I just bought a KH-24 and find the Duro Leopard 3" to be more tire than I think I need to start. I am having a bit of trouble riding the new uni and actually find the 24 with 150 cranks harder to ride than my 29 with 125s. Harder to turn, seemingly less control in direction. I tried it from about 35 psi to about 20 psi and I just think the crown on the tire makes it a bit less stable than I would desire.
Is there a good tire in the 2.25 - 2.75 range that has some off road utility but doesn’t have a mind of its own when it comes to direction? I saw several listed on UDC but would like a few opinions of those who ride on different tires…especially if you have experience to compare them. I want this uni to be muni-compatible and will eventually put the 3" tire back on but I’d like something a bit more all-around for the near term.
At first, because the 3 inch Duro (or most any 3 inch tire) grips so well, it can be difficult to handle on a road surface. At a low pressure, the big tires are hard to turn on asphalt (or grippy rock). You almost have to force the turn with your hips and torquing your upper body; it’s this forced turning that wears the tire out. If you’ve only tried your muni on the street, you’ll find that when you move to the dirt the Duro won’t grip nearly so much and you might no longer have handling problems.
If I only rode my Muni on dirt, a tire would probably last me two years.
Stick witht he fatter 3" tire if you are going to be doing any drops or jumps. I mostly ride Muni but on Friday I rode trials in this park with conglomerate (a cement mix that is made up of 90% pebbles that makes its surface very rough and textured.) sidewalks, stairs, benches and ledges. It was so hard to peddle and turn I was surprised. The knobs from the tires just got stuck in betwwen the pebble ridges. The Duro is a great tire. i would stick with it.
By the way did you assemble the brake yet?
The fat knobby tires do behave differently on pavement than they do on dirt. They are much better suited for riding on dirt. Try riding it on a hard dirt road or on a smooth section of dirt trail. You’ll find the tire easier to turn and maneuver in the dirt.
When I ride my muni on pavement or concrete it turns differently. I have to adjust my riding style to suit the unicycle. On pavement I do more sweeping style turns and try not to scuff the tire too much as I turn. It’s not a nimble unicycle when ridden on pavement. But once you get used to how it behaves you can have a lot of fun riding it through the city doing an urban muni kind of ride.
Riding on pavement will also wear the tire down quite a bit faster than riding on dirt.
At being you a month ago. A 49 yr. 200 lb. guy, I learned to ride a few hundred yards down the street on an old 20 ".
Then I bought a KH 24 with the same tire you have now.
I sucked real bad at turning anyway, this thing was impossible. I pumped it up to 45 psi, thinking this might help.
After a few weeks of riding, I read this thread here, everyone almost was running 20 ish psi. So I tried 25, then 20 psi.
Now I can ride muni ! The first time I tried I rode this long dirt loop. Seriously !
Muni riding is very easy. I never practice anything, just ride. I can’t free mount (never tried ), hop, or anything. So take my advice…
I would have swapped out the tire the first 2 weeks for a solid roady.
Now I love the tire. Turning gets better with practice. The fat 3 x 24 is popular for a reason. Properly inflated it soaks up bumps real well. Side walk cracks etc. I bet you will like it with a bit more time, and maybe check your psi .
At 45 psi, the tire kicked back terribly.
My learner unicycle was a 24" qu-ax with a Duro Leopard tyre. Maybe that’s why it took me two weeks to learn to turn decently.
But now I really like the tyre. I think it handles very well on asphalt and is great for trials. I currently ride with a Fireball, though, which is also a great tyre.
It is clear that you all understand exactly what I was talking about–great advice from each of you, thanks.
Since I live here in Florida, where there are few trails and much sand, the aggressive tread on the tire will not serve me well as there are very few dirt trails within 100 miles. I believe that to get familiar with the unicycle and to learn how it handles, I will try one of the smoother surfaced tires that is wide enough to give me some bounce. Many of the things I want to learn for muni someday can be practiced with a decent sized tire that has less aggressive tread for now. It is clear that this tire would work very well in the dirt…I just don’t have an dirt environment right now.
I do love the unicycle though. After my KH-29XC (which I ride with 125s) for the last few years…this thing feels like a sports car. I took off the 165 cranks and installed the 150s that came from my 29 because it was so tremendously torque-y. It will be a good unicycle to practice other mounts, backwards riding, hopping combined with riding, and idleing. I believe I’ll take Brian’s advice and look at the hookworm if it isn’t too expensive–I have heard a lot of good about that tire over time.
Thanks for the advice–good to know it just wasn’t me.
Carey
Unicorn, I have not installed the brake yet. The mounts were out of stock and they should ship at the end of the month. It will be nice when I finallly get them.
Another tire to look at is the Kenda Stick-E 2.6". That’s the tire that came on the KH XC model (when there was one); it’s lighter and less aggressive than the Duro, but still capable of doing serious MUni.
If you are going to be riding sand keep the Duro on. I had a lot of problems turning when I gradualted from my 20 in learner to my Onza 24" with a Kenda Kenetics Sticky tire(2.6"). From a turning point of view it will not make turning easier but it will reduce the bounce and shock absorbing ability. If you are only going to be riding pavement then just get any thin tire without a lot of Knobs. However if you just stick to it you will learn to love the Duro 3".
I usually ride my 26" Duro tyre with 17 psig (I weigh about 70 kg) (sorry for mixing the units ). I recently pumped it up to about 24 psig and it was a beast to turn on tarmac - very skittery - and it threw me on bumps. Experiment with the pressure until you feel comfortable on the terrain you ride.
After my second muni session, I began looking for a replacement to my 24 x 2.25 inch road tire. After reading through some tire recommendation threads, I ordered a Maxxis Holy Roller. From the feedback, it sounds like a pretty good dual purpose tire. I will post my review once I receive it. Good luck.
A 24x3 Fireball tire might suit you well. It’s a slick style tire. It’s fat enough that it will float on packed sand. Would work well for riding on the beach where the sand is still a bit damp and packed.
There are several flavors of the “Fireball” style tires. They’re all slicks with a cut in decorative tread. You can get them from several different manufacturers. They differ mostly in tread pattern. Dyno makes the Fireball, Electra makes one, Nirve makes one, and there are others. They’re used on custom style cruiser style bikes. Make sure that you find the 24x3 version though. They’re also available in 26" and 20" versions.
eBay is one source. Darren Bedford also stocks that style of tire. A Google search found this source. Darren Bedford stocks other cruiser style tires as well so would be a good person to ask about what other tires might suit you.
It’s a squarish tire so still not the best for turning. But the squarish profile will also make it better for sand. It is very picky about tire pressure. A few PSI either way can really change the way it behaves. It needs to be pumped up fairly firm so it’s not going to be a cushy tire like the stock KH knobby. Worth a try though. Well suited for pavement riding.
If you want something that is more nimble and better suited for lots of turning a tire with a rounder profile would work better. Something like the Maxis Hookworm, but the hookworm is only a narrow 2.5" wide and also a firm tire. The Hoggy-G tire would be another option. The sidewall claims it is a 24x3.45 but that is an exaggeration. It’s not even as wide as my 24x3 Gazz, but it is very close. Consider it a 24x3. The Hoggy-G is more round than the Fireball and can ride at slightly lower tire pressures. The Fireball is probably better for sand though.
Start experimenting with different tires and see what you end up liking best.
The hookworm is really no more narrow than a 19x2.5 trials tire. I run it with a relatively low pressure so it provides plenty of bounce for trials riding on my 24" uni. It handles amazingly well because its got tread all around the sides of the tire and it’s incredibly light. Really, for street riding on a 24" I don’t think there is a better option. This is the tire that Justin Koehse rides in defect and he does some incredible street riding on his 24" uni. For offroad riding if you run it at a lower pressure, and you can, the hookworm works surprisingly well.
Got the hookworm and put it on the unicycle…it is the heat! Just what I was looking for. Very maneuverable, will be perfect for the things I want to learn in the places I have to ride. Terrific tire!
I will save my Leopard for a future date with dirt.
). I recently pumped it up to about 24 psig and it was a beast to turn on tarmac - very skittery - and it threw me on bumps. Experiment with the pressure until you feel comfortable on the terrain you ride.