Advice: Frame for Distance Uni

i have a coker frame and like it very much i never had a hunter frame

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unicycle dave

<><unicycle for Christ
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I've been toying with getting a 36-inch wheel too. Those Hunter frames
look super nice, and if they weren't so pricey I wouldn't hesitate to
buy one.

Here's something else to consider. I don't know if you're planning to
use a brake, but it seems to me that you should choose the brake,
wheel, and frame altogether. From what I've read here, it seems that
Magura brakes don't have as much play as v-brakes. So, if you want a
Magura brake on a Hunter frame, you need to be sure the wheel is nice
and stiff as to prevent it from rubbing when turning or riding offroad.
If anyone knows better, please correct me.

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phlegm
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Roger at UDC is shortly to release a new coker frame similar to the
hunter, and will be sold both on its on and built up to a spec similar
to that you described.

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kington99

Dave

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The new UDC 36er will also include a handlebar / luggage rack unit
integrated into a rail adaptor for the seat, which may also interest
you.

I think the new frame supports Magura mounts, which means you can use
hydraulic brakes or (I think) get an adapter and use V brakes.

The handlebar unit and the UDC 36er frame will also be available
separately, AFAIK.

I have a UDC 36er, upgraded with the wheel you describe and am very
happy with it. I'm planning on getting the handlebar unit, but am not
yet sold on the frame - I need a better idea of what advantages it'll
have first.

If you chose to get the standard frame first, you could fit a caliper
brake to it with a bit of DIY - these are meant to work well on 36ers.

Cheers,
Mark

PS. I suggest you convert your 29er into a muni. I put a Kenda Klaw
tyre and 150mm Bicycle Euro cranks on mine after buying my UDC 36er.
PPS. The UDC gel saddle is very comfy, also. The new Kris Holm
Freeride saddle looks interesting, though.

--
mark williamson

Dave: Just a question. What use is a unicyle with no seat? And no
pedals!
Mark: To answer a question with a question: What use is a skateboard?
Dave: Skateboards have wheels.
Mark: My wheel has a wheel!
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Thanks for the feedback. It's great news that there will be a UDC 36er
with frame enhancements. Might be worth waiting for. Regarding the
brakes: good point, I'll plan on getting them eventually, but will
probably start out without them.

Still, I'm curious about the concept of a strong heavy frame with very
light rotating components (wheel, crank arms, pedals). Is it overkill?
Does frame stiffness translate into noticeably improved rideability?
Or does the extra frame weight offset the strength benefits?

Thanks for the idea about transforming the Nimbus into a Muni. I was
thinking I'd sell it to help pay for the 36er, but it will be hard to
part with.

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abridged
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abridged said:

Thanks for the feedback. It's great news that there will be a UDC 36er
with frame enhancements. Might be worth waiting for. Regarding the
brakes: good point, I'll plan on getting them eventually, but will
probably start out without them.

Still, I'm curious about the concept of a strong heavy frame with very
light rotating components (wheel, crank arms, pedals). Is it overkill?
Does frame stiffness translate into noticeably improved rideability?
Or does the extra frame weight offset the strength benefits?

Thanks for the idea about transforming the Nimbus into a Muni. I was
thinking I'd sell it to help pay for the 36er, but it will be hard to
part with.

I think it's worth having a stiffer frame rather than a superlight but
flexy frame. The standard Coker frame works great, but my new
lightweight aluminium frame flexes noticeably when I'm pulling up or
pushing down on the saddle. It's annoying cos the wheel keeps rubbing
on the frame.

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GizmoDuck

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I got a standard coker frame with my stockton coker, and after reading
around a bit I was worried about tire rub, but it turns out to have
been no problem at all. I'm a fairly smooth pedaller, I think, but I've
definitely never had a problem with the stock frame. I wouldn't dismiss
it right out of hand, for sure. I know Bedford will put mounts on it
for you if you'd like, as well.

--
flyer
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A good stiff and well designed frame makes a noticeable difference on
the Coker (or generic 36er). The legs on the 36" frame are long as it
is and that length translates in to more flex issues. Flex will cause
the wheel to possibly rub the frame legs. If you have a brake even a
little bit of flex in the frame and wheel will cause the rim to rub the
brake pads (more of an issue with the Magura brake than a cable brake
that is mounted such that it can float).

Flex causes the unicycle to feel less responsive and wonky. My
response when noticing flex is to pedal softer so as to cause less
flex. With a stiff frame I can (and will) stomp on the pedals with no
noticeable flex. So a flexy frame and wheel affects my performance
just because I ease up when I notice flex.

I have a GB4 frame on my JC Coker. It's good, but no longer
available.

Best option now is the Hunter frame. The new UDC Nimbus 36" frame
should also be good, but it's an unknown to me till I can see and ride
one.

A very important factor in a 36er is the quality of the wheel build.
The wheel is the part that gives me the most trouble. It goes out of
true on me a couple times per season, usually due to the light XC muni
I do with it. I wish I would have gotten a Dave Stockton (U-Turn)
wheel build. Would have saved me the trouble of dealing with so many
wheel problems.

I would gladly have a Hunter frame. It's a very nice frame. The UDC
Nimbus is an unknown so I can't say one way or the other on it yet.
Most likely it will be very nice.

--
john_childs

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I'd guess the new frames don't weigh much more, but the great big handle
looks like it adds a bit of weight. It is balanced front-back though,
which is nice compared to some of the handle setups I've ridden, felt
much more immediately rideable than Roger's GB handle.

I've ridden on the current Schlumpf 36, and you can feel the flex in
the frame on that particularly in high gear. I've never felt flex
slowing me down on the stock frame, although I've got a suzue hub and a
good wheelbuild, maybe much of the flex on the stock cokers is in the
wheel, rather than the frame.

I don't have a brake, if you use maguras it means you have to worry way
more about flex. Of course you can avoid this by using a caliper brake,
which is much cheaper, and will work well on the stock frame.

Personally I still don't like the wide hubs as much as the normal ones.
Roger was trying to sell me some hub that has a wide flange-flange
distance but isn't as super wide as the extra wide hub. I can't
remember what it was, maybe the latest version of the normal UDC hub.

Pedalwise, I'm really loving cheap platform pedals with 'half toeclips'
(http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product.php?pid=105145) at the
moment. 'These pedals' (http://tinyurl.com/nvdyu). I've had everything
from £5 pedals to £60/$100 pedals on the coker, and to be honest, this
is the setup I'm happiest with. I kind of like unsealed bearing pedals
because they're less likely to go wrong with no chance of fixing them
when you're a long way away from home. I wouldn't recommend trying the
toeclips before you're used to the coker though.

As for the frame, given you don't really know your requirements yet and
haven't ridden a coker much, I'd just buy the stock frame. They only
cost £25 / $50 or so, that way you can upgrade the frame when you
actually know what you want in terms of brakes, handles etc. rather
than getting some super pimp-cycle that you need to replace half the
really expensive bits on once you've learnt to ride it.

Joe

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joemarshall

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I agree with Ken and Joe, the stock coker frame is a very good frame and
it should serve you well for quite a while. I'm still using mine too, I
havn't had reason to want to switch frames yet, I don't have much
experience with other frames, so I don't know how flexy it is compared
to a Hunter, but I don't seem to be getting much (or any) flex on my
coker with standard frame.

Hub/Rim: The airfoil rim is a very good one, the best to get at the
moment, if you have 'long' legs you'll want to go for udc extra wide
hub, if you have short legs you might consider getting a narrower hub
like the udc 100mm hub, or a 92mm suzue hub.

Halfclips: I've just started using halfclips, mainly on my 29er, and
I'll be trying them on my coker this afternoon, you'll want to get
confident on your coker before changing to halfclips, then practise
dismounting (not difficult at all, but you don't want to be caught my
surprise if you suddenly have to dismount).

Thread jack: Joe, is it possible to freemount pedals with halfclips? I
don't like having to static mount/grab a lantern post all the time.

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DustinSchaap said:

Thread jack: Joe, is it possible to freemount pedals with halfclips? I
don't like having to static mount/grab a lantern post all the time.

There are two ways.

First one is to do a standard mount, with your mounting foot in the
toeclip, and then once your other foot is over the second pedal, bring
it slightly further forwards and slip it into the toeclip. I've seen
Sam do this, and it looks really good, but I'm finding it super hard to
do at the moment. I think it's the ideal mount into clips.

Second one, which is what I do, and also what John Himsworth does, is
to mount with your mounting foot in the toeclip as before, but put your
second foot onto the back of the other pedal. You can then ride along
slowly a little bit, and at the top of a pedal stroke, lift off that
foot until the pedal swings down with the weight of the toeclip, and
put your foot into it. I practiced this against a lamp-post to learn
it, then tried it while riding along and it isn't too hard.

If you get your foot in just the right place, the foot slips into the
clip and it feels oh so easy. Sometimes, when doing either of these
methods, you end up with the pedal the right way up, but your foot on
top of the toeclip. The trick here is to kind of wiggle your foot round
so it goes under the clip. This isn't too hard to do.

Joe

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I upgraded from a stock Coker frame to a Hunter. I notice a definite
difference in frame flex especially when climbing hills. If you're not
riding with brakes, I'm not sure the differance is with the extra $300+
dollars unless you appreciate the look and feel of a quality frame
beyond just its function.

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pdc

"What doesn't kill you strengthens you, what kills you strengthens your
mother"
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Just found this in an old thread of mine.
These weights are not exact but very close.

The stock frame is about 2 1/4 pounds.
The Hunter is about 2 3/4 pounds.

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pdc

"What doesn't kill you strengthens you, what kills you strengthens your
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