Hey,
I did wait a long time to release it due to the market size, but a KH26 frame will be available by late April or Early May, as well as a 47 mm wide KH rim. I have this setup built up right now with a KH/Schlumpf hub, and for me it feels like an ideal size for an All Mountain-style geared muni.
Kris
Awesome! It’s a shame that I live so far from Muni spots (at least 1 hour away, São Paulo is HUGE)…
But wait until next year when I get a car… Trials on rocks and all skateparks will be close 
Nice move Kris, can’t wait to see the 47mm Rim 
Woohooooo, that’s what I was hoping to hear! Awesome!
I guess I should have waited for your rim. I now have a very golden try-all without machined braking surfaces. I do like the large holes in it, but I would have preferred a decent black or silver one (they were out of stock when I ordered). Maybe I will replace it with a KH when they become available over here.
I would like the frame with that great glossy silver clear-coat-only-look, like the double crown KH20. Any chance for that to happen? Then people could get them PCed in their own colours in case they don’t like the silver. But I think silver would also be very practical because it wouldn’t show the scratches and stuff.
Now I’m looking forward to ordering a KH26 frame, a KH touring handle bar, and maybe the new rim too.
Not only do I have a Hunter with 42mm holders but I also have a Koxx One with a 3" tire with plenty of clearance. That said, it doesn’t seem like too long of a wait for the KH.
Which tire are you running on your Koxx?
Being wrong about the hunter frames does not surprise me but it sort of bugs me that I have been told many times that a 3" tire would not fit in a Koxx Trackmonster by people here and those selling them. I would have bought a whole new unicycle instead of building up my custom wheel and it would have cost me about the same.
I guess I am just as guilty as everyone else passing on information that is apparently false.
Good to hear. Are you going to sell complete 26" Munis? And how about the new 47mm 29er rim, is that coming out at the same time too?
Hey,
An assembled KH26 will be out for November’09. The 47 mm wide 29" rims are coming out in late April/early May, same as the KH26 frame and rim.
Cheers,
Kris
But he doesn’t have machined bearing holders, which are required (to very tight tolerances) for KH/Schlumpfing.
I’m so excited! But I wonder why you would want to wait so much longer before releasing the complete KH26? Not that it bothers me, cause I’m just going to buy the frame and maybe the rim. But aren’t those all the new parts you need to set up and sell the fully assembled KH26?
I would have but it just came down to time. Originally I was going to wait until Christmas’09 to release the KH26, but I decided it was worthwhile to release the frame and rim early since I had them ready to go.
Kris
I see, well I’m glad the frame and rim are coming out that soon. What do you think about the idea to offer them in plain silver? I think would look awesome.
Congratulations on your 850th post, by the way;)
Funny, never noticed that =)
KH frames internationally will be the signature blue for the forseeable future, because it’s recognizable and works very well for distribution. But this year I’m starting to work with importers to help them create limited runs of their own custom color options, done locally. That way it changes depending on the country and people get something a bit more unique than factory color options. Hopefully it is a success; will see how it goes.
Kris
You just made some of my mountain biking friends very happy Kris. Nice to know about the 47mm 29er rim. What tire do you recommend for the wide rim?
I’ve been riding the Stout tire on it (wire bead, heavier casing version). It really changes the feel of the tire - makes it feel higher volume and much more stable.
WTB originally had a larger 29’er tire than the Stout in the works, which they decided not to produce. With this wide rim I’m not sure it would be needed anyway, because the rim takes care of the stability issue without adding as much weight as the extra rubber would have.
Currently I have a lightweight XC tire on my geared 26 but I will probably move to a Stout on it as well. I really like the feel of that tire for all-mountain and XC.
Kris
oh soo cool now i am waiting to get a new comprete KH 26 I was going to get an 08 24 or 29er but now I will wait. Any prices In mind?
This is great news! Will the rim be drilled like a 47mm trials rim? Also, I’m considering the stout for my KH29, and I noticed that wtb has a xc tire listed in a 2.55 size. Have you tried that? Do you think it would fold too easily??
The 26" and 29" rims have the same geometry and and hole shape/diameter as the 24".
I’ve tried the larger WTB tires (e.g. Weirwolf) and personally prefer the sidewall stability of the Stout. There are a few threads on here that have a comparison of these.
So does that actually mean you’ll supply them with some unpainted frames? Then the importers could also offer the plain silver ones, for those who prefer that…
Don’t get me wrong, I do like the KH blue, but I think I am probably not the only one getting kind of bored with it. It seems to me that the shape of the crown and the over all frame design is already quite recognizable. And then your logo, it would still be visible on otherly coloured frames, where it usually disappears when people customize it.
I would actually expect an increase in sales from some more fresh colours like silver, orange, gras green, candy apple red, white, mat black etc. But people can do that themselves or have it done too.
Of course I don’t have the slightest idea about the actual size of the market and the costs that would arise from offering more colour options. But as I said, I think it could make your stuff even more attractive.
In any case, if you offer them unpainted too, customization will get a little easier.
I’ll buy the 26" frame regardless of it’s colour. Actually blue will be just fine.:o
Will these new rims be drilled in a similiar manner to the 24" or only drilled on the inner wall like the current 29"?
Yes - some select primary importers (those who choose to participate) will get bare frames to develop a custom powdercoat program. Bare frames aren’t available for retail sale.
Internationally, there is a world of difference between this core newsgroup and the mainstream in terms of familiarity with good unis and the sport in general. Bikeshops really want to have “that blue” to be comfortable that someone walking in the door will recognize the uni across the shop as the best one. Having a custom program will hopefully provide some boutique options to the core group that want it, while still keeping the mainstream distributors happy.
Kris
They are drilled through to reduce weight, same as the 24". The 47 mm 29" rim is only a few grams heavier than the 38 mm.
For the 29’er, if you plan to ride the uni on the road as well as trails, the 38 mm (existing) rim is the better option because it has less rolling resistance and isn’t influenced as much by road crowns. For primarily offroad use, the 47 mm is good. The 38 mm rim will be standard spec on the assembled KH29 for 2009 at least.
Kris