For simple FLAT road riding, comparison of 36 inch unicycles

[William393]

Hi

Unicycle.com is having a big birthday sale right now, and I’m thinking of getting another 36 inch unicycle. I only do simple FLAT road riding, typically while juggling three clubs. Because I Jogo, I don’t use a handlebar. Also, I don’t use a brake .

For simple road riding, how do the various 36 inch unicycles compare?

Thanks!

[JimT]

For simple road riding, no hopping or jumping and no disk brake required a UDC Titan would be serviceable. With proper maintenance like checking the torque on the cotter-less crank bolts regularly it is fine for simple road riding. For more trouble free (less maintenance) and harder service a Nimbus or KH with ISIS hub and more brake options would be recommended.

I went with a Nimbus 36er because of the reduced cost over the KH 36 and I prefer the disk brake configuration on the Nimbus.

[lightbulbjim]

For your use case the deciding factor is probably Q factor. KH uses 100mm bearing spacing and Nimbus 125mm on their 36ers.

Put KH (flared) cranks on a Nimbus 36 and you'll get an extra-wide Q factor.

Put Nimbus (straight) cranks on a KH 36 and you'll get an extra-narrow Q factor. Note that you'll have to remove the external disc brake for this to work.

Do you prefer wide or narrow spacing? You probably won't know until you try both.

Note that out of the box both KH and Nimbus 36ers have the pretty much the same Q factor, it's just a matter of how much of the width is taken up by the hub vs cranks.

Also note I've purposefully excluded Quax as they use a different crank interface which limits options.

[As Stupid Does]

Y’all need to forget everything anyone says and just get a 36 inch Icycle from Kris Holm. Come with plenty of ego, the (I) is already installed. Autographed in at least 21 places.

Big egos set aside, seriously “l”own four Kris Holm unicycles and wouldn’t have been as happy with some other brand.

No, you don’t need a break. And we never needed a handle until my buddy Kris decided wimps would pay anything to cheat and look better than they really are. I’m sure Kris smiles big on the way to the bank selling accessories.

Remember when he did all the big stuff without any? If he still made it look easy now without’m would as many be buying them? Maybe so…

Ride’m partner

.

[finnspin]

For simple road riding, I don't think it matters a bit. There are no really bad quality 36" unicycles on the market. Most people don't care about Q-Factor much (the people on this forum are not "most people"). Get a 36" with the crank length YOU like, and the saddle YOU like. Those are the important things. Square taper is okay for a distance unicycle. A bit of weight difference probably doesn't matter much.

You were saying "another" 36" does that mean you already have one? If so, what's wrong with it?

Originally Posted by As Stupid Does

No, you don’t need a break. And we never needed a handle until my buddy Kris decided wimps would pay anything to cheat and look better than they really are. I’m sure Kris smiles big on the way to the bank selling accessories.

Remember when he did all the big stuff without any? If he still made it look easy now without’m would as many be buying them? Maybe so…

Blame the dealer, not the buyer, because in the end, it's the dealer who makes the purchase decision. Oh wait, that's backwards... I see a lot of people riding unicycles that are way to high tech for the riding they are doing, but if they have the money to throw around, good for them.

[unibokk]

" Icycle "

I like it

[Setonix]

Originally Posted by As Stupid Does

Big egos set aside, seriously “l”own four Kris Holm unicycles and wouldn’t have been as happy with some other brand.

No, you don’t need a break. And we never needed a handle until my buddy Kris decided wimps would pay anything to cheat and look better than they really are. I’m sure Kris smiles big on the way to the bank selling accessories.

When I bought a schlumf I decided to buy it with a 26" KH. I already had a normal KH 26" muni, which was my second unicycle. I had good experiences with it, but now after 4 years I have more Nimbus unis. I think they are both professional brands and Nimbus is cheaper.

Of course you can do without a handle bar, but it does make the ride more comfortable I think, but I can still decide to sit straight up during the ride, alternating my position.

I have a 36" Nimbus Nightrider, but mostly I'd say it is very heavy and doesn't respond as quickly as the 32" for example. I'm not sure if other brand 36" unis are lighter and more responsive. I reckon once you have a 36", you don't really need to get a second.

[OneTrackMind]

Originally Posted by unibokk

" Icycle "

I like it

You-n-I-cycle

[elpuebloUNIdo]

Originally Posted by finnspin

I see a lot of people riding unicycles that are way to high tech for the riding they are doing, but if they have the money to throw around, good for them.

You're just jealous, finnspin, because my unicycle is nicer and shinier than yours...and it's in perfect condition because it's never been used!

[Unicyclist Lou]

William I checked UDC and there are no 36" unicycles for sale.

Which 36" do you own?

[unibokk]

Originally Posted by OneTrackMind

You-n-I-cycle

That's clever

[harper]

Originally Posted by William393

For simple road riding, how do the various 36 inch unicycles compare?

Thanks!

In comparison, mine is much faster than yours, but that's just because of who is doing the riding

[UniMyra]

Originally Posted by finnspin

I see a lot of people riding unicycles that are way to high tech for the riding they are doing, but if they have the money to throw around, good for them.

Haha. I must be one of those people, except I don't really have that much money. I just don't know what else to buy.

[OneTrackMind]

Originally Posted by As Stupid Does

Big egos set aside, seriously “l”own four Kris Holm unicycles and wouldn’t have been as happy with some other brand.

I have five KHs. Fortunately the 19" frame doesn't have the original paintwork but a distressed red instead. It also has a beautiful Impact wheel with a white rim and hub.

The 26 has a 48 mm KH wheel for Muni but the road wheel is a totally black Nimbus Dominator2. Similarly the 29 though its road wheel has machined brake surfaces for the Maguras.

The 27.5 is an all original KH with Spirit hub and cranks.

I am far happier with my "other brand" 36er than I would have been with a KH. It is a Triton with a Titanium frame that looks more like a piece of jewellery than an industrial structure.

No, you don’t need a break (sic). And we never needed a handle until my buddy Kris decided wimps would pay anything to cheat and look better than they really are. I’m sure Kris smiles big on the way to the bank selling accessories.

I certainly need a brake on my big unis where I ride. It is hard enough work riding up the hills without having to work hard going down them as well.

Some riders can't make a handle work for them but a lot of us can. I have the KH short handle on my 36 and 27.5.

[elpuebloUNIdo]

Originally Posted by OneTrackMind

Some riders can't make a handle work for them but a lot of us can.

Learning to use bar ends, for me, felt less like an added technique and more like a paradigm shift in riding. The locus of balance moved from my arm(s) to the hips.

I wonder if it's true some riders "can't" use them, or if instead they see no reason to use them because they've learned to ride using another method.

This is not a 100% good analogy...Imagine initially learning to ride a bike without the handlebars. Difficult, but doable, right? Now, start using the handle bars. Voila!

My favorite unicycle gag: I'm riding down the trail with both hands on the bar ends. I get a comment from a kid, then I say, "Do you want to see a trick?...No hands!" (at which point I lift my hands off the bar ends and start riding in a sketchy fashion with my arms flailing madly. After a few seconds, I return my hands to the bar ends and resume riding smoothly. The only response I've ever gotten from that one is complete bewilderment. Okay, so I have a weird sense of humor!