I know you already bought; I was just going to mention that you probably don’t need a brake. If you know your trails are steep enough that you aren’t comfortable riding down them without one, that’s the only reason you should need a brake.
150 is probably a really good size for getting used to your new 26". If anything, you might find them a tad long for riding with bikes. Again it depends on your local steepness, and your personal taste. If your trails don’t get steep (or not enough to spec for it), you might even prefer to go a size shorter than that.
Of course you live in the area where the next World Championships will be, so I presume there are unicyclists available for you to join up with if you can. Or to buy used unicycles from. I hope we will get to meet you at Unicon 17! It will be the third one hosted in Canada (all in Quebec, BTW), and only the second country to host three or more Unicons.
Wow thank you all for sharing! The unicycle community is very supportive!
My 26" has 145 cranks and I will be getting magura rim breaks, leaked, with the seat post fitting for 30$. That’s another sign of how much the community is supportive . I will try to show up at the Unicon for sure. Maybe I can try to come and ride the tracks during the practice runs. Someone even told me I should participate hahaha.
I believe the break will help me get less tired on descends and also I hope it will help me learn to glide.
2 other questions: how much pressure do you put in the tire? Do you ride at normal seat height? Or do you take it down an inch or two?
Yes a break helps to get less tired on descends. A break is even more effective on the climbs to make you less tired.
A brake, on the other hand, does also help on descents to get less tired, but is counterproductive on climbs.
I don’t know how that would work. By definition, with gliding you brake with your foot on the tyre, modulating the foot pressure so you don’t fall. I’ve never heard that using a brake would help.
Depends on your weight, tyre width, the terrain, riding style and personal preference. If the tyre laterally folds (“too much”) in corners or sidehops, pressure is too low. If the bounce from the tyre is too small, pressure is too high. Just try it out.
Usually the seat is lowered by one or two inches, compared to the ‘ideal’ height (leg fully stretched with your heel on the pedal in its lowest position, while seated). The reason is that if the terrain is bumpy, you can take weight off your seat so you won’t bounce off. Also, small jumps can be executed seat-in more easily if the seat is lowered. Again, no universal wisdom, so experiment with what you like, not every MUni rider has the same preferences. E.g. if the focus is on climbing, a higher seat tires you out less. Some riders even adjust the seat height before (and then again, after) a long climb.
Thanks Klaas, for the break, I totally get it now. Hahaha!
My idea for the glide is simply that if I can ride the uni with feet on frame and only use the brake (on a descend), I will get the feeling of the gliding without having to get the proper foot technique…
Anyway: it is -15 deg celcius out there I have to go own my technique, Ride on!!!
The reason foot gliding is so much more common than brake gliding is that it is really an extension of other skills. You learn to wheelwalk, then your feet are in position to glide.
Brake gliding is what the folks on freewheel unis are doing. Some consider freewheel unis to be a possible major advancement in the sport. Others, like me, are more skeptical. People riding freewheel MUni blows my mind in much the same way as ultimate wheel MUni. But I digress…
Quite a few people can ride at speed on an even surface, then lift both feet in the air while applying the brake, and thus coming to a stillstand. From this I’d think that MUni downhill brake-gliding should be doable. But admittedly, I’ve seen many more riders normal-glide on an even surface than I’ve seen brake-gliding on an even surface, so you’re probably right that MUni brake-gliding is difficult. In fact I thought that too, but I phrased it perhaps too weakly, as in “not sure if this is any easier”.
Tyre pressure will depend on what you’re up to. When riding around the woods, over tree roots and lots of bumps and lumps I drop it to ~20psi. For smoother, harder packed trails I’ve been riding with it at about 35 - 40psi. A few weeks I put that up to 50psi as I’m extending how far I ride and the harder tyre rolls more easily. This reduction in rolling resistance is at the cost of ‘bump absorbtion’ so I can go faster, more easily but find the bumps harder. When I get back to the woods again I’ll drop it back to 20psi.
Seat hight (and tyre pressure) is something I strongly suggest you play about with and experiment…you’ll be amazed at what a difference to your ride it makes. On the really rough stuff I probably have it a little lower than average as I want to be able to easily get off when I UPD (Unplanned Dismount)…when riding distance I prefer to crank the seat hight up as it helps me to get my weight off my legs and into the saddle to make the riding less trying.
Get a pump, a simple pressure gauge and an allen key/hex wrench and try something different every time you go out
UL
PS - I should add that the above is for my 26" Qu-Ax (like yours) and I’m about 90kg.
I hope we will get to meet you at Unicon 17! It will be the third one hosted in Canada (all in Quebec, BTW), and only the second country to host three or more Unicons.
. I will try to show up at the Unicon for sure. Maybe I can try to come and ride the tracks during the practice runs. Someone even told me I should participate hahaha.