As the title says, I did quite a bit of o/t last month so another uni may be on the cards! I’m torn between 29 and 36. I already have a Nimbus 2 24" muni and an impact athmos 19". I’m tempted to go for a 36, as the Nimbus will do for muni and the Impact for skills practice.
As I improve my interests are towards trials and muni but I’d also like to ride further and faster! Im just not sure 29 will be enough of a difference over a big tyred 24 to be worthwhile, or would going from 24"-36" be too big a jump, making 29" a better option as an intermediate step?
Also if I go for a 36" would people recommend the Oracle disc, as it comes with a brake, or the standard Oracle as its £100 cheaper? I’m aware that upgrading later would add up to more than £100 by the time I get a brake, d’brake mount, and either disc hub & wheel build or disc cranks. So many questions!
Or as another option should I just save my money & get better at riding what I’ve got just now?!
Any advice or opinions will be much appreciated, thanks!
You’re going down a dangerous road. Take it from me…:
But I vote for a triton schlumpf.
There was a Triton shlumpf on here & ebay a couple of weeks back, tempting but my bank balance said no at the time!
The 29 is super fun for singletrack, but if you don’t have a 36, that’s your answer. Personally I say go with the KH.
Speed like you never have before. You can still ride singletrack with a 36 if you have longer cranks. 165s work really well.
the new KH 29er also has that 3 inch knard, which is a little larger than a normal 29. There are more and more options for 29+ recently. Pretty exciting for Muni, even if the bikes really aren’t good at anything. : P (less float than a fatty, heavier than a 29)
I never thought I’d say it, but if you’re getting a 36er, get the KH.
I built one two weeks ago and it was amazing.
Didn’t realize the kh36 is only £70 more than the Oracle 36 disc. It’s out of stock at udc UK just now, but I might phone them & see when it’ll be back in.
I think the 36 is the way to go for now, though I probably will end up with a 29 at some point too. Seems there is a need for one in each size once you get hooked. I will have to start selling bikes to make shed space too, which isn’t a problem since I haven’t been out on 2 wheels since getting better on 1!
My only reservation with the kh is, as I understand, it uses a standard 100mm hub as opposed to the wider Oracle spacing (127mm?). Though the kh uses the spirit cranks, meaning the wheel isn’t dished. Are both equally as strong & stiff, or does one have advantages over the other in this? I’m a ‘heavier’ rider, so strength & stiffness is a consideration!
Non-dished is stronger. Wider is stronger. (not sure what flange to flange is on the oracle) Less Q factor is (from what I have read and heard) in general more comfortable. I tend to like a larger q factor. I haven’t ridden an oracle, but I imagine it’s just as stiff as the KH. The saddle is a preference. The cranks on the KH are stronger. inside vs outside mounted brake can sway some people.
The big thing for me is the non-dished wheel. I also think the cranks and the saddle are much better on the KH, but those can be swapped. Both are fantastic wheels.
disclaimer: I am not using the actual definition of “strength” in a mechanical sense. I just mean generally more durable.
One thing about cranks and spacing which doesn’t get discussed much is foot angle. My 36er has a Nimbus hub (125mm) with Venture2 cranks (no Q factor). Although the pedals are a similar distance apart to those on a KH36 with Spirits, I’m forced to keep my feet pretty much parallel to avoid hitting my heels on the cranks. When I’m standing and walking my feet naturally angle out at the toes somewhat and I find the parallel feet thing a bit uncomfortable. I’m actually considering getting a set of Spirits to allow my feet to assume a more natural position, although coupled with the already-wide hub the pedals will be starting to get “way out there”.
None of this may apply to you, I might just have strange feet; but I thought I’d throw it into the mix.
The oracle on udc. uk. website is running with a pressed flange hub which tends to become creaky over time.
The hub on their K.H. 36er is a steel single piece hub which is more robust and better suited to rough treatment.
If I was riding with Zero saddle on the K.H. I’d order the recommended handle bars also for comfort reasons.
But yeah! For a super unicycling experience I’d buy the 36er.
Hope this helps. 
Get the 36". Adding that to the 19" trials and 24" mUni, you’ll have three very different kinds of riding experiences.
I bought a 29" road unicycle as my third unicycle (first two being 26" mUni and 19" street/trials). I avoided the 36" because of the steep hills in my neighborhood. Long story short…the 29" doesn’t seem so radically different from the 26" (the 26" has an effective diameter of 27.5"). I just bought a mtb tire for my 29", and I’m converting it into a mUni. I’ve been spoiled by all the great off-roading in my neighborhood, and I haven’t really embraced the whole road riding thing, which seems simultaneously boring and scary, compared to muni. I understand that not everyone has this kind of off-road luxury. I’ll take falling on dirt and rocks over getting hit by a car, any day. I might feel different if I had a 36".
Thanks for all the input. A call to udc UK to check when the kh36 will be back in stock seems to be the way forward then!
In the UK ordering a Qu-Ax from Germany may be another option. I don’t know anything about Qu-Ax 36er, but other Qu-Ax products are solid and have a good reputation.
Hi Markus, thanks for that. I did look at the qu ax 36 on udc, I wasn’t keen on the tyre. I’d want to use it on gravel and dirt roads as well as tarmac, and think the Nimbus nightrider looks more versatile than the TA tyre the qu ax comes with. Though saying that, the qu ax plus a spare tyre would still cost less than the kh. Ah you just confused the issue again!
And to confuse it even more, maybe UDCo.uk can swap the tire for a little extra cash - they do it on saddles after all…
Looking again, what makes the kh better than the oracle or qu ax? If I went for the cheaper options, I may have enough left over to put a handlebar on too, whereas if I went for the kh the handle would have to wait.
36
HiOorWullie
Have you seen this…
I think it’s still for sale 
Well spotted Alucard!
That should even leave you with some spare change!
Thanks for that Alucard, I’ll message the seller!
Cheers Oor Wullie
I hope it works out
And just to wet your appetite…
