29" or 36" with Schlumpf Hub?

[dirk]

I'm a little conflicted. I'm planning on getting a 36" with a Schlumpf hub but feel that a 29" might be a more versatile guni. I love riding single track on my 36" but I'm sure I could do more technical stuff on a 29". However, I could go faster on the road with 36" in the high gear, maybe even too fast for an injury free upd. If you have either a 29" or a 36" guni, I would love your input.

Thanks,

Dirk

[tholub]

It seems pretty clear that a geared 36 is faster in most race conditions than a geared 29.

But the reality is, the rider is more important than the uni, and a geared 29er is plenty fast. If you're going to be doing a significant amount of riding off-road, I think a geared 29er is the ideal setup; it has the ability to do decently technical stuff, is as fast as you'd ever want to be off-road, and still can move fast on roads.

[napalm]

I think the general consensus is that for road riding a geared 36" gives you two usefull gears (where as a 29 leaves you with one- unless you are riding crazy steep hills)
A geared 29 sounds ideal if you are going to be doing a mix of cross country and road riding or needing to have a uni that can be more easily transported.
mark

[GizmoDuck]

I've finally managed to get to ride a 36" Schlumpf. It's definitely faster and easier to shift than the 29" Schlumpf. Tony Melton had a practice ride and had about a 6% increase in speed on the 36" Schlumpf over his 29" Schlumpf on a flat course.

I'll be able to post some PB's on the Coker vs 29" Schlumpf vs 36" Schlumpf when I get back home...have a 36" Schlumpf waiting for me when I get back.

[osmundo]

Originally Posted by GizmoDuck

have a 36" Schlumpf waiting for me when I get back.

What's your set up? New KH frame?

[GizmoDuck]

Originally Posted by osmundo

What's your set up? New KH frame?

It is currently a 36" Schlumpf ultimate wheel, made up of KH Sclumpf hub, Stealth Pro rim, Nimbus nightrider tyre. In fact, I guess as there is nothing for the torque bearing to bolt onto, it makes it more of a 36" Sclumpf BC wheel.

[Daytripper63]

Ihave a 36 guni and Ilike it but.I am starting to think if you are young and fearless get the geared 36 since it can be scary fast on one wheel and at age 45 Idont walk away from falls as easy as I did a few years ago. I will keep my geared 36 but will probably get a geared KH29 since I prefer riding single track trails.

[corbin]

Geared 36"er is the only way to go!

[wolfgang.schaper]

It depends on what you are going to do with that guni.
When you are heading for long distance riding on level roads in a flat area, maybe you want to get a 36 to be faster.
If you are into road racing (unlimited class, RTL for instance), for sure 36 is the right decision.
If you want to do some offroad riding, or road riding in hilly areas, I would propose to get a 29. By the way, that's exactly what I got. 36 is too large for offroad purposes, even in low gear. For steep inclines, you may vary the crank length, but of course within limits. Regarding cranks, I am very happy with the KH double hole cranks, as they allow for very quick and easy crank length changes.
If you have plenty of money, buy both gunis and you are on the save side

[phlegm]

I don't know that I have anything new to offer, but I do have a geared KH29. The reason I chose the 29 is that it's more suited for technical offroad trails and climbing the roads in the Santa Cruz mountains, many of which are steeper than I want to ride with a 36. Geared up, the 29 can be ridden fast enough that a "good" fall will involve tucking and rolling.

[peter.bier]

I've just built up a geared 29er for my commute to work. I wanted a 29er rather than a 36er so that I can still use it on the odd offroad ride but my primary use will be the daily commute. In heavy traffic I think a 36er would be too big and unwieldy.

The 1:1 gear probably wouldn't be as useful on long distance road riding but for inner city riding it is really handy for intersections or weaving through pedestrians/tightly packed traffic. It is great to be able to pop down to the 1:1 gear when you come up to intersections - you can idle easily on a 29er with 125mm cranks and its a breeze to make sharp turns. In the 1:1.5 mode turning takes a bit more care.

[semach.the.monkey]

I got a 29" Schlumpf when there were only a couple of 36" gunis around. The general consensus at the time is that you shouldn't put the hub in anything larger than a 29" rim.

These days, 36" Schlupfs are relatively common, and, thanks to their obvious success at RTL (and now with Chucks 10km world record), I'm sure they will get more and more popular.

Knowing what I know now, if I had to make the decisions all over again, I would still go down the 29" route. It's just an all round more versatile unicycle. Sure, the top speed on flatish terrain isn't as fast, but in just about every other aspect it is a better unicycle. At least, for me it is, anyway. ymmv

STM

[steveyo]

Wrestling with this very choice (with a hub on order), I'm leaning toward the 29" guni. Being short (5'6") I find it a much more comfortable size to free-mount, it's easier to schlep around with, and XC trails should be a blast in the 1:1.5 gear. Also, I feel a bit too mortal these days to need to break 20 mph.

[GizmoDuck]

Originally Posted by semach.the.monkey

These days, 36" Schlupfs are relatively common, and, thanks to their obvious success at RTL (and now with Chucks 10km world record), I'm sure they will get more and more popular.

STM

We went for a quick marathon practice ride today. I had the chance to see Sam Wakeling ride a 36" Schlumpf for the first time. It was a very brief ride....probably 100m or so, but he was pulling away from me quite easily (I was on a 29" Schlumpf). Put Sam or Dustin Schaap on a 36" Schlumpf and it will be interesting to see how fast they go. I don't think many records are safe

This Unicon is still a battle of who can get their Sclumpfs first, but the next one will be a battle of the 36" Schlumpfs for sure. I'm still waiting for my 36" Schlumpf frame to arrive, and I know many people who have one on order.

[critter]

Originally Posted by corbin

Geared 36"er is the only way to go!

Is the Muni Guni an option with the 24" wheel? That would have been my first choice but I thought I would break a very expensive toy.

I never rode a 36''. I have a 29 guni. I like having gears on both sides of a 36''. I'm pretty comfortable in the low gear on technical parts. And I'm glad I'm not higher or faster like the big boys.