Biggest adjustment between 20" and 24"?

Unicycles and Equipment
1

Just made the move to a 24" Nimbus MUni (thanks to anyone who commented on my earlier thread) and am surprised at the new learning curve.

I’m having the most difficulty re-learning how to do quick turns (understandable with the bigger wheel) and was wondering what other folks found to be big adjustments and how long it took you to get comfortable on the 24"?

Also - side note, anyone else not like the gripy metal bits on the stock Nimbus pedals? They make foot adjustment nearly impossible I find.

2

Can’t speak to the change from 20" to 24", but I can comment on the Nimbus stock pinned pedals. I recently had an accident on my new 26" Oracle and I think the pinned pedals were a contributing factor. I got stuck on the pins when coming off the uni, and broke my foot. When I’m able to return to unicycling, I am going to change out my pedals to my Odyssey pedals. The pins are removable and I’ve discovered that I can play around with pin placement, giving me the grip that I like as well as the ability to adjust on the move. I wish I had switched out my pedals, but I was giving the stock pedals a chance.

Have fun on the 24. You will adjust sooner than you think.

3

It took me about a week to get used to the 24 (1-week = 5x 30-minute sessions)
What I found was, the new technique I learnt to ride the 24 correctly, can be used on the 20" as well.

Higher tyre pressures will help to quicken up the turns as temporary measure until you are comfortable, at the expense of grip and spin-out while pedalling in a straight line.

4

Switching to a 29" was a big jump for me. I learned on a 24". The main thing I realized though, was that I was putting too much weight on my pedals, more than I should. Now I can readjust my feet very easily (on flat ground), whichever pedals I have.
So yes grippy pedals do make a difference, but if you riding on pavement/tarmac, they should block you from readjusting. You might have too much weight on them.

5

I was in a similar situation a few months ago.
Until february, the only unicyles I rode were 20’’ and then I bought a 24’’ Nimbus muni (and I love it!). I didnt noticed big differences between the two sizes, but that was probably because before getting the 24'' I didnt rode any unicyle at all for some years. Now I`m riding both unicyles and whenever I change the size without some break between the rides, I have to adjust for some seconds before riding steady. I notice the biggest difference between the wheels when I idle.

If you give it some time, you’ll learn how to adjust your foot on the Nimbus pedals. You can`t just slide your food in the desired direction, but to lift it a little bit of the pedal.
The pins prevented me of loosing the pedals and UPD many times and I’m not thinking of replacing them (but I have to admit that I now have some marks of the pins on my shins).

6

I learned on a nimbus 2 24" muni but changed the stock 3" Duro to a 2.5" maxxis hookworm. Then later I bought a 19" impact athmos and found it difficult, it reacted quicker to every input, every bump in imperfection in the surface I was riding on, but with time it gets better. Then I got a 36" and the process started again, and then I added a a 29" to my ‘stable’. Even now it takes maybe a mile or so to get used to moving from one size to another, or the same uni with different cranks, or even if I don’t have my regular riding shoes on (usually my globe tilts, but occasionally 5.10 impacts). Enjoy the challenge, all those little differences add up to make you a better all-round rider!

7

Same. One one pair I got my foot stuck, fell off and broke my foot.

8

I came with my own.

Marco of Mad4One told -behind my back- to other unicyclists that plastic is weak…
Think about the kind of plastic of a coke bottle, but now a thick solid piece…

So after 4 years of more than daily use the grip is worn out.
So I decided to make a new model, with a better shape.
(no new pics yet).

9

I got my first 24" muni a few months ago, probably the same one you got. I had only ridden a 20" prior to that, but I took to it quickly. I was able to free mount on my first attempt, but I was intimidated by the height and the pedals. I had issues adjusting my feel, but between using different shoes and just learning to adapt to it, I couldn’t go back now. I love those pedals with the pins in them as they keep my feet on the pedals and in control when I need it most.

Aside from the height and the pedals, the other thing I noticed was that it was harder to climb inclines. The crank length on my 20" relative to my wheel size was longer than my 24" with the 3" tires (which means it has an approx. 30" circumference). It was harder to pedal and go uphill and took a couple of weeks to really adapt to it going up inclines.

It’s been a few months, and I feel fully adapted to it, and riding my 20" feels strange, like a toy. I still ride the 20" sometimes when I go with my wife to walk the dog. It’s too hard to ride the 24" slow enough for her causal pace, and the 20" is just about perfect. I also find the 20" really fun now because it’s so light and small by comparison. I can slap it around with more confidence, and since I’m so low to the ground, I just step off if I get in trouble.

I also found some shoes that remind me of cycling shoes. They are fairly flat on the bottom without much cushion or tread to get stuck in the pins, and that helped a lot.

If the pins bother you, take them out for now. Get used to the 24" muni and put the pins back in (if you want) when you’re more confident on it. You could also consider leg armor, as others may have suggested. You might try to get used to the pins on “tame” trails or concrete and then transition gradually to more aggressive terrain.

One note on riding on concrete, though. As you’ve found, the tires are very sticky. You leave a lot of black tread on the concrete, which of course is wearing down those nice knobby bits on the tires very quickly. This will help to make them less sticky, but you may want to preserve that for the trails. If you’re having trouble getting used to the 24" with it’s big, knobby, sticky tire and metal pins in the pedals, try to find a cheap 24" road tire and cheap, smooth pedals to train on (or just remove the pins from your current ones). Plus, you can keep them for times you’re not riding off road. When you’ve mastered those, you could switch back to the knobby tire, and then back to the pedals when you’re ready.

I wish I had purchased a road tire when I got my muni. Because of excessive rain in the past couple of months, I’ve had to ride a lot on concrete, and it’s really worn down my nice knobby tire. I’ve decided to just keep wearing it down and use it as my road tire (or maybe hybrid tire), and get a fresh one for serious off road riding.

There is a learning curve, and some of the techniques you may need are similar to learning to ride with one foot. Basically, you adjust the foot on the higher pedal when the weight is on the other pedal on the down stroke. It took me a while to do it, and sometimes I still feel like I struggle a little bit, but I love the pins too much to get rid of them, and so far, I haven’t had any issues with UPD’s. I also found that after freemounting it over and over, my feet usually land in the right place from the start (well, really it’s just one foot I have to “land” as the other foot is already in the right place), so I don’t usually have to adjust my feet very often.

All in all, just do what makes you comfortable and safe, and move up incrementally to where you need to be. Take all the time you need, and celebrate the breakthroughs. If you keep trying, they will come. Don’t try to compare yourself to others as far as how long it takes to do x, y, or z. I’m a big believer in making the process organic. Things come when they come. Listen to your natural instincts. For me, when I’m ready (and able) to move on to something new, it just happens. I feel a natural confidence and desire to try something, and it just seems to work.

Good luck, and keep it up!

10

Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that! You were doin’ so good, too! I haven’t been on the board in a while or riding much due to the excessive rain. In just two days we had the average rainfall we normally do for the entire month, and of course everything is a swamp around here. Even the concrete is wet and mossy, yuck!

I hope your recovery is fast and that you’re not in too much pain. Based on what you’ve posted, I’m sure you’ll be back at it in no time. I found that taking a break for a little while really helped my riding. I did lose a little strength and endurance, but I gained A LOT in technique and ability. It’s funny how that happens. Hope you’re OK and that you heal quickly!

11

Sorry to hear that. I always loved the stock nimbus pedals. I think they offer a lot of grip when needed, but I can still move my foot around by picking it only very slightly off the pedal.

What kind of shoes were you wearing? I’ve found that different shoes have a huge effect on the grip. Not only the shape of the shoe, but the rubber compound.

When taking falls, I usually kick my feet out sideways from the wheel just enough to clear the pedals for fear of pedal strike. It works for me.

I also use odyssey PC pedals, and they are slightly less grippy, but I love them for the road.

I’m kinda a plastic pedal person.

Best of luck on the recovery. You may also want to look into a shoe with a little more support. I hear 5-10 makes some amazing shoes, but haven’t grabbed a pair yet. They are catered to flat pedals and give you some great, consistent grip and support.

12

I did the same, buy a 24" after the 20". I thought the hardest thing was learning to free-mount, which was very very frustrating. The pins on the pedals I actually like, because it forces you sometimes to regain your balance once you’re about to fall and it might actually surprise you that you can regain your balance easier than you think.

Turning on any unicycle size I still find a pain. Sometimes it happens naturally, but mostly I start thinking about it and then I often UPD.
The actual riding is a lot more comfy, because of the bigger wheel and fewer rotations you have to make.