So I decided to go for the Coker…
After seeing all the posts of “I got the 29er, now I have a coker I barely ride it…” made me realise I’d regret not getting the extra speed of a coker, but I can do without the manouverability of a 29er.
So now my question is to current Coker riders.
Anyone here from Sydney, Aus, that rides a coker?
Would I be better to change from the 152s it came with to my Nimbus II’s 114s?
And I’m freemounting by holding the tyre with horizontal pedals and jumping on, is that right?
At the moment I’m loving the speed and the smooth ride!
Can’t wait for my first decent ride on it!
I mount much like a static mount. A foot on the left pedal, lean forward a little, and then step up and onto the other pedal. Holding onto the tire felt too much like inviting a face plant. Very unsettling.
You’re already freemounting? Wow!
I like the rolling mount, I can land it about half the time, but then I am a klutz. I have six-and-a-half inch cranks which work great on the hilly gravel roads I ride.
Wear loose pants on your first rides, you will want to take this baby further than you have ever gone before and you don’t want to be in anything resembling tight blue jeans!
I wouldn’t be in a huge hurry to put shorter cranks on it, especially one’s as short as 114mm. Once you’re comfortable with the coker, you can go faster with less effort with short cranks, but at the expenense of a greater stopping distance and leverage (control). I use 125’s on mine, and that’s plenty short for me. I’ve put many many miles on 152’s with a respectable amount of speed. It’s also harder to mount with shorter cranks, and you sit higher up.
Ken Looi is from New Zealand, but I don’t know of anyone any nearer than that…
I’d stick with the 152’s for right now. once you get good at those, you ought to try the 114s.
jumping on works, I guess, but what I do is put the pedals horizontal, the back foot on the back pedal, and step up on to the other pedal. then get riding.
have fun!
Welcome to the club!!
(I would get bored of the 152’s before dropping to 127’s)
an arsenal of cranks is what you need,
i have tride everything between 40’s and 175’s.
110’s are my favoutire for distance, 175’s are my favourite for bombing around (it takes quite a bit of practice to get 175’s working smoothly) and 127’s for general purpse cruising.
you are gonna LOVE that thing!
lol, yeah, I’m only a short flight away. I don’t know any Sydney Cokeurers, but there are a few in Melbourne.
I’d stick with 150’s for now, and gradually work yourself down as you get used to it. Crank lengths are pretty personal, but use the shortest ones you can get away with- it’s much smoother and you can ride for longer because it is much more comfortable (less amplitude of leg movement). I like 110s for general use, 125’s for steep hills, and 150’s for off-road.
Ken
Thanks for the help guys,
Looks like I’ll be all on my own till I can inspire more to get into it