I am new to unicycling, but have been riding on two wheels for most of my life. I love mountain biking and also traveling by bike hope to take a 36er offroading and on a long road trip soon soon. I was looking into getting a touring handle like the nimbus t9, or the Kris Holm model but was wondering if the ends could be switched out.
On a regular bike I prefer Bullhorn style handlebars (see a bunch of examples here http://www.roadbikeparts.info/bullhorn-track/) and don’t know if these could be used on a uni?
Before I order a touring bar does anyone know if this is possible.
The KH T-bar uses standard bicycle handlebar ends and they can be swapped out. The Nimbus bar does not have detachable handles. Swapping out bar ends is obviously not the same as swapping in a full handlebar though. You could try to recreate the positioning of a bullhorn style handlebar but actually using one would require a custom setup.
The KH T-bar (and the newer Nimbus Shadow bar) use standard bicycle handlebar ends and they can be swapped out. The Nimbus T7 does not have detachable handles. Swapping out bar ends is obviously not the same as swapping in a full handlebar though. You could try to recreate the positioning of a bullhorn style handlebar but actually using one would require a custom setup.
you don’t want to use a bullhorn for offroad, and some wouldn’t use it for anything on a uni. It’s so wide that if you fall off wrong, you could seriously hurt your legs. At the same time, you’ve got people with the handlebar that goes behind you and wraps all the way around your side. I’ve met riders that swear they’re safe, but I personally wouldn’t ride one. I would try a uni specific handlebar first, and then switch to a custom setup if you feel you need that. Most people are happy with unicycle bars, they are after all, made for that purpose.
My personal favorite for off road is the coker pi bar. Tons of adjustability, and really really tough. The KH is a lighter bar, maybe a little less durable, and just as adjustable.
I wouldn’t worry so much about being hurt by the bar. When you fall the unicycle can tip so the bar would not stay in the way of your fall, it would fall forward or backwards with you I reckon.
There is a picture of Scott Wilton just after he won the 2010 Unicon 10km unlimited race, on his ungeared 36, just beating the geared 36" riders (Corbin and Beau) on the last few uphill meters. He seemed to cope ok with the bullhorn bar but he also rides with a bike seat, which would require you to always have at least one hand on the bar I imagine. I quite like the idea of a wider handlebar- I use a cross between the KH bar and the Nimbus one, using the KH base and the Nimbus handle. I prefer to use the bar on-road rather than offroad (I don’t take my 36 offroad much) but it doesn’t get in the way too much when riding upright and you can still hold the inner KH seat handle.
Good luck! It is definitely possible with a custom handle.
. . . wow. . . I may have to rethink this O.o that looks comfy
also, thanks for the photo : )
I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get my brooks saddle on my uni, but haven’t been brave enough yet, and I can’t figure out a good custom bar like that.
Here’s Scott in action at the U Games marathon race.
Scott Wilton proves that it’s possible to use a wide handlebar and still go hella fast. As for me, I’m not yet ready for leg-blocking handlebars. Crashes are very rare for me, but at road riding speeds, anything getting in the way can turn a minor thing into a major one. My last major road crash left me with a broken collarbone and a bunch of road rash.
With practice, it might be possible to train yourself to have the reflexes to “spread-em” in a crash and get past the handlebars without any interference. That would require a bunch of practice, which is probably a good thing, but could be hard on the bars (and the body).
With respect I’d like to disagree. I put some cheapie aerobars on my 36 for touring this past summer, and as they come out quite far (I think about the same width as Scott’s bar), getting my legs caught was my greatest fear.
My first front-UPD was a failed mount from due to a deep crack. I hopped off the front, forgetting about the bars. Didn’t remember them until after I landed on my feet, looked back and saw the formerly pristine foam all torn up. They weren’t in the way at all.
I had perhaps four more UPDs where I came off the front and dropped the uni over the following month on that tour, including one at full cruising speed (foot slipped on pedal). The bar never gave me any trouble, I landed on my feet every time. I never had time to think about it during the dismounts, and I certainly didn’t practice at all.
Since then they’ve gotten in the way a few times during failed mounts, but never causing me to fall.
The single exception was during my 195km ride from Ottawa to Kingston for school. I was moving, so I had a backpack weighing about 50lbs, and it was quite cold out so I was stiff. Just over half-way, after a break, I mounted, started going, but misjudged, couldn’t accelerate hard enough, and just fell forward. One leg got caught behind and forced the bars into the other. Got some bruises and a scrape. Although, even there I didn’t actually fall over come to think of it.
I think that at the point where you’re jumping off the front, the bars are so low anyway that you really only have to get your calfs/ankles around them, and I think a typical 36er bail actually provides already this in most cases. In any case if you want to have nightmares, then for accuracy imagine getting caught at your lower leg, not your knees/thighs. I would call that very unlikely.
