hey all, im thinking of getting a MUni and i cant decide between:
26" Nimbus ISIS Muni (i would fit this with moments)
KH 26"
KH 24"
wanna help me out? i would probably be riding on mostly rocky bush tracks or dirt/soil/non-compacted gravel.
People ask this all the time - you’ll find loads of opinions if you search.
But briefly: There isn’t really that much difference. The more technical/droppy/hoppy stuff you want to ride, the more a 24 would be slightly better, for the slightly lower gear and slightly lighter weight. If you’re riding more rocky cross-country rather than extreme stuff, a 26 with a 3" tyre will still cope with the rocks and drops and roll slightly faster than a 24. If you want to run a lighter tyre, there is loads more choice in the 26" size because it’s the normal mountain bike size. If it’s going to be mostly xc riding perhaps even a 29er might be better, but that’s not your question.
Really I think you’ll be happy with whatever size you get - there isn’t really as much difference as some people will make out. If it’s for extreme tech rides, go for a 24 (but tyre choice is limited if you don’t want to run a 3"), if it’s for longer rides perhaps go for a 26, but don’t worry too much - you’ll get used to whatever you buy.
Between Nimbus and KH, the KH is a bit lighter (but a lot of the weight of a muni is the 3" tyre anyway), but the new Nimbus frames are really good IMO, certainly for the money. I’ve got a Nimbus 26 and a KH 29er, and the Nimbus is definitely stiffer (I know you’d expect the 29 to be a bit more flexy, but just saying that the Nimbus frames are actually very good).
Rob
26"! i just got it, its basically almost as big as a 29.
… and if the weight of the 26 is getting you down, you can always switch to a lighter/less beefy tire which seems to change the heavy-ness of the Nimbus 26 a lot (I haven’t tried it yet, but theat seems to be what “they” are saying).
you’ll be happy with whatever you get.
I ride a nimbus 26 and its great for technical muni and crosscountry
I ride a 24" KH with nimbus frame. (built it up round the frame because it was orange) and I love it. I can do more on it then my mate can do on his Nimbus 26". Its really personal preffence.
That’s not unexpected… That you can do “more” on your uni that he can on his. Maybe you’re the better rider. (Or him, not so much!)
Couple things. What type of riding can you do more of? And, if you switched for a month - which uni could you do “more” with?
I run an 26"x3" and have a hard time with side hops and the idling etc but that won’t be true of everyone. Most of the riding I do is more suited to the 26" but I do enjoy hopping around and small drops etc… which may be better suited to the 24". Given that I only have one “good” uni, the 26" was the right choice for me and where I ride.
I would suggest getting the 24. A 26 is great for muni, but you can’t do much else on it(well, you probably could, but it would be harder); the wheel is just too big. With the 24, though, you could do some tricks, which you might want to be able to do if you are going to ride with anyone else. I can’t say much more than that; it is really up to you.
hmmm… had a think about it and and i cant decide between the Nimbus 26" (with moments) and the KH26"
Can’t you just compromise and get a 25"?
maybe crank length should be mentioned in the equation… typically, the shorter wheel gets stuck in smaller holes, has more lateral stiffness and strength and slightly more torque, while bigger wheels are easier to taco, but roll over stuff better, and depending on the tire size, more rolling mass. I found I had an easier time idling on my 29er with 2.3 tire than my nearly 29er (a 26er with 3.0 tire) because I’m running 150s on the 29er and 165s on the 26er. there is less of a dead spot when the cranks are vertical on the shorter cranks, and it takes more leverage to get the cranks out of whack when hopping on the shorter cranks. I still have enough leg to control the 150s, but think the lack of super leverage will allow me to learn a static mount on the 150’s. So maybe it’s 24 vs 26, riding style, and crank preference. we just need a 3 way slide rule. I’m not trying to throw a wrench in this thread or complicate the process for a new to Muni rider… but there may be more to consider.
Thanks kb1jki and others, your input helps me feel more comfortable with my current decision in the debate, even after having read through a ton of old threads about this. I have but a 20" Torker LX (which is bruised, like me, but not recovering), and have asked myself the same 24"/26" question for a while.
I decided on a 24" MUni (when I save up the money) because: I’m relatively short (5’ 6"), and while I really enjoy MUniing, I also get lots of kicks out of trials stuff when I’m waiting for the train or out with the missis for a walk. I’m not sure whether I’ll be able to afford a trials uni anytime in the foreseeable future, especially since the present plan is to get a 29er after the MUni, and a trials uni would at least duplicate the approximate size of my present “trainer” uni. So you see, the 24" was the one that best fit with the rest of the agenda. You’ve got to plan this stuff out, you see? 
I hadn’t considered crank length for idling - I was using 165’s but I’ll have to try the 137 hole next time!
we have the same skill in Muni. we always ride the same track and always ride the same trail. also he has said he wants a 24" for the stuff we ride. Also we have the same crank size 137/165s and we both ride 165s
soooo… Nimbus 26" with moments or a KH26"?
Yes.
Both are good. KH is a bit lighter and quite a lot more expensive. We can’t decide that for you mate.
ok. ill see what unicycle.au.com bring in, and if theres a KH26" in their new shipment, ill get it. if not, its the Nimbus.
I think rider height is an important factor in the 24/26 choice. I’m 6’1" and the 24 seemed a bit small size for me, I’m way more comfortable on the 26.
Kind of like what they say about buying a bike, you need to ride a few and see which one feels best. Unfortunately for most of us you can’t just go to the Uni shop and try em out. In the end we end up owning all of them anyway, so I guess it doesn’t really matter
One reason for getting the KH over Nimbus is if you think you might upgrade to a geared hub later on. Others have modified their non - KH frames, but the mod might not work and I think it would void the warranty of the hub. Those who have them say the gearing is too tall w/ a 29" to be worthwhile, and I’m thinking a 26" could be smaller just enough that a highly skilled rider (or w/ big cojones 
) could definately make use of it IMO (a few that come to mind: fido, Turtle, napalm)
There should be a simple list that could be refered to of all the +/- of the two (and 29" too, maybe).
I rode a 26" for 3 or 4 weeks. One of the many interesting things I noticed about both (24 & 26") is the pedaling felt smoother and less “boxy” on the 26 (both have 170’s).
Overall I prefer the 24". I think I’d have to have a lot more leg strength and skill to seriously consider a 26" or bigger Muni. But I’m not a normal case (some paralysis in my legs).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSsXdad0hvw
well im 6’1" and a rower so i have two reasons to get a 26": leg strength and height.