2015 KHU lineup is here...

[danger_uni]

Originally Posted by Vertigo

Thanks for the update.

I'm confused about the T bar for distance. Does it connect to the seat post?

It's identical to the standard T-bar in attachment.
The only differences are that the T-handle is bent and the "T" width is wider (155 mm). The straight T has a "T" width of 120 mm.

[danger_uni]

Originally Posted by Capdoogie

Kris, your web page shows the 24 considerably heavier than the 26. Is that solely from the tire?

Yes the difference is the tire weight- the 24x3" Duro is much heavier than the 26x3" Knard.

Note - weights aren't really accurate yet. Weights posted are 2014. 2015 weights won't be all that different though. They might increase slightly because the 2014 weight did not include a disc brake or rotor.

[Capdoogie]

Kris, I'm going to purchase either your 24 or 26. Do you feel your muni of choice for tight dh switchbacks style trails is the 24 or now with the knard tire the 26 is more nimble. PM me if you would like.

[juggleaddict]

Originally Posted by danger_uni

You re just the person for whom I never included a brake previously=). However that's the minority view.
Most riders want a brake.
It's definitely less expensive to include it from the factory than buy it aftermarket.

I suppose I'll have to become one of the cool kids one day. : P

"Back in my day, unicycles didn't have geared hubs and brakes."
"OH GRANDPAH!!!"
*90's laughtrack*

[danger_uni]

Originally Posted by Capdoogie

Kris, I'm going to purchase either your 24 or 26. Do you feel your muni of choice for tight dh switchbacks style trails is the 24 or now with the knard tire the 26 is more nimble. PM me if you would like.

More and more it's coming down to a question of fit, just like bikes, and then to terrain and riding style. Smaller riders are still going to prefer the KH24 geometry. Riders who tend to pick their way down technically difficult trails, particularly through broken terrain, might like the KH24, as would riders also doing trials. Riders who fit the KH26 geometry on trails designed for bikes will like the faster, flowy feel and better ability to roll over bumps. For myself (5'11", 145 lbs), I'm riding the KH26 more and more on singletrack designed for bikes, including harder tech DH. So like everything else it depends.

[Killian]

I remember reading over on MTBR where someone said that they thought with all of the new wheel sizes coming around (29 and 27.5) eventually people will choose wheel size based on how they will fit the bike, rather than the wheel's riding characteristics.

Kind of an interesting point of view IMO, since I still believe that different wheel sizes have benefits regardless of fit.

Black Zero? When will this be available in the US? I'm sure you've answered this a million times, but I noticed that on every unicycle with a Zero, a T-bar is 'recommended'. What is your opinion on using it without a handle, for those that don't run a handle using a Freeride or Street saddle? Sorry! I'm also curious as to why you don't adopt the same pivotal mount on the other 'original' saddles.

I do want to say though Kris, that I think you guys made some very positive advances with your gear. Going to the one piece hub is great to see, as well as black saddles. I'm also very glad to see someone that put a 29er frame with better clearance for the Knard tire.

Good stuff!

[danger_uni]

Originally Posted by Killian

I remember reading over on MTBR where someone said that they thought with all of the new wheel sizes coming around (29 and 27.5) eventually people will choose wheel size based on how they will fit the bike, rather than the wheel's riding characteristics.

Kind of an interesting point of view IMO, since I still believe that different wheel sizes have benefits regardless of fit.

Black Zero? When will this be available in the US? I'm sure you've answered this a million times, but I noticed that on every unicycle with a Zero, a T-bar is 'recommended'. What is your opinion on using it without a handle, for those that don't run a handle using a Freeride or Street saddle? Sorry! I'm also curious as to why you don't adopt the same pivotal mount on the other 'original' saddles.

I do want to say though Kris, that I think you guys made some very positive advances with your gear. Going to the one piece hub is great to see, as well as black saddles. I'm also very glad to see someone that put a 29er frame with better clearance for the Knard tire.

Good stuff!

Re fit - I agree with you that wheel size is about a combination of fit, riding style, and terrain.

Re the recommendation of a T-bar with the Zero. With curved saddles, essentially you are blocked from falling forward by the front of your crotch. The Zero takes this away, replacing it with saddle angle and some adjustment in rider position. But there is still less support out front. A T-handle really helps to keep your weight back. Just because you don't run a T-bar on the curved KH saddles doesn't mean you necessarily won't want one on the Zero. For muni the setup replacing the plastic handle with a T-bar is great.

Re switching to a Pivotal mount on the other saddles. That would require a new saddle frame and injection molding is expensive. Between the KH saddles there's around $60,000 in tooling and design cost, not including my time. That's a barrier in a small sport - it takes years to recoup the investment.

Thanks for the kind comments!

[Piece Maker]

Originally Posted by Killian

I remember reading over on MTBR where someone said that they thought with all of the new wheel sizes coming around (29 and 27.5) eventually people will choose wheel size based on how they will fit the bike, rather than the wheel's riding characteristics.

I pretty much agree this is a good plan - my brother is shorter than me, and when he rides his old 26" MTB he looks relatively normal. When he tried a 29er, he looked ridiculously small. Those extra couple inches really add up when you account for the increased framesize/geometry.

There are also a couple of 36" MTB's out there with full-sized frames (as opposed to the Coker/Qu-Ax cruiser 36er bikes that have super low-slung frames to allow for shorter riders) to accomodate giant-sized riders.

Obviously with uni's its a bit different, our wheel sizes more or less determine our speed, but I think between a 24" and a 29er, riding MUni, your speed's probably not going to be crazily different anyway, so you might as well choose a wheelsize that suits you as a rider rather than fussing over which one 'performs better' on certain terrain. Some people are completely able to fling a 29er all over the place like it's a small wheel, and some are able to blast a 24" along fast, smooth single-track.

[kahunacohen]

Well said Piece Maker. Like everything much of it comes down to talent, experience, fitness , and technique. Great riders can ride anything better than I can even if I have the best equipment. But sizing is important. I'm a decent rider and tried a 29 because it was all the rage a while ago, and I hated it. Maybe I could have stuck with it, but I wasn't having fun. It just didn't seem to fit me well. Too big to be manunverable, too small to go long distances on the road.

I'm looking at the new KH26 to replace my Oracle 24, which I find just a tad small and heavy, especially when climbing hills. I actually like it fine on flats and downhill. I use my Oracle for both muni and for short urban rides, where I like to jump over obstacles and generally have fun. It's my go-to uni. But the tire options are limited, and as I said it's heavy and just a little too small for muni.

So how would the new KH26 fare with the flat saddle for the urban riding I do? I suspect the bars would get in the way, yet they seem needed for muni...

[MilanMUni]

Great work, Kris! Thank you.

[riq]

Great news and great timing (since I was about to get a new uni)!

@danger_uni: With the hydraulic brakes, how common is it to have a leak in the hose while doing muni ? In case it is needed, what is your recommendation to protect the hose ?

Thanks!

[kahunacohen]

I don't muni more than a few times a month, but I also crash my muni all the time on concrete. I've ridden hydraulic brakes for 3 years and not once had a leak. #jinx

[danger_uni]

Originally Posted by kahunacohen

<snip>

So how would the new KH26 fare with the flat saddle for the urban riding I do? I suspect the bars would get in the way, yet they seem needed for muni...

A T-bar is going to get in the way if you do tricks. But it's good if your main goal is getting from A to B, including technical stuff. The key is to make sure the "T" is narrow enough - if you find it is at all in the way then a narrower configuration is probably better. The straight T-bar has been reduced from a 150 mm T to a 120 mm T. For mounting right in front of the saddle you could cut it as narrow as 110 mm. Allow for an adjustment period, for sure.

Kris

[kahunacohen]

Kris, I use a tbar on my Oracle 36 and love it, but of course I'm not jumping stuff and being wacky on my 36. Just getting from point A to point B.

Most of what I currently do on my 24 when riding it in an urban setting is rolling hops. In muni urban hops and side hops up a hill when the going gets tough.

That being said, I'm sure you do some pretty technical riding on your 26 with the bar, so I should be fine in an urban setting too.

[danger_uni]

With rolling hops it's key to have the pulling position as close as possible to the front of the saddle. A few centimetres make a big difference. So with a T-bar replacing the plastic handle on a Zero saddle, it really needs to be as high angle and close to the saddle as possible. This means narrow - a "T" width no more than 120 mm.
The new grippy bar-ends also help because you can put your pinky behind the back of the grip.
With an adjustment period to get used to it, this setup works fine for rolling hops during "normal" riding including technical muni.
That said, if you are riding trials and the entire purpose is to do the highest rolling hop you can do, then the plastic handle still gives the optimal hand position.


Kris