I am thinking of getting a 29er but before I buy I want to know if it is worth it. Up to this point I dont do much distance riding on my 24 inch torker cx (because I cant go that fast) but will a 29er be a big improvement? Also, if I get one, what size cranks are good to start with? I will be riding mostly paved trails with little hills but I might eventually do some muni on it. thanks
Last week I received my 29er with 125/150 dual cranks. I 'm able to climb hills that I can’t climb with my 36er.You can also change to 125s when you are ready for some speed. I also ordered the touring handle with the Animal grips.
I think that you would very happy with the 29er.It beats doing alot of pedalling and not going that far.
Good luck.
My 29er is the uni I ride the most. I have 125’s and 150’s for it and I never use the 150’s. I don’t really do Muni with it, but I do ride occasional XC trails and it’s a blast. I commute on mine and it is much faster than my 24". My 24 is super fun on the mountain trails around here, and the 29er would be scary high off the deck. I imagine that some day I won’t feel that way, but for now the 29er is for the flatter XC trails and mostly road.
The crank length is a preference thing, and so the dual hole cranks might be a good option just to give you a chance to see what you like. I started with the 125’s and was able to do a rollback mount immediately. This made me feel like the cranks weren’t too short as I had feared. The nice thing about the dual hole cranks is that you can have 125’s for the road to the trail, and then switch to 150’s for the trail. That is no little convenience.
Go 29"
Not sure what kind of diff you’ll find 24" to 29" since I don’t own one.
All my off road is on 29" with 125 cranks.
Trick is too find what you’re comfortable with and stick to it.
For me, 150 and 175 cranks hurt my knee’s (My humble opinion for both 29 and 36" unicycle.) 125 length is perfect for all my needs.
The 29" is my trick machine, off road machine, parade machine, best all-round machine.
My 36 is distance machine. Love it but never consider it for parade duty, off roading, multiple free mount duty.
Consider what type of riding you like to do and choose the uni for the job.
If you like off roading and some long distance 29" is the choice.
But long distance 36" is king.
For me the only answer was to have both.
The 29 is a versatile machine. I recommend dual 125/150 cranks. You can ride fast on pavement with 125s and do some pretty nice muni with 150’s. 24 is dog slow, but great for steep, rough downhill challenges. The 29 hangs in there for all but the most extreme off-road once you get used to it.
Just a reply to say “me too” to what the others have already said.
A 29er is a fantasticly versatile unicycle. When I had my ungeared one, I started with 125 cranks, and mostly rode on roads. After about 9 months I swapped to 114 cranks, which made a huge difference to the speed. If you’re going to be riding off road though you’ll probably want longer cranks than 125, but 150 might be a bit long unless you end up on more technical or steeper stuff. 137 is probably a good compromise.
In relation to a 24", a 29er is a totally different beast. It’s certainly noticeably faster, but it’s just different to ride. It’s smoother, and reacts quicker. Because the tyres aren’t nearly as heavy duty as a muni, most 29s are lighter too.
You’ll love it!
STM
thanks for all the help. once I get enough money (week or 2) I am going to buy a 29er with 125 mm cranks.
I love my 29er. I bought both 125 cranks and 150s. I usually ride with the 150s just cuz it makes me feel a little more in control and it helps me on the hills. I had a 36er as well and I always felt like it was in control of me rather than the other way around. I eventually sold it and ride the 29er exclusively. No regrets.
does anyone have any tire recommendations? I want to ride mostly paved trails and packed ground but I may do a little light off-road
I am riding the Kenda Nevgal 2.2 that came with my KH 29er. I like it. Good traction and rolls well. I ride off road only and like the 29er better than my Torker 24". The 29er is 3 pounds lighter also. The larger diameter wheel has more contact patch on the ground so traction is good and it rolls over small obstacles better rather than hesitating on them like a 24" wheel will do.
I ride the Nevgals on my mountain bike also. I just switched to UST tubeless and am looking at going tubless on the uni also. I guess I’ll have to try Stan’s system though, cuz I don’t know of any UST rims made for unicycles, unless you lace your own. Any comments on tubeless?
I have a Schwalbe Big Apple tire on my 29er. Mine is the larger variety, and when it’s inflated to its max psi it handles well on the road. If I drop the pressure only a little it is also good on the mild XC trails that I use it on. I am not happy with the tread life or the flat resistance. The tire supposedly has kevlar flat protection built it, but I have had a serious problem with goat head thorns.
My next tire will have a bit more tread, and a rounder profile. I’m thinking of something like the Serfas Drifter City 29x2. It has a reverse tread design that I think would suit road and trail riding. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend it really as I haven’t tried it yet, but from my experience with the Big Apple I think it’s on the right track.
I use the Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Most of my riding is done on tarmac, but I’ve clocked up a lot of miles on canal tow paths (hard packed surface), and a little bit of slightly more rough off road. Overall its a fantastic tyre.
I’ve also used the Nanoraptor. This is a great off road tyre, and is very light.
I have had a lot of experience with Big Apples too, and if you search for any of my previous rants, you’ll know that the 2.0" BA is a great tyre, and the 2.35" is the most awful tyre you can find.
STM
I use the Maxxis CrossMark 2.1", for a mix of paved roads and gravel trails. I wrote a few thoughts on it at the bottm of my post here. Overall, I really like it, but haven’t tried that many others to compare. The Big Apple 2.0" is very nice for the road, but I find it a bit round/squirrelly on light gravel.
I have been using the Kenda Nevgal but am looking for a new tire.
Can anyone recommend a nice 29" tire with Kevlar bead, good volume and grip in mud?. will be used on a kh29 guni.
I looked through a huge catalog at the bike shop with a lot of great looking tires, if anyone can share personal experience with some of the less common ones that would be great. Thanks!
This has been discussed on several threads here already. Have a look at this thread for starters;
STM
thanks for all the help guys. I got a custom nimbus/KH 29er with the wtb vulpine 2.1 tire
Do you like the Vulpine?
Yes I like a lot. I was looking at it online and was comparing it to a bunch of other tires when I decided to stop in at my lbs. They had a couple 29er tires to look at and the vulpine was one of them and it was cheaper than online. So I bought it up right away and its working great. Smooth over the road with enough grip on the sides to handle turns in any conditions. I don’t really have much to compare it to, but for my needs it works great.