my church is holding its semi anual “bike hike” its a 20 mile ride around jackel island …my pastor is islike 54 and he says he easly makes it on his bike so how hard would this be 2 accomplish on a 24 inch uni…im going 2 carry a backpack with water bottles in it becoses my camal pack is crap and punctured…
i want 2 be the first 2 do this “bike hike” on a uni
has any on gone around this distance on a 24 inch or smaller?
uh. on a twenty four it could take a while
the even is 9 oclock 2 5o clock is that enough time
If you use 125mm cranks, you can probably average 5-6 mph while on the uni, so figure on four hours of riding time. It won’t be that strenuous, it’ll just be slow and long; the hardest part will probably be just the time in the saddle. Convert to an air saddle if you can, and take lots of breaks. Figure on five or six hours of elapsed time.
Depending on how comfortable your seat is you may feel like you’ve been sent to fry in hell after the 10 mile point. 
seeing as the event is after my bday ill have a torker dx 24 inch i has six inch cranks so douse that change any thing
6 inch cranks are toooo long. It’ll be very heavy with the splined hub and heavy frame, so that’ll make you slower. Invest in a Sun 28 ($89) if you can, that’ll be perfect and cheap. If you want a strong, long-lasting distance machine then get a Nimbus 29er ($225).
the biggest difficulty factor, besides sheer distance will be how much you’ll be pedalling UPhill! The steeper, the harder it is for sure.
im not sure of the terrain at all ive nevver been 2 jackel island but im going 2 prepare for it by doin the distance @ home so i dont give unicycling a bad name when ppl on there bikes are all …look @ the poor unicyclist struggle 2 make the distance…it will hopfully be more of…wow that unicyclist is tuff …maybe i should try it
Yep, I did across the lake district oin a 24 and we were doing about 20 miles a day , off road and up and down mountains. Its doable.
Make it easier on yourself and do a few training rides first building up to the distance. ie- try a 10 miler, then a 15, if you can do 15 and still walk the day after you will be fine for 20.
4 or 5 hours sounds very achieveable , there will probadly be some unfit 2 wheeler riders around so you could keep the slow ones company. Maybe even get one of them to help carry your lunch If its church fun day it should be a fun social event not a competition. Hope you enjoy it.
SArah
i also want 2 use this event 2 change some hearts about unicycling becouse a few are all “wow your a clown” “unicycling isnt a sport its for clowns”
“wow those scrapes and bruises are from unicycling…WHat …are you throwing it at your self?” …so im trying 2 do this so that not only whill they see that a unicycle can do most of what bikes can do and then some
thats plenty…it’ll take a while, but you can definitely do it. I’ve done a 12 mile bike race on a 20" wheel once. it was stupid, but I just did it for kicks, you know…
yea dude, youll do it just fine. I have 140mm cranks and i go on really long rides in the summer(must be close to 15 or so miles) and it takes about 2 hrs on a KH 24". So yea youll do fine and youll be a saint when everyone sees you uni’ing that distance enstead of riding it.
Id say put a constant speed that you can hold and just go that speed the whole way pretty much taking frequent breaks and youll do fine. Also a backpack would be a good idea. Take some candybars, & plenty of water or some kind of drink.
If the trail you are riding is rouph and you think youll pop a tire bring some tire changing tools and a tube or patch. And as always id bring allen wrenches and other tools to tighten up everything on your uni. Its not fun if things are loose and falling off ( pedals & stuff).
I have done 20 miles on a 20 with 5 inch (125 mm) cranks. I have done 24 on a 24 with (from memory) 102 mm cranks.
It will take determination and time, that’s all.
Good luck.
If you are worried about it then start doing really really long rides on whatever unicycle you have now. If you can do say 30 miles on a 20" with 5 inch cranks then I doubt you will have any issues with doing something harder.
thanks
thanks fellow unicyclists
not only did you supply me with some confidence but you supplied me with some facts
so for that i say 2 things… thanks… and the other is
wam bam stick it to the man
According to your info you are in Florida. That means no elevation. Florida is one of the flattest states in the union so no worry about hills.
If you plan to change your cranks, 125 should be the longest you use. You can easily go shorter and still have plenty of oomph. Just put bunches of miles in on whatever your setup will be. The last time I raced 10k on Unicon, on a 29" wheel, I got beat by several kids on 24" wheels with teeny tiny cranks. I was using 102s.
To prepare for the ride, do some long practice rides, with your backback loaded similarly to the actual event. Your crotch and knees will be the weak points, so get them used to the idea. 20 miles should be a piece of cake as long as your body is ready.
I’ve done 20 miles on a 24 with 170mm.
It’s doable. However, you will want to get the water situation fixed.
2 water bottles really won’t be enough. I think I refilled my pack.
(I don’t remember the outside temp which varies the water).
Try to line up ride support for during the ride. The bikes will get ahead, and the people supplying the drinks and snacks to the riders may be long gone by the time you reach the place they had been. It might be necessary to get someone to meet you in a car every 5 miles or so with snacks and drinks. Orange slices make great snacks. Have them drive ahead and wait for you; having them tag along by riding just behind you would be maddening.
You’ll be fine as is, but I’d recommend getting shorter cranks–early. I have the Sun 28, and while 20 miles a day is easy on it stock, I switched out the cranks to 89mms. It takes a while to get used to that, but it’s much better in the long run. 102s would probably be the best choice if you’re not as expericenced. Keep your tire pumped up high, as well.