I have got the 47 mm rim with holes - is that the Freeride rim?
I’m usually riding on roads and the only downside of that rim is that the tube really comes out of the rim holes when you store the uni in the hot car or similar, altough there is a rim tape. That is because I run the tyre (WTB Stout 2.3) at a relatively high pressure. But so far, nothing exploded during the first 1000 miles…
I am happy with that wide rim.
For road riding, a freeride rim and a stout tire seems quite inefficient. It sounds like a great set up for technical XC/singletrack though.
saskatch…
My KH-29er is a 2007 I think. It has the KH-Onza cranks that I like because they have just enough Q-factor for me. Will I have to modify them?
Carey
I just got to thinking about it. If you are spending $2500 on a hub…might as well buy a new frame to put it on. What frame options are there to handle the magnificent wheel described above?
Carey
I think you mean $1500
Any frame with 42mm machined bearing holders can be made to work but most people are using either a KH frame or getting one of those beautiful russian Titanium frames from Triton.
You are going to have to get some ISIS cranks. The KH ones are the only ones that Florian suggests using. They have a moderate amount of Q. Not sure if it is the same as the old KH/Onza cranks or not.
I went with an earlier KH 29er rim that does not have the cutout holes. It was one I had lying around from ages back.
I know another geared 29er rider who had lots of problems with punctures on their cutout rim. I think the decrease in potential punctures is worth the extra weight of not having cutouts, although whether you can source a rim similiar to this now may be moot.
Regards hub sources, I don’t believe Unicycle.com US deal in them at present (although you can always ask).
We do stock them at Unicycle.com NZ and a few other UDC’s have them too (eg the UK). With the current exchange rate those two sources may be worth a look. Check out
Unicycle.com (approx cost about $1490 USD including delivery)
http://www.unicycle.uk.com/kris-holm-schlumpf-geared-unicycle-hub-4.html/ (approx cost $1330 USD plus delivery)
You can go direct to Florian, although it can sometimes be a wait of several months or more before the hub arrives(he does seem to be getting faster at turning orders around though). To give you a rough idea, our previous orders have taken anywhere from around a month to about six months to come in.
Another option to consider is buying second hand. I know a rider who had their hub replaced under warranty and has done virtually no riding on their new hub and are now selling it due to it not getting enough use to justify having it. If you are interested, check out this thread:
Note that $1500 NZ is about $1160 USD. Last time I did a postage quote on a Schlumpf hub to the US it came out at about $80 USD, so you could likely get an almost new hub for around $1240 delivered.
As mentioned you will need to get some ISIS cranks. Also you may want to check whether your current frame is compatible with the Schlumpf hub or not. Frames manufactured from around the end of 2007 onwards are compatible, so if your frame is older stock it will need modification in order to fit the hub. I had to do this with my frame.
For some pictures on what the frame needs to look like to fit the hub and how to modify it go to schlumpf innovations
then under the menu item “technical” choose the “installation” option.
Basically the inner lip on the bearing clamp and frame needs to be a few mm smaller than the outer. If the lips are the same diameter you need to modify your frame and bearing holders.
Yes it sounds inefficient, but it really isn’t.
It gives me the flexibility to ride off road when I want. The WTB stout runs just fine at 4.0 - 4.5 bar (that is 58 - 65 PSI). On road and off road. I even did a marathon with that tire, in 2:02, 99% in high gear.
And you can still mount a Schwalbe Big Apple (will try that soon).
Rumor mill here, but I heard that the future Schlumpf is going to be disc compatible.
Just a thought, but if it were me, I’d wait 
You could build a KH XC wheel set for use now, then when the disc hub comes out, get your frame modified for the caliper, build a new wheel, then keep the original wheel as a back up for when you Schlumpf is getting repaired 
Hmmm. I proposed that to Kris and Florian in an email on 17.06.2010. I still have these mails in my In/Outboxes.
If that is true, it would have been nice to let me know that my idea is going to be implemented.
But as you say, it is just a rumor - so I will just wait.
Hmmmm…not sure I would want a disc brake. The edges on them are incredibly sharp and in close proximity to flesh in a uni crash…much more so than on a bike and I have seen some nasty injuries from disc brakes in the past. It would be my inclination to stick with a rim brake, but thank you for the suggestion. Depending on when I decide to buy one, I may get delayed into an upgrade anyway.
So much for the delay. I contacted Florian and he said they were receiving a shipment this week and could send it without delay…so I bought one of the muni hubs. When you buy one, they will engrave your name on it for free…pretty cool. Now to find a rim, I need a 36 hole and prefer not to have a drilled rim–would rather have a heavier rim than the fuss of the holes collecting stuff. My Freeride rim from a few years ago is built that way.
Carey
soon to be a guni…
Good thinking! I bought one of the very first muni hubs and haven’t had any issues with it (minus the crank bolts). There is no use to wait for possible future versions of the hub as others have suggested - even if the newer version may or may not have a disc.
@ Carey- I have a schlumpf in a drilled 24" wheel and honestly it is no real hassle at all to clean (if your worried about it collecting a little debris then you mightn’t like the extra maintenance that goes with a schlumpf hub in the first place). With a Guni you want to cut down your rotational weight as much as possible and the rim is a good place to start. After that you can go tubeless (no hassle) and save a bunch of weight that you otherwise would have to try and push. Doing this makes your high gear easier to push and helps with climbing in particular.
If I was building a G29er i would definitely go with the wider rim. For road riding you can just crank your tyre pressure to get better ride characteristics, but for offroad you can’t magically make your rim wider and more stable midway through a ride!
Get more punctures with a drill out rim? I can not confirm this at all as it does not fit with my, or any of the riders i know experiences using these types of rims. If you do a lot of technical muni and stuff though you will eventually need to learn to true your wheel but this is an invaluable skill to learn anyway.
The tube pops too far though the drill outs? Simple solution for you, get a better rim strip. That was hard.
I hope your build goes well. Make sure you follow the instructions about spoke lacing and crank bolt tensions etc so you don’t destroy your brand new toy.
mark
Or use 2 or 3 layers - that’s what I did. 
napalm,
So your advice to me would be to use the KH-29 Freeride rim? I do like the KH quality.
I have never had a drilled rim so I don’t really know if the little holes collect junk. I just imagine myself trying to pick mud out them with a toothpick. Most of my riding will be on a hard surface though so I may be overestimating the issue.
Also, I had heard that people generally liked the wheel momentum that comes with a 36" coker wheel. Had not heard the idea of reducing rolling mass for the sake of climbing, though I had heard of stretching a 29" tube onto one to save weight as you mention.
Carey
I would suggest the 29 freeride rim for your set up if you ever thought you might like to get into muni. But if you are just riding on the road then a skinnier one would be ok.
In my opinion a geared 29 is the most versatile unicycle you can have. A 36 is hard to transport (the wheel is huge) and high gear is a beastly ratio to push. Plus 36er components are, at the moment, really lagging behind the other sizes in terms of variety of parts, and they are heavy too. Yes, the reason some people use a 29er inner tube on a 36 is to cut down rotational weight for better ride characteristics. Also, a 36 is a bit harder to manoeuvre- so if your riding in areas of high pedestrian traffic it can be unwieldy.
If you are specifically building a uni for long distance or sheer speed purposes then the 36 is the weapon of choice. But a geared 29er can go plenty fast and in low gear you can still ride muni on it too.
As for cleaning the rim, I only ride muni and if the trails are muddy enough i hose down my rim before i stick it in my room. Takes 30 seconds and takes out 90% or the stuff that collects in there. I doub’t you’ll have that problem.
mark
I can confirm this - every single point. I have got both - a geared 29er and a geared 36er, and the 29er is definitely the most versatile uni I have.
My Schlumpf arrived, awesome! I just ordered the 29 XC rim and the 2.0 Big Apple. Once I get some spokes, will have it built up and we’ll be ready to go.
Can’t wait.
Carey
Wow. That took what, a week? That must be some kind of record. 