Am I choosing the right guni? KH24 vs KH26, 125/150's vs 137/165's

[MuniOrBust]

I'm just about ready to buy a KH24 with dual hole 125/150's and a Schlumpf.
But I've been debating the KH24 vs KH26 and 125/150's vs 137/165's.

I mostly ride muni.

I like to ride up hills, and a lot of my trails have hills. Would I be better with 165's? Or will 150's be good enough?

I'd like to learn more hopping skills, to get over logs and up steep hill sections. Isn't a 24 wheel better than 26 for this?

I'd like to learn to ride along logs and other skinny obstacles. Again, smaller wheel better?

I'd like to go faster on straights. Schlumpf. 26 would be faster of course.

Occasionally I'd like to ride on flatter paths and roads with my family riding bikes. I'll move pedals to 125's and use Schlumpf.

Does the KH24 with dual hole 125/150's sound right for me?

[saskatchewanian]

What do you ride right now?

[johnfoss]

For mostly MUni and practicing hopping skills, I'd go for the 24". 150 should be all the crank you need unless your hills are crazy steep, leaving the 125s for some nice cruising in high gear (on the smoother stuff).

[From the Woods]

With the 24" Uni I would definitely go with the 125/150 cranks. 150mm is the perfect crank length for that wheel size when riding MUni in my opinion. Uphill is easier with the 165mm cranks but on every other type of MUni riding where you would want longer cranks than 125 (or 137), 165s are just too long.

Like I already said in that recent "24 vs. 26" thread I am a huge fan of the 26x3 wheel after having used a 24x3 for the last year and prefer that wheelsize for any type of MUni riding. But if you really would like to do lots of hopping things and you want a big 3" tire go with the KH24. A KH26x3 with Schlumpf hub is really heavy and can handle almost everything except lots of hopping With a smaller tire I would go with the KH26.

[MuniOrBust]

Originally Posted by saskatchewanian

What do you ride right now?

A 24" Onza with 165's.

I also have a 26" Nimbus with 152's. I've never taken it on the trails, which are still drying out from the winter thaw. And I'd like to make an order soon, so I doubt I'll even try.

I did ride it in the driveway yesterday for a while. And then I switched back to the Onza. I think that helped me see how much harder it is to control it with 165s. They're different animals.

[MuniOrBust]

Originally Posted by johnfoss

150 should be all the crank you need unless your hills are crazy steep, leaving the 125s for some nice cruising in high gear (on the smoother stuff).

What is crazy steep?

You got me thinking. I never know for sure how steep my hills are. Maybe I should get out there and measure them and report back.

So how would I do that? I have a very cheap level with an angle finder.

I think I'll walk through the trails soon and measure some hills. I'll bring a 4'x1"x1" piece of wood to set that little torpedo level on.

It seems that most many of the trails in my area are on the land that nobody could build houses on, because it's got too many hills and valleys.

[napalm]

If you can use a brake properly 150s are definitely long enough for super steep terrain on a 24". Anything longer is overkill in my opinion. I run 125/150mm moments on my KH/Schlumpf 24".
mark

[MuniOrBust]

Originally Posted by napalm

If you can use a brake properly 150s are definitely long enough for super steep terrain on a 24". Anything longer is overkill in my opinion. I run 125/150mm moments on my KH/Schlumpf 24".
mark

Cool. I've never ridden with a brake.
I was worried about getting UP hills, but now I'm a little concerned about down hills.

Oh god, now you got me thinking about the $200 maguras!

[From the Woods]

A brake is definitely worth it and when riding in high gear with short cranks (and even with the long ones) it is mandatory imho. In addition to that brakes are very useful when the ground is wet and slippery.

[mbalmer]

Hey MuniorBust, I too just purchased my Schlumph. I'm buying it through a local guy who knows Florian. He is also going to build my wheel when it gets here. I can't wait. I hope it doesn't take toooooo long, but I'll take what I can get.

I would get brakes. You can get them a lot cheaper from Brycer1968. I have 4 sets from him. You'll find him in the Trading Post. Downhill is a lot of fun with the brakes. Some people enjoy downhill with all the power coming from their legs, but I end up with too much knee pain and have to do descents quite slowly.

Have fun with your purchase. The anticipation is almost as fun as getting new toys.

[MuniOrBust]

Originally Posted by mbalmer

I would get brakes. You can get them a lot cheaper from Brycer1968. I have 4 sets from him. You'll find him in the Trading Post.

Looks like from Brycer1968 I'd get a brake for $100 shipped. Then I'd need to buy a mount ($18) and spooner ($20). That's $138

When I put my uni order in with UDC, I could pay $200 for this setup.

From the pictures I can see the current levers from UDC (minus spooner) look a little different. And the components from Brycer1968 are 2004, while I assume the UDC ones are 2009/2010.
Are these differences worth the extra $62 from UDC?

[mbalmer]

Originally Posted by MuniOrBust

Looks like from Brycer1968 I'd get a brake for $100 shipped. Then I'd need to buy a mount ($18) and spooner ($20). That's $138

When I put my uni order in with UDC, I could pay $200 for this setup.

From the pictures I can see the current levers from UDC (minus spooner) look a little different. And the components from Brycer1968 are 2004, while I assume the UDC ones are 2009/2010.
Are these differences worth the extra $62 from UDC?

I've never bought brakes from UDC. The ones I have work very well. I can't really compare. I had one set break when my dog's leash got tangled up in the brake. I have two spooners but will create my own for the Coker and KH36. I like the bottle cap and JB Weld idea.

[Klaas Bil]

Originally Posted by MuniOrBust

You got me thinking. I never know for sure how steep my hills are. Maybe I should get out there and measure them and report back.

So how would I do that?

Make this:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/inclinometer.htm

[phlegm]

If you want two gears for offroad use, get the 24. If you want one gear for offroad use and one for the road/dirt fireroads, get the 26--or a 29.

125/150 cranks. Hills are as steep as anywhere here, and a number of us ride 137s on 24s. I like 150s for MUni on my 29.

I had a KH29 GUni, but I still prefer the simplicity of my SS KH29 for distance oriented MUni rides. Rode 4 hours on Sunday with others on mountain bikes.