Hi all, appreciate some advice on Crank Selection for new Nimbus 29" Road uni about to purchase.
Prime intention to ride on “flat” path / road terrain and Speed is not the objective.
Am 2 months into Uni uptake with limited skill level still in development mode.
And upgrading from 24" cheap and cheerful eBay model I believe 150mm cranks
The Nimbus 29" comes with 125mm cranks.
Wondering whether to request longer cranks, and if so which size ?? and which manufacturer. ?? Or simply to run with the 125mm ??
As you would expect, am very excited about ordering and I want to modify cranks now if and where it makes sense to. … Cheers and appreciate insights. Jimmy
I use 150 on my Nimbus 29. I ride this muni on streets light trails. I have tried the 125’s but they just seem too short. The 150’s will give you more control. I would start with the 150’s until you get use to the 29.
Or you take KH Dual Spirits with two holes. Maybe 150/127.
But in my mind, the question is not which crank length is optimum for 29er on flat street but which length is comfortable for you? There are so many personal factors … just try.
If your not looking for speed and are still pretty new to the spot I would stay away from really short cranks. I think it’s best to get something between 130 and 140.
It’s really personal preference and riding skill/technique. You probably won’t want shorter than 125 even for road, and you wouldn’t want much longer than 150 or 160 for muni. That’s why everyone keeps suggesting dual hole 125/150
5.5"/137/138/140/whatever seemed pretty much ideal when I started riding my 28" road uni with just a couple months’ unicycling experience. That’s on the limit of what I could handle going down hills in my neighborhood without having learned to use a brake. Going up hills was never a problem.
110/137 seems like it might be a better dual-hole solution if udc can be talked into an upgrade not listed in the drop-down. Lots of folks ride on the road with cranks as short as or shorter than 110. With it not being a mountain unicycle, I don’t see the usefulness of a 150 mm option.
As Dane mentioned it’s somewhat related to preference & riding skill. I very seldom use my 150 crank option on either my 29 or 36 but if I’m having a bad control day then I switch to the 150’s and things just seem to feel better.
At least with dual hole units (regardless of what combination you chose) you get some variety without having to pull the crank arms off.
Yeah this is exactly what I’ve been pondering for awhile. After getting the 127/150, I sorta like the 127s for the speed and smoother pedaling and 150 for the better control and easier stops and then I’m wondering why not have a bit of both and get 137.
I also would think that the 110/137 would be the most ideal combination if UDC lets you choose. The 110 would be fantastic for speed on the road and the 137 would satisfy those that want the inbetween of the 127/150 spirits.
But the dual hole suggestion in general is a sound idea even though that’s a $95 upgrade
Because it doesn’t work that way. You don’t get the benefit of both. It’s not like you gain control AND speed. You lose from both sides.
But without trying them you will never know what YOU prefer. People can tell you all day here what they like, but in the end, it’s what feels right when riding yourself. You can always get 127/150, and if you find you want the shorter variant of dual, sell them here. They will sell quick and pretty close to full price if not damaged. Then you just buy the pair you prefer from udc with the free shipping code going on right now.
From my point of view, with just a bit more experience than the OP and doing similar riding, 137s give the benefit of “just right” without the disadvantages of “too long” or “too short.” Down the road with more experience and braking skill, 110s would be excellent for long rides, with 137s as a fall-back for big hills or more control on bad days.
I’ve got 150s on two unicycles and they’re fine on trails but I hate them both on the road. Too much monkey motion, and I’ve got fairly long legs. More wobble, less control…
But looking through old topics at rider preferences for 36ers (easier to find, more discussions about) you’ll find an advocate for every length from 100 mm to 165 mm. So yeah, personal preferences…
Very good point. Good ISIS cranks always seem to move pretty quickly so it’s not quite an irreversible commitment.
150 seem painfully long on a 29er for me. Even when I was very new to riding I quickly moved to 125’s for road. Some of the hills around here are pretty steep, and I don’t think I could have controlled my uni with those cranks without a brake. So, if you are going to have a brake shorter cranks can be an option. I found that for regular all around riding, or XC MUni 140’s were the most comfortable.
I guess I’m the odd man out on this one, but I do think the 140’s offer better spinning, with very little loss of torque for climbing. For me they ended up being the perfect length on 36, and the perfect longer crank on 29. That said I have dual hole 120/140s that are just about perfect for everything.
Unnecessarily dogmatic - several people have already posted that they prefer 150’s on their 29-ers. I’ve been riding close to 20 years and still prefer 150’s.
Not saying that some don’t favour 125’s or even shorter, but, to tell a beginner that they will dump 150’s when their skill improves, is just not true- they may, they may not.
As many others have already said, dual hole 150/125s are a good way of deciding which length is suitable- I had some and enjoyed the ability to dismount and easily switch lengths, they helped me conclude that, for me and the terrain I ride, the 150 setting was best (though I currently use quax cranks, which are either 145 or 140mm?)
No, I’m with you. I think of the default 125 mm cranks as being the compromise, in between 137/140 for hills or better control and something shorter for serious spinning on fairly flat routes. Still being a pretty new rider and with nowhere to get in any hurry, I’ve been sticking with the longer of those lengths.
Who makes those? I don’t remember seeing them and can’t find such on the UDC or UDC/UK sites.
For me, a 29" for flat road riding would have 102mm or shorter. But you are not me. If the two hubs are of the same type, I recommend starting off by going the cheap route. Take the 125s off the 29" (but give them a try first) and swap them with the 150s on your other uni. Both will be great. You might need to get crank puller too, and learn how to use it, which is worth doing.
Down the road with more experience and braking skill, 110s would be excellent for long rides, with 137s as a fall-back for big hills or more control on bad days.