I am trying to figure out what to get next after my early ‘80’s Schwinn 20". After looking through many threads it seems like the torker LX frame is light and strong, but that it can’t handle a wide tire for real off road use. I would like to have a larger wheel for around town, but maybe get a 24’ wheel for trail riding.
Is the LX frame too narrow for a wider tire, or is it that the tires top out agains the crown? If the latter I think a smaller wheel could be the ticket…
Otherwise what suggestions are there for a cycle to hit some technical trails here in Colorado, as well as more cross country kind of stuff. In the end I’d like it to come in around $200.
If you want to ride technical terrain, you need a unicycle with a splined hub. Either the Nimbus 24" ISIS MUni or the Torker DX 24" will work; they’re both around $260. You could also get the Nimbus II with the Hookworm tire for $235, which would be a little nicer for toodling around town, but not as good on the trails.
Your issue with the Torker LX is not the frame width, but the square taper cranks. They won’t stand up to technical off-road riding.
I just checked my 20" with stock-size tire. It’s got maybe 1/8" clearance on top, 1/4" on either side. I didn’t measure, just eye-balled. Of course, I don’t know how the tire dimensions (width vs height) vary as you go up, either, but it looks like yeah, maybe you could use a wider tire that way. Anyway, if you don’t already have the unicycle, I sure wouldn’t buy it just for that reason.
A 2.6" Kenda Kinetics will fit on newer 24’s, so I bet a 26X2.6" Kinetics will fit on the 26" LX. Be forwarned not all tires labeled the same width are the same, even a tire labeled to be narrower than that Kinetics may not fit.
As Tom mensioned the LX is not real strong. If you do a lot of hopping or technical riding it will break. Stronger cotterless cranks and hub are available, but will also break over time and as you stress it more w/ your increased skill.
If you stay away from all drops this could buy you a lot of time (depending on your weight and how well you roll out) untill you can afford a splined Muni. Then, you could make the LX into a road specific uni. I wish I did this and saved up for a KH instead of getting my DX.
If the frame could take a larger 24", my thoughts would be to build an alternate wheel with a better hub/crank combo. This way I could easily switch wheels between cruising, and technical.
Maybe you are suggesting that a splined hub will not fit in the frame, which would pretty much kill the idea.
I have built hundreds of bicycle wheels, so getting the parts and putting them together wouldn’t be an issue.
Since I don’t have an LX to measure, and I don’t know much at all about hub spacing, I am really flying blind here. If there is a guru out there who can tell me if I am just off my rocker here that would be great.
I was thinking that for about a hundred dollars I could pick up an LX26, and that for about a hundred more I could maybe get the QU-AX crank and hub rom UDC, and evenutally build it into a second 24" wheel.
That hub will not fit in the LX. It’s bearings are 42 mm and the LX frame is 40 mm.
It’s not worth it anyways, since the frame isn’t strong enough for rough Muni either.
The only real argument for using a LX for Muni, I think, is it gets you out on the trails while you save up the several hundred for a good splined uni. The LX could then be used for road or XC.