As I am beginning to make progress on my learning curve, I have started to consider my next unicycle (I am currently learning on a Nimbus II 20").
I was wandering what are the issues and differences I would face in moving from the 20" to a 26"? Different characteristics etc.
I would also say that I am a “masher” not a “spinner”, and not interested in high speeds or commuting, hence my considering a 26" (or should I also consider a 24")?
I use my 24 for kind of freestyle-ish riding, riding backwards, cruising around in front of my house making the passing cars nervous, hopping up and down curbs, etc. Not really for getting somewhere.
My 29 (which would be similar to a 26) is used for offroad riding, and getting out of the neighborhood to get exercise (5-10 mile rides)… going places.
SInce you already have a good 20, I would say go for the 26, 24 is just too similar to the 20 for now.
I have a 24" QU-Ax Muni and a 29" UDC Road Uni.
I spend most of my time on the QU-Ax because I love going off-road. I didn’t know that until I tried it 
A 24" MUni wheel with a 3" tyre actually measures 26", so isn’t a lot smaller than my 29" Uni which measures more like 28".
Yes, the 29" is faster overall on tarmac and I find it easy to maintain an average 7mph on it, but I prefer to go slower and have fun. If I want to get somewhere fast without using a car, I have an 18-speed mountain bike grins
I did consider a 26" MUni, and may get one at some point, but I love the 24" and am really glad I bought it. I’m riding 500 miles for charity this summer and most of it will be off-road on the MUni, just for the sheer joy of it.
My next Unicycle purchase (probably after XMas) will be a 19" Trials Uni for fooling around the neighbourhood and practising skills.
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, You know joggerdude,
You Can Never Have Too Many Unicycles 
(It’s Official !!!)
What do you want to do with the 26 or 24? Muni I assume? A 26 would probably be the wise choice. A 26 would give you enough of a difference to make it worth your while, plus you will find many more tires for a 26 than a 24.
You will probably find a lot of 26 unis used on the forum for a good price.
Just cruising around? 26"
Muni? a 24 would be good for more tech terrain, doing trials on the side of trails, or not in great shape (lower effective gearing). 26" more stable rolls over bumps eaier, a tad harder to freemount, harder to pedal strike rocks.
Yes the 26 has WAY wider selection of tires, but as long as a good reasonable priced tire is made for your wheel then why not? There are a bunch of good ones for 20, 24 & 29"
What’s your budget? after learning & cruising around what do you want to do w/ it? You could get the 26" version Nimb II. ISIS hub, so should last but dosn’t look like a lot of room for a fat tire, so best for a variety of stuff and mild Muni.
Budget is around £250 so 24" or 26" Nimbus or Qu-Ax muni would be ok.
Q: Would the 3" tyres (Leopard?) supplied with these unis be ok for cruising around on paths and pavements as well as light trail use? Any issues?
Thanks to all for the advice/opinions.
If you really plan on limiting yourself to light trail use, meaning the trails you plan on riding don’t have technical features, then you might consider swapping tires. Do they make a 26" racing ralph?
Leopard pros:
Lots of tire volume allows you to run with lower air pressure which can serve as a good shock absorber for rocks, roots, etc.
Thick sidewall, I have never had a pinch flat on my duro, and I’ve ridden it pretty low.
Low air pressure makes for a nice smooth ride.
Nice tire for hopping, dropping, downhill.
Leopard cons:
Heavy. If you are doing mostly pavement and light trail riding then a leopard wildlife is overkill and the penalty for sticking with the tire is dragging along all that extra rotational weight. Rotational weight makes a big, big difference. I swapped out the leopard wildlife on my wife’s uni for a lighter road tire and afterward she was scooting up hills. Also, I’ve taken to calling my uni with the duro leopard wildlife tire my “batting doughnut” uni.
If you do ride low pressure then sharp turns on pavement becomes more of a chore, the tire likes to stick to things so you have to work against that on pavement turns.
If you do run very low pressure then the sidewall can fold on you.
For pavement/light trail riding you’d want to put some extra air pressure in the leopard to facilitate turning and to reduce the tire’s contact patch with the ground (anything to decrease the rolling resistance). You’ll feel the knobs on the tire when riding on pavement and extended pavement riding will wear the tread down. I’d definitely suggest a lighter tire as long as the trails you plan to ride aren’t overly technical.
Having spoken to UDC (UK), and taking into account the advice on this thread, I am leaning towards the new Nimbus II 26" (blue rim).
http://www.unicycle.uk.com/26-nimbus-ii-unicycle-blue.html
It seems to be a strong uni with the same grippy tyre as on my current Numbus II 20". It also has 150mm Nimbus ‘Venture2’ ISIS Cranks which should be ok for hills and give me good control.
It should also be strong enough for light trail.
Having a reasonable width tyre (1.95), I could run it slightly softer for rougher ground, whilst it will be fine for bike paths and pavements.
Any thoughts?
Hey Joggerdude
I started on a 24" muni then bought a 26", then a 20". I had a 29" for a while, but it felt too high for me, that’s when I went to the 26". I like the 26". I have the Duro tire, but am considering going to a Hookworm, as I don’t really do muni, just gravel roads and rail trails and bumpy pavement. I am in your age category and feel the 26" is not too scarey:D I use the 24" sometimes, but would go with the 26" if I could just have one. I bought the 20" to try to learn idling and hopping. I got 6 hops in place the other day, can’t idle and am still not quite ready to try a rolling hop. Was at a school the other day and some young boys saw us ride by and were amazed! Fun! Keep at it and don’t worry about being too old to do it:)
I started with a 20", then my brother bought the club 29" mastered it in about 2 minutes, and now have a Nimbus 26" Muni, would love a 36… (will have one within the next year)
Warning, the unicycle link you posted… that thing will be a rocket… so be prepared to get where your going in good time… haha… first world problems…
I think you’ll like the 26" Nimbus. I went from a 20" “beginner” to a 26" Nimbus a while back. It took a little while to get used to the size difference, but after you get used to it, the 20 seems tiny and “squirrely.” (I don’t know if that’s just me or not. I got a 36" a couple weeks ago, and now the 26 feels tiny.)
If you plan to go any longer distances, you may want to experiment with different crank lengths (or try the double-drilled cranks). The longer ones will be better for muni and off-road, and the shorter ones better for longer distances.
Good luck!
Is the tyre supplied with the Nimbus II (Kenda 1.95) suitable for light muni ?
http://www.unicycle.uk.com/26-nimbus-ii-unicycle-blue.html
I am thinking it may slip too easily on damp grass, or do I need a more knobbly tyre for this?
Nice looking Muni, you can´t go wrong with a Nimbus.
I would replace the tire with a Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25.
It is very lightweight and grippy.
Rolls good on tarmac to.
Are you sure that uni comes with a 1.95" tire or did you ask for one specifically? UDC UK doesn’t specify tire width in their description, UDC USA specs it with a Kenda 26 x 2.3" (NPJ judging by the photos). I imagine you’d want the extra width for light muni/XC over a 1.95" tire.
Martin
This is the unicycle i purchased
http://www.unicycle.uk.com/unicycles/muni-24-29/26-nimbus-muni-red.html
This is what is looks like now:
I also have the Duro 3" for intense off road, but for 90% of the riding i do with this unicycle the hookworm seems to be the best you can get…
Buy the Muni and put a road tire on it, it has a wider frame, so it easier to select what you want later.
That is a good combo. It would be a good choice if… you ever want to run larger than a 2.5" tire; you want to be able to easily add brakes in the future; you don’t want to run a tire smaller than 2.25".
The Hookworm tire will also fit the Nimbus II frame. The 24" model used to come with a Hookworm before the tire was discontinued in that size.
The Nimbus II would still be a good choice if… you don’t expect to ever run larger than a 2.5" tire; you don’t expect to add brakes; you do want to be able to use a 1.95"/2.0" tire, and not worry about it blowing off the wider muni rim.
Martin
Sorry for the late reply on this, as I have only just got the answer.
The tyre supplied the the 26" Nimbus II is a Kenda 2.1" so will hopefully be ok for light trails and pavement.