Shorter cranks on a 36er

I have been riding a Triton, single speed 36er for about 15 years. Most of that time, I’ve been using 110mm cranks. Lately I’m a weekend warrior and only get in two rides a week. My rides are usually between 20-30 miles long. My average speeds are most of the time in the 14s with my fastest 30 mile ride at 15.4mph. If you plan on getting shorter cranks, just take you time doing so.

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I love to ride the 36" with 127 mm cranks. That’s the best set-up for me, you can go fast with it and you have a good control about your wheel. So yeah on my Trial uni if 100mm cranks that’s short but you learn the better control about your wheel. I think if you don’t ride another unicycle you haven’t the best control. Cheage the unis and then in 3-4 Wheels you can go with your 36" with 127mm cranks and you don’t feel you loose the control about your wheel or you can’t go steep uphills with this setup.

And, I know I make this not for every ride with my uni, you can take a warmup for your knees. Makes 10 squats or something else your knees are happy to get them before the heavy load like the the ride with your uni comes. I know it’s hard to work but your knees are happy about that warmup. I forget that myself and this not so nice for my knees, I know.

For road riding I prefer 110s or 125s depending on hill steepness. For mostly flat I use 110s for faster and smoother cadence, since there is a lot less up & down leg movement and less wheel wobble, both of which can sap the rider of stamina and cause increased leg pain and cramps on long rides. For 36er MUni I use 150s for added torque, leverage and control over technical and steep terrain.

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I only ride my 36er on roads & pavements and have to say the difference between the 150s I was riding with and the 125s I’m now riding with is phenomenal. The whole ride is smoother and my speeds have increased slightly (I’m not pushing a high cadence as yet cos I’m still nervous after mashing my knees and breaking my arm) and I’m finding it easier to mount.
Once my confidence has returned fully I’ll be tempted to try 110s for sure.

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My experience:
In 1982 I got my first Big Wheel, a 45" (solid tire) with 6.5" (~165mm) cranks. In all the years I’ve had that uni, those are the only cranks I’ve had on it and they seem appropriate for its large, heavy wheel.

In 2002 I got my first 36". It came with 150s, which seemed normal at first, but grew tiresome as I got comfortable riding it. So I switched to 125s. They were scary at first, giving the feeling that I had too little control. But after a while they became more and more comfortable. So much better for cruising, as Dino has noticed. That was my “default” size for a few years, until I started training for Ride The Lobster (a 5-day unicycle relay race across Nova Scotia). Then I experimented with shorter size, and got comfortable all the way down to 102s. The best size depended on the amount (and steepness) of hills on a ride. 114s was the happy medium for my local bike path.

For Ride The Lobster I used 125s almost exclusively. I tried changing cranks mid-day but it was too hectic (not enough room to do it in the car & too little time to make sure I was ready before my turn) so I stuck with that size. My team also rode geared 29ers.

In 2010 I got my Schlumpf 36", with 125/150 cranks. I’ve never used the 125 holes because I don’t think they would be great in high gear (for me). The old Coker has 125s on it and is kind of fun on those rare occasions I pull it out. I use 150s for Muni, though the 125s are fine for non-steep terrain.

At the 2008 Unicon in Denmark, I borrowed a 36" to ride in the Marathon race. I wanted 110 or 114mm cranks, but all I could get in that range was 102s. Beggars can’t be choosers, and the course was flat enough for the 102s to work, though I lost some speed on the small climbs. It was my fastest marathon ever, and I did the whole thing without a dismount. This is not recommended if you haven’t worked your way up to it! :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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