KH36, single speed!!

Kris, what took you so long? :wink:

I just got a KH36 to replace my first generation N36, the only other 36 I’ve ridden extensively, and the KH36 feels much nicer. I took it on its first ride this morning.

I had forgotten the small amount of disappointment I felt when I first got the N36. I was disappointed with the flexy feel of the steel parts. It just never measured up to the feel of my KH24 or KH29. In contrast, the KH36 actually feels like the KH29’s big brother. It’s so stiff and responsive.

I’m still waiting on the 110/125s I ordered to come in the mail. I can’t wait to try the 110s on a certain local hill I’ve only almost made with 110s on my N36.

This is also my first experience with the Nimbus rim, and it brakes so smoothly compared to the airfoil I was using. It’s hard to tell if I’m getting brake rub when I climb. The frame certainly does not noticeably flex like the N36, but the wheel might have been flexing enough to rub today. Maybe my long pants were rubbing on the wheel–I don’t typically ride in long pants. Maybe I’m just out of shape. Or maybe I need to tighten the spokes more.

The stock wheel build was pretty lame–sorry, if whoever builds the wheels for UDC reads this forum. I could tell that several of the spokes were looser than the rest of the wheel just by squeezing them. I already worked on the wheel some. I’ll probably spend some more time tightening it up as the spokes get broken in.

And, I’m all single speed again. For those who haven’t heard, I may be the first consumer to buy and sell a KH-Schlumpf hub. I decided that now that RTL is over I really have very little desire to use the gear or worry about the risk of falling at ~20 mph. Riding long distances on the road is the least fun for me of everything I could do on a unicycle, so the amount of maintenance required makes it not worthwhile for me.

It has been said that having the geared hub is like having two unicycles. That is true in terms of function, but in terms of maintenance a geared hub feels more like 5 unicycles to me. :wink:

For offroad riding I’d rather stick with a single speed because the high gear is so much higher that it’s just not suitable for offroad riding unless the offroad is relatively light, in which case I’d rather move up a wheel size than bother with a gear.

Hi Kevin,
I thought I was the only one that thought that way. I think the geared hub is a great advancement in distance riding, racing, but what you were saying about maintenance is a good point. I like being able to jump on the wheel and go and not really think about whether the shifter button is gonna stick or not. I also like maneuvering and doing tight turns and pirouettes and stuff like that. Plus, when I tried riding Corbin’s at RTL I realized just how heavy that uni is and that is not cool. Anyway, just thought I’d chime in. Later.

Aj

+1

Schlumpf hubs have their place, and they are definitely faster (I have two Schlumpf unicycles). But gimme my trusty Unguni 29’er or 36’er anyday.

I love the simplicity and feel of a standard unicycle. And no mucking around with grease, fiddly buttons that break or get stuck, or added weight and complexity.

The KH/Schlumpf 36 is heavier and does feel sluggish sometimes, but overall it is a much better ride(for the road/long distance). The geared 36 really works your leg muscles, more so than I ever have on a unicycle, but after a long ride it is just my muscles that are sore…not my joints like on the ungeared 36. I felt with the geared 29 I couldn’t improve much more than where I was at after RTL, but with the geared 36 I feel like I have a LOT of room for improvement. As Dan Hansen said…it feels like weight lifting when riding the geared 36. I feel like with the geared 36 my leg muscles will develop more and I will be able to improve over time, but with the ungeared 36 and geared 29 I pretty much hit the limit of how fast I could spin, it wasnt as much about muscle power.

It is going to differ based on who you talk to, but for me, I would MUCH rather have a geared 29 or a geared 36 than an ungeared 36.

There is something to be said about riding an ungeared 36er offroad on XC tracks. That is the main reason I still have my N36.