i just started unicyling 3.5 weeks ago and want a unicycle that i can commute comfortable with. im guessing like 1-3 miles most times and once in a while i will go on a long ride for fun. pros and cons. what about the sizes in between. some decent models under 400 and preferably under 300. i would want to do small basic tricks also.
btw, im almost able to ride backwards. can do like 1-3 revolutions and just started trying to ride with seat forwards although its still near impossible…
btw2, can someone tell me about the different crank sizes, pedals sizes, and wheel sizes. im a total noob and want to be more versed in the terminology :]
Crank sizes.
I recently went on my first proper muni ride, on a 24" with 125mm long cranks. It was great fun, and I could go slightly faster down the smoother trails than I could if i had 150’s BUT I died on the hills, downhill, something like 150mm offers a lot more control, uphill? 150mm offers a lot more leverage
Basically, shorter cranks make hills harder, but it shouldn’t be too hard for your commute
Pedals have a standard thread size of 9/16" If you’re just commuting buy a cheap pair of aluminium pedals with pins, they’ll do you fine (good shoes help!)
Wheel sizes
19" - street/trials/flat
20" - learner/freestyle/flat
24" - muni (mountain unicycle) or maybe a short distance cruising machine
26" - 24" but bigger.
29" - can be used for muni, the organiser of the muni ride I went on was using one, and he was amazing at all the hills, mostly used as a fairly long distance or commuter uni
36" - road riding, commuting and touring
I think most people who’ve ridden regularly with 125’s on roads would say they’re easier than 150’s on the uphills.
As long as it’s on a road hill- for anything rough or muni like then 150’s work better cos of the extra control when you get slowed/stopped by dips/lumps.
Downhill, even on roads, 125’s do present an extra challenge, but you get used to it pretty quick- I think 125 is probably approaching the shortest length crank that you can do fairly steep downhills (on road) without feeling the need for brakes.
I switched permanently to 125’s on my 29-er about a year ago, after many years of riding 150’s, partly cos I started to realise that 125’s actually seemed to work better on the majority of uphills, but also cos I think there’s a substantial decrease in saddle soreness with the shorter cranks when doing longer rides.
A 29 is much better for commuting.
I got the Nimbus 29 several months ago. It’s a smooth, smooth ride. I really like it. Now that I’m used to it, it feels like the right combination of speed and agility - very versatile.
Whaaat?!
Thoroughly confused here, how could having MORE leverage going uphill possibly make it HARDER?
Im genuinely confused, I like my 125’s, but am trading them for 145s (muni)
Get 29er, a good one if you can afford it, like the KH with the 47mm wide freeride rim, run a fat tire like the Schwalbe Racing Raplh, pump it up for commuting, flatter for trails.
I got mine setup like this and it so much fun for riding easier muni,. gravel roads, double track, etc… I run 165/135 KH Moments, which might be an option for you if you want to do some serious climbing, otherwise the 150/125 would be a good choice. Anything shorter than a 150 off road is gonna be too short.
If you have any hills in town, get a brake, you’ll thank me
Brycer is your Magura connection.
If you want a deal, watch the gear forum, that’s where I picked up my KH 29FR
Also, there’s hills of a certain gradient where, on 125’s, you’re forced to kind of stand on on the pedals and you climb up at a slow, but steady and comfartable rate- whereas with 150’s on the same hill, it’s not comfortable to stand on the pedals and sitting down leads to more work for the legs.
(This only applies to road hills of course, anything rough or muni-like will be easier with the 150’s).
The other thing 125’s are less good with, is very steep road hills, but, for that to be a factor the hill really does have to be stupidly steep.
Here’s a vid of a steep hill climb with me using 125’s and the other guy 150’s (both 29-er unis).
Even though I make it up and the guy on longer cranks doesn’t, that’s mainly cos I’m more experienced on hills- that particular hill is one which is sufficiently steep that, given a choice, I’d find easier on 150’s.
Well, 125mm is easier than 150mm in general. This remains true on many hills. For some people, it remains true on all hills.
Even in MUni, on short, steep uphills it can be easier to get over them by flowing up with short cranks than to step up one pedal rev at a time with long cranks.
so much to read!!!
basically, i will probably never do any intense muni’ing. in fact, nothing more serious than a light hiking trail probably and thats probably not for a looongg whileee. i will probably also never do a steep hill.
so basically you guys are saying for commuting anything over 1 mile get 29 inch, as opposed to 24 inch with 125mm cranks.
I pretty much had the same thoughts as you last year when I bought my KH29. Now I’m not only doing single track on the 29, I’ve also started doing some easier muni with my Coker. If you keep at it, and especially if you start commuting regularly, I bet you’ll be amazed at what you’ll be capable of riding.
On the summary: absolutely yes, go with the 29er for your stated purpose.
I am finding freemounting my 26" so much harder with dual-hole KH Moments on 125mm vs 150mm. Riding with 125mm cranks on the other hand is much easier/smoother than with 150cm.
I did my first “long” ride (~8 miles) today and I had to use 150mm to help with freemounting.
I found that Nimbus 26" is slower than bikes (including 16" kids bikes :)) and roller-bladers and is about the same speed as joggers.
If you intend riding it up and down a lot of ramps, speed bumps and, particularly, among pedestrians then 29" will never be really the best choice. However if your ride is just flat straight distance then ignore the rest of this post and go for 29". It’ll give you longer legs and shorter trip times.
However, 3 miles is not such a great distance that you NEED a wheel as big as 29". A standard 24" will get you places along paths and up and down those ramps you may have for prams and bikes to enter onto and get off the road and allow you to move in and about pedestrians without undue upper body jerks and swings. In such an environment a bigger wheel will make it difficult and, indeed, will make your transit time more rather than less.
Of course, if money is no object, then get the best of both worlds and fit a hub gear like the schlumph. It will cost over US$,2000 bucks!!! At that price you can think of it as owning a gear that happens to have a unicyle attached to it!
I dont think i will ever need to go over 3 miles. but i think the general consensus is still 29inch for most people. I have a 20 inch torkerlx that I can do probably for a mile but uncomfortable any longer than that. i wish i can try the unicycles before i buy but prolly not possible.
and money is defintely an object for a college student for me
i plan to commute in a semi populated setting and school setting. not crowded but still people. ahhhh so many choicesss… to bad there is no adjustable wheel size haha
Disagree. This is exactly the kind of riding I do almost every day with my 29, and it’s not any more convenient for someone on a 24, although the 24 is substantially slower.
