how much do you weight if you dont mind me asking?
200 lbs. I do have to run a bit higher psi, but that’s due in part to the HD I’m running and it’s being tubeless. I’m riding a Drak and it seems to built like a tank. Steel frame, D2 rim, Nimbus hub, etc. all seem pretty bomb proof.
I went through this same thing about 2 years ago. After I got my 36, I sold my 29" and my 24" munis and built a 26 thinking I would use the 26 for “real” muni and the 36 for easier trails. It worked out great. Fast forward a year and a half, I was curious about a 29" again, built one and found it more fun than the 26" for many of my local trails. Now I have a 26", 29" and 36" and all get ridden off-road. There is some overlap between them (and the 26" gets ridden the least) but I don’t consider any of them a waste of space at this point.
This little story was what was behind my reply to your question about getting a smaller muni. If you sell the 29" now you may end up looking for another in a year or two. You’ll probably pay more but may get some new tech. Or you could just hang the current KH29 up while you switch to the 36 and smaller wheel, it will be waiting for you to come back to it.
ok, i am kinda thinking i want one but i like to jump and do drops and like short tec terrain at the moment
I’ve got a 24x3 muni and a 26x2.35 guni. For rough downhill terrain the 24er is faster and more fun, everywhere else the 26 is better. The tire volume makes the biggest difference.
A fairer comparison would be both with a 3 inch tire. Then I guess it would come down to the 24er begin more agile and the 26er maybe being a bit faster but heavier.
I find the extra speed and stability nice about the 26
I am 5’7" and ride a 36 on the road, a 29 for xc-easy trails, and a 24" for more difficult trails. There is a significant difference between a 24" with a 3" tire (150 cranks) and a 29" with a 2.2" ardent tire. I had tried the 29" with 165 cranks but did not like it. I recently changed to 140 mm cranks and now it flows nicely and is more of a contrast to the 24". I have ridden the 36" on trails but with 135" cranks I cannot manage anything difficult.
OK, on to advice. A 29" with 135-140ish cranks is a lot of fun for light cross country and will will do well on western dry trails. It does not climb all that well but it does OK. It is fast. I have a disk brake on it, but it probably is not necessary.
The 24" with 150 cranks is a nice unicycle that gives me a lot of control, and I can go up or down relatively steep trails with a lot of control. It handles rough stuff well, but to be honest the 29" will roll over a lot of rubble without problem. By contrast, the 24" is slow on the easy trails and I do not cover nearly as much ground in an hour.
It seems like a 26" would split the difference. You would need to decide on crank length and on wheel diameter, and these choices would shift it towards my 24" or towards my 29" in its feel. At this point a 26" makes no sense unless I am replacing one of the others. The 29" is a lot of fun, so I would probably recommend the inexpensive changes to make it fast and maneuverable on trails. Again, I have tried the long crank modification on the 29" and did not enjoy it.
Have fun with your rides!
Scott
Aaron, I too got the 36 this year but a few months ago. And sure I love the big wheel momentum and speed. So like yourself I realized/figured I was unlikely to ever want to ride the 29 on the road.
I also have the Todd so light muni XC is an option for the 36.
So what to do with the ‘useless’ 29- er! Well, like suggested, the new perspective and confidence of riding a 36 has made me feel more comfortable on the ‘small’ 29 wheel size. With the addition of the Hans Dampf to the 29 it has become a worthy non technical muni choice (for me) and the old KH 26 hasn’t been ridden since.
My advice- like previously given by davidp- is to wait a few months before ditching the 29. After you have ridden the 36 a whole bunch go back and rediscover the 29’s potential with your new skills and confidence.
Best
pax
For the purpose of this debate, let us consider that both MUnis are fitted with 3" tyres and 150mm cranks.
The 24" is more agile, is lighter, and lower, which makes it ideal for hill work,climbing and descending on technical terrain, ducking under branches and hopping, but on flat trails it is a bit slow and twitchy
The 26" is faster, rolls over obstacles easier, and less twitchy, which makes it ideal for less technical and less hilly, open trails, but on technical trails it’s a bit cumbersome.
I prefer the 24" because I love forest descents, weaving my way around the trees and obstacles as I go. The lower centre of gravity on the 24" gives me better balance and I can lean lower into sharp turns.
So which size you choose depends on what type terrain and challenge prefer.
Hope this helps
I disagree on technical terrain, Iget pedal strikes with the 24 vs the 26
I’m happy to say that I don’t get pedal strikes on my 24". I use 125/150mm moment cranks and the Duro 3" tyre. What type cranks do you run on your 24" and what tyre do you use.
150 moments and a duro or a gazz
I just read this entire thread. For the second time. The first time was when I was choosing my first muni, trying to decide on a 24" or 26" wheel. I ended up going with the 26". Fast forward to 2017, duh 2018 I mean, and now, for some riders, the big question is 26" or 27.5"? I think some of the answers to that question are in this thread.
Anyhow, my most recent unicycle is lightweight 24" (Impact 24" frame with smaller, lighter bearings, Exceed titanium hub, KH rim, Schwalbe Smart Sam 2.1" tire, Impact Naomi seat). I have been doing a lot of riding on it, recently. So, here I am, back on this thread, comparing my 24" x 2.1 vs. the 26" x 2.4 (Ardent).
I am a middle aged rider. I have been riding less than 4 years. I am not particularly strong or brave. Whatever I accomplish, is is through practice and improvements in technique and efficiency.
So, what’s a more efficient ride, my 24/150 or my 26/165? There are sooo many ways of looking at that question.
The heavier tire/wheel (26") is more efficient to the extent that more mass has more momentum. So, for example, rolling over obstacles, the unicycle is less likely to slow down, which maintains momentum. Conversely, on a steep uphill, where there may be momentary still-stands, the greater inertia works against the rider. And then, on the other hand, pedaling through the weak 12/6 part of the pedal stroke on a slow, slogging hill, the bit of extra momentum of the heavier wheel (and the increased force = MA ) helps get through the weak part of the stroke.
For a given wheel-diameter and crank-length, a graph could be drawn, comparing the pedal position to the strength of the pedal stroke (at that particular pedal position). Some riders describe an increase in the “dead” zone on longer cranks. So, comparing a 24/150 to a 26/165, saying that they both have a similar crank/wheel ratio may not provide a complete enough model for comparing efficiency. I took a couple rides using 165s on the 24", and the dead zone really bothered me. Using 165mm cranks on the 26", however, feels fine. Go figure. Maybe the dead zone is exaggerated on a smaller, lighter wheel with longer cranks, due to greater inertia across the dead zone.
The lighter tire/wheel (24") may be more efficient because when it twitches left and right, it is actually turning into the path of least resistance. But, more energy can be spent trying to make the twitchy unicycle ride straight. The 24" may be a tiny bit easier to pick lines with, making things more efficient. Maybe harder to pick lines, as well, because of the twitchiness. In other words, if you can control it, the twitchy wheel may be more efficient.
The first muni ride I took on the 24", I expended much more energy than was necessary. After several more rides, however, I really started loving it. I felt as if my response times had to speed up on the 24", compared to the 26", and this made riding more engaging. Then I took a ride on the 26", and it felt boring by comparison. My speed on the 24/150 is compatible with the 26/165, because I’m able to spin faster circles on the 150mm cranks. I might try experimenting again with 150s on my 26", but I’m afraid I’d fail climbing many of the local hills.
You should, definitely!
I’m a similar rider to your description, though having read many of your posts along the years, you might be stronger/better than me. I found the sweet spot on the 24"muni at 137mm, 150 is doable but there is a lot of wasted energy. And the 150 on the 26" might be a sweet spot too.
Thanks for the words of encouragement, pierrox! I’ve ridden with two world class riders who use 138mm cranks on their 26" munis. And they are climbing machines. That baffles my brain. My excuse for running longer cranks is that I’m a bigger rider. I weigh a bit over 200 lbs. and am 6’ 2" tall. And if there’s a hill I can manage using the 165mm cranks that I can’t handle on the 150mm cranks, then I’m going to feel like a failure. However, I need to remember that most setup changes feel initially like a step backwards. It has been quite a while since I experimented with 150mm cranks on my 26". Since then, I’ve improved. So, yes, I will make the change and keep you posted.
I use 140mm on my 24 but 160 on my 26"
I started with 140 on my fat 26" but I don’t have a brake and going down steep hills on 140 was too much for my muscles. this said 160 are not optimum for just rolling around on flat ground.
the first uni I bought after my trainer “Only One” uni was the KH26, with which I’ve ridden many kilometres. I’m not really a muni-rider, maybe more for cross country on dirt roads. After a year I got the Nimbus Oracle 29" which was a lot nicer for longer distance. Several times a year I go to Denmark for work and always take one or two unis with me. This week I took the 26, also because I’m learning to hop and a smaller wheel makes it easier I think.
Now with the coming of the 27.5", the 26 is about to be phased out. At least in the KH collection as far as I’ve read. Do yous know if the 26" is kept in use in the Nimbus collection, I needed a new hub for it and then bought a Nimbus hub and wheel for it at Municycle.com. I ride all unis, apart from the trials and freestyle unis with 150mm, which makes it easier to freemount when shifting different wheelsizes. Last week I tried with 127 cranks on the 32" and freemounting became near impossible. Of course it takes getting used to, but 150mm is the most comfy for me.
Today I made the switch to 150mm cranks on my 26" Oracle. I chose a muni ride with a lot of challenging hills, and I was able to ride them all. My major concern, though, is that of burning out more quickly on longer rides with many hilly sections. The shorter cranks require greater force for hill climbing. This was no problem on my relatively short ride today. I’ll try it on a longer ride this weekend. I felt, with the 150s, like I was driving the cranks more over the 6/12 position, compared to the 165s, where I feel more like I’m driving the cranks over the 3/9 position. I think riding on my 24", also with 150mm cranks, helped me make the transition to 26/150. Thanks again for the suggestion, pierrox!
Where do you get 140mm cranks? I wanted to ride my 32" with 127 cranks. Normally ride 150, but that made mounting very difficult for me. Maybe something in the middle might be an easier transition. I didn’t think there would be 140mm ones.
Hi there
I agree that is great to have both the 24 and 26 wheel sizes for Muni. I’ve got KH dual hole cranks in both but for Muni I use the 150 hole/length as it gives you that extra leverage to tackle everything you might encounter. I owned the 26 first and bought the 24 much later one to improve my limited Muni skills (hopping, rolling hops, downhill etc…). To me the 24 feels like a bridge between the Trials 19 and the world of technical Muni if you are trying to do rolling hops/hops/drops etc… My technical skills have improved a lot since I’ve got the 24. I practice stuff on my 19 and once I get better at it I do them on my 24. I can do similar technical stuff I have learned on my 26 but they are harder to do/get right. As I slowly get better I use the 26 more and more for difficult terrain these days but I still like to use the 24 to develop my technique in Muni/Trials and also for trails that are very steep/tricky/difficult for my limited skills.
I think the 27.5 would be too big for me unless I am doing trails that required less technical stuff and it is more about covering ground…
I think the 26 is a great wheel size (I’ve got the Knard tyre on it) and it is a shame KH has stopped making them 