I received a Torker Cx 20" for my birthday (it was a mere $14 including flat tire) it was in alright shape, but it is my first uni. It needs a new seatpost (The previous owner was shorter than me) since I can’t extend my legs fully when I’m pedaling, it makes 50 feet seem like a mile.
I am thinking about grinding this thing into the dirt before I upgrade to either a bigger or better uni. I plan on riding some foot trails where I am at here in the Inland empire; no crazy drops or obstacles here, just some long trail and street rides.
Currently I am torn between saving up for a Torker DX 24" or looking into something into the 26" range. Any suggestions for a complete noob getting in way over his head?
Welcome to the online forums!
For advice, I will recommend that you do not get a Torker. They feel like they weigh a ton. If you really want to get into mountain unicycling, I would advise that you get the Nimbus 24". It’s 20 bucks less, it’s lighter, and it just feels better.
+1 on the Nimbus
Just ride your uni till it breaks and then get the Nimbus.
dude ride till it DIE! if you can get really good on a unicycle the resembles a german tiger tank than think how much better youll be when you upgrade. trust me i have had my share of shitty unis:D
+1 on the Nimbus.
Also why wait (unless you have to)? You’ll have a lot more fun riding trails on a bigger wheel; keep the 20" for trials/freestyle stuff. Welcome!
Get the Muni once you have learnt the basics of riding but BEFORE you really get into hopping and dropping so you still have the CX to use as a loaner/freestyle when you get the new wheel.
Why pay for two unicycles and end up with only one?
If your trails are easy you would probably be happier with a 26 or 29" unicycle for the extra speed. If you are not doing lots of hopping and the trails aren’t too rough you could get away with using a square tapered hub saving you a bit on money.
Good luck and welcome to the forums!
The Nimbus is fine, but a KH is better . If you hang around a bit there will be a sale again (I hope), and you might buy a KH for the same $ as a Nimbus. Are the Koxx 1 still on sale ? , they are also very good. Nimbus is fine, but has a heavier frame, and the KH seat and cranks are better.
You likely don’t need a higher seat on your 20. Although there is better leverage with your leg straighter, 20’s are geared so low that effort is not the problem. Inexperience makes you tense up, and that makes your legs tire. You will want a low seat on your 20 for riding backwards (step off if you fall backwards is easier with a low seat ). If your seat is so high your leg is straight on the bottom stroke (like a bicycle), you can’t ride standing up, it is difficult to adjust your clothes when mount etc.
A KH free ride seat will fit to your cx. Kinda expensive, but much better then your seat, and you could move it to a muni later.
So I’m not crazy?
My seatpost is up to the max and I have a good amount of bend in my knee;is it easier like this to learn how to stall and rock back and forth? I can go forward for about 100 feet before my legs are ready to give out or I fall too forward on the seat (then again This is only my 8th day into this) and lose my balance.
Most things, including idling (rocking back and forth), are harder to learn with your seat too low. A too-low seat is also more tiring to ride.
Been doing some thinking…
Looks like the big issues I’m going to be dealing with is the steep hills that plague some of the areas I plan to ride.
I am trying to find a nice 26" with decent street and Muni qualities; like I said before, no crazy drops of obstacles, just enough hopping to get around a divot or over s small creek or the like.
I want to be able to take this Uni on and off road in one package, any suggestions?
The nimbus is an awesome professional quality unicycle, it will stand up to what the best and throw at them, and even though heavier than kh, only slightly, it is arguably stronger, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a nimbus frame breaking. The old cranks were know to be weak, but they have recently come out with new ones, so not much on how well they work, probably well enough for easy trail riding. If your worried you can have it shipped with kh moments which are extremely strong.
About the seat, as feel the light said, kh freerides known to be the best unicycle seat for comfort, I’m sure if you gave udc a call, or even an email, you could get it shipped with that instead.
Here is the link to the 26in.-
As said you might want look into getting a 29er.
If you want to ride big hills, on street and off road, I would definitely lean towards a 29er. A 29er is a lot more fun to ride on the road than a 26" MUni, and is still good on trails.
Price ranges and brands?
So if I am looking toward a 29er, would a 29" nimbus be all right with a all around tire?
The 29" Nimbus is a fine unicycle.
I kinda lean to a 24 over a 26 for muni
The 24x3 has a meatier tire, so it is about the same diameter as a 26, but is a bit cushier.
29’s are a lot of fun, you can’t go wrong with either. However, in hilly places, a 24 gets the nod, and being a bit closer to the ground, is more confidence inspiring to a new rider. Both going up or down hills is a bit easier with a 24.
If you find you are on the road a lot, and want more speed, there is no substitute for a 36. Because you say you are planning to ride very hilly areas, I recommend a 24x3 muni with 150 ish cranks now, and buy a 36 later if you want to do long street riding.
I agree with most of your post but take issue with this part. how is a 24X3 meatier than a 26X3? Also a 24" Muni is not about the same as a 26" Muni, the difference is about… you guessed it, two inches. with the three inch tires a 24" measures close to 26" but a 26" measures out to about 28". I don’t think there is much out there that is meatier than a 26X3 Gazz.
The OP was asking for a unicycle that would be good for both the street and for MUni. Obviously there is going to be a compromise there somewhere. I love big square profile tires for Muni (gazz, intense) but they suck on the road. Something rounder like the Duro is better for dual purpose or he might want to give up a bit of volume and weight for something a bit faster on the road. A 29 would be great if he was already an advanced rider but it is hard to learn the basics of MUni on such a tall and unforgiving wheel.
So the challenge is to find the best compromise, the 24 is a great size for Muni but pretty useless on pavement. a 26 is still a great Muni machine and a bit faster on the black top and has a huge selection of tires available to fine tune it to be good at whatever the rider wants. The 29 is a very capable road cruiser and can be great for fast flowy or techy Muni without large drops but could be hard to Muni with for a beginner. And of course a 36 is your ultimate road wheel but not recommended for Muni unless you know what you are doing.
My advice is to go with either a 26er or a 29er depending on how much road riding will be done compared to Muni and how technical the terrain will be. Nimbus does make great entry level unicycles in both sizes.
I’m not sure which size I am going to upgrade to, I did some hopping today ( five successful hops for twelve hundred failures!!) and realized that I’m not sure how difficult and destructive it would be to hop over a small obstacle or jump to the other side of a divot to avoid certain doom with a 29. The area I am in has some nice trails, yet there are strewn with their fair share of cuts, divots and a few drops of uncertainty. I can only assume that a 29 isn’t made for durability torture tests and I really don’t want to break the bank repairing and replacing bits here and there.
If you get the nimbus with a double walled kh 29in rim it will be more than strong enough for what your looking to do with it. Big wheels seem fragile, but properly maintained can be very very strong cycles.
If your not to sure about the 29er yet, I would recommend a 26in as others have, now available are cranks with two holes (http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=1066) so you could use the larger size crank when tackling the trails and switch back down for some cruising.
I agree that it’s easier to have confidence on downhills on a 24", but climbing hills is easier on a 29er than it is on a 24". You have less rotating weight and more flow, and when you’re in funky chicken mode, you put in the same effort, but get further with each pedal revolution on the 29er.
How well does a 29 take to hops and drops?
my biggest concern is the cuts and divots on the trails I want to ride on. Are 29’s hard to bounce around on? I do not want to get a uni that requires an act of congress to hop on.