Okay guys, you got me interested in this stuff again. How about some help? I unboxed my Semcycle 26" XLW today and I have a question or two that can’t wait till Unicyclist.com gets back to me (since it’s a weekend and I have a new toy to play with). Should I have more than 1/32" mud room between the tire and frame or did I get the wrong frame? The tire, which has a slight hop (yes, it’s seated properly) and shouldn’t normally be a problem, was rubbing the frame badly until I counter-acted the hop by adjusting the spokes to create a flat spot in the rim. It’s still rubbing slightly, but rideable enough to put in some training time. ‘Just like riding a bicycle’ applies here since I haven’t ridden a Uni in 20 years and spent an hour on it without a UPD (including the very first freemount). However, I hesitate to take it out on the rocky trails and risk scratching up the frame if it has to be exchanged. Any thoughts?
My first impression is that this is gonna be a hellavalotafun when I get my legs in shape. They have gotten uni-whimpy over the years, and may not be able to handle a long rocky trail ride for a while anyway.
I passed some bystanders who asked;
how do you ride that thing?
What is that thing? (followed by ‘what is a unicycle?’)
I have come to expect this type of response on the unibike, but are there really people who haven’t seen a unicycle???
Should I take to the trail and trash it, or keep the frame in new condition?
As always, many thanks to all of you (and Gilby) for all of the good info on this site.
Here is a link to a picture I took showing the clearance on my Sem XLW with a 24 x 2.6 GAzz tire on it. The tire is smaller, but it might help with perspective.
You’re gonna want more clearance than that above the tire. I’d hold off on playing in the dirt until you can call unicycle.com. Maybe the Nimbus II/Lucifer frame would fit the 26" tire better. I’ve never seen a 26" XLW so I don’t know how much clearance they have. The 24" XLW has lots of clearance above the tire.
That’s the amount of clearance I saw on the Unicycle.com website. They either use the same frame for the 24" and the 26", or I received the wrong frame, in which case I’m sure it will be corrected.
Oh, I didn’t mention that I was notified when the parts would be available AND when UPS would deliver it. It arrived as expected. I don’t usually purchase over the internet. Unicycle.com is the exception. Support them when you have the chance.
No pics yet, but I’ll have someone snap a few with MY camera sometime soon. As a photo gallery test, I did upload a shot of the XLW mud clearance, and a couple of non-uni ‘brake gliding’ pics. This link might get you there.
After seeing your picture of the 26" XLW with a Kujo tire you might be able to fix the problem with some creative grinding under the crown. The seat tube sticks down a bit under the crown. You could grind that part down without compromising the integrity of the frame.
My guess is that unicycle.com will recommend trying a different tire that isn’t quite as fat and deep as the Kujo.