Yes the ‘long’ hole is 137 - they feel good in the high gear and exceptionally controllable in low gear - I’d probably go back to this hole for doing stuff that involves weaving in and out of the general public (Like the big bike ride events in the city) because of the great slow control I get from it. If I ever get a good MUni tyre I’d stick to this crank hole for that too.
I’ve just been commuting to work, with a few 15+ milers on the weekend. It’s a nice mix of easy, fast, straight road riding and off-road paths full of pedestrians, so good for learning to switch gears consistently
Interesting to see lots of you G29ers using 125mm - I used this on my unguni 29 and 36er for the longest time so my legs are pretty well used to it as a spinning circle. I probably would’ve given it a go if KH cranks weren’t so expensive!
Learning happens through gradual steps, for me at least, I decided to put the 137mm cranks on my G29 - I moved the hub from the 24" but kept the cranks on it. As I discovered that my local bike diy workshop has a “borrow-me-free” torque wrench, perfect as mine was left in the Alps, 500 miles away.
I’m always careful swapping cranks as there’s so many horror stories with bolt stripping, etc.
The operation went fine until I put the buttons back on. One was a bit resistant, probably some blue loctite leftovers I used once, so I locked the other one. And then snap. I wasn’t even putting a lot of power on the wrench. Pretty frustrating, where do I even get a new one?
This hub is a nice piece of work, but it’s like a 70’s British car, always breaking down like a princess… so many flimsy parts. I put the pedals on the 110mm hole for now, and I’m actually enjoying it. Maybe a sign that this Schlumpf should go to another home, it doesn’t give me much love so far…
As you know I had got some issues with buttons/shifting rod thread/bolts and I have learnt my lessons.
You should NEVER feel a resistance when screwing the button on the shifting rod.
If you have to force there is something wrong with the thread or with the tinny nut inside the button.
If you force anyway you can damage the thread of the button and the rod as well (then use a new button and restore the rod thread with some special tools) , or you can just snap it, like you did.
Always unscrew the tinny nut inside the button before trying to screw the button itself, if you don’t unscrew the nut enough you won’t be able to get the button far enough on the axle, and this is when you are likely to damage it.
When the button is at it’s place you can screw the nut to block it at this position.
Where do european Schlumpf owners buy their grease? And what kind of grease do you use?
It seems that the original Schlumpf grease has been discontinued. This is what I found:
SHELL ALVANIA GR 0974 - Shell Lubricants has discontinued this product. There is no DIRECT replacement, however Shell Lubricants suggests the recommended alternative SHELL GADUS S2 V220 00.
SHELL GADUS S2 V220 00 is what Florain uses too.
Others have used ALPINE Fließfett DIN51502 GP00/000 K-30 (I have have a syringe of it too, but did not use it yet, but it seems to work well for others): http://unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1668562#post1668562
Anonther Greas which is pretty much the same (according to datasheet) is Castrol OLIT 00 (http://unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1668675#post1668675) but none of us tested it yet.
Years ago, one bought a bucket SHELL GADUS S2 V220 00(maybe 0,5kg) from florian and sold it to others in syringes.
Ulkicycling (near Hamburg) has the 800g ALPINE Fließfett DIN51502 GP00/000 K-30 and can probably sell and send you some syringes of it.
Anyone who has the latest version of Schlumpf hubs, I need to know the distance between the bearing and the hub shell. How wide of a frame we can fit in those new hubs?
Thanks for the info. I couldn’t find anyone that would ship to Norway (haven’t asked Ulkicycling yet).
I recently ordered a KH 29 (2014 )frame on sale from Qu-Ax, and I’m planning on building a 29" wheel and put the Schlumpf hub in there. I probably won’t be Schlumpfing until spring, so I have time to get some grease.
I wonder why UDC doesen’t sell grease for their geared hub.
Following a recommendation on here ages ago, I bought Landrover Swivel Housing Grease for use in mine. The properties of it are very similar to the recommended grease, I don’t think the exact grease is all that important. I don’t know how easy that is to find in other countries - I bought some on ebay.
I know what you mean, but I don’t think it’s a fair comparison. Schlumpf hubs tend to be super-reliable without maintenance (other than adding grease very infrequently). They mostly only have problems when you work on them.
Compared to my dad’s old MGB or my old Austin America’s, you had to do maintenance, or repairs, on them all the time.
I finally took the bait and added a handlebar to my Guni. I am pretty comfortable riding without one, but figured if I’m going to use this for racing I might as well make it faster!
The fact that I have an easy place to stick my Garmin and headlight is nice too
One way to consider this is in the distance of your daily rides, and whether it brings you past a tipping point to where you ride far more often. For example, my work commute is about 11 km each way, and I don’t have much spare time. Without a geared 36er, I couldn’t do it - wouldn’t have enough time. I’d have to ride a bike. Using a geared KH36 just tips me over a threshold to where I ride hundreds if not thousands more kilometers every year, than without it.
I see Kris’ commute rides on Strava. Unfortunately it’s not dirt! (Belated Strava Kudos, BTW!)
That’s definitely a good approach to deciding the worth of the pricey hub, but there’s more. The part that’s hard to know is whether you will ride it a lot. Probably the only way to get an idea is to test ride one, if you have access to it. As a unicyclist, you will already know that things that seem impossible–or too hard–at first will not stay that way. I love the challenge of riding the geared hub on a 36" wheel. I’m still pushing my limits and learning. Gradually I’m getting more confident at shifting!
I think it boils down to will you ride it enough to make you happy with the purchase? It’s hard to know. If you like the idea of a more challenging ride, where you can go faster while pedaling slower but not as easily, it’s definitely worth it. If you’re not sure, it’s maybe better to see if you can test ride or borrow one first.
I actually got my original Schlumpf hub from someone who had purchased it earlier, but never ended up building it into a wheel. So I got a discount price on a unused one. There’s always that – you shouldn’t have trouble selling it if it doesn’t suit your fancy.
PIece Maker, I think your next move is a rim brake! Totally makes sense with a Schlumpf and bars. I know… it goes against the “uni-simplicity” but hey, you’re already away from that!
I received my shift buttons from Switzerland. Turns out… that there are several models. So it was back to square 1 for me. In the process, I learned that early hubs have a bigger shifting rod, 5mm diameter with M5 thread, and the later ones have a M4. Whilst the rod is smaller, it allows for more metal around the thread. And since the button is tucked inside the crank bolt, the smaller rod is not a problem for sure. Actually, on bike hubs, Schlumpf goes down to 3mm rod.
Here’s a picture of the two buttons:
Fortunately, Florian keeps spares for older hubs too! So I can now shift. Just have to practice it!
I’m considering a brake - I do find it really hard to stop from a high-speed sprint especially when tucked onto the handlebars, and especially when I’m using the short crank holes (Gotta beat Mowcious next year!). I’ve never ridden with one though so I’m not sure this is the best way to learn, plus I’m not sure if the blue Nimbus rim even has the tracks for it being a disc wheel!
In regards to those Schlumpf buttons, when I bought mine (second-hand, from someone who had apparently looked after it really well!) it came with a few spare buttons, and I think one of them is odd. I suppose this explains why
(Belated Strava Kudos, BTW!)