I’m getting more into unicycling and I’m hopping up curbs some steps. I busted a spoke one this ole’ schwinn, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t made for what I’ve been doing to it.
Trials looks like a lot of fun. Hop up on stuff, ride off, all good. I’ve read a lot about things breaking, so I’ll let ya know I’m 175 pounds in case that helps with me choosing a unicycle. I’m in college, so the Nimbus trials is looking great by the price.
Will this uni be able to take my abuse?
If not, can I replace parts as they break and I’ll be good or should I go with an expensive uni in the first place (would really rather not do).
Bob,
If your serious about unicycling, its always good to spend the money sooner rather than later, because the cost of all the replacement parts will begin to add up, and could end up costing a lot more. If your just starting out, the Nimbus should be able to handle most of what you can dish out. Many people usually end up replacing the crank set to a splined one though. I have heard it can take 3 foot drops with almost no problem. If you are not looking to spend the money now though, like you said, I would definately recommend the Nimbus.
The good thing about the Nimbus is that it’s limitations are clear- you can’t do high drops etc, but, if you stay within those limits it’ll serve you really well.
It’s old technology, but it’s tried and tested. This is in contrast to the splined set-ups- there’s been a lot of posts here about problems involving ‘key way slop’ and other issues.
Whilst splined set-ups are essential for really extreme stuff, if you’re not likely to be doing that extreme stuff, then a Nimbus will serve you well and will not have the problems that seem to be happening with some of the splined set-ups.
I’ve had a 24" Nimbus (with an upgrade to the Sun double-wide rim) for a year now and it’s taken some heavy fire. The frame and seatpost have been systematically beaten with various rocks and chunks of cement, and it shows but a few scrapes. I drop on it 2-4 feet regularly with no problems, just a few creaks now and then.
The weak point is the hub / crank set. I’ve gone through about a half-dozen cheapo left-hand cranks because the square taper design is not made for large drops, trials or freestyle maneuvers (and I hop mostly with my left foot back). If you can’t afford a splined upgrade, I’d suggest going to your local flea market and grabbing a handful of square taper cranks – you’ll need 'em!
The nimbus is a good start, but once you start doing more than 10" drops, start looking for a new hub/crank set… I haven’t completely killed mine yet, but I’m doing 2 foot drops now, so it’s gonna be soon
I’m considering buying a Nimbus also. It looks fine fir me. I plan on following trails more than doing trials. So if I may add to the thread, Any suggestions on tire size? 24 or 26" Nimbus?
I normally ride a 28" Sun which to me seems mostly good for riding paved roads. Just last weekend I tried a 24" Schwinn. I am torn. I can see that a 24" is much more nimble but for distance the 26" would be nice.
I will be working on learning to hop, idle, and ride off pavement on to lawns and trails. I don’t expect to ever hop up or down more than 4". I’m sure a 24" will do it all. But I would like to go with the 26" and have the distance advantage as well. Any advise?
Trials is a whole lot of fun, but you need the proper equipment for the job. The splined hub just gives you a whole lot more confidence, and will save you money if you’re really into it. (I’ve spent $50 on replacement cotterless cranks)
Since you don’t want to spend all that money, you might want to look at the Torker DX 20" for trials. It doesn’t have the tire or rim for trials, but it’s splined, and has a nice saddle.
24" is popular because it can take a 3" tyre, which is great for comfort, rolling over stuff etc- it also makes the effective total diameter very close to a 26" with a normal tyre.
Then again, a 26" wheel with a 3" tyre would have similar fat tyre advantages and be 2" bigger than a 24x3- good for a bit of speed/distance.
However, such a set up is considered too heavy by some, though a few people on this forum ride a 26x3.
I’ve got a 24x3 Nimbus and really like it. My other uni is a 29-er, which is great for more distancey type stuff. Hopefully soon I’ll be putting together a 26x3, and it’ll be interesting to see how that works out.
Have you considered the new Nimbus 29-er? It’ll be nothing like your sun 28"- the fatter tyre gives a totally different, almost muni like, feel.
I started uniing about 1 1/2 years at your age and weight. After a few months, I bought a Yuni (nimbus?) 24x3 when I decided to venture off-road. I also have a 28" Sun and a Coker along with a custom built 24x3 Muni. The 24x3’s are my favorite toys. They are not fast, but I enjoy playing on them more than the 28 or Coker. The Nimbus is light enough to learn hopping on without any problem and (at our age:D ) I think we would have a better chance of damaging ourselves before we would do any damage to the Muni;) My 24x3’s have had rough lives and are holding up just fine
depends on what ur planning to do w/ the uni. if ur planning to do mild stuff like mabe 2 ft drop max, then it will hold up fine. my friend has one, and after dropping of picnic tables, the cranks bent. so he bought stronger ones and, no problem since
I have a Nimbus freestyle uni with a 24x2.6 tire on.
And im doing 4-5 fot drops and nothing has happened to it yet.
Its like new. But im like 110 pounds weight. What do you think will my Uni hold up to such riding?
With the nimbus you will eventualy bend or break the cranks, i recomed a unicycle with splined hub and cranks. I have a Kris Holm 24 muni and an Onza 20 trials. they are both great and i have never had any problems with either of them.
