Most folks know us here at Coker because of antique auto and motorcycle tires, real wide-whitewall radials (the first ones in the world btw!), or the absolute coolest “shoes” for hot rods. It might not surprise you to know however that there is a fast growing group of fun-loving crazies (crazy in a good way) who buy tires one tire at a time! We’re talking unicycles! Really BIG unicycles! Not only do we make tires for uni’s but we also make the unicycles too!

I am excited to tell you about our new Coker unicycle products, but first I want to tell you how we got it all started. Back in ‘98 we introduced our Coker Big One unicycle almost as a novelty. We didn’t put a lot of thought or technology into it. But it was new, cool, and it worked… and sold! The secret to our Big One unicycle was our huge 36 inch diameter button treaded pneumatic bicycle tire which I had designed earlier for use on our Wheelman bicycle. The Wheelman is a modern nostalgic version of a “Penny Farthing” or “Boneshaker” bicycle with the 36 inch tire up front on a steel rim with a free-wheeling axle (pedals and coasts one way) and a small 12 inch tire trailing on the rear. We later decided to develop a cool new Monster Cruiser bicycle using our 36 inch Coker button tires and wheels on both ends of this huge cruiser-style bicycle. I had used the classic Coker button tread design to produce many antique motorcycle tire molds so it again was a natural choice for the tire for the Wheelman because it looked “old”. After these two bicycles were up and running, it just seemed the next logical step was to also use the 36 inch tire and wheel on a unicycle. So we built one…a Big One! At the time, we really didn’t even know if the dang thing could be ridden much less sold! A long time uni veteran in the Chattanooga area “cokered up” and gave it a go! As it turned out, this original Coker Big One could be ridden and ridden pretty well! And, …oddly enough, this new tire and wheel, being a much larger diameter than anything previously available, enabled uni riders to make button tread tracks faster and for greater distances too! So now… Coker riders could do it longer!

The rest, as they say, is history! For the next several years, Coker Big Ones, flew off the shelf! The new era of the commuter and distance unicycle had begun whether we wanted it to or not! Folks into unicycling began documenting their experiences on the internet about their marathon rides, tours and Coker rides here in the US and in exotic places all over the world. Coker riders became a very loyal group of hardcore unicycle enthusiasts. Unicyclists now had the same ability as two-wheeled riders to go long distances that they never really considered much before Cokers came on the Uni scene. We supported several Guiness World Record rides, one by Lars Clausen, who went on to ride his Coker Big One in all 50 United States from the West Coast to the Statue of Liberty and back again. His story can be found at http://www.onewheel.org. His book, One Wheel – Many Spokes can be found on his website! We also supported Gracie Sorbello http://onewheelforlife.blogspot.com/ who rode her Coker after college in North Carolina all the way home to the West Coast!

Just a few years into the new millennium, a new term began to circulate in the amazing one-wheeled world of unicycling. The term “Cokering” soon became a verb used generically to desrcibe distance unicycling or simply riding a Coker Big One or any 36 inch uni for that matter. Wow! How cool!?! I think there is no higher compliment a product can receive than when its brand name is commonly used to describe an entire category of products. Think Xeroxing, Hoovering, and the common generic use of brand names like Kleenex, Q-Tip, Jell-O, Polaroid and Coke.

Actually I gotta admit it. The Coker Big One unicycle thing really took off while our main business at Coker Tire really began to rock and roll big time too. So, we sort of… “let the main thing be the main thing.” Our friends John and Amy Drummond cranked up their dot com business selling unicycles so they were our eyes and ears for a while. Our main focus is on collector tires and wheels and, in fact, probably always will be. My brother, David, who had previously been shepherding our cycle business, decided to leave the company to start his own wheel business. So, since the cycles had no day-to-day leadership, our focus on it waned too. Our Coker cycle products lost some steam and soon fell victim to knock-offs and copies, new competitors (some we would have never suspected). We even had a Taiwan manufacturer with not many morals make our stuff for others in our dies and molds and rebranded them for those others. The interest in “Cokering” grew but basically without the original Coker Big One as our stock was erratic. Our Coker button tires were always available but sometimes with availability interruptions.

In 2006, we started discussing our return to the unicycle market. We knew that if we came back we had to do it with a much better product and with a commitment to quality by our design engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution teams. I asked Kendall Kaylor, former marketing guy turned product manager to steer the project. Kendall, Gary Brewer (VP Operations), Larry Cloud (engineer extrodinaire) and I worked carefully together to review what improvements needed to be made and how best to go about producing our new unicycle. We got some valuable input from John and Amy Drummond and others and pushed forward. So…. after a little nap, we are now back producing unicycles that are cool, unique, exciting and quality-made. It took us a little while because we wanted to do ‘em right. And they are right! They are made right… our uni’s are quality. My friend Edouard Michelin told me before he tragically died that “pursuing quality doesn’t cost, it always pays”.

We’re excited about our new Big One and the all new Coker V2 made just for person who loves “Cokering”, wants a good quality uni and has just gotta have the original Coker name on their unicycle.

The new Big One sports an all-aluminum frame that itself (frame alone) with bearing caps and bolts weighs AT ONLY 1.761 lbs. (799 grams), when ready to ride weighs in at just 16 lbs! That’s the lightest production commuter unicycle available! The new Big One is the perfect choice for tours or pleasure rides that require lots of saddle time. And, it won’t break the bank at just $439.95 for the base model.

The all new V2 features a Chromoly frame with our proprietary and trademarked Quad-Crown construction. Four Chromoly fork legs branch out from the seat tube and bend downward creating the two vertical V’s that inspired the new unit’s name. The unique frame design provides a solidly symmetrical geometry for smooth ride with no torque flex to the frame. The new V2 frames are being fabricated on-site right here at our Chattanooga, Tennessee headquarters. Coker V2s feature a “slicker-than-snot-on-a-door-knob” powdercoated finish which you can order in any color as long as it’s black!!!! (borrowed from Henry Ford’s Model T) The standard V2 frame complete with bearing caps and bolts (cnc-machined here too) weighs in at just 4.127 lbs (1872 grams).

Both the Big One and V2 unicycles come with standard components which include:
-a top quality Coker gel saddle in two color options with a choice of aluminum or ChroMoly 25.4mm x350mm seat posts
-doubled up Allen-bolt seat post clamps
-alloy crank arms with choice of length of 125mm or 150mm
-studded alloy platform pedals
-new double-walled extruded aluminum rim with brake-ready surface
-extra strong 48 spokes (14 gauge stainless steel) laced to our own new wide Coker ChroMoly hub

The Coker Cycle logo is laser-etched in many places including the frames, saddles, post clamps, cranks, rims and hubs. Our optional linear brake kits are available for a reasonable up-charge and can be ordered online. All the new components have been carefully designed and selected for ultimate function and maximum quality while keeping our uni’s total weight down. We are currently working on a touring handlebar, and will have our new 36-2 1/4 Coker Ribbed XLR tire in stock this Spring of 2008 (soon actually). Later this year, we will unveil our new special off-road tread tire. Watch for it….it will be cool, and aggressive coming or going!

So… we are back in the unicycle business! Both new unicycles are in stock and now shipping! If you’ve always wanted an original Coker, now is the time! Check them out at http://www.cokercycles.com. You can order them online now, and by the way…don’t forget to tell us your t-shirt size when you order your uni because we will send you a free shirt with each Coker Big One or Coker V2!

From the road,

Corky Coker