Haha, Yeah same the bad bit is waiting for it to turn up. 
29" which brand to buy?
This thread has evolved over a couple years and I’ll beat the technology and the buying choices have changed as well…
I have been riding a 24" schwinn on the road for 40 years and it is time to step up to a 29 or maybe a 36. I ride mostly on paved roads and sidewalks so the 29 is probably the best next step for a 55 year old guy.
So it sounds like I can’t go wrong with a Nimbus or a KH. They are both expensive but probably worth it. Any suggestions on differences of the brands available out there?
What ever serves you best
People who ride a 29" are usually the type who have ridden unicycles for a while (Generally speaking, but not always).
Also 29" riders also have a 2nd or 3rd unicycle in stable of rides.
If you get a 29" I’d suggest getting something that will do the job over the course of time. KH, Nimbus, etc will deal with both the mundane riding conditions and beyond.
After over 3000km’s on my 29" (insignificate distance vs other true riders) my 29" is still the pick of the litter verses my 20" and 36".
You can get a lesser/cheaper 29" that may or may not stand the test of time and regular riding.
For the long term thinker, I’d suggest you buy a product that will last the duration of your commitment to the sport.
I purchased a 29" from Darren Bedford some time ago. Not saying its the best product. But for my needs, its served me well.
Go with something that serves your needs best and leaves your bank account intact.
After thousands of k’s on both 28" and 36" I much prefer the 36". Even an ungeared 36" feels like a toy compared to a Schlumpf 36".
I got a 29" a year or two ago thinking it would be good for fast cross country MUni but I have hardly ever used it- it always leaves me wishing I had a bit more rubber like on the 24x3" or 26x3" tires. The last time I rode my 29" down the mountain I got a pinch flat and also riding down the Unicon uphill course gave me a pinch flat.
The 36" is way better for road/footpath riding than 29". The type of riding I do is less suited to 29" than I imagined it would be. For 700c I prefer lightweight narrow tires- I had a go on a 700x28c with 60mm cranks at Unicon. I completed the marathon on 700x35c with 89mm cranks but it was not ideal in the wind.
So I reckon for transport get a 36" any day over a 29" unless you don’t like the feeling of a big stable wheel at speed and would rather a small twitchy one. Over distance the wheel size adds up…
I agree with Rowan and a 36", but this is a personal preference. Some people don’t like the 36". That’s how I came to own my Coker.
It would be nice if you could try out a 29" and a 36" to see which you would prefer. I used my 29" to commute to work yesterday since I had to stop at a doctors appointment on the way home. I didn’t want to bring the 36" into the office. The ride round-trip was 16 miles and I was really missing my 36". The 29" was nice over the hilly section I had to ride though.
what size cranks?
I did not ride for a while, but a couple weeks ago I got a Nimbus II 24. I have been enjoying it and want to get a Nimbus 29. My 24 came with 125mm cranks and I feel like I am missing the extra leverage that I had on my old Schwinn. I am good on the smooth, but on the uneven sidewalk and curbs etc I feel like a little more leverage would help my control. So my question is what size cranks should I be looking for on a Nimbus 29 if I want slightly more leverage than the 125mm was giving me on my Nimbus 24?
remember on a 29er you can roll over more stuff easier. I’m running 125s on the 36er and feel like I could move down a size, simply because it floats over bumps and potholes. 137s may be a good choice, but I can’t stand 150s or higher unless I’m offroad, they’re a little slow.
It sounds like on the bigger wheel you’ll want cranks longer than 125mm. The two Qu-Ax options (which don’t add to the cost of the uni) are 145mm and 170mm. I’d recommend choosing 145mm cranks. In terms of crank length to wheel diameter ratio they give slightly less leverage than 125mm cranks on a 24" wheel but I don’t think that tells the whole story. As juggleaddict said, the 29" wheel carries more momentum and will roll over bumpy surfaces a bit easier than a 24".
OK, I think I found my solution. I ordered my Nimbus 29 with KH double hole125/150 cranks.
Got my first 29er!!
My Nimbus 29 Touring uni came today - It’s friggin’ sweet!
First impressions:
-Huge tire! I mean, I anticipated the diameter, but the wheel is thick, wide and just plain huge!
-Pinned metal pedals are nice in the winter when everything’s wet 
-Seat post was way too short 
I ordered 200mm 'cus I didn’t want to have to cut any posts, but I guess I’ve just learned that it’s better to order long and cut down than to risk ordering short. Luckily though, I am able to use my Torker LX saddle for now.
-“smooth buttery goodness” indeed! Riding is absolutely awesome - I could get used to using this instead of my car. I don’t regret choosing 115mm cranks either. Also, riding uphill is way easier on this uni than on any of my cruddy b*kes. Downhill is a bit scary though.
-Freemounting isn’t that bad at all - I just use the jump mount (landed it first time).
-I hate that hard-as-rock Torker LX saddle 
So, about my seatpost. I’ve sent an email seeing if it’s possible to trade (the seat is still undamaged), but I’ve also noticed that new seatposts are relatively cheap. If I end up having to buy a new one, which one should I get (width 25.4mm)? Which post comes with the nimbus 29? Could I just use my LX post (it looks different, but I don’t know for sure whether it’s compatible with the seat or not)?
Congrats. The 25.4mm seatposts are standard on Nimbus unicycles that I own. You should be able to use your LX one- if anything the KH seatbase would be wider perhaps, but then what would you use on your other unicycle, the 200mm post?
The LX seat uses the Miyata bolt pattern, and so it’s not compatible with the Nimbus seat that uses the Schwinn bolt pattern. The Miyata seatposts are very hard to come by anymore, and so any 25.4 seatpost you get should bolt right onto your Nimbus seat.
On the Coker cycles website they have aluminum posts for $12, and CrMo for $14. It’s probably the cheapest you will find standard seatposts. All of the Coker uni’s use 25.4, so they fit just fine.
Thanks for the info - I might do just that.
Well, I’m giving my Torker 24 to my brother for him to learn with, since I’m not taking it with me to college next year. A 200mm post would work just fine for him. Too bad it’s not compatible though - I wish it were all just standardized and interchangeable.
New 29" Nimbus
I have been riding a 24" Schwinn for 42 years and I just got a new 29" Nimbus Touring for $309 from Unicycle.com. It came stock with KH seat, 125mm cranks and DX pedals with pins. Here are my impressions:
-Very easy to assemble and get going
-Glad I went for a longer seat post than I thought I would need.
-The “duro easy ride” tire is a big fatty thing compared to my schwinn. It gets a lot of momentum going and is harder to slow down once it gets going. It does roll smoooth though.
-I was able to ride it on first try. It is a bit scarey being higher up and going faster.
-I was able to free mount first time, though it is harder because there is less torque when you push down on the back pedal
-The first few rides I got really tired because I had to do a lot more balancing adjustments. Now it seem easy.
-It goes faster than my 24" but not dramatically faster. It seems like a more comfortable cruising speed. On the 24" I seemed to always want to go faster and couldn’t. On the 29" I don’t know how much faster I want to go. The faster you go the harder you fall and I am 56 years old!
-I am glad I got this instead of the 36", at least for now. The 36" was going to cost twice as much and need to ride this for awhile before the next step. Hopefully I won’t wait another 42 years before the next upgade.
I remember first ride on 29
I remember when I finally bit the bullet and got a 29".
Never rode any unicycle other than a 20". When it arrived the wheel seemed huge and I wondered if I’d ever be able to ride it or free mount it.
Damm it was fast compared to my 20".
For my first ride I held onto my car so I could get on the thing and pedal out of the drive way. Holey crap it felt tall and effortless to go fast. Never UPD’ed but was careful to make sure I didn’t over do it.
For weeks afterward’s I road every day and spent the winter months practicing freemounts in the basement and learning to idle the mamoth beast.
Yes I love my 29",it’s my favorite ride.
Hi fellow 29ers
I’ve Nimbus 29" with both Kenda and Big Apple tyres for almost a year, but now I’ve started to take part in this forum. Before I had Qu-ax 24" but it was too slow. Now the 29 with 125/150 cranks seem fine to me for both on and off road. Sometimes I’d like a bit more of speed but I’m more thinking about 29 guni than a 36er. But anyway it’s a far far future.
I was not riding much last year, it really got me crazy when I’ve tried snowriding last Christmas and since then I’m out to the snow at least once a week. The poor part is that it’s hard to get somebody out at this weather.
And one question more or less to the topic of latest discussion… we (with my friend also having N29) are thinking about going to Camino de Santiago with our unis… it would be a track of about 800km. It is assumed to be around 20 days on foot or about 11 for a bike. Do you think it is feasible to take such trip on a uni having all your staff on a bike?
I’ve done quite a few trips of about 700-2000km with my mountain bike carrying everything including sleeping bags, a tent, and a cooking set, but then I had bike bags not a backpack… the luggage is the only big problem I see.
Happy riding and greetings from Poland
Vookash
Gracie did the continental divide trail on her 29er and carried all her own stuff, look to her for inspiration on this:
So, ifalldowngoboom…?
I’d love to know which hole on the cranks you feel matches the leverage of the 125s on a 24". I have exactly the same dilemma, but don’t feel flush enough to buy the more expensive double holers. My Nimbus 29/big apple came 2nd hand (vgc!) with 170s. Right now my weedy legs are happy with 125s on my very knobbly 24". So 145?
ps I love it that we mix inches and centimetres so freely!
Hmmm, I would predict 151 mm cranks would match the leverage of your 24" unicycle. Of course, this is only an estimate.
Scott
cranks
Well I initially installed my pedals in the 150 position, and was able to free mount 1st attempt and things felt very comfortable. I rode it that way around the neighborhood for about a week or two. Curbs, dips, bumps, quick stops and idling all felt pretty easy and under control. Basically things were not any harder than my 24” with 125 cranks. Then I moved the cranks to the 125 position. Whoa, completely different unicycle. Took 3 tries for me to free mount and I could immediately feel the lack of leverage when trying to idle or do a quick stop. But when I got up to speed it was a completely different feeling. With the 125 cranks I get the gliding coasting feeling that is absent with the 150 cranks. Much more fun. Also I never got pumped burning quads on a unicycle before. I think the 150 / 125 combos is actually quite nice. 125 for flat distance and 150 for more difficult terrain. If I had to chose 1, I would probable go with something in the middle like 137. But as far as one of the 2 equaling the leverage of 125 mm cranks on a 24”, I think that would be 150mm.