From Kris:

“Hey,
For quite a few months, Spencer and I have been working on various ideas to do with producing a KH flatland uni. Adrien Delecroix has also been testing and providing feedback.

The goal is not to repeat what’s out there or simply rebrand the KH20 as a flatland specific uni – I’m not just going to repaint the KH20 and call it something different. It also has to fit enough people’s riding styles worldwide to make it widely available – so it’s good to keep it simple and improve the most important components without making anything unnecessarily specialized.

IMO, the existing KH20 works well as a versatile trials/street/flatland uni, but there is room for improvement for rolling-oriented flatland – ie. for a lighter weight, smoother-rolling wheelset that bridges the gap between freestyle-oriented tricks and flatland style.

So far the most versatile setup seems to be the one that Spencer is riding:
KH20 longneck frame
110 mm Moment cranks with Rollo disks
New 20″, 47 mm wide KH rim.
Maxxis Grifter 2.1″ tire.

There are gonna be a lot of mixed opinions about this Uni. Its not the one uni quiver, its a flatland specific type of ride. Where as a trials/street uni can preform flat, this uni will not be as good for street or trials. With that said, I love the idea of discipline specific unicycle. Personally I like the high volume 19″ tires, and I like a side of street with my flat. However, I do think this will open up a more flat specific style of riding, and I am excited to see what those who chose that style can do with it.

Here is a vid for Spencer and Jon, Spencer is showing off the new Kh 20 Flat style unicycle… the one in the picture even.

From Spencer:

I love this uni. Pretty much everyone who picks it up is amazed at how light it is.

For flatland I wouldn’t really want to ride anything else, it rolls so smooth and any trick where your foot is on the tire is easier and more comfortable.

I really like the maxxis grifter tire, but if anyone wanted something different there are hundreds of bmx tires to pick from. The grifter is nice because it is relatively big, really light and the tread pattern is good for gliding and stuff like that. My tire is a little bigger than in that photo because there was no air in the tire.

About flip tricks, you could still do them its just the cushion of the tire isn’t there anymore. I don’t practice flip tricks because I don’t think they fit in with the style of my riding but I can still doubleflip easily and I learned hick doubles at NAUCC really fast. The wheel actually flips really fast because there’s much less rotating weight. You can still do flip tricks with the uni, but it definitely isn’t a replacement for a street uni.

I’m sure quite a few people will prefer to ride a trials wheel just because it is more convenient to have one unicycle for everything, but if you’re really into flatland or freestyle, it’s beneficial to have something that is suited specifically to that style of riding.

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If you got any thoughts on 20″ flat unis, leave some comments.

Comments ( 3 )

Comment by Zachary Wenner on Sep 25 09 at 1:11 am

I think people could get into this and even some freestylers would use it. I like the smooth light feel, its really nice once you get used to it.

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Comment by Eli Brill on Sep 25 09 at 7:07 pm

I think I would definitely buy one of these. I’d like to see more people start moving in this direction with their flatland. Seems like a great idea.

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Comment by David Pederson on Oct 27 09 at 9:15 pm

I would love to see this unicycle as one of the options out there. I really like the quality of the KH uni and translating that into flat would be an instant success. Make it light and advertise it as light, kh quality is already understood.

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