Do most people who ride these two unicycles have brakes or not?
Mike Adams
Depends on the type of riding. I don’t need a brake on my 36er for road riding, since 99% of it is done on the beach bike paths, which are mostly flat. But the times when I use it off road, including my 29er, then yes, I always use a brake.
On my 36" I run a drag brake (V-break attached to a friction shifter). When I had a 29" I ran a V-brake with a standard brake lever. I don’t use my brakes on every ride but it’s nice to have them and adapting a V-brake is cheap.
On my 36" I run a drag brake (V-brake attached to a friction shifter). When I had a 29" I ran a V-brake with a standard brake lever. I don’t use my brakes on every ride but it’s nice to have them and adapting a V-brake is cheap.
The age old answer to this question (if you’d done a search) is this: If you have to ask you probably don’t need them.
This
I only put brakes on my 29" last week, had them on the MUni since last year, Had the 29" 2 years and ive only put brakes on now as im getting more and more addicted to 29"ering over everything and anywhere.
If you’re asking us, you probably don’t need them.
I run 150 mm cranks on the 29er, and 125 on the 36er… short cranks and big hills around here means brakes on both. I prefer disc brakes to any rim brake option.
I bought one a year ago for my 29er but still haven’t installed it. Don’t know if I will.
I didn’t run brakes and did absolutely dandy without them for a year… until I got into an uncontrollable descent and tore my acl 
Always brakes for me from now on…
That I think is what the OP was wanting to know. When should a rider start thinking about putting on brakes. So the question should probably be phrased “What sort of riding would you be graduating to that should cause you to put on brakes as a precautionary measure?”
As they say, good decisions come from experience, experience comes from bad decisions…
Have a nice weekend
I’m off for a 100km run, not much training so it should be interesting
James
The question asked was:
The answer is obviously no. In the group of all 29" and 36" unicycles, those without brakes greatly outnumber those with brakes. First, read the question. Then just look around you.
Brakes
I have brakes on everything!!
I actually use them to hold the wheel still when I am mounting 
I just removed the brake from my 29er because I put shorter cranks for road riding and they are not compatible with my brake. On the road I don’t need the brake. Offroad I don’t need it, but it feels so much better to have it and my legs are much much happier next day about it 
I have been running my kh29 without a brake. But every time I go down a hill (even 10 metres), I lack confidence and get sore legs quickly. If the slope is steep, I find myself standing out of the saddle in order apply backpedaling pressure, which often enough causes a UPD. Uphill is easy, downhill is scary! I know that after a while, the backpedal muscles will strengthen and this will be less of a problem (never rode a fixed gear before uni).
Should I get brakes now, or persevere and try to become more comfortable without them?
Maybe put a fixed gear on my two wheeled contraption (single speed with flip/flop hub) to assist with backpedal strengthening?
Both. If you can find or make some mounting adapters, there’s no reason not to get a cheap cable brake now. In time you’ll find you use it less on hills that once required it but there will still be times when it will come in handy.
Both. If you can find or make some mounting adapters, there’s no reason not to get a cheap cable brake now. In time you’ll find you use it less on hills that once required it but there will still be times when it will come in handy.
I don’t use brakes as much as I used to but I still like them for steep downhills. To me it’s cheap insurance for a safer descent (when I need them). Sounds like you would benefit from adding a brake. It makes downhill more fun and much less scary. This is strictly an opinion thing though.
Every unicycle comes standard with fixed wheel pedal braking, unless it is a freewheeling unicycle.
There is no need for additional brakes on a 29er or 36".
I agree with Harper that most people don’t use bike-style brakes on a unicycle.
If a brake is added it is a want not a need (just like a unicycle), and I think people that tell themselves their legs are happier with a brake are deliberately forgetting what doesn’t kill them will make them stronger (stronger legs are likely to be happier in the long ride).
^ Agreed. I own a 36er with 102mm cranks, and even in hilly Madison, WI I can tackle pretty much any hill in the city, uphill or down. Not when I first put those cranks on; but now I can!
Downhills were scary at first, but eventually your legs get stronger and you get more comfortable, and then you’re generally better off. I know I am. Brakes tend to get in the way of progress. As one guy said, you CAN use them for mounting more easily… but wouldn’t you be better off learning the mount the right way?