Hey all, I’m thinking of buying a nimbus 26" muni with 150mm ISIS cranks but I want to make sure that it is a reasonable choice before laying down my $$.
I’m pretty new to unicycling and currently ride a 20" Torker (freestyle) with 125mm cranks (one of which is a bit “sloppy” – I think I damaged it hopping). I have taken it off-road (which is where my unicycling interests lie) a couple of times but obviously it’s not the ideal uni for that use. I would also prefer something with a bit more speed (for running errands and following my 5 year old around when he wants to ride his bike) which is why I’m thinking of going with the 26" instead of the 24" that most people seem to prefer. Is there some compelling reason to go with the 24" (I assume that it is a bit lighter/ more maneuverable but is the difference really that noticeable)? Is a 26" going to be noticeably faster? Are 150mm cranks going to be to short for muni? I’m not really planning to be doing anything too extreme I just want something that will take some small drops, make it over rocks/ roots etc… – maybe trails like Mel’s (for anyone out there from the Burnaby area).
The only compelling reason to go with a 24" over a 26" is if you are planning on doing a lot of trials riding as well as your mountain unicycling. If you are primarily going to be riding offroad I would recommend going with a 26" wheel.
This gives you a lot more choice in tyres and rims if you ever want to change componentry. The nimbus 26" is a good strong unicycle and because it is ISIS, if the cranks ever give out you can upgrade to something like KH moments which are virtually indestructable. The rest of the nimbus componentry is very solid and you aren’t likely to run into many problems unless you really thrash your uni.
A 26" is noticably faster than a 24" but not by a huge amount. Handling of a 26" is very dependant on what tyre you put on it. The stock tyre on the nimbus feels no where near as nimble as the 24" nimbus model. Swap the tyre though and you have a nice nimble offroad unicycle. If speed is your concern consider getting a 29er which has an even larger rolling diameter and if anything is even more nimble than a 26" uni (because the tyres are lighter).
I ride with 150mm cranks on a 26" wheel and can tackle pretty much any hill I care to ride up or down. Personally I wouldn’t go with anything longer than 150s as longer cranks slow me down. Note that very steep hills are easier to climb on a 24" but a 26" will roll over small obstacles easier and small obstacles tend to be more common on trails than steep hills.
I have a Yuni 26" Muni and second the vote for the new Nimbus 26" MUni. It is like mine except upgraded in almost every way (and curently cheeper that what I payed). I have been riding with 170s and recently switched to 150s.
I really like the 26" size if you are not planning on hoping up to much stuff but it is still definitely doable.
A 29er with a light tire is definitely much more nimble than a 26 with a 3" tire but a 26x3 is a tank that nothing can stop, the rider just might not be able to keep up
Thanks for your input – I’m feeling much more confident about my decision and have put my order in! I already have some lighter 26" tires for my mountain bike so that should give me some options to play around with anyway. Now I just have to wait for the UPS truck!
Don’t know what kind of tires you have, but just so you know, “light” mountain bike tires typically aren’t so good for MUni. A good MUni tire has a thick sidewall, and thus works well at lower pressure. For a 26" wheel you’ll probably want at least a 2.5" wide tire.
