Nimbus 29" crank arm choice

[bigwhite138]

Hi all I'm thinking about upgrading from my old and faithful 24" Torker CX, and I think my best option is a 29" wheel. What crank arm length would you recommend for someone who would use this to mostly get around my college campus?

Or I guess slightly off-topic... would it work to just get a better saddle?

[aarons]

Is your college campus crowded? You'll be quite a bit faster than pedestrians when you're riding a 29, and you might find it uncomfortably big for going around people on a crowded sidewalk.

[DSchmitt]

125s

[johnfoss]

102s. They're great on a 29" for pavement, including hills as long as they aren't real steep. Excellent for transportation, not for learning tricks, playing basketball, etc. If your riding involves mixed activities the 125s will be better.

[bigwhite138]

Originally Posted by aarons

Is your college campus crowded? You'll be quite a bit faster than pedestrians when you're riding a 29, and you might find it uncomfortably big for going around people on a crowded sidewalk.

It isn't extremely crowded, but I suppose the sidewalks do get somewhat crowded. The biggest ride I usually have is from my dorm to the swimming pool, which is actually only about half a mile I guess.

Well now I'm reconsidering the new uni more. I have never ridden a bigger unicycle, so maybe I'm just curious more than anything else. And I think the other major draw to a newer, bigger unicycle is the better seat. I have never ridden on a unicycle with a better seat either though, so I don't know what exactly the differences are. Does anyone have any first hand experience going from the normal Torker CX seat to something like a KH Freeride? Yesterday I took a 2 mile ride, and I was definitely feeling saddle sore by the end of it.

Edit: 102s? Really? How much getting used to would that take? I just looked it up and it looks like mine has 175mm cranks.

[tholub]

I would not recommend 102mm cranks. The only people who should ride 102mm cranks on a 29er are people who have ridden enough different crank lengths to make the choice for themselves.

125mm is a pretty good length for a road 29er. At that length you can get decent speed, but you won't be out of control.

A 29er is a lot more fun getting around on than a 24", so I'd recommend going for it instead of just upgrading your seat.

[aarons]

Originally Posted by bigwhite138

Well now I'm reconsidering the new uni more.

Don't let me talk you out of a new unicycle! Can't you get a new 29er AND a nicer seat for the Torker? 29ers are fun.

A new saddle will help with soreness some. You get tougher down there with practice. That's the main thing. Bike shorts help too. Plus the spandex outfit is super super sexy.

[bigwhite138]

Originally Posted by tholub

125mm is a pretty good length for a road 29er. At that length you can get decent speed, but you won't be out of control.

A 29er is a lot more fun getting around on than a 24", so I'd recommend going for it instead of just upgrading your seat.

It looks like 125 comes standard, so I was leaning towards that, but I just wanted to check to make sure.

How much faster would you say a 29" is? One of the things I wish I could do better is keep up with my friends who are skateboarding, but at the same time I feel like I might not push it to full speed for fear of falling. When I ride around I don't wear any of the protective stuff I've seen other people wearing, but that is mainly because I don't go as fast as other people.

Don't let me talk you out of a new unicycle! Can't you get a new 29er AND a nicer seat for the Torker? 29ers are fun.

Well, yeah it would be nice to get both, but being in college I don't have the most discretionary spending. One of the major reasons I'm thinking about all of this now is that my birthday is coming up

[tholub]

Originally Posted by bigwhite138

It looks like 125 comes standard, so I was leaning towards that, but I just wanted to check to make sure.

How much faster would you say a 29" is? One of the things I wish I could do better is keep up with my friends who are skateboarding, but at the same time I feel like I might not push it to full speed for fear of falling. When I ride around I don't wear any of the protective stuff I've seen other people wearing, but that is mainly because I don't go as fast as other people.

As a general rule, speed is proportional to wheel and crank size. If you're currently running 175mm cranks on a 24", 125mm cranks on a 29" will be quite a bit faster, but exactly how much faster depends on you.

I don't think a 29er with 125mm cranks is particularly dangerous; I ride mine without safety gear all the time (actually I have 110mm cranks). I wouldn't ride a 36" or my geared 29er without safety gear.

[johnfoss]

Yes, go with the 125s if you're only used to longer cranks. Then after a while you can decide if you want to make changes. As for speed, you will be faster. "How much faster" is a silly question. You can do the math for the basic answer, which is how much further you will go per revolution of your feet, but beyond that it's mostly up to you.