What is your top sustainable speed. Let’s say for 20 mins or so.
I rode my 36", 127mm at about 21 km/h for 17 mins. I can hold that speed pretty well. Top speed 23+ and average speed was 19 km/h.
I will try again with shorter cranks, but this time of year it’s pretty windy.
I can probably sustain a faster speed for just 20 minutes, but I did my only unicycle marathon race with an average speed of 23 km/h, on a 36" with 100mm cranks.
I can sustain 21km/h during at least 15 minutes on my 29/127.
And my last long ride (35 km) was at 19,5 km/h
A few years ago I’d have been able to sustain >26kph on an ungeared 36" for 20 minutes.
With how little riding I’ve done lately I’d probably collapse after 10 minutes now.
I really should start building my stamina back up this year.
I’m gonna try with 89mm cranks again. But since it’s my first time trying anything that short, it might be a little while.
Many years ago when I was in training, I used to do an hour on the stopwatch and keep a record of my distance covered. My best was 12.95 mph, which is 20.83 kph. That is 20.83 actual km covered in an actual hour, so my peak speed was higher, but not recorded.
That was on a steel-rimmed Coker Big One with 152 mm steel cranks, and no seat handle or bars.
I couldn’t do it now. I struggle to even hit the speeds I used to average for sustained periods.
For comparison, my big ride last week, 51 km on my KH36, on varied roads, average speed over that distance was 9.93 mph = 15.97 kph.
My peak average measured over the fastest 1/10 mile section of that ride was 11.55 mph = 18.58 kph. As that was an average, my absolute peak speed within that 1/10 mile section was presumably a tad higher.
Last summer the Unicycling Society of America hosted a virtual hour race, using Strava. Riders were given credit for any elevation gain during their hour, using a formula that was not disclosed. I chose a pretty flat and mostly straight section of the American River Bike Path, and the average speed they gave me was something like 14.9 mph (23.98 kph). At the time I felt pretty comfortable at that speed, but for me, riding the geared 36" “fast” is always a little stressful because i’m not limited by my ability to pedal faster, but by my level of fear. I had a good “sweet spot” that day.
So for a 20 minute version of that I don’t think I would be any faster, and also it would depend on the day. Most days would likely be a little slower. Back in the day, before 36" unicycles when we all raced 24" with 125mm cranks, I was able to hit a max. speed of 17.5 mph (28.16 kph) in a burst, but not sustainable. For 20 minutes, I think about 12 mph would have been my max on the 24".
One a geared 36" I think I could go 28 km/h, maybe hit 30! But I don’t know if I dare. Those are scary speeds.
Last year I measured my running sprint to +24 km/h, so if I crash above that I’m in deep haha
The world record that impresses me most is Rolf Leonhardt doing 1:40: 39.149 for a marathon on a 28 inch wheel.
An average speed of over 25 kph. That is serious cadence for over 100 minutes straight even on 89 mm cranks.
I have maintained over 18.0km/h (11.2mph) for more than 50 mins around town here in Oslo on a route I regularly cycle (including over 200m [656ft] of elevation and crossing multiple traffic lights) on a 26" with 100m cranks.
With 89mm I easily got 23 km/h. and with a bit of practice 25,7 km/h. Mounting was a bit of a problem since today it the first time I tried under 110mm. One extra positive thing is, it really forces one to perfect mounting. There is no room for error, and since practice is all you need to get better, it might be the way to get really good a it.
I can get to that speed too but not maintain it for 20+ mins over the type of terrain here. Oslo is quite hilly.
23 is a good cursing spped with 89mm for me. But I don’t plan to keep them on the 36’er. I will try and see how they are one the 29".
Is it tour top or medium speed ? On wich tire Suze?
Based on his last post I am going to assume he meant 36" and that makes most sense given the speed.
It’s what I thanks too, but 25 of top speed on a 29
Healthy pace. 36".
I will try and see my top speed on a 29" with 89mm.
I will get the vcx triple for my 36". Seems to be most practical for every kind of weather.
I love those cranks. I usually have them on my 26", again because of flexibility with weather. I use the 26" for winter commutes and adjust the crank length based on levels of snow I might encounter.
That said, I just dropped down to 89mm on the 26" yesterday but I am not expected snow (at least in the very short term).
That sure was a fun race. There was a group of about 6-8 riders for most of the race, all averaging 25km/hr, and it didn’t split until the final lap. It came down to a sprint finish between Gert-Jan and Rolf, with me a few seconds behind.