this is a kind of stupid question but it wont hurt to ask…
its weird… does everyone get tired faster on a bike than on a uni? i can ride a uni faster, and longer than i can ride a bike. its like once you get up to speed the momentum keeps you going and you dont really get tired… at all. Is it just me or is everyone like this?
its definalte not just you… i mean i can ride fatser on a bike… but i do get tired faster… cuase its harder to pedal… the only thing that stops me from more than about 30 miles on my coker is the extreme crotch pain…
A bike requires less energy to cover a given distance than a unicycle. However, because of a bike’s gearing it may be easier to maximize your cardiovascular output over a given period of time on a bike. If I go ride up Tunnel Road (a popular cycling road in the East Bay, 4-5% grade) on a unicycle, I am limited in how fast I can do it by how quickly I can spin my legs consistently, not by my aerobic output capacity. Whereas on the bike, if I’m hammering I can hold myself right near my anaerobic threshhold the whole way up, and I’ll be panting hard at the top.
But if I rode it at the same speed as I would on the uni, the bike would be much easier. The same is true for everyone, assuming basic facility riding both uni and bicycle.
i can go much faster on a bike but i can uni longer than i can bike or run i just have more stamina on a uni i dunno why but i do and its alot more fun and enjoyable if you ask me
yes, unitik… only thing that stops me too. but what i meant was that i could cover a certain distance faster on my uni than on my bike (around 2 miles) but i havent riddin a uni as fast as i could for as long as i could… yet. but once i get my 29’er with 4 inch cranks… ill find out.
If you know anything about how to use gears on a bike, there is no way it’s possible to cover a similar distance faster on a unicycle. Even a geared unicycle.
I rode 100km on my coker a few months ago and the only thing stopping me going furthur was crotch pain. I think i could probably ride 100km on a bike if i went the same speed i went on my coker but it would be pretty frustrating.
A unicycle is in some ways equivalent to a bicycle in very low gear.
Many bicyclists ride bicycles in far too high a gear. They get tired.
Ride a bicycle in an appropriate gear, and it will be faster and more energy efficient than a unicycle in almost all conditions. A competent bicyclist is converting muscular energy to motion more efficiently than any other land animal.
The only possible exception is on certain uphill gradients where tthe extra weight of the bicycle and the limitations of the riding position could work against it.
When I go for a big Muni ride I get so tired I can barely ride downhill by the end but I can MTB on the same terrain all day long. I don’t road ride much so I can’t really compare.
Yes. If you ride unicycles more than bikes, or don’t ride bikes very fast or long, the bike will make you tired faster. You have developed different parts of your muscles, so you’re probably much better at pedaling fast with low power than pedaling slower with higher power per stroke.
I don’t believe you, especially if you’re on something smaller than a 29". Either you ride your bike super-slow (and then aren’t being fair), or are equating pedaling speed with ground speed. I do very little bike riding for distance, but I still can go quite a bit faster on my bike with reasonably equal effort.
A “fast uni” all other things being equal, is still going to be slower than a bike. It looks like the fastest uni out there is the Schlumpf, Coker, or other wheels 36" or larger.