Regarding Unisomniac’s idea of a 27.5++ Hatchet, there is the SUNringle Mulefut 32H-hole 80 mm (75 inner width). It’s the same brand they use on the 27.5 Hatchet only 30mm wider. Price isn’t bad, either.
I’m thinking about buying a Hatchet and having a build with this rim (US UDC has 125mm 32 hole disc hubs in stock). Then I could use the 3.8 Maxxis Minion FBR or the 4.5 Barbegazi and I’m sure there will be many more options to come. I was tempted to get the 26, but just like the 27.5 wheel size so much more (I have 26 and 27.5 Oracles).
I’m not sure why this hasn’t been done yet (even by UDC) but maybe I’m missing something.
A big wide single walled rim doesn’t exactly inspire confidence during any kind of impact likely to occur during the type of riding that this sort of setup might be used for.
The Hatchet is a new product. It makes better business sense to market it with a smaller (read stronger and cheaper) rim and tire combination with the ability to upgrade later. Cramming the biggest tire that can fit, and potentially rub in adverse circumstances, on a rim that really isn’t designed to support the entire weight of a rider over rocks and drops would likely tarnish the reputation of the hatchet as a product, as well as increase the price.
If we had more demand and, as a result, more market support for the 27.5" tire size, you would see a double walled 27.5x100mm 36H unicycle specific rim and the entire fat tire catalog produced in both 26" and 27.5"
Maybe some day, but right now, the less than 100 people globally that might be interested in, and have the money to purchase a 27.5 FatUni specific setup, are far to niche to warrant a new product.
For what its worth, I had trouble with the MuleFut 50 bending upon a minor rock hit. I imagine the 80 may have the same strength (or lack) as the 50. This could’ve been a fluke, but thought Id mention. I’ve ridden the Duroc, Marge Lite, and the Rabbit Hole rims a lot and never had bending issues with either of those ( of course they don’t come in 27.5).
Thanks for the info. I really don’t know that much about them. I do know it’s the same rim Trek uses on the 27.5 Farley 5 and 7’s MB’s. Several months ago, I did mention to UDC US that they should make a fat 27.5 rim like the 26 80mm and the response was they just might, whatever that means. I may wait another month or 2, but not much longer. I’m surly not getting any younger and the 27.5++ keeps calling me.
Bortananger also makes the 27.5 x 3.8 Hodag, although not sure how good it is. A 3.5-3.8 tire on a 27.5 would be ideal for most muni all year round here in New England—fast, good cushion on trails, and good for snow. Thanks again for the rim info—it does make me pause.
Such a big investment, haven’t pulled the trigger yet. But UDC US said they are hoping to have a batch of 27.5 Hatchet’s with 80mm rims and 4 inch tires out in April or June.
That would be great! I just got the Hatchet with a 26 inch 4.8 tire. I have been thinking of getting a second tire for the summer. I was planning on building a 27.5 by 3 (or 4). I wonder if they will sell the individual already built wheels? Or I guess I could buy the parts for a build.
I am confused; read somewhere that the Hatchet frame won’t take the 32 Nimbus nightrider tyre as it is 32x2.25 rather than the 32x2.125 given in the Hatchet spec.
Has anybody got experience with this?
According to my simple maths, the stock tyre
Maxxis Minion 26x4.8 is 102-559 in size, so 559+2112=783,
whereas the Nimbus night rider 32x2.25 is 57-686, so 686+257=800,
when the ⅛ inch smaller raiser tyre Kent 32x2.125 would be around 686+2*54=794
So, the Nimbus tyre is 6mm too big, of which 3mm would be lost frame clearance.
Given that this would be for road use, will a Nimbus tyre really not fit a Nimbus frame so that a cheap Walmart Kent tyre needs to be imported from North America to actually run a 32” wheel in a Hatchet frame?
Any advice would be much appreciated before I make a costly purchasing mistake.
Well, it’s a funny olde world… spurred on by the other current Hatchet/rim thread which we both posted on, I thought I’d better pull my finger out and stop the procrastination.
So I ordered a Hatchet frame yesterday and it came today (usual great service by UDC UK…). It also so happens I have a 32" Oracle with the stock Nimbus Nightrider tyre.
As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so I’ll take the wheel off my 32" Oracle and try it in my Hatchet frame and post a photo of the result. That should be pretty definitive.
So I thought I’d best go and try this this morning before other things took over. As you can see below the 32" wheel from my Oracle nowhere near fits the Hatchet frame. It looks like it is at least 15mm from the bearing seating in the housing.
Just for completeness, this is with the tyre pumped up to 65psi (max stated pressure), just to be sure it was fully inflated.
Thanks for the update, DrD.
I guess that also rules out a 32x2.125 tyre, which would only give 3mm more clearance.
Which sort of makes me wonder if the Nimbus Hatchet sales blurb is misleading?
You’re most welcome – I’d have felt pretty bad if you’d gone and spent a bunch of money just to find out that it was no use when it only took me 15 minutes or so to try it… and, well, there doesn’t seem to be too many of us on here from north of the border, you know how it goes :).
I was quite surprised at how far off it was, the Kent tyre would have to be pretty ‘low profile’ to fit I’d say, so much so that I can’t see it fitting.
If you really wanted to run the 32" wheel with that frame you could probably get some spacer blocks machined to sit in the frame cups , but unless you have access to some machine tools to do that yourself it would be pretty expensive.
Yes, not many folk on the forum in Scotland to try things out and learn from, especially face to face.
So, thanks again for trying this out.
I can’t machine myself but we have a nice new 5 axle mill at work. All I need now is to figure out what I actually need and persuade the guys to machine it for me … or give up and put this down to learning, never trust the sales blurb and run a 29er fat slick for road use.
Or buy another uni, but I have exercise the n+1 rule quite excessively for bi- and tri-cycles, and I really should give it a rest.
Thinking about it, a couple of problems come to mind with a spacer:
The first is side-to-side stiffness of the frame, even with the spacer interlocking into the existing bearing housing it would rely on the longer M5 machine screws holding the bottom housing in place to keep it all together, so you'd have to tighten these up more which may crush the actual bearing a bit. Alternatively if you know someone who can weld aluminium you could weld these into the bottom of the frame which you stiffen it all up.
The second is that the mount for the brake would be in the wrong place, and you probably want a brake with a 32" wheel.
If you can get someone to weld it though, maybe the best thing is to cut the frame above the brake mount stick a block of aluminium in (plug it into the cuts), and weld it back up.
Ah, (n+1)… I’m there just now with a new mountain bike… Interesting you’ve got trikes too, I’ve got a reasonably old Trice XL-NT, pretty fast, pretty stable and very low – kind of orthogonal to the unicycle world
Yes, I think it will have to be n+1 or some exact measurements and a US (?) sourced tyre.
Trikes, I only have one but am tinkering with electric drive and Rohloff 14 speed hub…which probably means it is going to fall off the edge of the unicycle world.
It might be worth seeing if you can contact Alan Hogan who used to post on here regularly (try a PM). I don’t know him but he is from beside Inverness and I believe imported a Walmart 32" bike basically for the wheels, so he may have some Kent tyres. It is worth checking out some of the 32" threads on here as he used to post regularly on that. You’ll also find various discussions on how to buy the Kent tyre from the manufacturer.
Here is a video he did on the 32" Nimbus tyre, you’ll see the Kent tyre he replaces on his 32"er in this:
WRT trikes/electric/Rolhoff, you’ve got just the man in Glasgow to sell you all that stuff, it’s a long time since I’ve been to his shop – a dangerous place for a wallet to go though The Rolhoff Speedhub is just a beautiful piece of engineering.
I have ordered a hatchet frame now and have a 32 hole coming,think I’m going to use a dt Swiss br710 rim,have you any experience on this rim if it’s a wise choice? Thanks
I plan to try the Hatchet in fat mode but quite liked the idea of a single frame into which I could also slot different wheels, and 32 seems much more likely to me as a beginner than 36 whilst still having some of the stability that I read about for 36ers. But maybe it would be better to get a proper large frame for this when the time comes. My n+1 instincts (aka bad habits) are full on.
The Rolhoff Speedhub is just a beautiful piece of engineering.