KH 36 Review

Unicycles and Equipment
1

Hi All.

As I have just taken possesion of a new 2008 KH 36 I thought I would write an ‘initial thoughts’ review of this uni.

I’ve been wanting to pick up something that was going to get me around town a bit faster than my 24" uni’s were doing and had thought pretty seriously for over a year & a half about moving up to a 29".

Having only ever seen one 36" up close (never road one) I was a bit intimidated by it’s overall size and presumed that it would be a real bear to move around on city streets, so the 29" looked to be a better plan of action. Then I got thinking that once I went to a 29 I would just be wanting to get a 36 anyway so why not just go 36 and be done with it. (That way I wouldn’t have to explain twice to my wife why I was getting yet another unicycle) :smiley:

So having done just that last week I will get on with my review.

I usually like to have my seat heights on my 24’s at about 32" (using 150ml cranks).

The lowest I can get the KH seat with the post cut off to a 5.5" length (which is the total tube depth) puts it at 33" using the 150 ml hole on the double 125/150 “Moments” so this might be a concern for persons with shorter legs. (I have a 29" inseam and size 8.5 foot)
Short of cutting down the seat post tube (not something I would want to do to this beautiful frame) or going to a less padded seat than the stock KH “Free Ride” or using the 125 hole on the crank arms, a shorter legged person might have a tough go of getting set up on this uni.

I swapped the JC Odyssey Trailmix pedals out (you need a 17ml wrench for these as opposed to the standard 15ml for most other pedals) and put on a set of depinned Snafu’s which I am more comfortable with for learning purposes (applied to the 150ml holes) and was ready for my first voyage.

As our weather here has been less that ideal for riding, with tempuratures in the minus 40’s with wind chill and extremely icy ground conditions, I was not able to get in much of a ride but what I did has convinced me that the 36 was definetly the right choice for me. The feel of the ride was smooth and powerful and not as intimidating as I thought that it would be, even on ice and snow. I am able to free mount most of the time and can hop in place. Under movement it is suprisingly manouverable and agile. It appears to me to be very light in weight compared to it’s overall size and is very well balanced.

I am looking forward to trying out the 125 ml position on the crank arms but will likely wait until I have some proper ground conditions for that.

My only disappointment, and I use the word disappointment not complaint, is that the newer model KH unis have gone to a black colored ISIS hub which I think does not look near as good as the “signature blue” hubs did with the stock “signature blue” KH frames

As I own two other KH Unis I will have to say that once again Kris has come up with yet another top quality product that I am proud to own.

Harley.

Side note: When I went to pick this uni up from my LBS he had it tucked away in the back of the shop. Said it was so large that it was frightening his customers away. :wink:

2

We are going to have to meet up again some time so I can see that fancy new 36er you got there. I was considering getting one from municycle.ca when they were on sale but I am ridiculously broke right now. I am mostly curious how stiff the frame is and how good the grip is with that nightrider.

Man I miss my 36er.

I am assuming you got it from city park cycle. Did they order it for you through UDC? Did they charge you shipping?

I am envious

ERIC

3

The frame is VERY stiff…especially compared to a Nimbus 36. I’ve got lots of miles on the N36 to compare it to.

corbin

4

Just wanted to quote here that you can lower the seat to 31.5 inches by using a traditional Kris Holm seat post that right now it’s on special for $12.00.
In other words replace the adjustable post that comes with the unicycle for this one Kris Holm Seat Post. Works perfect!!!

5

Good point. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

6

Eric.

Yes the Uni came from UDC via City Park Cycle. The tire has great grip even in these snowy & icy conditions.

What happened that you don’t have your 36 anymore?

7

The KH36 is so good. I was never really content with riding a 36 until I got my KH36.

The Nimbus feels like it’s made out of spaghetti in comparison. Now we can have arguments like bicyclists do about whether it’s better to have a steel frame that is more forgiving and possibly comfortable for rough roads or a stiff aluminum frame that feels more snappy and responsive. :stuck_out_tongue:

8

So is it the best out there?.
Better than a coker too?

With my schlumpf problems I’m interested in the KH36. I guess I would keep the original wheel set and then make a separate wheel with the KH Schlumpf hub(someday:o)

9

IMHO, yeah, the KH36 is the best right now. It may not work for some people who are short, or have really wide thighs (ie: women – Louise and Shel tend to have the sides of their legs rub a lot on frames. The KH would not work well for them).

And yeah, the original KH36 wheel could make a good backup if anything happens to the KH/schlumpf hub (ie: my situation…)

corbin

10

Well; Corbin has certainly added another element to this review. I’ll let him bail himself out regarding the “really wide thighs” comment. :astonished: Your on your own for this one. :smiley:

11

Obviously the shape of the crown of the KH36 is not really appropriate for a 36" uni. I mean, I don’t think anybody here really needs a flat crown on a coker, nobody wants to do stand up wheel walking and the likes on a 36" unicycle. I think a new crown design would be very welcome, maybe something along the lines of the XTP frame… Because a regular round crown would look kind of boring IMHO… Of course it was the easiest option for Kris to keep his usual frame design and just give it longer legs. And I do think it looks good, but it really doesn’t make sense in practice. I guess this is one of the main reasons that lets me hesitate to get a KH36 frame.

12

Are you calling Beau Hoover a nobody? :smiley:

13

Yeah, Beau and Corbin, who are they? Just a bunch of nobodies to me.
:stuck_out_tongue:

14

Too late to edit this one, but now that I thought about it I don’t really know if Corbin does any foot on crown things on his 36er, the picture that I was thinking of actually shows him wheel walking. But then foot on crown wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, right?

15

hehe…yeah. All of us (Beau, Nathan, Jason/maestro) ride together a lot. I actually like the KH crown on my 36; I do like one-footing on it, but I’m so short that I find it difficult to get my leg all the way up there.

corbin

16

What’s in the box?

I have a KH36 on the way, and I’m wondering what I need to have to get ready to mount some brakes on it. So here are my questions:

[LIST=1]

  • Does it come with the mounting clamps for Magura brakes--the brackets that mount the brake calipers onto the frame? My KH29 had them in the box, but if this one doesn't, I'll need to order some.
  • I believe it comes with the newest KH seatpost without a rail adapter. Does that mean there's nothing on the seat or seatpost for mounting the brake lever? [/LIST]

    Thanks!

    • 17

    I don’t think there’s a comfort argument for existing steel frames. They’re all the wrong shape to offer any kind of meaningful suspension. Maybe for bumps you hit while going around turns? :slight_smile:

    It’s true that the KH 36" frame doesn’t really need a knurled flat area on the crown. But if people aren’t banging their knees on it, it’s not in the way either. It makes obvious manufacturing sense to build them that way, and you have the option of putting smaller wheels on that frame if you want, say, if you’re flying to a far-away unicycle event and cutting down on weight.

    18

    [QUOTE=pkittle;1203785]
    I have a KH36 on the way, and I’m wondering what I need to have to get ready to mount some brakes on it. So here are my questions:

    [LIST=1]

  • Does it come with the mounting clamps for Magura brakes--the brackets that mount the brake calipers onto the frame? My KH29 had them in the box, but if this one doesn't, I'll need to order some.
  • I believe it comes with the newest KH seatpost without a rail adapter. Does that mean there's nothing on the seat or seatpost for mounting the brake lever? [/LIST]

    Thanks!
    [/QUOTE

    [LIST=1]

  • The KH 36 comes with the mounting clamps for magura brakes.
  • It comes with the newest KH seatpost that does not have a break mount, but the seat comes with a break mount adapter. [/LIST]
    • 19

    Excellent! Thanks, Hector!

    20

    I don’t know about the rest of riders but for heavier riders over 200 lbs it certainly makes sense and gives you a sence of security. Just my point!