24" with 170mm cranks? no no no … I would not do that.
Take a 27.5 with 150/127 double hole cranks.
If you don’t want to go faster than 11mph, you won’t need a Schlumpf hub.
If you also want to ride roads, I wouldn’t go any smaller than 27.5". 24" on road feels pretty slow, especially with 170mm canks.
Hi Hendrik
We are a pretty diverse group and difrent setups work for different people. A geared 24 with 170mm cranks might work for you but it is not a setup that I would consider.
Without knowing anything about your riding style, experience, or existing unicycle(s), I would suggest a 26 or 27.5 with 150mm cranks as a good starting point. If you like long cranks some 165/137 dual hole cranks would be a nice option.
One thing to note is that shorter cranks are more comfortable to spin at higher cadences than longer ones. 100 RPM might be a bit high on a bike, but is commonplace on a unicycle with comparatively short cranks.
I would hold off on buying the Schlumpf until you are a fairly accomplished rider as there is a learning curve associated with riding geared, as well as the small amount of free-play in the system.
As has been said, the best size for muni depends on the rider as well as the terrain…
Not sure how much riding experience you have, but I’m totally loving my KH 29+ for Muni with either 150mm or 127mm cranks. I thought I was going to use it for more light XC muni but I’ve actually been having a blast doing downhill on it too and have hardly touched my 26" in months (and the 24" is not even put together the last year). If you’re just getting into muni I’d recommend starting with a 26" with 150mm cranks (although 24" or 27.5 should work too).
Yeah… I used to run my 24 Muni with 165mm cranks with a huge Q-Factor. I could go up any gradient and had loads of torque for going down steep hills, although the huge amounts of torque meant that instead of sweeping down a steep descent in a swift manoeuvre, I would often lock up when the cranks were at the 9 and 3 o clock positions - which wasn’t great. On top of this, my pedals collided with the ground regularly, and they caused my thighs to rub against the seat much more than they would have had I had shorter cranks.
I couldn’t go very quickly, either…
I’m now running the same unicycle with 150mm cranks. I’ve not struggled to get up any gradients, nor down any (but then again, I’m maybe growing). I would be tempted by 138’s, were I not a cheapskate.