I was wondering if you can ride much faster on a 28" than on a 24" unicycle? I get frustrated sometimes at how slow a 24" can be. Also, is it difficult to go off road on a 28" unicycle, and how about crank lengths. Which crank length is for which purpose?
thanks
With 150 cranks, a 28" is pretty good for offroad but doesn’t feel really fast compared to a 24". I can usually keep up with fast joggers on a 28/150 combo. It’s useful when you want to do a little bit of Muni and touring on the same ride. Get 125s if you just want to cruise and don’t want to Muni.
The simple answer is that at exactly the same rpm, the 28 will be 1/6 faster than the 24 - that’s 16.7% if you prefer.
But there are many variables.
It is easier to cruise on a 28. A big wheel will maintain a steady speed better than a small wheel. It’s easier to maintain a lower cadence, so the 28 will cruise at about the speed that is ‘fast’ on the 24.
But then you introduce crank lengths, and changes to cadence. At any given crank length, the 24 will offer slightly less control, which will affect mounting, accelerating, stopping, and idling.
But if you arrange similar ratios, then the balance swings back to the 28.
A 28 is easily rideable on 125s or 110s. On 110s, it will easily top 10mph on tarmac for sustained periods. And a reasonable rider will be able to mount and idle it confidently.
A 28 is more like an overgrown 24 than an undergrown Coker.
I’ve off roaded my 28 on 110mm cranks, and it’s surprisingly capable.
There are pros and cons.
If I could only have one unicycle to last me the rest of my riding career, it would probably be a 24, for versatility.
Re: is a 28" much easier than a 24"?
I have a time trial through this track behind our house. On my 26x2.6X170mm cranks I do about 16-17min. It’s about the same on the 24’X3’ with 170mm cranks, maybe very slightly slower. On my 29’er with 150mm cranks I do it on average about 14min. So roughly over an hour you’re saving yourself about 10min on the 29er. It will vary with terrain/rider but probably will save more time the smoother and flatter it is.
An example: I did a mountainbike duathlon on Sunday. It was all uphill and then all downhill for 18k followed by a 4.5k run. The 29’er was great uphill as well as dowhill- I probably would not have gone much faster on my bike on the uphill. When I got to the run my legs were still very fresh. I think the 150mm cranks and also lightweight of my 29er really helps. I know in the past when I’ve done this on a MTB my legs still feel like they are going in circles on the run (with 170mm cranks).
Anyway, get a 29er- you’ll love it!
Ken
Re: is a 28" much easier than a 24"?
On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 20:59:01 -0600, universacycle
<universacycle.kryuy@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:
>I was wondering if you can ride much faster on a 28" than on a 24"
>unicycle? I get frustrated sometimes at how slow a 24" can be. Also,
>is it difficult to go off road on a 28" unicycle, and how about crank
>lengths. Which crank length is for which purpose?
Short answer: a 28" is roughly 20% faster, cranks and conditions being
equal. A 28" can surely venture off road. A fat tyre and longish
cranks will help. Heavy duty off road is better tackled with a 24 or
26".
Long answer in less words: search! Either the forum or Google Groups.
I think I can safely say that Mikefule is the most prolific (and
probably the most knowledgeable) author on the subject of wheel
diameter and crank length.
"Canada is an Indian word meaning ““Big Village””. "
Re: is a 28" much easier than a 24"?
On Mon, 24 Mar 2003 13:42:11 -0600, Mikefule
<Mikefule.ktyho@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:
>At any
>given crank length, the 24 will offer slightly less control, which will
>affect mounting, accelerating, stopping, and idling.
When compared to a 28"? I thought it would be the other way around.
Was it a typo?
My 28" is halfway the North Sea. Soon I can check for myself.
"Canada is an Indian word meaning ““Big Village””. "
Re: Re: is a 28" much easier than a 24"?
Not a typo, but a simple error. I wrote it quickly and conflated two ideas.
At any given crank length:
The 24 will have an easier ratio, so it will tend to idle more easily, reverse more easily, and you can mount it more easily.
The 28 will cruise more easily, because the bigger wheel smooths out the pedaling movement, and the momentum carries you through minor errors which would ‘trip’ the 24.
So you get a situation in which if you put, say, 102mm cranks on a 24 and a 28, you will tend to find it’s easier to mount the 24, easier to stop it, and easier to idle it. but you will find it’s easier to ride the 28 for sustained distances on a reasonable surface.
These are minor effects only, but I think they exist.