Schlumpf 2014

[unibokk]

[QUOTE=Piece Maker;1635474]
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So 360/24=how much slack you have in which to soil your pants

Ha ha , that about describes it, but if your in high gear changing down on a 1:2 ratio that interval is increased giving the rider enough time to poop and to wipe his butt and to dial 911

Seriously though, that’s some good info.

The last point you made seems to suggest that I could use that setting to practise free wheeling without having to build a separate free wheel.

Thanks P.M.

[muni123]

@unibokk

I never rode with a schlumpf but I think that shifting from 1 to 2 on a 36er would be a big jump causing lots of inertia even with long cranks (150mm).

I reckon that you would have to slow down considerably before changing back down to 1, otherwise you would have to pedal madly in 1 to prevent a sudden braking effect.

I think it would work, you would just have to know your abilities and know when to shift.

[aracer]

@unibokk

So is your uni in free wheel mode while you’re waiting for the gear shift to engage.

I’m thinking of learning to ride a freewheel uni with that scenario in mind so I’ve begun watching Waalrus’ freewheel videos .

I’m not all that good at riding my Schlumpf, and certainly couldn’t ride a freewheel uni, but don’t find the slight freewheel during a shift an issue at all. It’s a long time since I’ve UPDed whilst shifting (and I still UPD quite a bit whilst riding it). It’s part of the learning curve, but a fairly small part.

[unibokk]

Thanks Aracer, that’s reassuring.

[unibokk]

@muni123

I think it would work, you would just have to know your abilities and know when to shift.

• a strong pair of legs:)

[Nurse_Ben]

I just finished building another 36er, for mostly offroad and fast gravel riding. I really love how a 36er tracks and maintains inertia, it is incredibly fun to roll big obstacles from up high, BUT it is also really tough to get up steep grades with such tall “gearing”.

I makes me wonder why a downshifting hub has not been a more talked about option.

All of us have struggled with climbing and all of us have walked hills that were too steep to climb.

If you think about the biggest advantages that bikes have over unicycling, really we’re talking about two things: coasting and downshifting for climbing

The coasting thing, well, I’ve been there and it’s waaay above my pay grade.

The downshifting thing, now that would really be something, it would increase the versatility of all my wheel sizes, allowing me to ride a bigger wheel in most situations.

It’s a pipe dream for sure, but if a downshifting hub were available, I’d have one on every unicycle I own. One caveat, it’s got to be a “rideable” gear ratio, i.e. a 24-33% reduction.

Unlike some people (Terry), I don’t always want to push the envelope and work hard when I ride, sometimes I just want to chill out and spin along.

I would expect that the reason the Schlumpf hub has not been more widely accepted is that folks like me just don’t feel all that comfortable with a 50% step.

[UniGeezer]

Just to clarify, I have never considered gearing up my 36er and have no interest in falling at 25mph, when doing so/upd-ing at 15mph can be bad enough! And yeah, 1:2 would be a huge jump and not very practical. I think the current 1:1:5 is the perfect ratio, at least for a G26er, IMO.

[tholub]

@Nurse Ben

I just finished building another 36er, for mostly offroad and fast gravel riding. I really love how a 36er tracks and maintains inertia, it is incredibly fun to roll big obstacles from up high, BUT it is also really tough to get up steep grades with such tall “gearing”.

I makes me wonder why a downshifting hub has not been a more talked about option.

What do you mean, you’ve talked about it forever. The reasons why it’s a stupid idea have been covered forever as well. You want to take a uni with 2.5 extra pounds of rotating weight, and put in a hub with 2 pounds additional weight, so you can ride it in 29er mode, because you want to climb hills better? It’s a completely bassackwards idea.

[Piece_Maker]

@Nurse Ben

If you think about the biggest advantages that bikes have over unicycling, really we’re talking about two things: coasting and downshifting for climbing

Only advantages I feel a bike has over me, is ease of use, and speed (higher gear). I think I speak for quite a few people here when I say I can crank up hills on my uni faster than my bike, so not sure how you think a uni doesn’t have a low enough gear for hill-spinning!

[unibokk]

I’m agree with nurse Ben regarding a downshifting hub. I recently started doing cross country on my 36er and there’s nothing quite like the feel of the 36er on a fast trail including down hill runs, the speed, the roll over advantage of the big wheel, and being high up there feeling like a champion:D

For me the 36er is the optimum wheel size for cross country so it’s the size I want to be on. I have a 24" a26" a 29" etc., but I think the 36er is king and the ideal size wheel for fast rolling trails.

The only time I feel compromised is when I come to the occasional hill that I have to climb:(. This is when, instead of having to dismount and walk I would prefer to simply click into a lower gear, using a 1:0.5 gear ratio.

So for road cycling I would run the existing schlumpf but for cross country I would go for a 1:0.5 downshifting hub.

[tholub]

@unibokk

The only time I feel compromised is when I come to the occasional hill that I have to climb:(. This is when, instead of having to dismount and walk I would prefer to simply click into a lower gear, using a 1:0.5 gear ratio.

My experience on group rides is, the people who have to dismount and walk on off-road uphills have to dismount and walk whatever their effective gear ratio is, and the people who can make the climb can make it whatever their effective gear ratio is.

[Nurse_Ben]

My experience on group rides is, the people who have to dismount and walk on off-road uphills have to dismount and walk whatever their effective gear ratio is, and the people who can make the climb can make it whatever their effective gear ratio is.

Yeah, downshifting on a unicycle, that would be totally impractical, shifting down to reduce effort on descents, shifting down to improve cadence on climbs, yeah, that would be a complete waste of time.

I’m gonna go home and fix all my bikes so they aren’t so inconvenient and heavy

[tholub]

@Nurse Ben

Yeah, downshifting on a unicycle, that would be totally impractical, shifting down to reduce effort on descents, shifting down to improve cadence on climbs, yeah, that would be a complete waste of time.

I’m gonna go home and fix all my bikes so they aren’t so inconvenient and heavy

How many of your bikes have 36" wheels?

[unibokk]

Hello tholub, I’ve yet to ride a schlumpf geared uni but I’ve found that with longer cranks I can climb better.

If you apply the 1:0.5 ratio to a 150mm crank set, then on the lower gear you would in effect be riding with 300mm cranks but without a huge rotational axis. I reckon that setting would get get you up most hills even on a 36er

I wonder would it be an easy task for florian to just simply invert the current setting thus creating a new 1:0.5 approx…ratio hub??

[Nurse_Ben]

How many of your bikes have 36" wheels?

All of them, also my truck, and the baby carriage, but after reading your comments I am finally going to take the plunge!

No more gears for me, I am finally seeing the light, the koolaid was blinding me to my weakness, how could I be so foolish for so long.

But, I’m wondering how many RPM’s my truck will run going 1:1 down the freeway at 60mph… but hey, if it blows I can always ride my 36er

[tholub]

@unibokk

Hello tholub, I’ve yet to ride a schlumpf geared uni but I’ve found that with longer cranks I can climb better.

If you apply the 1:0.5 ratio to a 150mm crank set, then on the lower gear you would in effect be riding with 300mm cranks but without a huge rotational axis. I reckon that setting would get get you up most hills even on a 36er

I wonder would it be an easy task for florian to just simply invert the current setting thus creating a new 1:0.5 approx…ratio hub??

Creating a downgeared hub would be different engineering; you’d have to change what part of the hub is connected to the frame and what part spins freely.

The good thing about a geared-up Schlumpf is that you can run longer cranks, and therefore climb better in the low gear than you could on a short-crank uni of the same wheel diameter, while still having speed.

And again, the people who don’t get up hills off-road won’t suddenly start getting up hills because they added two pounds of hub with crank slop to give them a lower effective gear. Even just having a smaller wheel (and thus lower effective gear) won’t make very much difference on anything non-trivial.

[unibokk]

@tholub

Creating a downgeared hub would be different engineering; you’d have to change what part of the hub is connected to the frame and what part spins freely.

The good thing about a geared-up Schlumpf is that you can run longer cranks, and therefore climb better in the low gear than you could on a short-crank uni of the same wheel diameter, while still having speed.

And again, the people who don’t get up hills off-road won’t suddenly start getting up hills because they added two pounds of hub with crank slop to give them a lower effective gear. Even just having a smaller wheel (and thus lower effective gear) won’t make very much difference on anything non-trivial.

#But I’m guessing the internal planetary parts needn’t change??

#Using longer cranks is fine on a 24" but on a 36" the crank length required for steep hills is prohibitive.

#btw… what is crank slop

[tholub]

@unibokk

#But I’m guessing the internal planetary parts needn’t change??

#Using longer cranks is fine on a 24" but on a 36" the crank length required for steep hills is prohibitive.

#btw… what is crank slop

You could probably use the same planetary gears, but the sun gear, planet cage, and shifting mechanism would have to change.

The best way to climb steep hills is to bring a smaller, lighter wheel. Fortunately, with a Schlumpf you can do that, and then go into high gear when you want to go faster.

Schlumpf hubs are sloppy. You get used to it, but riding a Schlumpf always takes extra energy, and it never climbs as well as a non-Schlumpf at the same gear ratio and crank length (not even including the fact that it weighs two more pounds).

[unibokk]

@tholub

The best way to climb steep hills is to bring a smaller, lighter wheel. Fortunately, with a Schlumpf you can do that, and then go into high gear when you want to go faster.

Thanks tholub, for the feedback. I have no argument with this point, but… I wanna ride my 36er on the trails, hills n’ all. I want my bread buttered on both sides. I want to have my cake and eat it. But hey! isn’t that what schlumpfing is all about.

[Killian]

@tholub

What do you mean, you’ve talked about it forever. The reasons why it’s a stupid idea have been covered forever as well. You want to take a uni with 2.5 extra pounds of rotating weight, and put in a hub with 2 pounds additional weight, so you can ride it in 29er mode, because you want to climb hills better? It’s a completely bassackwards idea.