I bought a UDC T7 for my UDC 36er as soon as it came out. I’ve taken it on a few short and long rides and really liked it.
My typical riding still doesn’t involve pulling on the seat handle at all, really. I bought the handlebars to have somewhere decent to mount my cyclometer / lights / bell / any future brake lever I might have. I also wanted to be able to take my weight off the seat somewhat on long rides, and possibly improve my stability a bit.
The T7 works well for mounting lights. I mounted a Cat Eye bicycle front light underneath the grips and a Cat Eye LED rear on the back handle. The T7 does give good protection to both, although the rear T handle is a little bit narrow to fully protect the Cat Eye horizontal rear light. The front light does experience quite a jolt when the uni falls, which caused mine a bit of damage (although it was very old and worn already) but I didn’t find it hit the ground on the level (it would still be vulnerable to rocks / uneven ground). How well protected the lights are obviously depends on shape and size, so your mileage may vary.
The front of the unit allows space for the mounting of a cyclometer and bell. My cheapo cyclometer is pretty easy to read and operate whilst riding - it’s nice to know how fast I’m going or how far I’ve come without having to dismount to read the screen!
Underneath the front section, the T7 has threaded holes to attach a bottle cage to. I’ve fitted a 500ml thermal bottle under there and found it to be fairly well protected on even ground, although it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to mount anything too expensive in there! It does need pushing back in fully after the uni has been dropped.
The rear “handle” provides space for another bottle cage, or perhaps a small frame back to be fitted. Currently I have neither but am intending to install a small mudguard in time for winter!
So, it’s great as a holder-of-things. How does it work as a handle? Well, the rear T handle is really useful for pulling the big 36er upstairs by, and for wheeling it on the flat. The front bars are good to rest one or both hands on whilst riding. You’ll probably want to buy some bar grips to make them more comfortable, but note that they will also be acting as bumpers when (if!) you drop the uni so don’t spend too much on them! With a little practice, I’ve found it possible to lift myself up slightly whilst riding in order to reduce saddle discomfort.
The other major feature of the T7 is the rail adaptor. In order to use the T7, you have to get a rail-compatible seat post. I bought a Kris Holm post from unicycle.com. The tilt adjustment provided by this is really good. A little experimentation is probably necessary, but tilting the front of the saddle up provides a noticeable improvement in weight distribution for many people. One thing worth noting is that the use of a rail adaptor / seatpost increases the minimum height of the seat. Additionally, if your seat is set very low and far forward it may not be possible to mount a bottle cage on the rear of the handle as it will be too close to the seatpost clamp.
Finally, I can say that the handle appears decently strong - it has held up to plenty of droppings already. The powder coat colour looks much better than it appears in the pictures on UDC UK, being a little darker in shade. The corners of the front bars, and ends of the rear handle are susceptible to chipping when dropped, so I’ve wrapped these in insulating tape for protection.
Overall, although it costs quite a lot for a uni accessory, I’m definitely pleased to have spent the money. The convenience of having lights and cyclometer well mounted is great, and it’s nice to have the bars to hold / lean on. It’s cheaper than a GB handle + carbon base + rail adaptor, and involves less dismantling of your saddle. It also allows you to keep your existing front-of-seat handle if you want for added versatility. A worthy choice for commuters and distance riders.
Nice job - congratulations to Roger and the rest of UDC.
