I’m a 2.5-month rider (level 4) and am looking to go MUniing.
I can already do 2.5-3 foot drops and jump about a foot up (seat in).
I love mountain biking and really want to go offroad on my unicycle.
I own a Torker LX right now and have screwed up the hub (I’ve tightened the left crank but it keeps wobbling and comming loose, I did this on the right but it was fine once i tightened, i think I’ve twisted out the axle).
I will be riding somewhat technical trails, w/ some semi-steep downs and a good bit of climbing. It’s pretty much XC, but I also ride some more technical XC stuff.
I don’t want to get a separate trials uni, so I’d be using this one for minor trials stuff (i.e 1.5 foot jumps, 3 foot drops, good sidehops etc.). Also, i’d be riding it around the street out front of my house. I’m wondering if a 3’’ tire is almost imperative for good, technical MUni, or if a 2.6 will be really good or not. Also, will a 3 inch tire fold over on big sidehops if i put it on the slimmer KH XC rim (compared to the 4mm wider Freeride rim)
Also, is the 1.3 pount weight savings on the XC good for trials-ish stuff or will it not make too much difference.
Thanks in advance for the input
O yeah, also, will a 3" tire be horribly sluggish around the streets and stuff? (not commuter distances or anything)
Go for the Freeride. The 3" tire is better all around for MUni, and for trials as well. I wouldn’t recomend the XC unless you were really going to limit yourself to light XC and climbing.
My guess is that with your mountain biking backround and the progress you’ve made so far, you’ll outgrow the XC pretty fast.
I agree with Ben, although I wouldn’t say anyone can “outgrow” the XC (if it’s used for what it is designed for). Based on your temperment the 24" will serve you best - if you plan to ride trails.
My observation is that the younger guys ride street and 20" more whereas older guys lean towards the 24". I think that a 20" will help you develop into an “impressive looking” rider more quickly also. As you probably know, you won’t want to spend a tremendous amount of time off-road on one though.
The Freeride would be the choice for anyone who’s serious about riding hard terrain and doing bigger drops.
But…most people don’t do this. In my experience, 24x3" Munis are sort of like SUV’s- many people buy them because they could do hard stuff with them, but the bigger tire and wider rim end up just being unnecessary weight.
The 24XC doesn’t seem like it weighs much less, but it’s actually quite noticable because the weight savings is in the tire and rim, which translates to a much lighter feeling in terms of rotational momentum.
And it’s not like the XC is weak- the KH XC rim is about as strong as an Alex DX32 and the tire is big for a 2.6" tire, and the rest of the components are the same as the Freeride.
So for people planning to primarily ride dirt trails and won’t do really huge drops, the XC is probably the best choice.
This brings up a question. Just how strong are the KH/onza hub/cranks? What will they hold up to with a light (145 lb) rider and semi/medium crappy technique? I REALLY don’t want to bend mine… It seems like a 5 or 6 foot drop isn’t that hard, so I want to know what to not do.
I’d recommend improving your technique on smaller drops, as in three or four feet, first. when you have really really good rolling out technique, a five or six foot drop won’t hurt your uni at all.
