I guess I was thinking that the vertical post in front was the scary part and not the handlebars per se. But in a UPD the Uni is falling forward too so I guess it is not a problem. Just a mental thing (like everything else in this sport! ;)). I’m still a noob and have never even ridden with any kind of bar yet. Hoping to build one soon from a 24" round crown frame. You can see the design on post #145 and #153 in this thread. I am pretty tall (6’3") so I plan to make mine longer. I will probably go with the KH rail adapter, but I would like to see if there is way to design something that goes directly to the seatpost as it would be stronger. Any suggestions?
That is a cool thread indeed. There are some impressive engineers out here in the UNI WORLD! It is cool to see all the ideas, particularly for 36ers. Your V frame is very nice–and the name is cool. It is the only V frame I have seen, and it looks like the riding position is ideal. I am a road cyclist, just learning to Unicycle, and I know that comfort and stability are the things I value most in a bike setup. BTW, what is “Florian”?.
For now I am still learning to feel comfortable on the Big Wheel so it will be quite some time before I am ready to tackle long rides where aero bars, etc. are a big help.
When you move up to a 36" unicycle you will find that having a handle bar can make a drastic change to the unicycles stability, especially at high speed. They can also help you get some weight off your seat for a much more comfortable ride.
Handles are not mandatory on the big wheels though. There are some very fast riders who ride without handles but the majority of us use one.
I can’t answer your question directly because I have not yet use a handlebar, but I know there is at least one very accomplished rider that does not use one. His name is Joe Myers, goes by the handle ‘bungeejoe’ here. He has some cool videos on this thread; Learning the 36 Inch Wheel
He doesn’t use a handlebar in these videos. He does ride with clipless pedals, which is pretty incredible.
As Sask said, I think many/most riders use one for various reasons. There are a bunch of information rich threads–if you read through this one you will find links to several others that have great ideas and info.
I bought a Nimbus Titan in January and so far I really like it. I upgraded to a KH Freeride saddle, and also bought some longer cranks (170) to learn with for the first while. There is a lot to learn. It is very different than riding something smaller. But it certainly is a rush, and I wonder if it will actually replace road cycling for me. It has for some…
Good luck in your adventure, and keep us posted on your progress (assuming that Santa might just find a way to come 6-8 months early this year :D)
Eric (Sask) already mentioned it, but I just want to underscore the comfort point. After I started putting in more than ten miles in a ride I found the saddle to get less and less comfortable (KH fusion freeride). The handlebar moves your weight slightly forward, and lets you put less weight on the saddle as you lean on the bar. That translates to a more comfortable ride over the distance.
The handlebar is also a nice place to mount all sorts of goodies like: GPS, Bell, Brake Lever, Ipod, and so on.
Sask, NotSoYoungOne, and jtrops gave good answers but since this post is a copy of one five pages back with spam links added to the sig, I doubt the poster is going to read them.
I know I’m a little late on this one but I have to say that frame looks awesome. Bolting the bars to the seatpost always seemed to me as if there would be too much flex and opportunity for mechanical failure. This arrangement looks so much more solid than something like a T7 handle. I have to say I’m surprised that this design isn’t more common given the fact that most 36er riders use some form of handlebar.
