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
Alright, thanks for the quick reply Kris. I might just have to get that 29" I was eyeing.
thanks for the info! now that you mention it, i do remember several of those threads. thanks!
Kris,
Are there any plans for Moment cranks longer than 165mm to go with a 26" x 3" wheel?
Thanks,
- Frank
Frank,
No- the longest I’ll do for the foreseeable future in the Moment’s is 165 mm.
Kris
Thanks Kris.
Kris, what would be the minimum suggested width on the 29"X47mm for a road tire?
I heard of someone who put a 2.5" hookworm (63.5mm) on a 65mm Large Marge, w/o any problems. (I realize actual tire width varies)
I’m thinking of getting the 26 or 29 but I’m torn between the two. A 3" tire is definately overkill for me, but a slightly wider tire might make it better than the 29. But I roll everything, so the extra rollability over rocks & roots of the 29 would be usefull, but then it’d have a “taller” gearing & higher center of gravity, and would it be more or less manuverable than the 26, w/ say a 2.3" Stout vs. a 2.6" Gazz?. 
:o
The 26" with a 47mm rim and a 2.6 Gazz will be far more user friendly for single track than the 2.3 Stout. If there were a 29er Gazz 2.6, with the same rim widths, then they’d be very similar similar.
I have the KH 29 with a Stout and I sold it because it did not handle as well as my 24" muni with an Intense DH 24x3. Part of the problem is the increase ride height, but it really comes down to tire volume and profile. The Stout is a mtb tire, meant to be ridden in pairs, so it’s really not that wide if your coming from the Duro Wildlife, Gazz, or Intense.
Though the Stout is one of the highest volume 29er tires, it doesn’t absorb surface variations, rocks, roots, etc… enough to be considered a muni tire. I’m not an expert rider, but I’m a solid intermediate, and I felt like the 29er with a Stout made everything at least one grade harder, at times kicking me off the uni in places where I cruised through on a 24.
I have ridden a 26" with a Gazz 2.6, it was a good ride, not really sure why I sold it, but it was a good compromise between a 24" and a 29". The 26 rolls obstacles better that the 24, still tech worthy, not noticeably heavier than the 24. Many people believe the 26 is just too close to the 24, but I noticed a significant difference.
I will be getting a KH 26, but I’ll set it up as a lightweight ride, 2.5 single ply tire, ~38mm rim, light cranks, Ti hub, carbon seat, etc… My 24 will remain my workhorse muni for the nasty stuff.
About the maneuverability …
It’s funny. I ride mostly my KH29 on the trails these days, although I’ve been taking some decent forays into 36er muni, too. Now, when I ride the KH24 with 3" Gazz, I do notice how quickly it adjusts to the line I want to take, compared to the bigger wheels. But I’m not sure that it’s more maneuverable than a 29er. It has to do with flow. Even though I can change course more quickly on the 24, I find that the increased speed with the 29er lets me flow through rougher sections just as well, and I still am able to navigate it around 90% of the obstacles I want to miss. There are a bunch of sections where I ride most of the time with rock gardens filled with baby-head rocks, so it’s not smooth singletrack (but it IS a lot of fun!).
So I guess that, even though the smaller wheel is easier to maneuver, its tank-like ability to bust through about anything makes me not worry nearly as much about maneuvering when I’m on it. The 29er makes me pay closer attention to the trail, and try harder to stick to a particular line as I ride. Part of this is due to the lower air volume in the smaller-width 29er tire, which necessitates avoiding sharp-edged rocks and bigger drops.
FWIW, I’m running a Nevegal 2.3 on the 29er. The Stout was nicer in terms of air volume, but it weighed a flippin’ ton and about killed my (not great anyway) hill climbing ability. Plus I find the Nev to react very little to trail camber.
Oh, and my 14 year old son is having a great time on that 26x2.6 setup Nurse Ben put together (glad I bought it!). He uses 137s on it, and tears up the trails. It’s a nice muni!
Hopefully this will not be considered as a threadjack but I think it can fit in here: The dual holed KH Moments are currently available in 165/143, 150/125 and 125/110 right? I was just thinking that maybe the combination of 143/120 could be a nice addition for some of the mixed terrain muni/distance riding done with geared munis. Or maybe 145/123. Or something like that. I’m not sure what the minimal distance between pedal holes has to be. Just a thought.
right for 150/125 and 125/110 but not 165/137 instead of 165/143
150/125 and 165/137 have inserts for pedals but not for 125/110 as not enought place (probably not very important for such short lenght not used for Muni)
Okay, thanks, that’s right.
This is fairly typical of one of the more technical sections I intend to ride. Most drops are 6-8", w/ some options of drops up to 2 ft, w/o having to jump up to them.
The larger wheel would be easier to roll over the top of rocks, but a larger tire would absorb the hit better and be more stable going over. So…
I vote 26x3