I thought it might be handy to have a thread where I, or potentially others, could just ask general advice questions to keep all the answers in one place, and to keep from spamming the forum with new threads
My first question is regarding the seatpost and neck. Yesterday I pulled the seatpost out of the frame to tighten some things, and it had started to rust I’ve never taken this out in the rain, and it never gets wet. What kind of care is necessary to prevent this?
Secondly, tire pressure. what are the guidelines for tire pressure? Do you only have to worry about pinch flats from catching the tube between the rim and the ground? I frequently ride on old asphalt roads and gravel roads, so my ride is frequently bumpy, I would rather not damage anything by running too low.
I put a little bit of grease on the seatpost to keep things from seizing up and it would help prevent rust as well. If you do this you will need a good quality clamp though which some cheeper unicycles do not have.
Tire pressure is pretty subjective. If you are getting regular rim-strikes and pinch flats, your pressure is probably too low, but going too high will result in a rough uncomfortable ride and reduced grip. It’s up to you to find a happy medium that works for you.
Rust generally gets in there via condensation. I can’t speak for bikes, but I think most unicycles have some sort of air entry into that area from below.
Tire pressure depends mostly on the type of riding, followed by the volume of tire (skinny or fat?), followed by weight of rider, followed by how that rider rides (some land heavily while others are like cats). In other words, basically make sure you keep your rim off the ground. Numbers are meaningless unless you include all the variables above.
A heavy duty tube will allow u to keep pressure a bit lower w/o pinche flats (u should still avoid rim strikes)
I have always used one on my Muni and never gotten a flat w/ it, but 1-2 rim strikes per ride. I’ve heard u can lower pressure up to 20% w/ a HD tube.
But that increases the likelihood of the seat twisting, hence the double bolt clamp. Mine twists on the spallest of UPDs unless I tighten both bolts really tight (I’ve broken one from repeated tightening.)
Someone posted a company here who makes greese w/
grit to keep from slipping, but I forget the company.
IMHO, big, chunky tubes are only good for flat protection and wimpy tyres. I put a lighter (Maxxis 2.75 I had lying around, still fairly heavy though) tube in my Oracle 24 a few weeks ago and TBH I wish I’d switched earlier. My leopard conforms to bumps much better now withought any more drag. It’s also lighter
I have a 24 and 26 with Duros and the original tubes. What changes would I see if they were changed? Would a cheap Walmart tube work? What do you guys run. I’m only running on dirt roads and lousy pavement. Thanks.
Tubes are one of the most overlooked pieces of equipment in my opinion. Different tubes will give you a different feel on the same tire.
If you want your tire to feel lighter, have less rolling resistance and have a more active feel get a tube that is on the smaller end of the spectrum with thinner walls. The flip side is you loose some low pressure stability and are more susceptible to flats.
If you want better low pressure stability and slower rebound for better control in rough terrain get a larger tube with thicker rubber. Unfortunately this also makes for a heavier slower rolling wheel.
Walmart has both thin light tubes and wide heavy ones. Cheep tubes aren’t necessarily inferior to more expensive ones. A Duro is going to be heavy and slow no matter what tube is in there but you can loose a bit of weight by switching to a lighter tube, going tubeless might make the tire a bit more active as well, but personally I like the heavy slow rebound when using 3" tires.
Thanks guys. I just put in a thin tube I had from a Kenda tire I used when I first got the uni. I’m not sure I can tell the difference. It did feel a little livelier, but I may have just had it firmer than I had the Duro tube. I’ll try it again with my husband. He has the same muni, so we can make a direct comparison.
My HD tube gives the effect of a stiffer, larger tire. How much more…? Also I like not having to worry about fixing a flat on the trail & don’t bring any flat fixing stuff w/ me.
I now have a Kenda Kinnetics 24x2.6 (I don’t do drops) and my 3" tires (Intense & Arrow Wide Bite) are WAY heavier than the diff of my tube, and I think a 3" is overkill for me atm. My next tire is prob a Maxis High Roller 2.7"
Great idea!
First of all I have been hearing rumours about a new schlumpf hub, is that true? If so where is this information coming from and what will be different? Price I hope.
The talk that I have been hearing is a slightly slimmer casing to mitigate rubbing on frames and possibly a hard stop built in to the axle to be more compatible with external disk brakes.
Until we see another jump in the serial numbers it’s all just talk though.
This and a change away from the knurled bearing as the only source of resistance to reaction torque.
I believe there is going to be a change here with the missing inner lip of the Bearing housing on KH frames marrying with part of the corresponding housing on the hub
I’m guessing the knurling will remain to retain comparability with non KH frames, but slips will be less likely with the new hub frame combo
Other than these issues, I think the hub innards ( and price) will remain the same
In another thread Kris said that the hubs would be changed in 2014 to better accomodate the crank based disc brake system; read that as a longer spindle and a narrower hub body.
I’m sure the price will be static or increase.
A crank stop would be nice, but it might not solve the problem; i.e. the crank will stop but it may not be tight…
There are some other rumors off the board which shoudl probably stay that way until they become closer to reality.
As to tubes and tire pressure, it depends on your weight, how you ride, tire and rim choice, etc… personally I tend to be on the low pressure side, so I ride heavier tires which do more to protect against a flat than a thick tube. I also run tubeless which works well if you like a supple ride and have a tire that runs well with minimal internal support (no tube).
You can run a lighter tire and higher pressure as an alternative to running a heavier tire, but the ride quality may suffer.
I’ve never taken this out in the rain, and it never gets wet. What kind of care is necessary to prevent this?
It did feel a little livelier, but I may have just had it firmer than I had the Duro tube. I’ll try it again with my husband. He has the same muni, so we can make a direct comparison.