Okay, in about three weeks i’m going to be ordering my downhill muni Falls over frome exitment Like I said this is going to be mainly downhill sure i’ll do some flat or uphill terain here or there, but I want this to be optimized for downhill ridding, here is the specs that I have so far followed up by a few questions.
1: Should I go for a 24" or 26" tire, remember this is going to be mainly downhill ridding on rough terrain, but I plan on having some nice jumps while i’m moving down these hills.
2:My cranks… I know shorter cranks are easier to get speed out of, but I still will need some leverage of longer cranks, in KH my choices are
127’s
140’s
150’s
165’s
Any and all advice will be apretiated, even if its something other then what I mentioned, thank you.
I would use the Arrow Racing DHX rim!
Strong and stiff as hell, on of the very sturdiest rims on the market.
And i would never go under 150s on a 24" muni or 165 on 26", i use the standard 165mm on my onza muni and i have all the power i need uphill… Don’t know if you need all the tourqe when going downhill with a brake but if oyu’re climbing the hill before (or after(or both)) you descend it you’ll be happy to have some more power…
I would get some other handle than the one on the saddle, or at least get a seat stiffener! Especially if you’re going with some shorter cranks.
don’t use the KH hub and bedford frame, the frame has 40 mm bearing holders, the KH hub is 42mm bearings
it’s been done, but it’s not recomended
it leaves pressure points on the bearings
everything sounds good
if you have a brake and are doing mostly DH, i think you’d have more fun w/ short cranks, so there’s a bit more of a speed aspect
i’d go w/ 140s and you’ll still have some control
I think you should go with the Sun double wide rim, never broken one myself (and i have done repeated 5 to 6 foot drops). freaking strong, out of all my unicycle equipment i don’t think i will be breaking the sun rim for a while. Also totally go for 24" just ask justin kohse… he will tell you it can be used for everything, and unforchently you can’t argure with him casue he does all types of unicycling on it… lol… mind you i perfer 20" for trials… but totally 24 for street so far.
have fun with your new uni, you have to show some pics when you get it
Why not just get the KH Freeride?
It’s a better frame that actually fits the bearings correctly. The rim is wider than anything you can get other than the Large Marge. Wider is better because the tire is more stable.
24" is better for technical downhill riding (like North Shore style). Lighter and more maneuverable. When you’re trying to zig zag and weave through a rocky and rooty steep downhill (like North Shore stuff) the slightly smaller wheel is an advantage.
Fitting a 42mm bearing in a frame designed for a 40mm bearing is not ideal. It works but is problematic when you start riding hard. Get the real deal like a KH frame. If you want something different you could get a Hunter. I’m sure Hunter can make bearing holders to fit a 42mm bearing.
I like the KH frame alot, but to be honest I kinda wanted a 26"… ^^ I’ve heard it both ways, some people say there isn’t that much of a diffrence other say there is… I dunno.
Kris Holm has offered the Freeride and XC.
While the XC is not a 26", it may as well be.
It would be great if you could try both setups.
If I were to start over from scratch, I would probably go with 26"
I like how:
It can be lighter with a thinner tire (but same diameter)
It has a tad more speed (great for enjoy downhills)
Replacement parts can be bought at the LBS
The tires are ultra-easy to change
There is a wider selection of tires
Road, cross-country, and down hill tire selection!
It’s better for distance road riding
That said, I have a 24" like most people.
(3.0 Duro / 2.3 Racing / 2.5 Hookworm / 3.0 Gazz) (in order by preference)
Nimbus frame (for sidewall mud clearence)
Alex DX32 rim (it’s great, ignore the naysayers)
14 gage spokes
Profile hub and cranks 170mm
Eastern BMX pedals
(air seat, other features yadda yadda)
I love my setup, but I also get an occassional longing for the benefits of a 26" . . . . especially today when I was spinning along at 6.1 mph with a bike on a flat dirt road.
well, if you’re doing technical steep downhill, you probably want a 24". at least, that’s what I would think. I don’t know much about brakes, but I think you probably could go with 150 cranks for this since you’re doing a brake.
oh, on the rim debate: sun doublewide is wider than the KH freeride.
Depends what kind of 26" we’re talking, loosemoose’s 26" has a bigger roll-out than a 28" road uni, and with the 140 cranks on really wouldn’t be suitable for rough downhill, even with a brake. I rode 24" with 152s for quite a while and it’s very handleable downhill, i could do everything i can do now on 170s, but hit more speed on the straights, so i reckon 150s on a moderate size 26" would be good, incidently apparently the Duro is better than the Gazz for downhill, the gazz is more for climbing, although that’s not from personal experience. Four out of six of my group run the Alex DX-32, never any problems as a rim on its own but we have had problems with brakes on DX-32s, alex had to constantly rebend his rim to stop it scuffing the brake pads, to the extent he ditched the brake, it ended up on a dirt surfer. Anyway back to the point, mayb not the DX-32 if you’re going to be heavily on the brake.
for DH, you should get a Surly Large Marge 24" rim.
You can go to www.livewireunicycles.com
he can build you a surly rim w/ KH hub for around $450 i think
his wheel builds are SUPER strong
then you can get a KH aluminum frame from bedford
THAT would be the ultimate
don’t get a sun double wide, because it is designed for disc brakes, and a magura wouldn’t work well on it
Okay well thank you all VERY much, I think i’ve finnaly made up my mind about alot of the parts on the uni, especialy one of my biggest questions, the cranks, It looks like i’m going 150’s, but I’d really like some input from people that OWN 26" If there isn’t a substantial benifit, I may just buy a free ride, since that is almost identical to what I want anyways, and i’d save alot of cash.
But i’ve heard good things about 26" munis from owners, and if I could i’d like to here some more comments from owners, given my situation.
EDIT:
I Just did some math, and a 24" wheel at 120 rpms can go:
816.4 fpm (Feet per minute)
And a 26":
879.2 fpm
A diffrence of
62.8 feet
Which is a fair diffrence, but nothing extravogant, but I 26" rim also has more ground coverage, and hits bumps, ect, at a lower angle. I dunno, i’m just totaly torn… PLEASE HELP!
No it is not. The Sun Doublewide is not that wide. It is only 33mm wide inside the rim between the bead hooks. It is, however, very wide on the outside at 45.9mm, but that’s not where the tire sits. The Doublewide is effectively 33mm wide as far as the tire is concerned.
The Alex DX 32 is 32mm wide between the bead hooks.
The KH Freeride rim is listed at 42.2mm wide at Unicycle.com. I assume that is the outside width. I don’t know what the inside width is, but it’s going to be more than 33mm.
id say get a 24 inch because it is easier to control on downhills, weighs less, and is better for climbing hills. the 2 inch diffrence in speed wont matter 2 much because if u ride with other people, chances are they have a 24 also because 24s are much more common.
I also have this concern (which is why I posted the 24" vs 26" thread).
I have a desire for more speed, but I’m not sure that a 26" would offer enough.
I think that a 26" would roll down the hill better, for example when a rock “stair” is slanted upwards (perpendicular to the trial) it causes a lot of UPDs for the 24" that I think the 26" could take in stride. (There’s a need for a tad bit more rolling ability, offered by a bigger diameter).
My problem isn’t just that I want the benefits that I listed, but I’d like to be able to hit and hold 9 mph on the same trails that I am taking on the 24"
Anytime I am on terrain that isn’t immediately extreme, I get to thinking I need a faster setup. (I don’t enjoy spinning for the sake of spinning).
