I have extended my seat post higher so when riding I can extend my legs all the way.
With the seat post higher freemounting seems harder (maybe in my mind).
On my 20" I could almost hop onto the seat and never had to hold onto anything.
With the 29" I am holding onto the middle handle, hopping and peddle backwards at the same time to mount.
With the 20" I would place the peddle at the 3 or 4 o’clock postion to free mount.
With the 29" I position the peddle almost at the 5 o’clock postion.
Today I could freemount 30 - 40%, low mostly due to confidence level and lack of armour (Shinpads, elbow pads).
Practice should allow me to enjoy the 100% freemount percentage, but I think I should invest in some armour.
I ride my 24" a lot on the side of the road where it slants, and i find i have the same problem as you. I just have to sit crooked to compensate. ANNOYING!!!
Play with the air pressure. My Kenda at 18psi would wander like crazy. raising it to 28psi took all the wandering out of it. Using a BA 2.35 on the 29, it would wander no matter what pressure I had in there. It was great on flat surfaces, but road crown would draw me right over to the curb, so I put the Kenda back on.
For tools, wallet, and other small items I’d like to setup a pocket that attaches below the seat.
Using something like a velcro pocket with restraining straps these items could be stored under the seat.
During the fall I’ll be wearing sweat pants and sweat shirt, leaving me with no pockets. I don’t like wearing a backpack. On short runs (under 12 km) I just stop for water along the way.
Before I re-invent the wheel, are there other products. I considered the belt/fanny pocket but If you don’t ask you don’t find out.
I had all kinds of road crown issues when I first got my 29er. (posted about them here, actually) I messed around with tire pressure and such, but to be honest just riding a lot made it go away. Now the road crown doesn’t bother me whether I’m at 40 or 65 lbs.
For $20.00 I added a vetta travel device to creamsicle.
It provides me with accurate distance traveled, Max speed, Average speed.
To confirm its accuracy I traveled 1.1 km on my unicycle, then drove my car same route and distance. The vetta unit was bang on.
Next I brought my son on a ride, him on his mountain bike and me on unicycle.
We traveled 9.9 km, an average speed of 10kph and max burst speed of 15.8kph. The trip took 55mins (with short breaks in between)
The unit performed well and appears to provide accurate data. I mounted it below the seat. When we took a break I just had to toggle throught the various data readings to see how long, how fast, average speed, etc.
This data will help me in my training and planning for long distance riding to come.
BTW> Here is some interesting data. I did the Terry fox run (5km) in 44 mins on my 20" unicycle (no stops), today I rode 5kms on 29" in 28 mins. This tells me so far my avg comfortable speed is 10km. I suspect if I switch my cranks from 5" to 4" my avg speed should increase.
Specs: Stock Nimbus 29er.
- UDC gel saddle
- 36H Wide alloy rim
- 2.35 Big Apple tyre
- CroMoly UDC hub
- 125mm Qu-Ax Alloy cranks
- Platform pedals with replaceable pins
I really love the Gel saddle combined with the Big Apple tyre. It makes the overall ride much more enjoyable as it is comfyer and much smoother. Great value for money in this uni.
Two other pics in Post your uni, and in my gallery.
I have been riding on a Big Apple tire for about 3 years but I am not a big distance rider. I average about 4 to 6 miles on 3 or 4 days per week. I rotated my tire a couple months ago for the first time because it was getting a bald spot.
The tire does not have much tread now but then it did not start with much tread. Even if the tire wears slick, that should not be a problem for road riding.
I think we all start out with the “body twisting” turns which do result in a bald spot on the tire. Even after learning to ride smooth turns, the tire will eventually wear a bald spot just from the way the unicycle wobbles as we ride. My freemounts are generally good but on occasion I do some twisting while freemounting which I am sure is causing excess wear.
I don’t know if there is a “best” method for rotating a tire but for consistancy, I turn the top of the tire forward about 60 degrees relative to the rim.
I’ve had my 29er (kh) for 6 months now and have been riding it with a big apple on the street exclusively. I recently bought a WTB exiwolf and finally got a chance to take it on a XC trail near my house (where I have been riding my 24 earlier this summer). I was really blown away by how much easier the 29er was to ride there (than the 24). The trail has a few steep sections that I had to walk (had to walk em on the 24 as well) but actually did better on the 29er than the 24 and I’m in worse uni shape now. I’m kickin myself for waiting so long to take the 29er off road, it’s so smooth and sooo much fun.
Oh and there is about 1/4 mile of pavement to get home from the trail. The exiwolf felt really weird on the pavement after being on the dirt for an hour or so. The tire is great off road and o.k. on the road. The difference between road and pavement is amazing.
Well Tomorrow is the big day when I go to get my Bedoford 29’er!
I am pretty excited about it!!! I hope the weather clears up a little (its been raining all day) so I can go for a long ride tomorrow! I can’t wait!
