I’m in AWE of my new kh 29er! While a bit more work climbing up the steeps compared to my 24 (which is 2 lbs heavier!), this 29er is nimble, light and quick, and extremely maneuverable on pretty much everything I tried.
A huge improvement for the 2010 model is the new kh hub (minus those “kh” cutouts!) and the 48mm rim, which is 9mm wider than the previous year, and the same width that comes on the 24 MUni.
And “fast” is an understatement! Watch the difference between the 150 & 125 crank hole speed runs…both are fast, but oh, what a difference 25mm makes!!! It scares me to think the blistering speed potential with a geared hub! This is so fast as it is now, in 1:1, I wouldn’t be able to run out a upd…not even close! But I felt pretty comfortable at higher speeds. It’s a smooth as silk!
Anyway, this was just my very first ride with it, so I hope to improve as I ride it more. I would love to get your feedback on this video, and, if you’ve ridden a 29er offroad, let me know how you like yours for MUni, or what type of riding you use it for most.
Nice riding Terry. I know you are going to have fun with the big wheel! I’d like to try your favorite drop there. All my drops at that height have sketchy run ups (big boulders) that cause me to chicken out. Plus I am typically a long way from the car by myself.
Love the speed! The maneuverability of the KH29 is fantastic. I also have the 125/150 cranks and the difference between the two lengths is immense. I think i’ll upgrade my rim to the 2010 model so I can ride some more technical terrain. Also, i’m starting to dream about having a geared hub on it, could be dangerous though.
I kept the older more narrow rim with no cutouts for my geared 29, I think I prefer it more than the newer rim because on the road that wider rim is going to be slower. I am sure the wider rim is better for technical stuff though.
You need a geared hub, those sections of trail where you did the speed run are perfect for the 29er in high gear. When I used an ungeared 29er for XC I always hated those type of sections, they were the more boring bits in between the fun single track. The geared hub lets me have more fun on those sections now. Also, you can be surprised at what you can run out of, even going 18mph I can mostly run out of stuff, if all else fails I take a few fast steps and then tumble.
wow love how fast youve got your 29 going. i panick a bit when i get going fast because i do worry how im going to run out of it. But with all your 36 riding the 29 must surely seem easier to run out of?
i have a 29kh which ive been muniing with. i like it a lot on the flatter sections cos i get around faster but on a really steep section i panick cos it seems harder to keep the bigger wheel under control. I still have the scars from a decent stack i had the other week on a steep rough gravelly bit. Didnt listen to my friend who said i needed to always be in control and do it slow. Thought id let the wheel go faster but the 29 picks up speed really quickly on a steep section. next thing i knew i was grating the skin off my elbow.lol. ouch!
your drops on the 29 are awe inspiring. id love to be able to learn to do drops like that.
i think the 29kh is an awsome muni machine. put an awsome rider like you on an awsome machine and you get MEGA AWSOME!!
Cooool Terry!
Realy loved the end… that’s exactly the ‘terrytory’ of the UCC !!!
I’ve been riding the 29 quite a while and prefer the speed and manouverability over the 24! (sounds weird but it’s “MY” truth)
Looking forward to “GeezerPower” …
Cool video, Terry. Currently I am thinking about getting a KH29 to use it with the Schlumpf hub instead of the KH26. I would use it with 165/137 because I want to do lots of long climbs. With my increased fitness level the 165 seem to be too for most of my riding, so I think that would be the perfect length for the 29er.
Recently I did a max speed test with my geared 26er (2.5 tire) and thats the outcome:
165 cranks, 1:1 -> ca. 20km/h (12.5mph)
137 cranks, 1:1 -> ca. 24km/h (15mph)
165 cranks, 1:1,5 -> ca. 28km/h (17.5mph)
137 cranks, 1:1,5 -> ca. 30km/h (18.75mph)
So I think with your setup you could have reached up to 19mph (or even faster). I know how you feel about UPDs at this speeds
Yeah, that’s what I was waiting for… I have N29 and don’t know how the rims compare but I really like it offroad, but now looking at you I see how much still I must learn.
And I agree, for me the change from 125 to 150 and back seems to make a totally different uni.
Don’t come in the summer. Winter and early spring are great. I’d love to share my trails with others.
I’ve tried 36 muni, and I a most definitely way faster on the 29er. The 36 is a beast for maneuvering and hard to mount in rough terrain. Plus, I feel way more comfortable going fast on the 29.
Nice Terry! you have got me wanting the 29er even more! I think it will be great for keeping up with my slow biking friends. I’ll often times get my speed and cadence way up in be up in the top of third gear around here. It’s nearly all flat so it is not to hard to keep a constant speed.
How does the 29er compare to the 36 on and off-road? For XC which would you rather use? Most of my stuff is XC which is why I ask. I’m thinking the single track about an hour away from my house is gonna be great fun on it! I’m thinking of makinf a pair of 137/100’s right now for Florida conditions.
Thanks Iain. I just got back from my second day on the new 29er. Today I decided to try the same technical level of riding that I do on my 24! I think this will be my favorite of all my videos so far! I’m blown away by this new toy!
Yeah I thought a 26 would be too close to my 24, so the 29er was the best fit between my 24 and 36er.
…Your prediction is probably correct! Have not tried a geared 29er…yet, but have ridden a 24 Guni and it was pretty fast.
I agree about really steep dh it feels like it can get out of control within one rev! The brake helps a lot but I try not to use it unless really necessary.
Thanks. Yeah, my old pal, kh 24, may just end up in moth balls! haha not really, I’ll still use it for most super tech stuff, and especially of I’ll be doing big drops, gaps and stuff.
Dang, those are FAST speeds! I really don’t want to be moving 18 mph on ANY uni, lol!
Today, while riding it on super rocky tech, I just kept the pedals in the 150mm hole! It was plenty fast and also gave me more control.
Coolness!
Agreed!
Well, the 36er in “MUni-mode” is fun for xc and mostly flat and dh, but compared to the 29er, it feels super sluggish and much harder to maneuver and control. I only wish I’d had this 29er for the recent race at Idyllwild!
Loving my N29 Muni for sure! When I first got it I rode it on the road ALOT and was wearing out the knobby, so I got a barely used Duro easy rider tire from Ezas and swapped it… Now that I am more comfy on the 29 I have been doing more then just XC stuff so I need to put the knobby back into play…
BTW what does UCC stand for? Cross country?
Yeah! 29er’s rule! I still prefer kh 24 MUni for the real extreme stuff, but for xc and light technical, the 29er is badass!
Is the “N” for nimbus? 29er’s just seem to be the perfect size for xc and light technical, great for downhill and still pretty good for climbing. “UCC” is an acronym for my “Uni-Cable-Cam”.
But I felt pretty comfortable at higher speeds. It’s a smooth as silk!
Nice one, you were going fast!!! I knew I wanted a 26’’ or a 29’’ next, im even less sure about what to get now 
