I have been using ~160mm cranks on my old 24 and now have a new Nimbus II with 125mm cranks. Huge difference. I was descending a hill where I live that is normally no problem and couldn’t control my speed and ended up on my… well, you know. How long does it normally take to get used to a new pair of cranks?
I dunno, it probably depends. 160 to 125 is quite a big difference, so it could take a while. Maybe brakes would help on the downhills. With the KH spooner it would become a lot more comfortable.
That is a huge jump in crank sizes you just did there, with a change so radical I would think you would need a completely new riding style (and/or much different terrain) for a change like that to work.
On my 26" MUni I have gone from 170 to 152 to 160.
I never felt 100% comfortable with the 170s. Got used to them but they still felt awkward after a year.
Tried 150s, They were OK, Felt pretty good on the flat pretty nuch right away, after a few weeks felt decent on the hills but still a bit sketch going down steep stuff.
Tried 160s and was instantly comfortable. ZERO learning curve, these just fit me and seem to be as smooth as 150 on flat stuff and better than either 150s or 170s both for ups and downs.
Maybe it is not so much about getting used to different setups but trying different setups until you find one that is right for you.
It /is/ a huge change. If the OP has more than one unicycle then he might benefit from trying shorter cranks on the others as well.
When I first got my Coker I went from 152 to 137, then to 125, then back to 137 because I couldn’t handle 125 cranks at morning commuting time. Having done that, though, I immediately started to find the 152s on my 26" Muni feeling far too long. I switched to 125s on the Muni and they felt right straight away.
More recently, I switched from 125 to 114 and then to 102 on my 20" (to avoid grounding the pedals in tight turns when playing hockey). Each change took perhaps 2 or 3 sessions (of an hour at a time) to get used to. I’ve toyed with the idea of going even further, down to 90mm, but 102 seems to be the perfect length.
Having got used to 102s on the 20", the next time I rode the Coker (I don’t ride it very often) I found the 137s feeling much too long. I switched to 125s and they felt right straight away, even first thing in the morning.
Now I’m thinking about switching to 114s on the 26"…
Good advice.
For me it would take about 2 minutes, but I do this kind of change all the time.
I change from my Nimbus Trials which has 125s on it to my muni which has 170 i think… I find it harder going back to the trials than going up to the muni, however now i am used to it, it only took a few rides.
I think i would like some smaller cranks on the muni as they are a tad low when travelling on terrain with rocks poking up sometimes as they hit, but i am too tight to spend the cash as muni areas round here are limited and i ride my trials more.
Give it about a week or 2 and i reckon you’ll be comfortable with the change;)
The first time I rode it I was convinced that something was wrong. I made sure the cranks were on the right way, etc etc. Turns out the shorter cranks were just completely throwing me off. I’m used to that feeling now, but freemounting is signifigantly more difficult for the time being. However, the increase of speed is worth it I think. It’s also a little sketchier hopping, but I think I’ll get used to that.
I’ll keep riding them and only get worried in a few more weeks. Thanks everyone. If I were to upgrade cranks, it would be the 150/125 Moments for sure. That would be great to be able to switch for hill areas and muni to long flats.