Custom cheap 29er

[paco]

I'm back! I've now got internet again; unfortunately, it only works
about half the time, but that's better than it never working.
Here's a new question. I'm thinking of buying or building a commuter
unicycle. Before anyone says, "buy a Coker," I want to point out that
it's completely out of my range. I don't want to spend any more than
200 bucks.

I want a 29er because it's the next best thing for commuting. Looking
on unicycle.com, the only things in my price range are the sun 28" ($89)
and the Semcycle XL 28" ($200).
Now my questions:
I've read that the Sun rim doesn't hold up very well, even doing drops
off curbs. Would it be worth buying the Sun and upgrading components,
or would it be better to get the Semcycle? If it is worth upgrading the
sun, what components should I get and stay under the $200 ceiling?
Could I build my own 29er for under $200? Is it worth it?
For $45 more, I can get the Yuni 29er. I really don't want to spend
that much more, but is it a substantial enough upgrade to justify the
cost?
I'm planning on doing street commuting, but would appreciate a wheel
that could withstand hopping onto ond off curbs without fear of
deforming.
What are your insights?


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paco - Co-Founder of the PacoGild Movement

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[oxfordrider]

I have the Yuni 29". I bought it about a month ago from unicycle.com.
I got it with a Schwalbe 28 x 2.35 Big Apple and
it seems to be a sturdy unicycle. It has the Sun BFR alloy rim and a
unicycle.com cromoly hub. It is actually lighter than my 24".
I have only ridden it a couple of times because I've been into riding my
coker. The 29" Yuni is a lot easier to transport and a lot lighter than
the coker. I can't say how it is off-road because I just do street
riding. I'm considering selling the 29" to buy a custom coker frame but
would expect to get close to what I paid for it.


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[johnfoss]

Get the Yuni. If you get the Sun, you'll probably end up spending at
least the same amount of money before long.

Put some short cranks on. Yes, a Coker will be faster, but it also
weighs a ton, and takes up a lot of space. You can do a lot more with a
29er!


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John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
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because they are easy, but because they are hard." -- John F. Kennedy,
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[Ken Cline]

"johnfoss" > writes:

> Get the Yuni. If you get the Sun, you'll probably end up spending at
> least the same amount of money before long.

Right. Sun wheels are junk. Soon after I replaced my rim, the hub
broke. The Sun comes with 150mm cranks, which are too long for a
light duty unicycle. Lastly, before you even assemble the unicycle,
I'd replace the seatpost clamp (requires grinding off two small
welds), since the stock clamp is not round and will crimp the seat
tube and seatpost.

Based on prices from unicycle.com, a Sun with a new wheelset (rim,
spokes, hub, cranks) and seatpost clamp will cost $171, assuming you
can build a wheel from parts (otherwise, figure $30 more). Compare
that to $179 for the Yuni, which probably has a better tire and
saddle.

Ken

[mscalisi]

I'd vote for the semcycle if you can put a nice fat 29" tire on it. I
have a sem XLW 24. It's a nice cost-effective cycle.


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[paco]

I figured the Sun wouldn't hold up long. I really would like the Yuni,
but I still don't know if I can justify the cost.
On uni.com, it says that it can be used for light offroad duty. Would
anyone recommend this/ has anyone tried it? I'm talking -light- offroad
use, like riding through the park. How much can it withstand?


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[jagur]

its funny that this thread is here,im on the same path.im building a
cheap 28/29er too.So far all i have is a $25 dollar unicycle.com hub.i
plan on spending alot less than $200 though.

the only way to do it and have a uni that doesnt end up riding like a
total piece of crap is to be pacient and buy or trade alot of quality
used parts and do you own work.you can save a load of cash building your
own wheel.dont be afaid,it may seem like spagetti in your lap but it is
not exacly rocket science.just make sure you have the right sized spokes
and find a step by step wheel laceing tutural.time consuming but cheap
and the feeling you get when done is cool,you did it yourself!

if you can do balloon animals,you can lace your own wheel.

on the other hand,you could just buy the Sun,ride it tommorow and learn
how to work on a wheel with that.hardly a risk for $89
use some of the left over budget for some shorter cranx or ask them if
you could have them put on shorter ones for a slight price increase.make
sure to get a little credit for the ones your trading off though.


--
jagur - #3649_all fluff i hear?

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[daino149]

Wow jag, is that really you? I can't believe it. I also can't believe
that you are putting together a 29er right after selling your SH. Why
are you doing it anyway?

Back on topic:
I have a 26" Sem that I really like. It seems about as strong as any
other wheel built on a non splined hub. My only experiance with a
Nimbus is my MUni frame. It seems solid enough but it's wider then you
will need unless you plan to MUni with it. The Wider frame does mean
that you have more options in terms of tires, but I have a tendency to
hit my knees on it. So if you weren’t going to make full use of the
wideness, I'd stick to the Sem.

My $.02
Daniel


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[BillyTheMountain]

johnfoss wrote:
> *Get the Yuni. If you get the Sun, you'll probably end up spending at
> least the same amount of money before long.
>
> Put some short cranks on. Yes, a Coker will be faster, but it also
> weighs a ton, and takes up a lot of space. You can do a lot more with
> a 29er! *


I concur with JohnFoss. I love my Yuni 29", and I got 110 mm cranks.
Got the Big Apple tire planning on doing road, but I ended up doing a
fair amount of off-road (very small drops) and enjoying it a lot!

I don't see many 28", but I love the 29"


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[johnfoss]

Sorry I'm a little off topic, but

I SAW IT FIRST! THE QUOTE IS MINE!!!

Even though I can lace a wheel, I've never made a balloon animal. I
can't get those stupid things to blow up with my own lung power!


--
johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com"
www.unicycling.com

"if you can do balloon animals,you can lace your own wheel." -- Jagur
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[paco]

johnfoss wrote:
> *Even though I can lace a wheel, I've never made a balloon animal. I
> can't get those stupid things to blow up with my own lung power! *

I'll give you a hint. I can't blow up the balloons either. That's why
I use a hand pump. Most of the professionals do nowadays, especially if
they work for 11 hours straight like I do every Saturday.
And FYI, I can both make balloon animals and lace a wheel, although my
wheel building could use some practice.


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[jagur]

johnfoss wrote:
> *
>
> Even though I can lace a wheel, I've never made a balloon animal. I
> can't get those stupid things to blow up with my own lung power! *
it only works the other way.its the balloon animals that are truly hard.


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[onefiftyfour]

I have a Sun28 and 'I haven't been able to verify if you can fit a 29\"
tire in that frame.'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32308&highlight=sun+28)


I've heard people mention 2 kinds of rims that come with the sun 28. I
think I have the newer one. Is it possible that those rims are not
junk? For those that know first hand that certain sun 28 rims are weak,
please tell us if it is the old or new rim.

-Eric


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[onefiftyfour]

I have a Sun28 and 'I haven't been able to verify if you can fit a 29\"
tire in that frame.'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32308&highlight=sun+28)


I've heard people mention 2 kinds of rims that come with the sun 28. I
think I have the newer one. Is it possible that those rims are not
junk? For those that know first hand that certain sun 28 rims are weak,
please tell us if it is the old or new rim.

-Eric


--
onefiftyfour - Eric
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[onefiftyfour]

I have a Sun28 and 'I haven't been able to verify if you can fit a 29\"
tire in that frame.'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32308&highlight=sun+28)


I've heard people mention 2 kinds of rims that come with the sun 28. I
think I have the newer one. Is it possible that those rims are not
junk? For those that know first hand that certain sun 28 rims are weak,
please tell us if it is the old or new rim.

-Eric


--
onefiftyfour - Eric
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