One last question if someone wouldn’t mind answering.
Getting ready to blow a wad of cash at UDC, on a 29 Muni, saftey gear, and tools, and looking for crank arm options so that I can also use it on road with decent speed.
I have a few crank arm choices that I am weighing, BUT I need to know what I’ll need for changing things…
I know I need a pedal wrench and Isis crank puller (both in the cart) but what do I need for the crank bolts? Is it that 8mm Allen on thier tools page? Or does the crank arm tool contain what I need?
UDC’s descriptions at times couldn’t be less vauge… I am somewhat nonplussed after reading and re-reading.
You wouldn’t need to swap out your cranks if you got the dual hole KH moments (150/125) is a good size for a 29er muni.
Although a nice set of lighter isis 100, 114, or 125mm cranks will be better for a road ride (and if you were switching to light isis cranks for the road you would probably want a road tire vs a muni tire).
Lots of options indeed, but yeah, if you wanted to have the tools necessary for pulling the cranks you need an ISIS crank puller (assuming it is an isis hub), 8mm allen key, you probably also want to have an adjustable wrench handy in case you have a hard time getting the crank puller out of the crank threads, grease is also good to have to put on the crank bolts when you swap out cranks.
Well thats kinda what I was getting at… As a professional automotive tech I have more allens then I know what to do with… I was asking if that is what it was, because if it is, I probably have 10 of them…
Yes it’s Isis… It’s the Nimbus 29 Muni
Thanks for the help, I have the right allen, and plenty of other wrenches to boot then… I have the Qu-Ax 114mm cranks in my cart now. And not sure about grease on the bolts, I’ll use oil… Grease wont compress and you’ll think the bolts are tight and then they work loose. Find it all the time with Cars wheel lug nuts.
Gonna leave the tire alone for now, should be ok for a few months with the muni tire for what I’ll be doing around town here.
Maybe after a few side jobs this summer I’ll buy a 36er for the road, or a spare rim and tire for “touring” on the 29.
Just wish there was someone near me with a 36er that I could test ride before I jump into buying one… That big tire looks a bit daunting to me. :o
I take my 29 for moderate distance if there are a lot of streets with cars in my way. I can idle the 29 while waiting, but not the 36.
It’s flat down here, but I imagine a 29 might be better in a hilly place.
When I head downtown, it’s 8 miles of few intersections, here the 36 is way better. It is fun to be up in the air, you can see over 6’ fences, and it is a lot faster.
It is harder to do tricks on a 36, but basic riding is easy, easier than a 29 really. Anyone who can ride a 29 could learn to ride a 36 in an afternoon, they are very stable and easy to ride in level places if you don’t have to start and stop a lot.
You really don’t need to test ride a 36er, I can almost guarantee that you will love it. Nothing really compares to it. The Nimbus 36er is great too because you can lock the frame and the wheel without any additional modifications (like the C you are thinking of welding to your Nimbus 29er frame).
On the road a 36er is by far the best, an ungeared 29er is a bit too slow for me on the road. 29er muni is a blast though and nothing beats the 29er on singletrack, and a 29er can still go decently fast with short cranks on the road and can be a good transition uni before the 36er.
I have the 8mm allen key and it’s really useful. It has a nice plastic handle on it, and it’s long enough to get enough torque to get those ISIS cranks on nice and tight. I do have others, but none quite this long, so I found it a better solution than using a shorter allen with a piece of pipe.
I got the Nimbus ISIS Crank Puller at the same time (it’s on UDC UK but I couldn’t see it on the US site) and it was invaluable when I had to get my cranks off to change my bearings.
That said, I’d definitely recommend getting the dual hole cranks over having two sets and swapping them all the time - I’ve heard this can cause unnecessary wear and tear to the hub. It’s an option I’m looking into at the moment as I want to be able to swap lengths quickly and easily on my 24" muni.
IMO, 114’s might be a little short for off road. I would suggest dual hole 125/150. Especially if you plan on riding it off road quite a bit. If you’re a superstar pro at MUni than you can probably pull off the 114’s if not, they may be a handful.
Thanks all, the 114’s would be my around town setup…
There does not seem to be a dual hole with a good variation of lengths… I think the 170’s (stock) will do me good for learning to off road, then later this fall I could switch to the 137 / 145 duals or something.
But I plan to ride around town (library and store ect) and I think the 114’s will play nice then untill I can get the $$ (and the ol ladies blessing) for a 36er…
If you want to save a bit more $$$ you could just use a bearing puller for changing your cranks. I have done it (put a washer between the puller and your hub to protect the threads) and it works but a proper crank puller is definitely nicer.
Also you can use a standard 15mm wrench/spanner instead of a pedal wrench for most pedals.
Don’t listen to me, every guy needs the proper tools for the job. Your wife doesn’t need to know the tools you already have would work perfectly fine
170’s seem long to me, but it will be interesting to hear your report. I had 150’s on my 29’er with good results off road. I always thought that I would be a bit more aggressive with 160-165, but never tried it. To be honest my MUni machine was generally a 24. On our trails the 29’er felt too high for a lot of stuff, but for flatter XC stuff it was super fun. Longer cranks would put the saddle closer to the ground, so maybe that’s the key.
I bought some 165/137 dual holes for my 29er, and hated the 165 length. Couldn’t get the rhythm right, and it didn’t help my climbing (which is why I bought 'em in the first place). They now live on my kid’s 26er, permanently in the 137 hole. But back on my first muni (a Telford from 2000), I had 170s on the 26" wheel and thought it was great. I guess I’ve just adapted to shorter cranks; cadence seems to matter more to me now than torque.
after reading and re-reading.