Other folks know a lot more than I do about this but it seems like there’s always a way to install a brake, although it might not be the kind of brake you really want. Nice brakes can cost more than the frame they go on and switching frames is one of the easier upgrades to do, so don’t rule that out.
I’ve been riding on pavement with a 37 mm 700c tire at 65 psi with 140 mm cranks, without a brake. So far it’s been great, including going up and down lots of rolling hills. That’s as a middle-aged intermediate-beginner rider without much for comparison. I’m a lot bigger and heavier than you are and I’m thinking about trying a narrower tire and/or shorter cranks. I’ve got no interest at all in a wider tire or longer cranks.
Also, in case it helps, that wheel in a Nimbus 26" muni frame leaves over 6" of seatpost exposed. My UDC-style inseam (ground to sit bones) is about 35", pants inseam of 33". You could ride it with no trouble.
Generally it seems hard to lose with a basic 29er, considering that it’s about half the price of an equivalent 36", and you’d never run out of cheap fun tires to try on it. You could think about what you really wanted long-term while you’re riding it, and that experience would tell you a lot more than any of us can. Then sell it, trade it, loan it to a friend, or keep it as a spare. From the top of the bottom pedal to top of the tire is only about 20" so there should be room for a crown and a saddle given your inseam with any of them, or anything not too weird I guess.
The big apple is a really popular tire for a 29" road uni. If you are after something more nimble though, you are going to have a tough time with the Dominator rim at 42mm.
You might have some trouble with custom ordering something lighter, since the dominator is the narrowest rim available on UDC
Wow, that’s quite wide. Why is it that unicycle rims and tires and much wider than those of a bike?
On an unrelated note, would it be worth it to get handlebars for the unicycle? Are they the kind of thing that I can easily install or remove to a unicycle? If so, I’d probably just buy the unicycle now and add the handlebars later.
I’d think the tires and rims are wider because they, unlike bicycle tires bear the weight only on one whee,l frame and your weight. And if they were as thin as bicycle tires I don’t think they’d be able to hold up anyone for long let alone roll on anything but a perfectly smooth road.
Handle bars are totally up to you and from other riders here and my friend they are easy to take on and off. I think its best to get handlebars if you think you need them and since before you were worried about seat height I was told you need at least an inch an a quarter of seat post to attatch the handle bars to. Or if you really want a handlebar later you could always add a T-bar if you don’t have the room.
i think comfort and rideability is affected by tire width.
Wider tire allows lower pressure and also absorbs bumps better, and with wider tire, wider rims will prevent the tire to fold over as much.
Tire weight should not affect level-ground riding so much, but obviously if you are climbing like crazy, go for a thinner rim+tire.
You really need a wider tire to support the weight. There have been some very good studies done on bicycles that have lead to the common use of wider tires for heavier riders. If you take that weight and put it entirely on one wheel the pressure would have to increase to a point that most tires would be unsafe to ride even for an average weight rider. By adding volume it allows lower pressure for the same level of support. Heavier riders still need more pressure than lighter riders, but it stays within a reasonable range.
It’s a bit weird at first, but you get used to the idea of a 45c tire being skinny.
If you go for the Big Apple stay withe the 2" version, and not the 2.35. The larger one has problems with tracking straight on camber.
Cranks lengths above 150mm tend to a worse for riding hills rather than better on unicycles. 2 reasons… you struggle to keep the cadence up and you end up pushing yourself out of the seat as you go up the hill… you cause you to loose your balance.
I ride almost any standard road incline (I am meaning up to about 20%) with the 110 cranks on my 36", with my Muni set up with it’s 150’s I ride a local hill which is 30%. 150 on a 29" is very long.
I’m planning on getting the Nimbus 29 road unicycle but the only thing that I haven’t decided are the lengths of the cranks. Are crank lengths determined only by gradients or are they also determined by height? I like the idea of getting the KH Spirit ISIS cranks for their versatility. How are these cranks? I was originally planning on getting 127/150 which I’m still considering. Based on what you said, I’m now leaning towards custom ordering 110/137. Would 137 also be overkill? If not, I’d want 110/125. Remember, I might occasionally ride roads with grades in excess of 20%, but my hope is that a crank with two holes would give me the best of both worlds.
I have 120/140 dual hole cranks on my 29 road uni. I hardly ever go to the 140 position, but for light XC it’s a nice option. I think the 110/137 sounds like a great crank. If I could get them for my 29er I might go that way, but my setup is square taper so that limits things a bit.
Even on my Coker I felt like 150 was too long. I ended up with 140’s as a good compromise between climbing leverage, and spinning.
