I ordered the video “Rough Terrain Unicycling” by George Peck and watched it fo
the first time today. I was amazed at the kind of obstacles he negociated on h
I have begun the process of building my own MUni (Mountain Uni), planned to
have a 26" wheel, 36 spokes, 175mm crankarms.
I am writing to ask for advice and information on selection of the rim. I
have been working on the assumption that a wide rim would be sturdier than a
narrow rim, and accomodate a wide tire better too. I have been to several
bike shops looking for a wide 26" rim but what I have seen and been told is
that ATB rims are usually 1" wide (never wider than about 1.5") , even
though the tires nominal width may exceed 2". These wide tires look all
wrong pinched onto these narrow rims. wIt seems to me that a wide tire
should have a wide rim. I am getting the impression that wider rims exist
but the shopowners are simply unwilling to open a catalog and find one.
Seems they would like my money but only if it's not too much work to get.
Then there are the dodos who ask me questions like "Do you want a front rim
or a back rim?" They always ask what kind of bike it is for. When I tell
them it's or a unicycle they say "No, no, no, bike rims won't work on
unicycles, you need special unicycle rims and we don't have any here."
A wide rim be stronger than a narrow rim & should provide better support for
a wide tire than a narrow rim, right? Considering that more than double the
load of the typical ATB wheel will be placed on the MUni wheel, I believe I
should try to get the strongest rim possible.
My 24" uni has a Van Schotthorst 24" by 2.125" rim. Hopefully I can find a
sturdy 26" ATB rim in this width too. Any ideas, suggestions, reports of
wider rims (brand and model #s would be helpful) and possible sources would
be appreciated. I am looking for an extruded aluminum alloy rim for light
weight and strength.
I have pored through some mail order catalogs and the widest I can find is a
tandem bike rim, Mavic PSP 281. It is 28.1mm wide, about 1.1".
Thanks,
Dennis Kathrens