just got notice that my Maxxis tire will arrive Friday afternoon! So just have to cut the seatpost and I can ride it this weekend!
6.5kg
So, cut 6.5cm off the 350mm seatpost and complete it’s 6.5kg.
Wow, the Maxxis 29x3 tube is massive and weighs 440g! I think converting to tubeless would probably save 300-400g. But I’ve read conflicting reports about converting the KH rim with cutouts to tubeless. Seems like the ghetto split tube method would work though as with a tube it’s also only a tube over the plastic strip with the holes…
Outside diameter measured to 764mm to the knobs (matches exactly an estimate I had found). So that’s 30.08"! Actual rotating circumference probably then a little smaller with some tire deformation, but then right about 30".
First test ride around the neighborhood was great! Feels fast both in tire size and low tire weight. Control was good and I could idle and do quick 180 turns plus hopping felt good.
As mentioned above I will try and convert to tubeless. I’ve ordered a 24" tube which is 165g. So even with a bunch of sealant (say 70g) and cutting some tube away should save 440-160-70=210g plus the other advantages of tubeless. However, going to leave the tube in for my trip to Teneriffe as it’ll be easier without the sealant.
Cut another 1.5cm off the seatpost, so 350mm post shortened 8cm.
Wednesday I should get a ride on the trails and really see how it does off-road!
Would be interested to hear you feedback on the Minion DHR. I am looking for a new tire as well. As I ride 27,5 (plus) I can get the Minion 27,5 x 2,8 as DHF or DHR. From my (some time ago) experience on the MTB I was very happy with the Minion DHF, so I would tend towards the DHF. Any reason you went for the DHR for Muni? Or can anyone else compare DHR vs DHF on Muni?
4 hour Muni ride: Minion DHR II was awesome!
Just went on my first muni ride with the new KH29 and was going to report on the tire anyway.
Rode 24km in about 4 hours today on my local XC trails. Most of the snow has melted but there were some snow patches left, but mostly wet and muddy. The Minion has so much grip!! I didn’t bring my gauge with me but lowered the pressure down and it rode fine and didn’t roll, bottom out or feel funny, but then I actually decided the pressure was lower than what I needed for grip and added some more and was very happy with that pressure for the rest of the ride. Just checked now and I was running 12PSI, so I guess I was probably running about 8PSI before and also did well at that (oh, I weigh about 155lbs/71kg).
The grip was incredible and I rode a few steep wet and rooty sections and didn’t slip in the slightest. The knobs seem very good at shedding mud as the tire didn’t cake up at all (ok, it was not a lot above freezing, mid 40sF or about 3C, so the mud was probably a little less sticky). However, my 5.10 shoes caked up with mud really badly and the tire did not. Actually the only time I slipped was on a section where the trail was under ice and I misjudged where the trail was under the ice and got off the trail onto an angled shoulder section and skidded out sideways in the snow/ice. But that was rider error and the not the tire.
I’ve never really experienced autosteer so don’t really know what it’s like and my unicycle tire experience is limited to Duro Wildlife Leopard (24&26), my try-all on my trails and the Nightrider on my 36, ok also the 29 Stout on a borrowed 29er muni (something like 2.5" which felt too small, narrow and flimsy for my taste). Compared to the Duro the tire was very fast and nimble. It was incredible on the climbs and with the same crank length (150mm) with ease I made every single climb that I usually have to work harder to make on the 26 Duro but with more assurance and felt faster.
Not sure if it was autosteer or just that the tire is less “heavy solid straight ahead” like the Duro but I did feel that it did not have the go-straight-ahead feeling like the Duro. While this was different and requires mote effort, I didn’t find this negative, merely that I had to concentrate on whether to go straight or turn and for me matches with the fast, nimble maneuverability of the Minion.
I didn’t get to do any big drops but on many many small ones felt very stable. I guess the biggest was about 2ft/60cm and landed solidly, didn’t bounce me off and didn’t bottom-out to the rim. Hopping over things was of course noticeable easier with the lower weight of the tie and muni. Riding over stuff was also easier with the larger diameter.
Why did I pick the Minion DHR II? Because I wanted a tall large-volume plus tire that does well in wet and mud (so the Knard was out as I heard it’s not so good in mud/wet), and I had heard not so stellar reports about the Surly Dirt Wizzard for muni (although the mtb reports all seem good), and the Minion is both slightly taller and wider although the DW is about 20g lighter.
With today’s ride I am more than satisfied! For me the tire rolls really really fast, especially considering the big aggressive knobs (granted my comparison is to the Duro which weighs 1650g!). But I didn’t feel like I was losing anything in grip compared to the Duro. On the contrary, because of the large volume I think the Minion handles the low pressure better than the Duro. I did feel some bounce at times but it didn’t seem bad and I think I can get used to it. I think it’s obvious that a tire that’s almost a third lighter in weight while being taller has do ride differently.
I can’t compare the DHR II to the DFR but looking at the treads and reading all the mtb forum posts, the DFR really seems to excel in high-speed cornering. I don’t think this aspect is very relevant for unicycling as we don’t have such high speeds (>20kmh is rare) and the cornering forces are different. The times when I don’t have enough grip on the muni are usually braking down something steep or when climbing (slow speed). Although the DFR is supposed to be taller and wider as well as heavier. For me the DRH II with it’s strengths more for strong braking seemed the best muni tire to me.
At 1110g (weighed mine inaccurately on a bathroom scale as 1.2kg) and huge volume as well as aggressive knobs but also strong enough casing to run low pressure, the DHR II seems like the best of both the grip of a tire like the Duro (actually felt stickier as I think the rubber is softer than the Duro) while being faster, lighter and more maneuverable.
I’m glad you’re happy with your new uni! It’s always a great feeling to get a brand new unicycle.
Based on my experience with autosteer, you would know if a tire had autosteer problems. Maybe others will disagree (I’m pretty light on a heavy MUni, but I also love my Oregon). I also find the autosteer to be really fun because I have to rely more on technical ability than line choice.
Thanks for the review, especially on the tire. Looks like my next tire will be a DHR iI as well.
Finally received my KH29!!!
Was supposed to have a 3" Knard as stock but instead came with a 3 1/4" Duro Crux.
Took it out for a 3km spin on the local fat bike trail and it performed awesome.
Took several tweakings for the handlebar setup but I think I have it now.
I had one of my hardest rides last night on my 29 Oracle because of the fresh 2" powder on the hardpack trail. Very slick with any torque whatsoever on my 2.5 Minion.
Tonight with the 3.25 Duro the extra grip was noticable. I was running at 19-20psi. I had to be careful with my speed as I’ve got some extra bounce to deal with now.
With the 2" increase in diameter compared to my 29" Oracle this 29KH comes in at 31" diameter. I was amazed how it felt identical to the 29"
I still don’t have the 3" Minion yet but with the performance of this tire in the snow I may just keep this as a winter tire and put the Minion on when the dirt’s showing again.
Anyways, Whoo Hoo!!!
So just a short update after a few more rides…
I’m really liking both the 29Plus size and the Minion DHR II Tire.
I’ve done one really good XC ride and the 29Plus was pretty much everything I was expecting: faster than the 26, climbs like a goat and really fun! The rolling resistance of the plus tire is really incedible! In short, the tire performs almost as well as the Duro for traction/cushion while being significantly lighter AND having much lower rolling resistance. I think the biggest adjustment is getting used to the very different feeling when doing hops and drops as the large volume tire with softer sidewalls reacts way different then the Duro with much stiffer sidewalls. I think in the end the capabilities are similar, but the feeling is way different. The Duro also dampens the landing much more quickly whereas the Plus tire has a lot more squish and bounce. I’m still getting used to it, but I’m thinking it’s not better or worse just different and requires a different riding technique.
I just got back from a week trip to Tenerife (Canary Islands) and did 2 downhill rides on the 29 on steep rocky technical volcanic rock terrain and really liked it. As expected, on really steep and technical sections it requires way more skill and courage than a smaller 26 or 24 wheel size, but I was surpised that I was able to ride a lot of steep rocky switchback sections: I did one descent from the volcano plateau (2400m vertical!!) and it was awesome - I had to walk a lot of the higher elevation trails but not because they were too technical/steep but because the trails were too frequently used and the trail too narrow, hard to find (lost the trail at least 20 times) or overgrown (I crashed at least 10 times when catching my face/neck/shoulder on an overhanging tree branch). So I think there were only 2 or 3 sections (out of over a 100) that I couldn’t ride that I would have been able to ride on the 26.
Oh, bought an accurate pressure guage and been riding the tire between 11.5 and 12.5 psi for downhill (0.75 to 0.8 bar I think). Still planning to convert to tubeless even though I don’t think I need it for pinch flat protection (I rode lots of sharp rocks and no rim contacts), and at 11.5 PSI the pressure is almost too low for drops as the sidewalls squish and it’s kind of hard to control. But should still give weight savings and reduce rolling resistance.
So really loving the KH29 Plus!
If anyone’s interested, I Posted a quick review of the Maxxis Minion DHR II 29x3.0 tire for sand riding with a Nimbus Oracle here: