Nimbus 29inch vs. KH 29inch

[humblbee]

Originally Posted by Kerv

I am pretty ignorant about frames (and many, many other things) but why do you think the 3 pound weight difference is unlikely? Do you think think the difference is too little or too great?

I wouldn't think either of these frames weigh 3 pounds total, or not much more if so, but I've never weighed them so I wouldn't know for sure.

[jtrops]

According to UDC the nimbus frame is about 2.5 pounds, and the KH frame is 660 grams/1/5 lbs. So the nimbus is definately heavier, but neither frame is 3 lbs.

[velophile]

The last postings here are generally still relevant.. hence why I'm not starting a new thread. But UDC now offers two Nimbus 29" options in addition to the KH29.

Using the UDC compare feature, it seems difficult to justify an additional $325 for the KH name and a rim that's slightly wider. Yet I've blown out so freaking many wheels now, maybe paying that extra dough is worth it. I weigh some 180lbs and drop 2' or more regularly.

So what are the latest opinions out there?
- Nimbus II 29" Mountain Unicycle @ $350
- Nimbus 29" Drak Mountain Unicycle @ $350
- Kris Holm 29" Mountain Unicycle @ $685

Is one Nimbus superior to the other? Do either match the KH?

[scott ttocs]

If you have blown out wheels you could pay a specialist to get a really good wheel build. I had Bronson build a 36" wheel for my Schlumpf hub, and it is both true and very stable. A good wheel build may make more difference than the different components in the unicycle.

Scott

[Samstoney]

Your timing is appropriate for me too - I'm getting ready to pull the pin on a 29er in the next week or so. I really want the KH because it's so well regarded, so pretty and I like my new unicycle book so much. :-) But I want it..maybe $100.00 more than the Nimbus, not nearly 2x the price.

I'm favoring the Drak, because it has 4 more spokes and looks more solid overall, and has a rim right between the Nimbus 2 and the KH.

Are you going to put a brake on yours?

Sam

Originally Posted by velophile

The last postings here are generally still relevant.. hence why I'm not starting a new thread. But UDC now offers two Nimbus 29" options in addition to the KH29.

Using the UDC compare feature, it seems difficult to justify an additional $325 for the KH name and a rim that's slightly wider. Yet I've blown out so freaking many wheels now, maybe paying that extra dough is worth it. I weigh some 180lbs and drop 2' or more regularly.

So what are the latest opinions out there?
- Nimbus II 29" Mountain Unicycle @ $350
- Nimbus 29" Drak Mountain Unicycle @ $350
- Kris Holm 29" Mountain Unicycle @ $685

Is one Nimbus superior to the other? Do either match the KH?

[Samstoney]

I just got off the phone with the kind folks at Unicycle.com; here are some more data points:

The Drak is their "standard" Muni

The Nimbus II mountain uni is a shorter run - blue frames, lighter/skinnier wheel and tire.

There are plans for a disk brake Nimbus 29er, but not until November.

[velophile]

Hey thanks for the responses - pleased I'm not the only one feeling new at this again. I'm a little confused though by "shorter run." You saying that they are aiming for a lighter, higher performance wheel with the Nimbus II ? Did they give any thoughts as to strength of one Nimbus over the other? The riding here (in Austin) gives little need for a brake. It's mostly flat or rolling, but we have plenty of limestone boulders and tree roots to loosen up the spokage.
-Mike

[Samstoney]

So, I went with the Nimbus 2. My rationalization was that I really want the 29er as a cross country bike, and that I'd prefer the easier rolling narrower wheel/tire overall. But I personally prefer the looks of the nimbus 2 frame, and liked the trick KH wheel.

It was a hard decision; on paper the Drak seems like the better uni, with more spokes, a wider rim, and brake mounts. But...what the heck, I just liked this more.

I got it today, and haven't had much time to ride it, but I like it so far. Too bad it doesn't have brake mounts though.

Sam

[davidp]

Originally Posted by Samstoney

It was a hard decision; on paper the Drak seems like the better uni, with more spokes, a wider rim, and brake mounts.

The Drak may be a stronger muni, but the extra strength makes for a heavier wheel. The rim alone is 100g more than the KH rim and when you add the extra spokes (not much, ~1oz) and especially the tire (~400g) it adds up to a lot more than the wheel on the Nimbus II.

Originally Posted by Samstoney

I got it today, and haven't had much time to ride it, but I like it so far. Too bad it doesn't have brake mounts though.

If you find you want a brake you can always drill a hole through the crown and mount a BMX caliper brake; simple and cheap.

[Nurse Ben]

"blown out wheels to many times..."

Honestly, a wheel is ony as good as the person building it. The rims are all about the same strength, get one without holes and it'll be stronger(Nimbus Stealth). Having not seen any broken frames, I'd say it is a non issue. Hubs can be broken, usually the flange is the weak link, and there was also a bunch of hubs with creaking spindles, so do a search and see what you get.

If you are breaking wheels on two foot drops, you are not landing well. There are folks doing much bigger drops and having no problems, so maybe you're doing drops that aren't good for you wheels, like dead drops onto concrete? Anything can be broken, but with care a unicycle wheel will last for a long time.

The new Nimbuse disc hubs have an offset that makes one side of the spokes very steep, so I'd suggest you avoid that design if you are worried about wheel failure. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, the Drak is probably your best bet. You could ask Josh to build a wheel with thicker spokes or double butted spokes.

I got it today, and haven't had much time to ride it, but I like it so far. Too bad it doesn't have brake mounts though.

Nimbus D Brake and the new KH disc brake cranks, no mounts needed