I started with 150’s and they were really easy to freemount, and control. I have been learning how to use the 125’s for the last week or so, and it’s quite a change. They don’t have nearly the leverage, and I don’t have nearly as much control over the wheel. That said I can already tell my average speed is faster. It is much easier to spin the shorter cranks.
For moderate hills it is a little more work, but not really that much with the 125’s. The bigger problem is the descents. I don’t think I could do some of the hills around here if I didn’t have a brake on my Coker with the 125’s.
So in my case 150’s were a good start. I don’t think I would go longer, and I don’t think I would have picked it up very quickly with shorter cranks.
I recently switched to 125’s from 150’s, had em on for about two days and became really frustrated and put the 150’s back on. I live in a pretty hilly area. I couldn’t handle the loss of control from the shorter cranks or the loss of power going up and down the hills. I guess I’ll put a couple more hundred miles on it then try again. I would like to go a bit faster, but I really like the control of having 150’s. I can do all the hills that I can do on my 24 or 26 so I’m pretty happy with the 150s. I was really surprised by the difference in control. I can’t imagine anything smaller than that.
That depends on how steep the hills are. I had 150’s on my 36-er and switched to 125’s, at first it was VERY hard but now I have no problem on moderate hills. I have 125/150 ISIS cranks on right now and I haven’t felt the need to switch to the 150mm holes yet.
I plan on doing some up-and-overs on Mt. Tabor for some strength training so I think I will switch to the 150mm holes then.
It’ll take a bit of getting used to but you should be OK.
It depends how hard your pushing:p I went up a 20% hill on my Coker with 114mm cranks… the hill is just around 0.4 km but it’s still a pretty steep hill. I love riding with short cranks, espetialy when going up hill:)
I switched from 150s to 125 for my 36er a few months back. There are times when it feels like I’m learning to ride again. Steep ascents and descents that were fine with the 150s are now challenging with the 125s - I’ve come off quite a few times and I’ve considered switching back on more than one occasion - but my control and strength is slowly improving. The faster coasting speed makes up for it.
20% grade on a 36" with 114 cranks? I’m jealous. I can’t climb anything steeper than about 8-9% grade on my 36" with 150 cranks. I can climb 20% on my 24, 26, even 29" with 150 cranks, but even that is really hard.
Haha! My friends call me “The machine” when I’m on a uni or on a b*ke. Last year at school we had a Triathlon and they said I looked like a machine at the end! I started last in my group and finished first in it! Unfortunatly the guy who was swimming was too slow to win:(
More realistically, you’ll feel the extra work cranking the 150s on level ground. Or downhill. If you don’t have a lot of hills to deal with, try 125s but give them some time. If you’re not used to it, they will feel pretty sketchy at first. Now (for me) they feel long for basically any form of pavement riding. And I have 140s on for MUni.
Compared to smaller, lighter unicycles yes. Uphill is definitely not the strong point for a unicycle with such a big, heavy wheel. But it pays off the rest of the time.
You’ll love it. I started with 150’s, lots of hills around here and in South Carolina, but now I use the 125’s a lot too. I’m still working on customizing my 36er here and there, and I haven’t ridden my giraffe since I got it. I went on a 20 mile ride the other day with Forte clipless pedals and Shimano mtb shoes, and it was awesome. (I need to post a review of the shoes and pedals when I have some more time). Post a pic when you get it together!
I’ve gone without wearing a helmet on a 36er, and with the Muni on the street rolling around because the speeds are not so fast and I usually land on my feet. But there are as many nasty things on the road as much as off road, and you can get goin on a 36er… Clipless pedals dude, just in case, I would never ride uni with clipless without a helmet. Seriously. I’m not saying you don’t, but if this isn’t a time for a worthy mention, I just don’t know what is.
125mm cranks are awesome. After riding 150s for four years or so, I switched them a month into my tour last year (after the mountains). I was able to break my distance record my first day on them, riding 125km.
I found the feeling to be a lot like the switch from my old 24" to the 36". Very surprising, but there is just that feeling, the potential for longer rides and greater speeds.
This spring I switched to 110mm cranks. The feeling of the switch was similar, but smaller. At first I didn’t like them. They’re harder on hills, but my main issue was with stopping, since I didn’t have a brake. I switched back and forth a few times, and landed on the 110s. I wouldn’t switch back on a 36 unless some really mean hills were coming ahead. In fact, I was looking to drill some more holes in my profiles at 90mm or so, since I became so comfortable on the 110s.
125s are awesome but if you liked them after 150s, don’t stop there!
Yep, I always wear a helmet on the 36er, even with standard pedals (which I use most of the time), and I always wear my Hillbilly wrist guards too. The wrist guards have saved my wrists and skin a couple of times (I wasn’t using the clipless at the time). I have the release mechanism on the pedals set on the lightest setting, so releasing is really easy, just a light flick of the ankle.
I might add though that I am not promoting clipless for anyone, it’s just something I couldn’t resist experimenting with. As someone mentioned in one of the clipless threads, I do keep in mind that I am clipped in (when I am), and don’t zone out in the same way I might if I wasn’t clipped in.
do you ride with a brake? I’m assuming not because you mentioned it was harder to stop with the 110s. I usually ride 125s, but I gotta be honest, when I do long distances, I almost feel like I want the 150s just because of the downhill. Feels like hell on the knees. I think if I had a brake, 125s would be much much sweeter, and they’re already my top choice. I can’t see switching down a size, I like SoMe control : P
I don’t think I’d like my 36-er with 125’s if I didn’t have brakes. I am thinking about going shorter for longer distances but there is no way I would do it without brakes… I know it’s possible but after having ridden >5 mile rides regularly with brakes… not using them seems like my body takes a hit…
I agree completely with this. I have a V brake connected to a shift lever on my Nightrider. The shift lever lets me set the drag, and I feel like I have as much control as I have with 150’s.
