Re: Torker LX abuse



H

HistoricalGoof

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Hardly a couple months ago I took my limited budget to the LBS and had
them order me a 24" Torker LX. In that time I've bent the rim, nearly
ripped off the seat, made the cranks loose and now one of my pedals is
really loose...I think I may have ripped out the threading. I have had
a lot of fun on it, learned how to hop up and down curbs and have been
going big distances (almost 80 miles in 3 weeks), but I'm starting to
see the limitations of my ride.

Since I started this unicycle-in-every-spare-moment-of-my-time way of
living I've lost 10-15 lbs, bringing me down to around 215. I'm still
too heavy for this unicycle though...I'm really not sure what to do.
Can I upgrade parts on the LX to make it strong enough for me or should
I just go for something new? I'm most interested in MUni and distance
riding, but I really was having fun doing small trials stuff...well,
just the hops I was able to pull off. My bind is that money is a big
issue as I'm moving to Prague at the end of summer and have lots of
bills and expenses associated with that move. I need a uni that I can
bring over there that won't need servicing twice a week like the LX
needs now. How inexpensive can I go and still have something really
worthwhile? I'm thinking of sticking with a 24" wheel, but wouldn't
necessarily be opposed to going bigger. Any suggestions from those that
are more knowledgeable? Thanks for any help in advance.


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you could upgrade the LX, but if you want to get into MUni/distance,
then I would advise you get a new uni....and if you still want to do
some trials with it, I think you should get a 24" MUni.
the 'Nimbus 24\" MUni'
(http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=745) should be very
good for you, I think....it's relatively cheap, and not that strong, but
at the moment you prolly don't need a whole lotta strength. so yes, my
suggestion is the Nimbus MUni.


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Direct off the Torker website:

> For Warranty Questions, please return to the Torker Dealer that you
> purchased your product from, for inspection. If the dealer deems that
> item falls under Torker Warranty, dealer will send item to Torker for
> replacement at no charge.



Is your LBS a torker dealer? I would bring it back and see if they can
get you a free replacement.

e39m5


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e39m5
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I think I will try to take it back to the shop, but I know the trouble
lies in the fact that my ass is too fat to be doing what I was trying to
do on it....not sure if they'll want to send me a new one to break just
the same.


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It is extremely unlikely that the shop will replace your Torker for
free. It hasn't had manufacturing defects, it's just been ridden
hard.

It definitely sounds like you're at the point where you should start
getting more unis. I wouldn't put any big investment into the Torker;
fix the pedal/crank if there's a problem there, and leave it to be your
uni for riding around the neighberhood, freestyle, loaning to others to
learn on, etc. Less intense stuff. Then get yourself something more
rugged. Since you've had crank problems, I would definitely recommend a
splined hub uni. If you want to go the trials route, the Onza 20"
trials uni is selling for $299 on unicycle.com; the Onza 24" MUni at
$349 is also a fine deal. The Qu-Ax 20" trials and 24" MUni are also
comparable.


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tholub - Kinetic Sculptor
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tholub wrote:
> *Since you've had crank problems, I would definitely recommend a
> splined hub uni. If you want to go the trials route, the Onza 20"
> trials uni is selling for $299 on unicycle.com; the Onza 24" MUni at
> $349 is also a fine deal. The Qu-Ax 20" trials and 24" MUni are
> also comparable. *



Do you think that both the Onza 24" MUni and the Quax 24" MUni would
support my weight off of 1 ft-2ft drops? I'm 215, 6'2. Either of these
may be the route to go...although I'd hate to go one step up from my
Torker LX and destroy either the Onza or Quax just as quickly.


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HistoricalGoof - Cruisin' in B&W!
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The splined hub makes the whole setup more reliable. It's certainly
possible to destroy them, but it's also possible to destroy a $600 uni.


Partly, you'll need to improve your technique; if you lawn-dart your
landings on your drops, it's a lot harder on the equipment.


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tholub - Kinetic Sculptor
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I think the onza or qu-ax muni would be great, and I doubt you could
break them.


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You could pour some $$ into your LX and get it back to near new
condition and in a couple of month it's trashed again. I'd get a new
one. I've been riding a Torker DX24 for about a year now and it seems
pretty rugged. I haven't broken anything yet (on the uni anyway, we can
talk about that collar bone later). About $150 on ebay, new. I'm 200
lbs and 6"1'. Still not a real good rider but it's held up to hopping
up and down curbs and some light muni. Good luck. Prague sounds cool.


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Well, I took the LX to my LBS and am having them order me new cranks...I
went with 140mm, think that's wise?...I'm going to get a thicker tire
for it too, just for the heck of it. I'll see if I can make this thing
work for me for a while longer. I suppose the longer I hold off on
getting a new uni, the more I'll save. Although I really do like the
looks of that 24" Onza MUni...


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I weighed 16 Stone when I rode snowdon on a 2004 Onza 24", and it held
up fine. In fact, the only problem I had was last time I did snowdon
where the keyway began to slop. I had lost weight by then, so it was
probably just aggrivation of a small issue. The 2005 Onza won't get this
slop, so I wouldn't worry about it. I weigh about the same as you, and I
take mine off 3-4ft drops on a regular basis (with a loctited keyway).
You won't touch the Onza.

Loose.


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