Do I just have big calves?

Now I am not a tall broad chap but I have always had big strong legs from a lifetime of cycling and some weight training so my quads and calves are pretty big but nothing crazy. Ever since I started riding a Uni I have been aware of rubbing of my legs on the Uni which has been no biggy.

Since the weather has gone rather nasty and I am riding though some very sticky mud with my new KH leg armour I have been effectively rubbing a grinding paste into my MUni, so I now have hardly any paint on my HS33s and my Uni legs will be through to the metal in a few rides over most of the outside of each leg (I have been riding for less than 2 months) :stuck_out_tongue:

Now I am not prissy about things being used for what they are intended but I don’t recall seeing any other peoples Uni’s with big wear patches so I can only deduce I have mega calves and the rest of you have skinny girly legs :stuck_out_tongue:

Now my solution will be to go “au naturel” and strip the frame and get me a nice Nimbus disc hub to avoid the leg to brake rub (the only reason honestly ;))

So prove me wrong that you don’t all have girly legs by showing me your worn out paint on your Uni legs :smiley:

Sorry for the pants phone pics they don’t show up the worn legs very much

It’s common. It has less to do with leg size and more to do with how spread out your knees are when you ride. I don’t have a picture handy, but my brakes have a pretty distinctive wear pattern along the edges.

Maybe just get some skinny shin pads like the 661 or veggie wrap?

Ah damn so I have hips of am 8 year old boy :frowning: I didn’t think of that :stuck_out_tongue:

I do that too, there is no problem with it, unless it upsets your riding or you do not like the paint being scratched… :slight_smile:

My blue KH frames have the same patterns. Basically it’s a function of how often you wear leg aromr with them; normally legs on their own don’t wear down the powdercoat, but the rubbing of leg armor does.

Plus, you’re actually riding your uni; there are lots of KH blue frames which have remained pristine because they rarely leave the garage.

She certainly isn’t a garage queen :stuck_out_tongue:

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Solution to your problem (at least temporary): put some heli-tape on your uni. I haven’t noticed a problem with wearing the paint on mine, but I do sometimes clip the rather large crown on my Nimbus 26, and am busy wearing off the ano on my cranks - something I’ve never had a problem with on a bike.

I have that problem even when I don’t wear pads. I come back after every ride with black marks that look like bruises and often grazes on the inside of my calves.

another possible solution
maybe you need another unicycle
with the brakes in a slightly different position,

maybe a KH29?

brake will be a bit closer to knee level, and will give your calves a rest.

then when your knees are sore, switch back to the 24

:wink: that’s that I think when somebody shoes pic of clean muni with pedal and tire fresh like out of the box…

Here’s my wear patch. I must be lopsided because the other side is only half as bad :slight_smile:

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Mine’s definitely worn more on the right than the left. Seat height and inseam are big factors in rubbing. My pads saved my knee yesterday so I’m happy to have them whatever side effects there are.

My unicycle’s wear patch is identical to this. The first 18 months I used 661 pads and didn’t see a mark. Within a couple of weeks of using the KH pads the wearing started. It’s worth it though. Kh pads are easier to put on and take off. I’m lazy and prefer them.

I will have to play catch up with some of those! and shall be wearing my wear patches with pride :stuck_out_tongue:

Nice to see some worn MUnis, it is a bit like in trials not having mashed cranks I suppose lol

I feel your pain.

I think you need some cranks with more “Q factor” to get your feet farther apart as you ride. My unicycles (KH29er Freestyle and KH24) came with the earlier KH Onza cranks which had a fair amount of Q factor. When I saw the new Isis hub 24s coming out with the straighter crank arms, I hurried to buy an old style KH24 unicycle because I am much more comfortable riding with some pedal offset. As a result I never make contact with the frame. If you ever find your feet tend to ride wide on the pedals or hang off the ends, that is another indicator you might want more Q factor.

Mine have those marks too. Rode for ages without leg armour, as soon as I started wearing KH leg armour it wore the paint away from my frames. Not that I mind, gets scratched anyway.