If I was buying a 36 today I would buy one which is compatible with a Schlumpf hub, if only to have the option of upgrading at a later stage.
Crank length is a personal choice, no one else can give you the right answer. Keep in mind longer cranks make it easier to freemount, idle and control in general (good for beginners) whilst shorter cranks will mean a higher saddle height (better for shorter legs since less modification will be required).
jtrops, MT High…Thanks for the input. I didn’t realize the crank length vs. seat height and yet I guess I should have since my muni has 125/150s and I do notice the difference.
I guess I could try one size and always change if need be. Thanks again.
MT High…As far as the Schlumpf hub I’m assuming KH would be the compatible one for that? 
I don’t see myself justifying that expense at this point but down the road I guess it would be a good thing so as to keep in mind with the purchase.
Thanks guys. 
I have a new KH36 frame that I have not built a wheel for yet and looking at it it really can’t be made much shorter than it already is with the butted seat tube. At most I think you could cut about an inch off the KH frame.
The Coker frame on the other hand could probably be cut as low as an inch and a half above the crown. I don’t think I would cut it that low if you can help it so you still have some room for adjusting a seatpost.
My KH36 frame
On the subject of crank length, 125 is a great length for general street riding. If you can reach you might want longer if you ride rough trails or really need more control but you should not have problems with 125mm cranks on the road.
I found out what too much PSI in a Nightrider is.
The tire has been riding strong for 3 years now, I put a 29 tube in last year. I ran 85psi for about the past 4 months. Did a big 125km ride on it, clocked 36.5 km per hour on gps last month. High pressure means a fast tire. Last night I was getting greedy and tried about 95 psi, it was too much. It was loud, knocked a picture off the wall, and really freaked out my roomates. My ears rang for half an hour after.
I will still ride 80psi once i replace my set-up. It’s not as bumpy and hard as you think. Anyone who has a Nightrider should try 65psi at least. Less rolling resistance.
saskatchewanian, thanks for the info, I think 125s are going to be the choice, also good to know about the frames, it sucks being short when it comes to unicycling but it seems possible to get around the challenge with a few cuts here and there at least so far. I have a “Wanted 36er” post on the trading post but I’m thinking I might just have to go for it and buy a new 36er with the toys if nothing comes up in a day or two. I have been told the Nightrider will work fine also but putting a brake on that must be a chore because it’s listed as $220 extra for brakes at UDC (ouch)
Ben Meighen…Ouch, nice uni though.
I have a v brake on my nightrider and it was really cheap to make it work. The brake itself is just a cheap $10 V-brake and the lever is a mountain bike thumb shifter. Here’s a photo of the beast with the Vbrake attached, and the mount that cost less than $5.00 at the hardware store. I put up a thread a while back but the pix are in the gallery that isn’t functioning. Maybe I’ll re-upload the pix using the attachments function.
Ok see that’s cool and if I could do that…then this would be a sweet ride…http://www.unicycle.com/custom/nimbus-nightrider-36-powdercoated-black.html
because I like pink 
THANKS AGAIN!
Out of shape
Well today I had my second ride of the year, been really busy working and getting the house ready to be sold. My first ride was 10 miles with a 15 min break in the middle. Today I went out and just started going with no real planed route. On my way back I decided that I wasn’t going to take a break. All was going good until about 45 min in, then it hit me like a brick wall, I was beat. By 1h 10min I had my upd, nothing major. Did just over 13 miles at an avg. of 9.9mph(I’m no speed machine). Need to work on my endurance some more if I want to do a metric century this year. I’m scared to get shorter cranks because there where a few bumps where I think it would have sent me off if I wasn’t running the 150’s. The idea or the speed gain may be worth the shot though.
Riding my Coker today, I meant to ring the bell as I was trying to pass strolling people blocking the path, but I pulled the brake instead 
, and went down:p
landed on my feet:D
I would start with 127’s that’s what I started with. I live in a very hilly area and currently ride 114’s Once you get used to it you wont want to ride anything longer.
I ride on both the sidewalk and the road. It depends on how safe I feel on the road and how empty the sidewalk is. If you have decent control you shouldn’t have to worry about either one.
I think if you just gave it a little more time you’d have been much happier with it. I have no problems climbing, cruising, or stopping and going and I ride 114’s.
Start with 125’s on a Nimbus unicycle. I was about your height when I bought my 36’er and I have a T7 handle on it. I cut the seatpost down to the point it was touching my seatclamp and I was able to ride it fine with 127’s. I also don’t think a brake is necessary but a cheap caliper brake works just as well and a magura brake and isn’t as finicky to set-up if you feel a brake is something you need. I now run brakeless and with 114’s.
Ditto, but brakeless mostly because I have to get my brake mount tapped. However, on downhills under about -12% I have to go considerably slower to ensure that I can stop for cross traffic. Anything near or under -20% I cannot stop on without dismounting off the back. It’s a pain when I have several spots where a steep downhill abuts an intersection.
Also while I have been able to climb pretty much everything I’ve tried with 114’s it has been slower on the steep stuff. Tip: A slightly lower seat than expected seems to make climbing easier and faster on short cranks as one can bounce ones weight on the cranks more.
Based on if I mind using a brake on the uni I will choose between 125 brakeless and 114 braked. I might also weigh the fact that I like climbing more than spinning, and off-road more than on… I think I just convinced myself to go back to 125’s. 
Don’t feel alone. This has been my experience too (on a button tread) the camber doesn’t annoy me at the lower 25psi. And I never even noticed the camber with my steel rim, but have with the Coker aluminum.
I had great ride today and I flew up a hill that I often have trouble with. It was really windy and I managed to power through it. Even though I felt I was pedaling really fast, I still only averaged a little under 15 km/h.
It made me think that it is time to go down to the 125mm hole on my cranks. i have been riding the 150s and i ride 165s on my 29er for muni. I have to admit that I don’t feel confident with shorter cranks. I read about everyone riding such short cranks and I am amazed. I must have really weak legs. 
How do you do it?
I did find that i used my handle for almost the whole ride. When I let go of the handle I often felt less stable. Up until now, the opposite has been the case and I have felt like i needed both arms for balance. I guess i am progressing.
When you first try the shorter cranks, leave the seat height where it is. This will up your confidence in terms of bumps, as your legs won’t be maxed out when your pedal is at the bottom. As you gain confidence you can raise the seat up. I definitely don’t ride with my seat at the maximum height for my leg length; that’s fine for know, predictable places (like a track our familiar route), but not so much if you’re riding in new or bumpy areas.
By giving it a chance; more than one or two rides. Like so many others on here, I started with 150s and had to get comfortable before moving down. My early rides with 125s had me taking multiple tries to mount, and feeling less safe/confident. Now I think of 125s for hilly rides only. I like 110s or 114s, though I rode the Unicon XIV Marathon with 102s and it worked well. I currently have 140s on my MUni Coker, though those are a bit short for the places I like to ride…
Thanks John
I will give them a try tomorrow. i find that everything with a coker is a bit more work and a bit more intimidating to start so I have accepted that I will have to give the shorter cranks some time to get used to.
140 Sugino square cranks are very nice
I live on a flat island, it would seem I would want 110’s. I have a steel rimmed Radial 36, started with 150’s. I was shocked how much control I lost going to 125’s. So I bought the Sugino 140’s, put on light plastic pedals, and that has been very good.
I can idle and ride backwards on my ax 29, but so far this level of control is beyond me on the 36. The 140’s might seem to long, here in flat land, if I become a better rider. For now, at my skill level, I really like the extra control and it makes learning skills easier. I don’t miss the the tiny speed boost of the 125’s at all.
If you are using a coker tube in your tire and are considering changing to a shorter crank length it might help to swap out the 36" tube for a 29" one when you do.
The lighter wheel will give you some of the control back
Thanks for the vote of confidence I think I’m ordering the 125’s tonight.
Thanks, sounds like a good plan. I don’t think I would be competent with a brake immediately so I definitely won’t use a brake right away, if ever, I just want to have the option down the road. I do appreciate you input.
Thanks everyone for comments on tire pressure. Sounds generally the same as my experience on those two-wheeled contraptions; up to a point higher pressure sounds generally better for road riding. So the Nightrider Tire is on my wish list.
