I’ll probably break the trip into three parts, 40, 80, and 80 miles. I think that’s more reasonable.
I was a 48 year old newbie nobody when I set out on my first STP. Five months prior I started training on a Sun 28. My longest unicycle ride was 8 miles split into two segments. I had level one skills.
10 days prior to day one I switched to a 36.
At the end of day one I had 100 miles under my wheel and belonged in a hospital. I did not go to ER. I did not ride on day two.
Yes, I did many wrong things. But with four more STP finishes I like to think I’m a little realistic. I’ve watched as a friend learned to ride and completed harder things than the STP in his first year.
I am amazed continually what the human body is capable of. I’ve done many things far harder than the STP.
Enjoy the challenge but don’t be stupid. Some times the hardest choices are deciding when to shut down the “fun”. I’ve made that choice three times on distance unicycle rides.
JM
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TP.
Enjoy the challenge but don’t be stupid. Some times the hardest choices are deciding when to shut down the “fun”. I’ve made that choice three times on distance unicycle rides.
JM
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Yep. When you’re enjoying the ride it’s very easy to overdo it.
With regard to crank length, I think there’s a dynamic where people with short legs are more comfortable using very short cranks.
It’s a bit of a generalisation but worth considering.
JOW , Are you tall or short ?
A couple months into riding unicycle, I became obsessed with the idea of riding long distances. I even bought a small cycle computer to log the miles ridden (ended up being a nuisance and took it off). Later on, I discovered there were other ways of improving my unicycling which didn’t involve riding super-long distances (20" and mUni).
Search the forums: 75mm cranks are considered fringe even on a 20" unicycle. Mounting with 75mm cranks on a 29" will be a challenge, as well as stopping. Do you know how to use a brake?
Touring handles are good for long rides. But it takes time to learn how to use them. Handles will help you take some weight off the seat, and they’ll help you adjust your position on the seat to avoid/lessen saddle sores.
Your proposed ride seems unrealistic to me. I imagine two outcomes to all this: 1. You realize how currently impossible this is, become frustrated, then lose interest in unicycling. 2. You start to realize that there are many skills that must be developed, involving time, practice, setup, trial-and-error, searching-the-forum, etc. … which will scaffold you upwards toward your (masochistic) dream, you learn these skills, then continue becoming a better unicyclist.
I am hoping for outcome #2! Good luck. Keep riding.
If time allows, why not do a 4 or 5 day? That means camping out and bringing gear for 3 or 4 nights. More realistic and still a huge accomplishment , without your body wanting to murder you at the end:D
What’s the furthest distance you have a done in a single day so far?
While for single-day events people sometimes train only a bit over half the event distance, it doesn’t seem like you should expect to do greater distances on consecutive days than you have done in training rides.
And the mornings after those isolated training rides will be a reality check on doing such on multiple consecutive days.
I actually laid in bed last night thinking about this.
While not wanting to sound negative at all, please have your wife or other devoted friend follow along with a motor vehicle capable of transporting you back in the event that things don’t go as planned. I’ve been riding for about 3 years now, and 30 miles takes a big toll. I could probably do 50 if I had to. However, you may be an olympic-level athlete, and this may be a walk in the park. But you also may be surprised at the difficulty. (You know there are hills involved, right?)
(BTW, I think bungeejoe has one or two write-ups on this ride, it would be instructive to read through his blog. This man is huge among road unicyclers [one of the few who rides clipped in!], one would do well to profit from his experience.)
Good luck! And post pictures!
How soon planning on doing this ride?
Thanks for your concern! I’m rethinking my decision to ride. Given that I’m a fairly new unicyclist, it seems best if I don’t rush things. I still want to ride with the stp goers next year. In the meanwhile I’ll continue to train for the long distance ride by slowly building up distance.
I guess I was too ambitious. 
A wise decision. It will give you time to develop your set up and your riding technique. 
Always good advice! Work up to it! Do 10, then 20, then 30, etc. You will learn a lot about yourself, how you react to the various obstacles, and what happens after many hours in the saddle. I’m sure you will eventually achieve your goal!
Cheers!
Jeez, 120 miles. I just posted on the brag-thread that I rode 10kms today with a muni KH26 on asphalt and we both started uni-ing in July. I don’t even want to ride my mountainbike for 120 miles. Good luck with your trip.
After 15 months of riding, mostly on a 20, I took a 30-mile ride on a 29. It was OK, and I was only slightly sore the next day, but I definitely would not have wanted to ride another 30 miles for a while, let alone 90! Hopping up the stairs is more fun, though I’m not against going for the occasional 20- or 30-mile trip. If I had a 36, I might feel differently, though…
On distance, the 29er is not as fun or as efficient as my 36er. The only thing that is giving up on me the soonest is my crotch. Apparently I havent found my goldielocks saddle yet. Maybe I really do have to modify my KH Freeride, just a little afraid of messing it up though.
Unicycle crotch goes away very quickly if you give it a rest by riding SIF or dismounting for a moment, though that might change on a 120-mile ride. You would definitely want to rehearse a substantial chunk of that ride beforehand to see about chafing problems and so on. I don’t think much technique would be needed, just dedication, so I think the OP should still consider trying this ride, especially if the time frame is flexible.
Interesting how I can go the whole day on the 26er muni and chafing is not much of an issue. It still shows the next day and yet bearable. With the 36er distance riding I guess its the same constant motion that makes the chafing really bad. I can take that same 36er up and down trails and I’d still be ok. SIF sounds like a temporary relief , however it takes a lot of energy to ride SIF, and to ride for distance its much about conserving energy.
Yeah, SIF riding is good to do every couple of miles on a 7 or 8 mile ride. For longer distances, a good old fashioned dismount is necessary now and then.