KH 36 P-frame ride Report
I rode this to work today and went on a mostly flat 12-mile ride along Portland’s springwater corridor at lunch today.
I’ve adjusted all of the various things that you can adjust with this set-up and tried three different stem lengths and a bunch of seat heights/angles
Here is what I found:
Riding this feels more like a bike than any other set-up I have tried. You do forget you are on one wheel after a bit. It seems to respond well to gentle downward pressure on the elbow pad to initiate a lean into turns at speed, just like the R-frame did that I was using. I didn’t notice any twitcheyness or feelings of instability around corners or anything unusuual really.
The P-frame is very strong and with the brace, there is no noticeable frame flex. As Gizmo observed, it effectively cuts the length of the upper frame in half and makes for a stiffer rid. It feels stiffer and has less bounce at the aero bar than the R-frame set-up that I last built. Seemed strange and somehow funny to look down and see so most of the wheel rolling away down there.
Yes, the same dorky waggling handlebar and aero bar between your legs when you take your hands/arms off the bars. Say, is s that a huge unicycle between your legs or are you just excited to see me??
The knee contact with the frame was noticeable at first, but, as others have noted, your (well mine at least) legs seem to get trained really quick not to rub on the frame and brakes. Under more extreme turns at low speed, legs still made contact sometimes. Next, I’m going to try adjusting the seat way forward and way far back to see what this does to the knee contact issue.
The speed was about the same as I’d get on this route on my old set-up 11-14mph on this trip.
Much of my other notes about this ride had to do with the custom narrowed and flattened KH Freeride seat that I’m trying out. Two words from my smiling 41 year old taint and groinal region: “Daddy Like-ee!!!”. . . . but thats a whole other story that will have to wait until another post.
Also: It is somehow easier to freemount . . because the seat is further back?? I dunno. I was telling Z Boisei about this while we were welding and I got to thinking that you could use this same “stem-seatpost” to create the worlds absolutely-shortest-short-person’s-sub-midget-stubby-nubs-for-legs-coker by cutting this seat post short and adjusting the upper frame angle way back so the bottom of the seat base seat almost touches the tire. If you get the seat angle right, it could be! Yes, all you 4’8" uni riders, with a longing for a big wheel and some speed, the Unicycle Bastards do love you too!
If I go onto complete this set-up:
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I’d build the upper frame in a dog leg shape (two pieces welded together at a 25 degree angle) so the backbone would be flat yet the rear part would still support the front of my modified seat. . . . if that makes sense
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I’d put it and me (200lbs . . .damned those dutch-baby pancakes and all the snow here in portland in December!!) on a diet. I’d build the upper frame with thinner walled tubing and pare down the chunky aluminum two piece collars/brace mounts a bit.
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I’d re-design the (upper) seatpost clamp area to be more easily adjusted and provide some angle adjustment without needing to change the angle of the upper frame
Thats about it for now. See pics below:
Brycer1968, a horribly immature Unicycle Bastard at
www.unicycle bastards.com