I’m about 155 lbs, so I am not sure if I could provide good info, but I would think that you would be fine as long as you didn’t go off drops often. With a 29er you are already limited somewhat by the technical terrain and drops, so you would probably be alright.
If you wanted to go faster on the trail for cheaper you could try 36er muni, it is a blast!
For trails that are technical, the high gear really isn’t going to help you go faster though, it will on smooth stuff.
Are you saying that you switch cranks on a Schlumpf hub mid-ride (well, not really mid but during) to climb easier? Changing the pedals for the other hole during a ride sounds OK - and with the two gears would cover a wide spectrum of four Total Gear Ratios. But imho, changing the cranks would be a too complex and time-consuming process to do routinely, let alone during a ride.
No, I never change cranks mid ride on a schlumpf hub. You are right, having the dual hole cranks is what I opt for so I can use both 125s and 150s.
In the piece of text you quoted I meant that I originally had 125/150s on my geared 36er and I used 150s for most of the time I had a geared 36. Two months ago (maybe?) I took off the 125/150 cranks I had on for over a year and put on 137/165s on the geared 36 because 165s were better for climbing here in Colorado.
Changing cranks on a schlumpf is annoying as I have found it takes a little longer than normal cranks for them to settle. Also, the crank bolt tends to round out easier than other crank bolts.
Having dual hole cranks is far better than changing cranks.
Sounds a bit like my bedroom, two unis and five instruments lol.
Thanks for all the great info. The 29er 36er guni comparison was something I have been pondering for over two years now as I prepare to buy a geared hub.
Really, the only thing holding me back is the ratio of reliability to price. I mean, this is a 1500 CDN dollar investment without the unicycle, and after spending that kind of cash, I REALLY don’t want to be stuck waiting 5 plus months for it to be fixed.
My favorite thing to do on the 36er is long distance unsupported tours. It seems with the current state of the hubs, they might not be an ideal equipment purchase for touring.
Because they may exhaust more energy pushing against a gear instead of spinning fast (though one could choose to not gear up all day, but this would defeat the purpose)
And most importantly, I definitely don’t want to get stuck 70 kms between point a and b with a busted hub.
Maybe they aren’t practical (yet) for touring…
I wish they were!
Levi, as long as there’s oil in the hub, and the cranks are tight, and the buttons are on there well, I would trust my KH/Schlupf hub for a long tour. YMMV, unfortunately, which, is guess, is the problem.
Unicycles aren’t really practical for unsupported touring anyway. Getting a touring bike made me realize that. If you really love unsupported touring, invest in a nice touring bicycle, panniers and accessories for the same cost of the hub.
Also, FWIW, I have around 2,000miles on my geared hub and I haven’t had any issues yet. I love it. If I were to do a long trip, especially if it were international, I would rather have a geared 29 than an ungeared 36er with me - you are right though, the ungeared 36er is more simple and there are less parts that could break.
I’d like to strongly disagree on this point even though it 's a bit off topic, but only because I’ve seen you pushing your deviant two-wheeled ideas here a few times. I like touring on unicycles for the same reason I like riding unicycles in the first place, and the term practical is a stretch for any kind of self-supported touring.
I’ve been meaning to reply to this thread for a while now, finally got it figured out in between life happening around me!
I’ve spent some time with both wheel sizes laced up to my schlumpf hub, and I have to agree with a lot of what has been said here. The 29 is super portable and fun, and I like it a lot, but in the end it is so much more squirrely than the 36 on the road that I went back to a 36 in the end.
While touring in NZ, my wheel started breaking spokes, and I was forced to rebuild the wheel as a 29 to continue riding, so I got a taste of both worlds with someone to compare objectively to while I rode, as Sam Wakeling was touring with me, also on geared 36. The larger wheel has a higher comfortable cruising speed, and the only drawback to the wheel imo is the difficulty of getting it onto airplanes (or in shops, trains, cars…), however Sam was easily doing 3-4 km/hr more than me with the same effort in, and we are well matched for speed while riding 36ers on most days (as the unicon race results will show).
For self supported touring, I would lean heavily towards the more stable 36 wheel, as with the weight loads involved, the 29 was not really much fun to ride. Everyone is different though, especially for something as intense and varied in terms of approach as solo touring can be, and the best advice I can give there is to buy what you can afford and don’t sweat the equipment too much. Phil (magnustudios) made it a long goddamn way with a powerbook laptop and a huge camera in his bag when I was doing much the same ride and didn’t bring a pot lid because it weighed too much!
And phil got 3500km further than I did 
Hi, James.
I don’t have sufficient unicycling under my chamois to state what is practical (I’m not sure that unicycles are ridden for practicality), but touring depends to a large degree on what’s and wherefore’s. Back in the 1980’s I rode a bike 
all over Indonesia, and only carried a couple of t-shirts, shorts, and a spare pair of thongs (the ones for the feet, not the other ones). I found the most lightweight survival gear to carry was a wad of cash.
If you are riding somewhere that doesn’t require camping (ie cheap accommodation and short distances between towns / villages), you really don’t need to carry much kit (at least in the tropics:D).
Be careful, though…Someone stole my seat and seatpost, which indirectly led to me leaving my bike in Borneo and getting married in Thailand - Unmitigated risks 
.
Cheers,
Eoin
Yep, same experience and thoughts for the most part. The geared 29er is slightly faster than the ungeared 36er and the geared 36er is slightly faster than the geared 29 on the road. If I didn’t live in Colorado, I would probably still have the hub in a 36er.
The geared 36er is indeed much more stable on the road. I also started breaking spokes (after 600 miles or something) on the geared 36, and it seemed to happen every 100 miles as well, until I got a proper wheel build at a great bike shop here in Denver. I found it difficult to find a great wheel builder willing to work with a 36" wheel, whereas for the 29er, most bike shops don’t mind. It is also nice knowing that when you travel you are more likely to find tires, tubes, and spokes!
Unicon winners for the marathon race will be dominated by geared 36ers - if you are really into racing you should definitely get a geared 36, but I bet I could design a course out here that a geared 29er would win (with the right rider).
Good advice on the touring, no need to sweat equip too much when Gracie rode across the states barefoot on an ungeared 36er with 150s. I’ll reply more on the unsupported uni tours in my next reply.
Haha, yeah I try to slip the two-wheeled ideas in every now and then.
Much respect for those who can do the unsupported long uni trips. I really wanted to do some of those myself, but haven’t done more than two days in a row of unsupported trips. I had planned a trip, but the awkward weight I had on my seat post mounted rack and the extra weight on my back from the backpack put some weird pressure on my knee, and caused me to not ride for a month or two.
Sometime later down the line I want to attempt some more self supported uni trips, but not on the road, there are some offroad routes here in Colorado and Utah I would like to tackle.
From my experience on my first bicycle tour last year, I am definitely a convert in that realm. Self supported bike touring is SO MUCH better, no saddle soreness, you can bring an actual tent and comfy sleeping bag and cooking gear and not feel it while riding, and you can coast down the mountains instead of controlling all that extra weight.
Don’t get me wrong, I love unicycling, but as far as self supported trips go, bicycling is definitely better for me.
You and Gracie and others are truly amazing though.
Interesting thread! Thanks for the infomation 
Yeah, I mean, what you say about bicycle touring is true. I have done quite a few bike tours, once on a recumbent, and the all round comfort of a bicycle as opposed to a unicycle is no comparison. Bikes are the obvious choice for a traditional tour.
Something about riding unsupported on a unicycle, though, provides a certain feeling of accomplishment I haven’t achieved on a bicycle. Also, the basic tactile reason I love unicycling is the same reason I choose to tour on one. When you hop into the saddle and allow your body to fall back into that familiar position, there is some sensation I can’t properly describe.
It just feels good. That’s about the best I can do. While bicycling long distance is more comfortable and potentially enjoyable overall, somehow I feel as if unicycling long distance is more fun minute to minute. I just love throwing on a podcast or my favorite album and getting in the zone. Before you know it you’ve ridden 25 kms without dismounting.
Of course, to each his own, different strokes, blah blah blah…
That’s not to say I haven’t been wanting a Surly Long Haul Trucker with a Hennessy Hammock strapped on the back for years now…
James, what is your bike set-up?
As long as you’re asking, my (also James ) bike setup is a fast recumbent. I’m getting to the point where I find traditional diamond frame bikes to be . . . undesirable. If I want to go long distances as fast as possible (unmotorized) in comfort, my recumbent is the way to go. On multiple long and multi-day charity rides last year, I established that a good modern lightweight recumbent is definitely faster overall than a d-frame bike, even in the mountains here in western MT. For taking my time and just having fun, unicycles are now my beast of choice. To me a d-frame bike is a compromise in the middle that just doesn’t make sense – fast ones are uncomfortable, and slow ones aren’t nearly as fun as a uni.
-James
A follow-up thought re touring: When I first started with the uni, I couldn’t imagine riding with any kind of a pack. Now I regularly ride with a pack that carries water and gear for myself and my three kids. Uni-touring on something like the Continental Divide Trail sounds very inviting, although I imagine daily distances would be relatively short. My skills aren’t up to it yet anyhow (maybe next year?), but I didn’t want my prior post to be taken as trash-talking uni touring, for which I have great respect. I think any kind of non-motorized touring is a good thing.
I used to do a lot of bicycle touring (back in the day). I loved it. I think short distance uni touring would be fun except I require a big, old people, blow-up bed. I can’t sleep on Thermarests any longer:(. It sucks getting old. I would have to do a supported type tour.
I’ve never ridden a recumbent bike. They look like they would not be as fast and be more difficult to turn. It would be fun to try one out.
Try riding a good track bike on a 250m wooden velodrome in a scratch race with 25 others - Diamond frames can be a whole lot of fun:D…
You fit 3 kids in your backpack? Kudos Grande!
I’m with you on getting from A to B by pedal power. I don’t care if it’s Eddie Merckx at Mexico City, Granny on her trike to the shops, or a bogan who’s lost his license - Pedal Power is something I love to have happening.
I’m also with you on the uni-touring. I’m looking forward to getting to a skill level where I can head off with my daughter to distant climes (and climbs) on our uni’s. I guess a sign of progress may be when I can uni further than I can walk…
I’m thinking an ungeared 36" is the most likely proposition for me, although I’m guessing they’re not overly Airline-friendly.
Cheers,
Eoin
They’re very friendly to airlines. However, airlines, city busses, coach busses, trains, and many cars are not 36" unicycle-friendly. I think 29ers have a huge advantage here.