I love my 29" unicycle. If someone told me that I’d consider purchasing a 36" unicycle, I’d say they where crazy.
As I near the 500+ Kilometer mark I realize I can’t use a 29" for Ride The Lobster race. The 29" gives up too much speed and distance in comparison to 36".
It looks like the new unicycle will be a Nimbus 36" with the newly released Nightrider tire.
I’ll re-use my KH Fusion Freeride seat and T7 bar from my 29" (Can only ride one unicycle at a time.). Don’t feel the need to order the Version 2 T7 bar since the first version works well for me now. I’ve had no T7 bar malfunctions, or UPD caused from the T7.
To be honest I’d never purchase a 36" if it wasn’t for Ride The Lobster.
Well now I’ll find out what the mystic is about a 36" unicycle.
Hey Todd, sort of thought that you were going to GUni your current 29er.
A good 36er feels soooo smoooth, your are going to have fun
ERIC
Edit: Make sure to go for an aluminum rim, the difference switching from the Coker to 29er tube was noticeable for me, I think that a steel rim would make it feel like a tank compared to lighter rimed 36ers.
A 36" is worth every drop of… big…ness you’ll ever have to deal with. You can actually do some semi-serious stuff on a 36", whereas, on a 29, well… Even for hills, a 36" with 125 cranks will kick some serious butt compared to any smaller (ungeared!) uni.
Proper disclosure: This author owns a 36" unicycle, and has never purchased, nor will ever purchase, a 29" unicycle for exclusive road use. Heheheh.
Why the Nimbus instead of one of the new Cokers? Isn’t the big one quite a bit cheaper ?
I have a plain Radial 360. I would be really pulling out hairs if I was going to buy a new 36 now. So many new options, so few road reports.
If I was a good 36 muni rider, or it was hillier here , I might be tempted to upgrade to one of these lighter, stronger rigs. But here on flat island, the old Radial is going strong. I added lights and an air seat. Next I want to come up with an easy way to carry more junk. Like maybe a saddle bag that would hug a rear fender.
I think you will like your 36. One of the best features is you can see a lot more, being 7 feet tall.
My guess is that the Nimbus can’t fail to be a reasonable choice; ditto for the new Nightrider tyre. Aside from my own positive experiences with Nimbus kit (though my 36er is a mish mash of various different manufacturers), Roger Davies is one of the 36er riders and he designs their stuff - so it ought to be good if it’s good enough for him
Of course, Coker invented the pneumatic 36er so they ought to be good too. And they’ve done an impressive job of modernising the Big One.
It’s really exciting to be in 36ering at this time… When I bought mine only a couple of years ago, the choices were between the standard Big One, the old Qu-Ax 36" and the Radial. All of these came with the steel rim by default, all with plain frames with stamped bearing holders, nothing came with brake mounts. The standard pedals on the coker were actually cheap plastics, if I recall correctly!
Now we’ve got a massive choice of frames of different weights / designs / materials, alloy rims galore - and often as standard instead of an expensive upgrade - a third tyre choice which looks better suited to 36er muni, the T7 handlebar with the T7v2 on the way, Coker suggesting they’ll add a new tyre and handlebar of their own… Wow!
Previously I would have been worried that 36ers would stagnate or die out, being such a niche product compared to the scales of the worldwide bike industry. But instead of that they’re actually growing and accelerating! This is so cool
Financially it was gonna cost me
schlumpf 1300.00, rebuild rim and spokes 175.00, refit bearing for axle to frame ???
Then I need riding time to become comfortable with it.
Lastly was the wife acceptance factor.
I budgeted 1500 - 1700 for guni vs $600 36"
Add in budget money for 1 week in Nova Scotia for RTL, etc.
The N36 looks better (In my eyes) then the coker octopus. In my review of RTL ride reports I noticed quite a few N36 unicycles where used. Not sure if they out number other uni’s or not.
I can’t say if the N36 is better or worse than the rest of the bunch, time will tell.
The last two times I’ve ridden up Mount Diablo on my 29er with a bunch of Cokers, I came in at least 5 minutes ahead of all the Cokers. (The second time was on a geared 29er, but it was in geared mode for only about 5% of the ride). A 29er is simply a better climbing machine than a Coker due to weight considerations.
However, I agree that an ungeared 29er is not feasible for RTL. Too much distance and not enough climbing.
If your heart is set on a guni, then you’re never going to be happy until you have one.
Ask yourself some basic questions. Have you heard of anyone with a guni that regrets buying it? Why do you not see second hand ones up for sale? Do you think there are any Schlumps sitting in the back of a garage unloved and rotting away?
Then reverse those questions for a Coker…
Look forward to seeing you in Nova Scotia on your new Schlumpf
Even for hills, a 36" with 125 cranks will kick some serious butt compared to any smaller (ungeared!) uni.
