim so it fits a 27.2 mm seat post so the actual ID of the seat tube isn’t something to worry about.
An easy way to tell the difference between the KH Pro and the KH (Taiwanese) is to look at the bearing holders. The KH Pro has a much smoother and elegant design. I’ll attach a picture of the KH Pro bearing clamp. There are some differences in the crown too, but I’m not sure what those differences are. If you look at a KH Pro and a KH side by side you’d notice the differences.
KH Pro bearing holder:
Installing the GB4 Stiffener plate is tricky. I have it on my freestyle unicycle with a made in Japan Miyata saddle. I had to file away part of the Miyata base to get the hardware to fit through the stiffener. I’m using a mix of 1/4" carriage bolts and the original Miyata hardware in the seat.
It is not trivial to install the stiffener. It takes some work and some fiddling.