cbs great looking Uni…it looks so much bigger than the 19"
So for me what worked was to figure out the best cranks by finding the gear ratio and comparing. So below is the rough gear ratio for your 24"KH: " is the crank leanth. Do the same for your 19" uni and see where the ratios match up. With an equal gear ratio you should be using the same approximate energy to pedal. Now PLEASE don’t flame me anyone there is a lot of variables other than gear ratios but the numbers helped me understand what to expect and what would work. So to get the gear ratio divide the wheel size by the total (both cranks) crank leanth (ex. 19/10.79 (137mm) = 1.76 gear ratio) if you were running 137mm cranks on your 19" then stay with the 150mm cranks on the 24" since the ratios are close and easier to get used to, go smaller as you get more comfortable until it feels right.
On my 26" I jumped from 152mm (2.2 Gear R.) to 127mm (2.6 Gear R.) and it didn’t take long to get used to the cranks but the speed difference and loss of control were very noticeable. Over time the control came back.
I say you will have the 127mm cranks on there before you know it for cruising around town at the speed you want.
I didn’t have a clue really. Bought an 05 KH 24 with an air seat. The tire said something like 42 psi on the side, so that’s how I filled it. It was fine on the street, just slow to turn compared to the previous crap 20. I loved it, and just assumed that those guys on you tube riding across rocky roads had better balance then me.
Eventually, I read on the boards that everyone rode with tires inflated quite soft. The first time I tried to ride across a dirt lot with soft tires was a real boost to my confidence. A 24 x 3 muni tire should be set as soft as possible. Take advantage of your beginner status (no big drops), and run that tire soft. Sidewalk cracks that would kick me off of a 40 psi tire, can’t even be felt on a soft tire.
I would suggest standing on the uni holding a wall and look at your tire as you twist it from side to side. Make the tire soft until you can see it crease and fold. That is to soft. The hoppers and droppers are cursed with a need for a harder tire to protect against pinch flats . One of the blessings of owning a 24 muni and not having the talent to smash the rim with tricks, is you can run a very soft tire. This can make many stones and roots just sorta disappear. Definitely run your tire as soft as you can as a beginning rider. Only harden it up later if you have to, to do hops and drops without bottoming against the rim.
This uni IS huge! I cant imagine riding a bigger one now.
I guess I’ll hold off on the cranks then. But would the quax hold on my trials uni for someone who doesnt weigh much just doing simple tricks? I probably wont hop higher then 12" anytime soon and if so, I would put longer ones back on. Probably wont do much more then a 180 unispin and some flat stuff eventually. I was thinking of first using my trials uni with the short cranks. The reason I thought maybe I would like a touch shorter on the bigger uni is that my legs are short so need to stretch them more. I started out on really tiny cranks on the 16"er and was an adjustment to go longer.
HOw thin a tire can this uni handle too? One more week of school then I’ll practice like crazy!
The quax cranks should be fine on your trials uni. You just do not weigh enough to damage them. If you get extreme and do bend them with big drops, then just replace them. I do not think that it will do any damage to any other part of the unicycle.
I would suggest putting 125 cranks on the 24". The 150 cranks mean your feet and knees are flailing around. I find the 125 mm cranks more comfortable to ride as well as being faster. I don’t really get the lack of control argument. It is easy to get used to 125 mm cranks–give it a try.
OK will get the cheap cranks! I will search my other thread on seats but may stick with this one. I will see if I can take off the lever mount for now.
Having hard time turning right but getting better on it now. The knobs on the side have a big square that sticks out. I was thinking of cutting them off at an angle and then I would be OK but that might affect turning traction on the tire. If I have time this week I might go to the store since my tire isnt here yet and look for a better muni tire at the bmx shop and sell this one. At work they said I have 12 year old legs lol so I will order the kids L/XL knees this week. I seem to be getting shin splints from my uni too. I guess from jumping off? So might need to ride my BMX for a day.
Just wanted to update. I’m really addicted to the 24KH! I put on a 2" tire on it out of desperation since I popped the fat tube. I love the lightness of it now but 2" is too narrow, squirrelly but fun and was riding it in the dark lol. Feels like an enormous freestyle uni now. I"m dying to get my hookworms!
I think I would like the Nimbus seat better but I’ll trim the sides of the KH to narrow it and that may be perfect. Decided on the Venture cranks 127. I will put that on my trials uni for tricks now and the 150s on my 24 until I can ride the 24 better. I heard these are better for tricks where you need to put your foot on the cranks and eventually I want to wheel walk, etc. I feel so darn fast on this uni I really LOVE it!!! Still hard to handle but can turn well with smoother/lighter tires. If I could only have one uni in the world, I would choose this one.
I am glad you like your 24" unicycle. Have fun with the hookworm tire when it comes. My brother-in-law is a bike guy, and he suggested that any 24" inner tube will work on any 24" tire in a pinch. I had a tube pop and replaced it with whatever was in stock. It is still going strong 6 months later.
Out of curiosity, what type of 2" tire did you put on it? Is it a slick?
When you are comfortable with it, try the shorter cranks. I find it much easier to do tight turns with the 125 cranks on my 24".
I think I will hold off on changing the cranks as with the smoother lighter tire its almost TOO easy to pedal now! And I might want my little uni to get hops down and will be my starter muni and maybe the longer ones are OK for that.
I have the tioga 2.125 Comp III on there but they run small, measure 2.0. The tread is very little so it doesnt add much rolling resistance. Just a little narrow but love the lightness of the wheel now! Classes are DONE so now I hope I can really start progressing. I just want to be able to commute to and from work on this. I really enjoy the feeling of the larger wheel, just a lot harder for me to ride.
My short cranks come today! Waiting, should I put them on my 24 or 19" first? I kinda want to learn to hop well on the trials uni so thinking maybe just put them on my 24.
I have the short venture cranks on and fat hookworm tire on and OMG, I am so in LOVE!!! I was all over the parking lot. Now I need to learn to mount this so I CAN commute to work. That fat tire is heavier, but very stable. I feel like a super hero riding it lol. I’ve never been so happy, I was doing the happy dance while riding. Then I fell lol. This uni is so incredible, no lie!!! If I had to, I would sell all my bikes for this one uni. Its my fave.
Well, I do love to jump stuff with my bikes. I’m loving the BMX pump track. But my XC might bite the dust one day lol. I’m sure when I get to muni stage, this will be much more fun on trails as I can hop over things and maneuver better. I just dont see myself dirt jumping with a uni, not yet at least lol. I do have more fun on the uni though! I really need to learn to hop on it, soon!
Hey, I was wondering, what tire pressure for the hookworm? Do I pump it hard or keep it soft like the trials? I really need to learn to mount and for my legs to stop burning. Then I’ll be ALL over the place!
I have been running mine about 42 psi, but I weigh 175 lb. You could get buy with much less–you might try 25 psi. I have been riding rather than hopping, so I like it reasonably hard. It will still roll over bumps easily for me at that pressure.
Try experimenting. Go to 15 psi, ride it for an hour and then switch to 40 psi. See which one you prefer. Your preference may differ depending upon what your are doing with it. Softer will be better for bumpy roads and paths.
Enjoy the advantages of a begginner set up as long as you can
I started with a KH 24 and a 3 " Duro tire. I ran it hard, like the numbers on the sidewall, maybe 40 + psi. It kicked back terribly at anything and I couldn’t ride far off road.
Then I read something about other riders using low pressure. Instant talent boost ! At 17 psi, you can roll over a root with a fat muni tire and not feel it. Suddenly I could ride all sorts of places. A soft tire makes all obstacles a bit smaller, and it doesn’t kick back.
Basically, soft fat tire is good. Softer the better, unless you bottom the rim (hops) , which a beginner wouldn’t do. You can also ride with your seat real high. This is also comfortable, but as soon as you start thinking you must be able to ride SIF or get better hops, the seat goes down. Alas, perhaps forever.
So enjoy your super soft tire and high seat while you can. The real reason riders run higher psi is to avoid pinch flats while hopping or dropping. Otherwise, low psi is better. Sit on the uni, and twist from side to side while holding a wall. Run the psi (tire pressure) as low as you can. When the side twisting makes the tire fold (you will see a crease), that is to soft.
Starting out in muni, ride a 3" tire if you can, and as soft as you can. You don’t need to run more air unless you are hitting the rim or folding the tire. Soft is like instant talent.
On rides where there’s a long climb followed by a descent, I adjust my tire pressure on every ride. On the way up, use a harder pressure to reduce rolling resistance and drop the pressure at the top for the descent. More than figuring out an exact PSI, a good way to check pressure when you get ready for the descent is to take out a little bit and then go hop on a small rock or root, and check how your tire deforms. If it deforms readily but you can’t completely bottom out the rim, then it’s probably a good pressure. You can get away with a lower pressure on dirt/rooty trails than you can on rocky trails.
On a different note, same thing goes for the seatpost - high on the climb and dropped for the downhill.
On rides where there’s a long climb followed by a descent, I adjust my tire pressure on every ride. On the way up, use a harder pressure to reduce rolling resistance and drop the pressure at the top for the descent. More than figuring out an exact PSI, a good way to check pressure when you get ready for the descent is to take out a little bit and then go hop on a small rock or root, and check how your tire deforms. If it deforms readily but you can’t completely bottom out the rim, then it’s probably a good pressure. You can get away with a lower pressure on dirt/rooty trails than you can on rocky trails.
On a different note, same thing goes for the seatpost - high on the climb and dropped for the downhill.
I guess from jumping off? So might need to ride my BMX for a day.
Now I need to learn to mount this so I CAN commute to work. That fat tire is heavier, but very stable. I feel like a super hero riding it lol. I’ve never been so happy, I was doing the happy dance while riding. Then I fell lol. This uni is so incredible, no lie!!! If I had to, I would sell all my bikes for this one uni. Its my fave. 
At 17 psi, you can roll over a root with a fat muni tire and not feel it. Suddenly I could ride all sorts of places. A soft tire makes all obstacles a bit smaller, and it doesn’t kick back.