hi, i’m new to this forum/threads business, so apologies if i’m doing something wrong.
i’ve been looking through past discussions to help me decide whether to buy a 28" nimbus or a 26" pashley muni, and got some useful info. also emailed unicycle.uk.com who were very helpful.
my experience till now has been a standard 20" with 5" cranks which i find much too slow, but good for the hills where i live (sheffield, UK).
i want a bike that will last, be faster and smoother than the 20", and capeable of mild trail/ Muni (i.e. not massive jumps/extreme stuff).
I understand the thing about wheel/crank ratio, the thing that makes it hard to decide is that i have no access to trying these models out, so i figure the next best thing is if riders of these models could give me feedback especially on the following points:-
is it sturdy/ long lasting(i.e. pashley seems to have a lightweight wheel and the hub is not susue)
is it fast, especially for the pashley with a wheel/crank ratio of only a little above 4- does anyone use pashley with 5" cranks and what is it like.
the bearing holders on the pashley are an issue, won’t they limit me if i want to change to a different wheel model.
any other relevant tips on this subject.
Cheers, Dave
I have both the Pashley 26" (with a 2.3" Gazza tyre) and the standard Nimbus 28". They are both great Uni’s but I feel meet different requirements.
I bought the 28" at BUC (3 weeks ago) and it is definitely the faster and smoother Uni for road cycling. I am now going for longer rides and covering considerably more miles between dismounts. I am still using the standard 125mm (5") cranks but will probably drop to 110mm when I gain confidence on controlling my speed going down the hills. The wheel is pretty light and great for road use but personally I would not ride off curbs etc. as the tyre is relatively small and pumped to its maximum rated pressure.
I used to ride the Pashley with a road tyre and that was fine but not as fast as the 28". For the last year or so it has had an off road tyre and it is more than capable on mild trails/Muni. It is slower changing the tyre on the Pashley but should not put you off the model. I know Joe M has tested his Pashley a lot harder than me off road and yet it was still going stong at the BUC. You could fit 5" cranks but I personally need the extra inch when riding offroad!
Another alternative could be using the Nimbus 28" for road cycling and having a seperate wheel for off road use. There would only be 4 bolts to undo to switch between operating modes…
Sheffield area, you say. I’m in Nottingham, and could meet you one evening. I have a Pashley Muni 26, a Nimbus 24 and a Nimbus II 20. Unfortunately, I don’t have the 28 so I can’t offer you a direct comparison.
I find the Pashley perfectly OK for short distances on the road and for some off roading that many people wouldn’t attempt on a bicycle (although I’m no Muni superhero). I did 8 miles this evening on it including some really difficult stuff, a lot of footpaths/bridlepaths, and about 2 miles of road, all in about an hour and half or so.
The lollipop bearings are not a problem yet except I did try to remove the wheel and had to resort to brute force.
I’d say the Nimbus II is better made than the Pashley.