@Unisomniac I’d get a second set of cranks and pedals, yes. Figured I’d only be undoing the bearing clamps. Is that something riders do? I can’t seem to find a conversation about swapping a wheel out without hubs and whole tire disassembly being discussed. Seems people get the Hatchet and keep to one new wheel rather than alternate. I was hoping for help on that front. Stuff like rim, spoke, hub… I consider myself a noob now since I’ve been out of the sport for so long. And learn new things on the way, too.
I know the weight of fat tires and love it but for road it’s definitely not something I’d like! 36er is way too big (props to you). I’m a KH and Nimbus guy myself so that’s good. Had a 20" KH and then the Nimbus Oregon. I actually never got a puncture, that’s why I’m returning to Nimbus.
The closest you will find is bearing caps torque discussions
But you will find frequent mentions to additional/second wheelset that is exactly what you are planning (2 wheelsets ready to ride for one frame).
Usually, it is painless as long as:
you do not swap it every ride
you keep them complete (skipping pedal/crank swapping)
YMMV on what would be too much or not but that should give you an idea of how successful 2 2 wheelsets can be (with the added bonus on storage !).
Yes, that is a thing some people do. I used to do that on a flatland/freestyle unicycle, but then I changed some parts and ended up with two complete unicycles again.
I think it makes sense in some cases, but if you have two wheelsets with very different wheelsizes/cranksizes, you will also want to change out seatheight. (And if you have two very similar wheelsets, what is the point?) Then if you have different wheelsets for different purposes, chances are you might also want a different handle configuration and maybe seatangle - so at a certain point it’s just more logical to have two complete unicycles - that’s why it’s not a super common thing to do.
I’d say it makes a lot of sense as a minimal investment for you to try out a road tire. My vote is 29", maybe something like a Schwalbe Big Apple - I see no point at all in going over 2.5" wide on a road setup.
My wife and kids are leaving for a few weeks to go visit the in-laws and I’m going to take advantage of that time to swipe the wheel and crank assembly from my daughters 24” muni. This should give me awhile to play around with a smaller wheel size without actually buying another uni.
I’m not sure Id want to be doing this on a regular basis, but as a way to experiment with a different wheel size I think it makes sense.
Checked Big Apple… I think I’m so STUCK with fat tires that anything that size is too thin. I did see some sleek tires in the fat bike size but figure weight will also be an issue, especially if that 2.5" will help with distance. Yeah, I figured that most people get a 2nd uni. I had 3 unis at one point but the 26" was biggest so I only used that one. Maybe down the line I should check into a proper road uni. I actually never tried out handles! Or played with seat angle. I got the Nimbus Oregon out of the box and rode it for years (2013 till… 2017?).
With how much stuff is out of stock the Hatchet is my priority. I think I’ll scope out any road unis. It seems less of a headache overall as you pointed out and I agree.
I’ve ridden thousands of miles on Big Apples on bicycles and for bikes I love them. They roll well, give a comfortable ride and I’ve had excellent luck with them when it comes to flats.
For unicycles however I’ve seen people report camber issues with them. Ive never tried one on a unicycle yet, so take it with a grain of salt, but someone with firsthand experience will probably weigh in at some point.
The Schwalbe Big Apple Tyre 29x2.35 was a camber nightmare for me, and also for a friend. Now I’ve got the Maxxis Hookworm 29x2.5 and WTB slick 29x2.2. Both much better.
I love Big Apple tyres on unicycles. They roll well, last forever, won’t puncture, handle really well and provide a comfortable ride due to their volume. Rode a lot on 29x2.35 and 26x2.35. Actual width is more like 2.5 inch on rims of about 30-40mm internal width.
I’ve also seen a recent report of chamber issues with it. I wonder as it doesn’t match my experience. For sure a thinner and less comfortable road tyre is even less susceptible to road chamber. But in comparison to tyres of similar width the Big Apple handles chambered surfaces very nice, as far as I can tell.
In regards to minimizing height adjustment, as long as your frame and crank length stays the same, the wheel size doesn’t matter.
It should be doable to find a crank length that works as middle ground between 26 fat and 29 road. I would venture a guess that 130- 140 would probably work ok.
The other option is a quick release seat post clamp and deal with it. I change my seat post height when switching between 125/150 on my dual hole cranks and the double quick release clamp makes that so much easier.
That’s interesting. I remember the Hookworm 26x2.5 being noticeably more susceptible to road chamber than the Big Apple 26x2.35. I didn’t like the handling of the Hookworm. The Hookworm offered some more grip, e.g. on snow and sludge, but has more rolling resistance and weight.
In the 28/29" size, I really couldn’t use the Big Apple on cambered ground. I was leaning my body everywhere to fight it. I really don’t know why. But anyway, it’s on my blacklist now
There are too many boring grey hatchets around. I think they are so much fun, that they deserve a more friendlier colour. What do you think about RAL 4005?
Looks like it would clash terribly with those pedals… Neutral (black/white/silver) frame, colorful rim, pedals, seat (when that was possible) and seatclamp has always been the winning look in my eyes.
I have one on my KH 29er and it rides beautifully, I’ve never had any camber issues with it, though in fairness I don’t ride it anywhere near as much as my 36er
The Clash were one of my favorite bands at the time.
I`m sure, the colors will clash and I will see if I like it or not. It is easy to swap the pedals onto another unicycle.
I think the camber issues can be explained by the BA’s very rounded profile. With the profile like that, when you ride on across a tilted surface the high side of the contact patch of the tire will have a smaller radius, (measured to the axle), than the low side will, so it will tend to pull to the uphill side. On a tire with a flat profile the difference will minimized, so there should be less pulling to the side, however the contact patch will also be narrowed which I imagine would result in more squirrely ride behavior.
What I’ve found in the past regarding camber issues is that both higher tire pressure and becoming a better rider seem to alleviate the problem somewhat.
I remember the Hookworm 26x2.5 being noticeably more susceptible to road chamber than the Big Apple 26x2.35. I didn’t like the handling of the Hookworm. The Hookworm offered some more grip, e.g. on snow and sludge, but has more rolling resistance and weight.
