With my N36 and extended and lowered T7 I found that when I sat upright (not using the handle) my saddle felt like it was sloped forward and the maneuvering was a bit sluggish compared to riding upright without a long handle sticking out the front, you quickly get used to the feel of the handle out there but the change in saddle angle is a bigger issue for me. I am also curious about knee knock on V frames when not using the handle.
Especially as I find that occasionally my knees skim or get really close to the tire out front, both when using the handle and not using it.
Kris
Kris: With the long extension and aero bars I was running on my 36er, I don’t think that I’ve ever noticed banging my knees on the N36 (with extra wide hub) or the KH36 (single speed wide ISIS hub) under any circumastnces. When I do leave the crouch position and armrests to ride upright with no hands on the bars, the entire mast/handlebar waggles side to side and does feel like a bit much out there, but I think that this is ok . . . . if you are building a product for riders that are ok spending 99% of their time “on the bars” pouring on the coal. The casual 36er rider that wants a smaller “grab rail” or pi-bar to hold onto probably wont be interested in an extension that facilitates a more bike style riding position anyway.
So is an aluminum KH36 V-frame in the realm of future possibility?
Brycer1968
Not sure at this point but definately worth thinking about though.
Thanks for the feedback.
Cheers,
Kris
Kris, is there any news about your own handle bar developments yet? Have you been trying different prototypes and all that? Will it be going into production soon? I’m really curious.
Turtle’s T
Wow, Turtle. Thanks for pushing the envelope. It’s good to go to extremes to know where the happy medium is. Looking forward to reading a ride report.
Geoff
Knee Knock and V frames
Kris,
The relative position of my knees and the frame doesn’t change appreciably whether I’m in a tuck position or riding upright. My feet are still on the pedals, my pelvis is still on the seat. The upper body is the only part that really changes its position. I would imagine that my pelvis tips forward and backward a little in the different positions, but it isn’t enough to significantly change my knee locations.
As Eric points out, the angle of the seat does change, but that change will be the same with a V frame and a T frame and an R/7 frame. Any handlebar set up that allows you to get low and stretch out in front will drive your seat back and therefore change the angle.
With the V frame knee knock is a real but very minor factor, in my experience. The first two weeks that I rode mine, I had pinpoint tender spots on the medial aspects of my knees. By the end of the two weeks I had retrained myself. I no longer knock my knees on the frame at all and I don’t notice any drawbacks to riding this way. I know that when I rode my 27" uni (that I now refer to affectionately as my “toy unicycle”) fast I would tuck my knees in towards the tire. This allowed me to grip the seat a little more securely and perhaps go a little faster. It felt right anyway, who am I to argue? I know other people have the same experience. I can’t do this on my V frame.
One way to decrease this intrusion on the knee space would be to make a skinnier tire that would then allow a skinnier front end of the V frame. (I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to bring up the skinny tire issue again.:))
As far as feeling like there is too much up front, I agree with Eric that you quickly get used to it. I also found that it was a good learning tool. When I started riding my V frame I really noticed the handlebars waggling back and forth when I wasn’t holding on to them, especially going down hills. That feedback helped me clean up my technique and ride a little straighter with less “waggle”. My frame feels pretty light and I don’t notice any extra baggage that decreases my maneuverability. But I’m not the best person to ask for a comparison, since this is the only 36" I’ve ever ridden.
Come on down for a test ride.
Geoff
made a little bit an other setup: shorter and real handlebar (can still put the triathoon bar on it for long distance riding), feels very comfortable, couldn’t test it really right now, i’ll do it at the weekend.
the problem with the knees: the schlumpf frame is really bad in this, with this T-setup, it hit my knees on it, with the kh 29" it’s much better, unfortunately i still don’t own a 36"
Hey, where’s your other wheel?
almost what my lovely wife said: “get you a bike!!!” :o
I still prefer a V frame by the looks.
Still got no reply fro mRoger about V frames, emailed him 3 weeks ago.
I saw some roadies(bikes) on their weekend ride today. People riding skinny wheels and bent over on their handle bars.
That’s what a hate about bikes. It’s harder on my back to ride like that. I’m sure it’s better for those long rides, but I love unicycles for that upright position. So I’m not excited to get a pair of handles.
I went on my first bike ride in over a year (literally the first time on two wheels in over a year) last weekend. Did about 38 miles, 4000+’ climbing, riding with a slow friend so we spent a bit over 4 hours riding. Man were my shoulders, arms and upper back sore! If you’re not used to it biking is pretty harsh. But we cruised down so easily so fast (25-30mph forever). That part was pretty nice.
Now that I’m riding my KH36 with a front handle, I like it better, but I don’t think I want a crouched over road-bike style posture while unicycling. I’m still working on just the right setup.
—Nathan
What about mountain-bike style then? Not quite as low down but not bolt upright either. Like Turtle’s latest set-up
So far we haven’t had a real riding report by turtle. But based on my own experiments I would expect his setup to be cool for very flat rides at high speeds.
Although I really wouldn’t want to have a UPD with such a wide handle bar, because that could get really nasty…
For climbing I would expect it to be very bad. I figure that if I had my seat moved further backwards it would be very much more uncomfortable going uphill. Because ideally for climbing you would want to have your entire body weight directly over the hub in order to be able to help your legs power downwards. Which is why our two wheeled friends often ride uphills standing up… This would not be easy on a setup like that. Besides there is a lot more weight to be carried.
But I’m curious what turtle himself has discovered with his experiment.
I wish I would test it out on a few hills!
I ride standing up all the time…if anyone has ever seen me climb, it’s often off the saddle.
As for UPD’s, when you are going over 25km/hr, you should really treat it more like a bike than a unicycle. Bicyclists don’t set-up their bikes for running out of crashes.
i know your guys are waiting, unfotunately (at last for you 
) i had a show today, so i couldn’t test it harder, anyway i’m pretty busy with job and familiy, i guess i’ll have time tomorrow or the the after, for sure i’ll take it to an uphill… on the flat it works very could, no problem with the back so far, and even upd’s are possible…
I agree on your last part.
But I don’t like a wide handlebar on a unicycle, something like the T7 front or a triathlon bar is wide enough.
have you ever tride a “wide” one (mine is not really wide, i cut it off, for a real mtb bar its not wide at all) ?
for roadriding i find it much better then a T7, i’m in a more “natural” position…
To be honest, I never tried it.
But I think it will be to wide and bring me out balance.