What choice do we have when building a 28" uni for muni?
I know there is a Mavic rim available but isnt it a road rim and there is a Sun Rhino but is it any good for muni?
Is there an off road tyre available that is about 2.3" or even 2.4"?
What do others use on their 28" designed for muni?
Any suggestions, to build a light but stronger than normal 28" uni would be gratefully received.
Regards
Simon
I think Bontrager make 29er specific rims if you really want one. Tandem/touring bike rims should be strong enough though, as the stresses tandem wheels go through are really big (you can’t hop them over potholes/bumps easily and they have twice as much weight on them). If you want super strong, build 48 spokes + tandem rim. You want the widest rim you can get, to stop tyres rolling over if you land sideways.
I’m not sure about 2.3" tyres (except the big apple, which is fun for summer muni, but rubbish in the wet, so not a lake district tyre). The 2.1" tyres feel quite fat though, it’s not a gazz style ride, but presumably on a 29er, you’re not looking for a ride that similar to a gazz 26x2.6".
Joe
Thanks Joe,
Well I was thinking of building something for a bit of speed over rough but … (cough - whisper) XC type rides and maybe a bit of super fast downhill. Thiking of building a few for the Club.
X48 Spokes sounds essential particularly as the large wheel must be inherantly week compared to 24/26 rims of the same width/section.
I have not heard of Bontrager before - do they have a UK supplier etc. or website - before I search for it?
Regards
Simon
the gallery is down,try link later
anyway ive done this before. a 29" muni is fun but not as “super fast” as you may think if jagged rocks are around. since no fat tyres are availible you have to max out the air pressure to about 65 psi to keep from pinching the tube. also the sidewall on WTB tyres are paper thin.
By using a 29er-specific inner tube the incidence of pinch flats can be greatly reduced and lower, more muni friendly tyre pressures can be run.
I use a Mavic T-224 rim on my 29er with a WTB Nanoraptor tyre (2.1" wide, I think). The Schwalbe Big Apple is a bigger 29" tyre (2.35" wide), but I’m not sure how well it performs offroad.
Kenda and IRC make 29" tyres too.
well not to boast but, i was using a 29er tube. if i muni on a 29 like i do on a 24x3 the pressure must be about 60psi or its explosion time.
Golly! Are you blowing out sidewalls or merely pinchflatting?
Maybe you could try altering your riding style. 29ers are great XC singletrack unis, but aren’t so suited to big drops and really technical terrain which you might ride on a 24" muni.
Man, Jagur. If you are blowing out tubes then you must suck. You should quit now before you kill someone with rubber shrapnel. I have never blown a tube or even bottomed out a tire ran at low pressure. I can’t see how anyone could. You must be the worst unicyclist ever. Your mother must hate herself.
how do you not bottom out when running low pressure? i bottom out semi-often on my 24 inch muni. that’s a signal to add a couple psi. big landings, or compressing the tire for a big hop will usually do it.
The secret is running it at low pressure with a thin tube. Also, it helps to have really tight spokes. Really tight. Also, you shouldn’t use a rim strip, as the friction will cause you to bottom out.
Try it!
Thanks very much for your suggestions so far
Cheers
Simon
Jagur,
It sounds like you need to go tubeless !
Back OT, I use the Alex Adventurer rim which I think is a touring bike rim. It came with my 29’er YUni. No problems, it works well, although one day I’ll probably rebuild it- not too fond of the UDC wheelbuild.
I’ve tried the WTB Nanoraptor and currently using the WTB Motoraptor. The Nano is a great all round tyre- good for the road and surprisingly good for off-road also. It should hold up on most terrain except for really muddy/slippery stuff.
The Motoraptor- is much better than the Nanoraptor off-road- sticks like velcro to almost anything. I wouldn’t use it on road though- much knobblier and will therefore wear faster than the Nano. And if 29’er tyres cost as much over where you live as where we are…I’d say keep it for off-road only. As for the 29’er tubes- they’re quite expensive also (over here it’s NZ$25!). I’m not aware of anyone blowing out a regular touring 700c tube when used in a 29’er. Alternatively you could go tubeless- not sure if there are any UST 29’er rims, but you could try the Stans solution above.
Ken
naw, i just went 29er less instead 
Peter pinchflatted twice (or maybe it was three times) on our epic ride of the 42nd Traverse on his 29er with 700C/28" inner tube. A 29" inner solved this problem.
When I looked into this a while back going for 48 spokes severely limited the choice of rims available (down to 1 IIRC)
They keep quiet about it, but the mavic touring rims come in 48 spoke versions for tandems, as did something else. I remember I had a few to choose between.
Although having said that, if you’re intending to ride big enough drops to damage a 36 spoke 29" wheel, you might be better off looking at 26" wheels and 125 cranks. The difference between 26 and 29 for offroad riding isn’t that much and you have far more choice of rims and tyres. You could even just put short cranks on your 24 (it’s a qu-ax hub isn’t it) and put more pressure in the tyre than normal, Gary from Nottingham rides with 125 cranks + brake on his muni and it looks like a pretty fun setup for riding fast.
Joe
Thanks Joe - I am waiting for some 145mm cranks for the Qu-ax from Roger (which are still out of Stock!!! 
)
I dont want to lose too much control on technical ground (I have little enough as it is!) so I thought 150mm on the 29er might give me that as well as the speed on easier ground.
When it comes to the wheel strength dont forget I am a little on the heavy side and I may punish the wheel with drops of any kind.
Regards
Simon