I had a 36er for about three weeks. I liked it ok, but it took some Oomph to get her going and stopped. The 29er I got in trade for it is, to me, better. It is lighter, easier to manuveur, and easy to start and stop. Not to mention, on the 36er, I had to do a rolling mount to get on it. Free mounting it takes it out of ya if you miss two or three times. My 29er I can free mount as well as my 24". My 24, all two of them, now are collecting dust. I much prefer to take the 29er out in whatever I’m doing over the 24. I’d give it a 5 of 5. Once i get my handle on it, it will be that much better!
I use my Kh29/Big Apple 2.3 for mostly road riding right now. I recently switched from 150’s to 125’s and am just not very comfortable with the 125’s. I live in a very hilly area and am a large man so the 150’s seem to be the perfect compramise between speed and torque. At this time I like the 29er more than my 24 Muni, but I think thats mostly because I can 29er right out the front door vs the 24Muni I have to drive somewhere and am not real sure where to go right now.
KH 29er here. It was my only uni for the last two years until I was reunited this fall with the Torker LX I learned on. The difference is staggering. Smooth, smooth and plenty of torque for any hill on or off road I care to climb. Once you get used to the bigger wheel I find it just fine for twitching around tight corners and such as well. I give it a five.
Ordering a new Bedford 29er
Hearing so many great things about Darren Bedford, I have decided to spend the extra money to buy a quality Unicycle.
Unfortunately, I can’t afford a KH 29er, but I can afford a bedford 29er.
I’ll be using this for long distance/touring riding, maybe some muni too.
I’d like to get a handle but not sure what to get.
Also I’d like to get knobby tire, not street so I can ride the trails.
Interested in hearing from others there recommendation.
The T7 is just great, on so many levels. It’s excellent value for money, really comfortable, looks good, and has the ability to mount lights, cycle computer, water bottles, etc. I’ve got one on my 29" Schlumpf, and it’s fantastic.
It’s probably worth having a search for other opinions, but I tried the Kenda Klaw, and didn’t get on with it at all. I’ve now got the Nano Raptor for off road stuff, and that’s great. Most of my riding is done on the road with a 2" Big Apple though.
STM
Even After I built up a 29", I primarily used my Nimbus 36 for street and smooth paths, and a Nimbus 24 Muni for off road. The 29" is just too large for me on hilly trails. So put a 24" wheel on my KH29 frame, now I love it.
Please post picture of your 29" uni
Forgot to ask in my original post of this thread…
Please post picture of your 29er.
Thanks,
I have a homemade 29er that is my usual first-choice uni. I do distance riding and general around town with it.
Here it is with 125 cranks. I’ve currently got it set up with 150s just for a little more confidence.
When I’m trying to learn new skills or get better at old ones, I usually grab my DX24. It’s just more manueverable.
I’m still just not as comfortable with my N36 so I habitually grab my 29er most of the time.
If you plan to ride mostly level roads, the 36er is definitely the best. As the terrain tends toward very steep and/or very rough, smaller wheels tend to be more preferable.
Both sizes can be fun for certain types of riding. I like the 29er for XC MUni and big climbs, but I prefer the 36er for covering longer distances.
Underdog (homemade 29)
Underdog, can you elaborate on homemade?
Is is built from scratch or a collection of parts from other uni’s ?
I bought the KH29 rim and UDC wide hub from UDC and built the wheel myself. It was my first wheelbuild and I got a lot of help from the web. The frame was from scratch. 300 series stainless steel tubing press fit into an anodized aluminum fork crown that I machined myself. Bearing holders are industrial shaft collars that I machined out to fit the bearings. I had a buddy who’s a certified welder weld the bearing holders on to the fork legs. Seat post, seat and cranks purchased from UDC. Big Apple tire. The thing rides great. It’s about 17 pounds if memory serves me right.
Accessories on 29er
What have people added to their 29er ?
T7 bar ?
Rail adapter and seat post ?
Mileage computer ?
Different sized cranks ?
Water bottle cage ?
Lights ?
Etc
All of the above, at once! Plus a wedge bag on the back of the T7 for carrying tools, etc. I’ve had up to three water bottles mounted, but that made things a bit heavy. I have two bottle cages now, in case of longer rides.
i use my 29 for commuting. sometimes i throw some longer cranks on it, to make it a bit more practical for more technical stuff.
but my goal is to become a SF bike messenger…on a uni. that would be hard core.
Mark, could you post a picture with access
Mark, could you post a picture of your 29er with accessories attached
I added a T7 handle, rode with it for a few weeks then took it off.
Wheel rider, why did you remove it
What was wrong with T7 ?
A T7 handle has always intrigued me. I still, even after a coupla years of riding, need to flail my arms too much to make use of a handle. Maybe one day. I try to ride as far as I can with on hand on the front of the saddle and am getting better but I can only go a couple of meters with both hands there. If I ever get to where it’s second nature to ride with both hands on the saddle or even in my pockets then I might consider a handle.
I’m not interested enough in stats to bother with a computer on mine. I used to be downright obsessive/compulsive about it on my road bike, needing to know time, ave. speed, distance, etc, etc. Then one day I had a drastic change of attitude and decided to quit worrying about trivial stuff and just ride and enjoy it. Since then, I’ve not had a computer on any of my bikes and certainly don’t plan to have one on any of my unis.
For water, I just carry a camelback type of pack with a bladder and a few basic tools; patch kit, allen wrenches, cell phone, bail money.
I’d still like to add a blinky red light on the back for night riding and I use a headlamp to see where I’m going after dark.
I suffer from waving arms too
I suffer from waving arm syndrome too.
Try to keep them to my thighs but they come out from time to time like wings on a bird about to land.
Not sure how others do it. Perhaps more time riding will cure it.
Still, I think I would like to have a handle and adjustable rail type seat.