I think Rowan from New Zealand has got 89mm cranks on his 29er, I tried it out at unicon and found it hard to ride, but it was the first time I had tried cranks so short. I imagine they might be difficult to use, but then I didn’t give it much of a go.
I’ve changed my tire yesterday (almost after the winter 
) back from Kenda Nevegal to BA and I’ve forgot how smooth the ride may be on a pavement.
Now the pedals on 150s hole seem really awkward.
I have 89mm cranks on my 28" unicycle. It rides better than the 28" with 125mm cranks, but doesn’t quite make it as fast as a big wheel, except for some climbing.
It feels very twitchy and speedy and no way near as stable as a 36"- 29er would be more stable but would add weight. I’m looking forwards to putting my KH Touring handle back on it as the handle gives it more stability.
I don’t think I would like 90mm on 36" since sometimes I feel lacking in power with 114s. It feels lacking in power on the 28 but makes up for it with ease of spinning. The small circle must use different muscles and would take some training to get fully effective and keep max rpm.
It would not be a brake that would make it a viable option as the small wheel is easier to slow down, it would be the type of terrain and your own leg spinning speed that would determine if it could compare. Less energy to maintain the same speed on uphills on smaller wheel, but maybe more energy to maintain lower speed on the flat and downhills. I like having both and being able to choose.
Most people find very short cranks hard to ride for precision controlled movements and changes of pedaling direction, but if they can handle them alright then it should feel very smooth and good for cruising fast.
Based on looks and apparent design, and design process, I think you should be proud. It’s a good looking solution, looks well integrated not like an after thought. A Mfg should be proud of it’s product. You come off as proud, but not boastful.
I can’t remember if models and pricing have been announced. Did I miss that somewhere?
Thanks, that’s a good thing.
We have target prices, but we’re waiting on actual numbers from the fabricators before we announce pricing. We want the complete system with bolt on mount at around $200, but much of it is up to the crank cost… do we commission dual holes, do we offer all sizes, do we stock or order them to fill orders? to reach price points for what we have made is a matter of quantity and then becomes a question of initial investment.
We will likely offer rotors, rotors with chain ring nuts, bolts, and spacers, and we’ll offer Rotors with chain ring nuts, bolts, spacers, your choice of cranks, and weld on or bolt on mount depending on model of unicycle and spindle type. and then we may offer a disk brake with the kit. That’s my guess anyway.
rear or front direction?
For those of you with the Nimbus 29" touring uni with the round crown you can add both the Kenda Small Block 8 and Panaracer Rampage to the list of tires that fit.
I have a question about the Rampage. Should I install it like a rear or front tire? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each direction?
if you run it as a front it will have better steering response and minimal rolling resistance and wear longer. if you run it as a rear, it will get more traction, be more sluggish steering and likely wear faster. if you want grabby, run it backwards, if you want it nimble run it as a front. scoop, or slice…
Does the larger rim on the KH make a significant difference for XC riding with a smallish tire like the SB8? Nice uni by the way.
The wider rim offers a little more stability. I was a little worried about damaging the single walled Nimbus rim so I decided to dedicate it to road riding like it was made for.
Unfortunately I haven’t ridden the KH a whole lot as I have been recovering from a pulled quadricep that I kept re-hurting on muni rides. I went for about 8 miles of trails yesterday and it felt good but the bearing holders came loose. I guess I better carry an allen wrench.
What are some fatter off-road tires that people like? I like the SB8 personally but it isn’t big and bouncy.
I have spent more time on the Nimbus with the 114’s and have gotten used to it. It is definitely faster at top speed but also touchy with the short cranks and hard thin tire. It has been a good workout and I am having fun but I don’t think I would really recommend it as a basic set up.
Besides the heavy WTB 2.5" Dissent and Kodiak tires the largest volume 29er tires are the Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4 and the Maxxis Ardent 2.4. If I was tempted to go for a lighter tire I would probably try the Ardent, but I’m really liking the Kodiak.
The WTB Weirwolf is Billed as a 2.55 width, but I had some issues with this tire blowing off the UDC Nimbus single walled rim. Happened 3 different times to the point where it seemed like the integrity of the bead was compromised. Not sure if the tire or the rim was to blame, but being stuck out in the woods without tireirons, pump and patch kit one time was enough for me to take this one off and go back to the Nevegal.
I really like the Racing Ralph 2.4 for fast xc and racing (the clue’s in the name!). It’s very light, grips really well on almost all surfaces and gives a nice supple ride without having to run very low pressures (I’m running it tubeless at about 25psi on a KH29 xc rim).
There are a few cons however: It doesn’t work well on sticky mud (the tread clogs up). Because the carcass is so thin it’s vulnerable to sidewall damage from sharp rocks, and for the same reason it’s probably not good for people who like to do sidehops.
Very nice race tyre, but you need to be careful using it for general riding. They do a stronger “snake skin” version of the Racing Ralph, which isn’t much heavier, but not in 29x2.4" unfortunately.
Rob
I just bought the 2.25 snakeskin version, it got delivered yesterday =], so I will do a review after my first long ride. 25psi is too low for me, I will be running at at least 40psi for improved rolling.
See my post on Racing Ralph/direction? What direction are you running the tread? Front or Rear?
That’ll be interesting. I’ve slashed my Ralph once on a flinty trail - repaired OK, but I’m being quite careful now on rocks.
That would be too firm for me except on very smooth surfaces. It feels firm enough at 25 to me, but still enough give in it and has pretty much no rolling resistance at that pressure so I can’t see the point of going higher. Are you really heavy? (I’m a bit under 12 st, about 165 lbs if you like). I’ve tried mine up to about 35psi and it feels too hard for anything other than perfectly smooth ground then - high pressure only equals lower roling resistance on the road… if the ground’s rough you just get jolted about and waste energy. But obviously people have different styles and suit different setups.
No I didn’t see that. Mine’s in “rear” direction, but I haven’t tried it the other way round.
Rob
I was looking up the RR 2.25 snakeskin version. I saw pics but am still not sure what the “snakeskin” refers to. It looks like the same tread pattern as the original unless I am not seeing an accurate pic.
I like the tight tread pattern of the SB8 because of its low rolling resistance. I used to run at full 80psi but now probably more like 50. Since they aren’t bouncy there isn’t as much to be gained from low pressure. Anyway, I am accustomed to pressure.
I am about 155 lbs, I haven’t tried the RR yet so I am not sure what psi I will run, but on my nevegal tire it has the about same psi range, and I run that at about 40-43psi and it feels great. Lowering the pressure does make it smoother on rough terrain, but at the cost of making me slower and making the climbs harder, so I prefer the more rigid faster ride.
Thanks for the direction info - I was leaning towards using the rear direction as the rear is the driving tire on bikes.
snakeskin is referring to the sidewalls - the snakeskin version is much tougher so you are less likely to get punctures from weak sidewalls which is especially important when running low pressures.
the SB8 was a possibility for me, but I ended up going with the 2.25 RR snakeskin since I hadn’t seen any reviews for that yet and it looked like a very promising xc racing tire.
In theory yes, but the RR is so thin and supple that the rolling resistance is negligible even at 25psi. Either way, it’s a really nice fast xc tyre IMO.
I think the idea is that rear should give more traction and front should give better steering response and potentially lower rolling resistance, but the tread on the RR is very nearly symmetrical anyway, so I doubt it would be really noticeable in practice, especially at unicycle speeds.
Rob
I recently got a KH29 05 muni and I love it 
Its soooo much smoother and faster than my 24’’ with Gazz on the road especialy.
The tyre doesn’t grip that well on muddy clay on a small downhill, off-road but I like doing slides The tyre is a Kenda Klaw XT Rear, I’ve heard people saying they don’t like this tyre, but it seems fine for me.
I love the speeds I can get to on it, I’ve got 150’s on it.
I haven’t had any long rides on it yet, but I look forward to I’m going to put a spare magura on it sometime, I am surprised at how much I can brake with my legs though, except for when I get to much speed 
I want a 29er:p I was trying my friend’s 26er with 3" tire and it was so fast for Muni! I imagine the 29er is the same thing from what people said on the forums, I so want a 29er now…
I was wondering, if I ever decide to get one, it’ll probably be a Nimbus with a Muni tire. Is it possible to put the KH Schlumpf hub in the frame if I modify the bearing holders or it’s just safer to go with the KH frame?
Actually, I might just go custom with mostly Nimbus parts because I want the Freeride rim… I need a job first though:p