# Red Menace 36 update
**URL:** https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801
**Category:** Unicycles and Equipment
**Created:** [August 26, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801 "2006-08-26T20:53:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@scotthue](https://unicyclist.com/u/scotthue)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/81 "2009-05-05T15:05:41Z")
> [@Tyler 258](#):
>
> Yep,
> At school i was always on this site and finally they blocked it.
> So now i get on my BlackBerry and look around and post when ever! š¶
While riding and thinking hard?
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### Author:  [@Tyler\_258](https://unicyclist.com/u/Tyler_258)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/82 "2009-05-05T15:10:51Z")
While im riding to a place, not when im trying to jump stairs and hard riding. haha š
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### Author:  [@scotthue](https://unicyclist.com/u/scotthue)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/83 "2009-05-05T15:59:52Z")
Coolio
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### Author:  [@lobbybopster](https://unicyclist.com/u/lobbybopster)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/84 "2009-05-05T20:11:33Z")
Red menace
UNISK8R,
Bravo, An extremely inovative frame and drive system, Our community needs more people to design and build what we want and need. I agree with a disc brake, and the coda has the same properties you desired. I like your work!
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### Author:  [@scotthue](https://unicyclist.com/u/scotthue)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2009, 11:45am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/85 "2009-05-06T11:45:38Z")
> [@lobbybopster](#):
>
> UNISK8R,
> Bravo, An extremely inovative frame and drive system, Our community needs more people to design and build what we want and need. I agree with a disc brake, and the coda has the same properties you desired. I like your work!
Barefoot?
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### Author:  [@scotthue](https://unicyclist.com/u/scotthue)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2009, 11:45am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/86 "2009-05-06T11:45:53Z")
> [@lobbybopster](#):
>
> UNISK8R,
> Bravo, An extremely inovative frame and drive system, Our community needs more people to design and build what we want and need. I agree with a disc brake, and the coda has the same properties you desired. I like your work!
Barefoot?
---
### Author:  [@lobbybopster](https://unicyclist.com/u/lobbybopster)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2009, 6:17pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/87 "2009-05-06T18:17:04Z")
Barefoot??
Not My Foot., Oh , crap , busted and on profile picture too, Darn!#\*$%
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### Author:  [@tk63](https://unicyclist.com/u/tk63)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/89 "2013-01-07T18:30:26Z")
Understanding ratios on the Red Menace
Hi Pete,
Iām having a bit of a time understanding how 1.96 is accomplished from1.96 (28x20), is it a matter of compound sprockets giving the driven cog a greater ratio. My head starting to hurt. š¤
Thank you,
Tom
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### Author:  [@rob.northcott](https://unicyclist.com/u/rob.northcott)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/91 "2013-01-08T03:58:49Z")
> [@tk63](#):
>
> Iām having a bit of a time understanding how 1.96 is accomplished from1.96 (28x20)
Iām not sure if Pete is on this forum much at the moment.
There are two pairs of sprockets and two chains. The 28 on the crank drives a 20 on the jackshaft. The 28 on the jackshaft (fixed to the 20) then drives the 20 on the hub.
So the drive is two pairs of 28:20 in series, which is (28/20) \* (28/20), or 1.4 \* 1.4, which gives 1.96.
Rob
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### Author:  [@GILD](https://unicyclist.com/u/GILD)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2013, 4:08am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/92 "2013-01-08T04:08:23Z")
Thank you.
My head has now gone from #Hurting to #AboutToExplode.
Sorry, just not the mechanically-mathematical type.
I admire this stuff from a distance and hope to one day ride it, but donāt you dare try n insist that I understand it.
Itās a bit like David Copperfield in that sense.
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### Author:  [@rob.northcott](https://unicyclist.com/u/rob.northcott)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/93 "2013-01-09T04:57:39Z")
> [@GILD](#):
>
> My head has now gone from #Hurting to #AboutToExplode.
> Sorry, just not the mechanically-mathematical type.
> I admire this stuff from a distance and hope to one day ride it, but donāt you dare try n insist that I understand it.
Sorry, that was supposed to be a quick explanation of the gear ratio for the poster above. Itās just two simple ābikeā chain drives one after the other, nothing that should cause any head explosions :o
Nothing like as hard to think about as epicyclic gearing in a Schlumpf/Harper hub!
> [@](#):
>
> Itās a bit like David Copperfield in that sense.
You admire him from a distance and one day hope to ride him? š²
Or are you talking about the Dickens storyā¦ still sounds weird.
Rob
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### Author:  [@GILD](https://unicyclist.com/u/GILD)
#### Post date: [January 9, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/94 "2013-01-09T05:05:18Z")
> [@rob.northcott](#):
>
> Nothing like as hard to think about as epicyclic gearing in a Schlumpf/Harper hub!
Ok, that does it.
YOU come clean this stuff off my screen.
> [@rob.northcott](#):
>
> You admire him from a distance and one day hope to ride him? š²
> Or are you talking about the Dickens storyā¦ still sounds weird.
Oops.
[Note\_To\_Self: Reread posts before posting them.]
ā¦ermā¦it was the best of posts, it was the worst of posts?
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### Author:  [@Unigan](https://unicyclist.com/u/Unigan)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2021, 7:13am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/95 "2021-10-01T07:13:59Z")
How difficult is this unicycle to mount in the different gear settings? Try as I might I cannot for the life of me mount my own 36" guni in 1:1.5 high gear mode. I always mount in 1:1 and shift on the ride but with so many different gear combinations it must be very challenging to mount every time you change it.
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### Author:  [@emile](https://unicyclist.com/u/emile)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/96 "2021-10-02T19:40:07Z")
You just revived a 9 year old thread. You might have better chance of getting replies by creating a new thread with a title that resonates with your question, and linking this thread as reference.
The Red Menace was just recently sold: [https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-geared-36-unicycle-for-sale](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-geared-36-unicycle-for-sale)
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### Author:  [@Unigan](https://unicyclist.com/u/Unigan)
#### Post date: [October 2, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/97 "2021-10-02T21:59:55Z")
I was aware it sold and I didnāt want to post in his sale thread. He linked his own thread so I thought it would be more appropriate to post in his own thread that he had linked in his post
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### Author:  [@Bruce\_Dawson](https://unicyclist.com/u/Bruce_Dawson)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2021, 4:05pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/98 "2021-10-04T16:05:10Z")
Mounting is made easier by the long cranks - 170 mm I think. In addition to making the effective gear ratio not as high it makes the pedals lower. It also helps being 6ā tall. I was able to free-mount Red Menace in its highest (1.96:1) gear ratio without two much trouble. Static mount.
Iāve only ridden it in 1.21:1 ratio lately, and free mounting in that gear is easy.
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### Author:  [@Unigan](https://unicyclist.com/u/Unigan)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2021, 7:48am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/99 "2021-10-05T07:48:01Z")
Thanks for the reply, might just be something I need to practice a lot at. Iām slightly shorter at 5ā11 and I have pretty good control in high gear but because I can change down I tend to do that when it gets difficult. I guess when you have that gear in you just get used to it after a while since you donāt have a crutch to fall back on in downshifting.
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### Author:  [@Bruce\_Dawson](https://unicyclist.com/u/Bruce_Dawson)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2021, 2:44am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/100 "2021-10-08T02:44:20Z")
What length cranks do you have? That makes a big difference.
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### Author:  [@Unigan](https://unicyclist.com/u/Unigan)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2021, 5:15am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/101 "2021-10-08T05:15:06Z")
I had 165mm cranks and later switched to 150mm but I couldnāt mount high gear in either
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### Author:  [@Oridemic](https://unicyclist.com/u/Oridemic)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2021, 11:59pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/red-menace-36-update/82801/102 "2021-11-15T23:59:53Z")
Hello. Felt like I should contribute to the conversation, as Iām the new owner of the Red Menace and donāt want the ownership of this unicycle to fall off of the radar. Lots of people still seem to have questions about it. I havenāt had the chance to ride it much recently due to a few mechanical issues that required tools I didnāt have to fix, and now with the weather getting cold.
Iāve only rode it in its 1:1, 1:1.21, and 1:1.44 gear ratio so far. Itās not too difficult to free mount with the change in gears, as long as you use a perfect static mount. The only thing that makes it hard to ride is the fact that itās way faster and harder to stop at higher gears, which adds to the fear factor. Iāve only been able to ride it consistently at 1:1.21 so far. This is the first gUni Iāve ever touched, so itās a very unique experience.
Another factor that goes into the unicycle itself that I havenāt thought about is the fact that the frame and moving parts on the uni are very fragile, making me more wary of UPDs. The way the uni falls if you ever drop it results in the saddle having some contact with the ground, as the bumpers donāt cover the entire contact zone of it. The saddle is quite unique, so I definitely donāt want to be tearing it. Thatās just one of the things that make me more nervous about dropping the uni. You can definitely tell that it wasnāt built for taking crashes consistently. Iāve since became familiar with the entire system that drives the unicycle and can take measurements on various parts if anyoneās interested in how it works and wants a more in-depth view on how the machine truly works.
Now that I own the unicycle, I definitely wonder how fast a unicycle could truly become using this sort of prototype concept on unicycle gearing. As a final note and question of my own, I wonder sometimes what the āfastestā unicycle in the world is. Essentially the unicycle with the largest theoretical wheel size. Iāve theorized that the Red Menace could actually be the technical record holder for that, seeing as it has the highest gearing Iāve ever heard of on a 36er (1:1.96). Iāve also heard about the legendary 73ā wheel unicycle, but wonder if that could really beat the Red Menace in a race due to its awkwardness, weight, size, and the fact that only two unicyclists in the world (that I know of) are actually tall enough to ride it. Just wanted to ask for kicks.
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