GUNI Question
Can someone turn their uni into a guni, or do you just buy a guni? If my 29" uni can be turned into a guni, who would do it and how much does it cost? The thought of riding faster then I can run out a UPD is kind of scary, but it sounds
like a fun thing to do.
I don’t know of anywhere that you can buy a guni already put together. As far as I know, unless you intend to modify your frame, it will have to be a Kris Holm or Triton frame. You will have to buy a schlumpf hub and have somebody build it into a wheel. Unfortunately a schlumpf hub costs 1,550 USD 
. Schlumpf hubs are purchasable in the USA at this link.
http://www.goudurix.com/us/kris-holm-schlumpf-geared-hub.html
I bought my new uni (36" geared, no brake, mostly KH parts) from Bronson Silva. It’s basically arriving completely ready, out of the box. Pretty sure you don’t need to modify the frame anymore – sounds like the new hubs work with any frame, more or less.
This one is considerably more expensive than my first guni. That one cost me $750! The hub was only about $450 or $500. Now the hub alone is more than triple that. All told, my new ride was $2850.
Thanks for the info. Wow, that’s expensive. Enjoy your new ride David. I guess I’ll be staying with my regular Uni. Hey David, I occasionally ride the Hudson Bike path from the Battery up to the George Washington Bridge and back. Slow down and say hello if you ever see me.
I started with 150s. My size 10 five-tens could reach the shifting button but I got tired of needing to readjust my feet on the pedals (especially difficult in high gear) so I found myself riding on my toes all the time. I switched to 137s and now my natural foot position is “ready to shift”. I also prefer 137s (actually, I prefer 125/110s but I’m not suicidal) for climbing (it’s all in the technique) and just cruising around. It should be noted that my KH36G is strictly a road machine. I like me some long cranks on my smaller off-road unicycles.
I figured your tune might change when you saw the price tag… 
Yes, my tune changed. I probably would have bought one without thinking twice before the wife and kids came along. I used to drop thousands into my motorcycle at one time because I wanted to, not because I needed to. I still have the motorcycle, but I only spend money on it when it breaks now. I only started riding a Uni two years ago. The wife and kids were in my life already.
Unless they changed the frame since the KH29 frame I got in May, the answer is that they somewhat work. There was a fair amount of grinding required on the inside of the bearing holders to get the seals on the Schlumpf to clear the frame.
To get the disc brake and Spirit cranks to work, there was a lot of grinding involved.
If the disc brake is skipped, the amount of material that needed to be removed could be handled with a file without too much of a problem. For the disc rotor bolts to clear the frame and the caliper to clear the cranks, it is either time for some power tools or a lot of patience with a file.
Buying the uni complete is a good idea.
I do feel the need to qualify: once the hassles were sorted with grinding the frame and installing the disc, things have been great! The initial set up is NOT for the mechanically timid.
Last note: It’s been in the other discussions, but with the Spirit cranks and a disc brake, 30Nm torque on the crank bolts with blue loctite is a good way to go. The bolts MUST be checked on a regular basis as 30Nm is not nearly the specified 40-45Nm torque. If that torque is used then the cranks sit too far on the spindle and they most likely won’t clear the frame.
David- a brake on a G36 is a good idea. A Magura would be great for your intended use.
I decided against a hydraulic break because I don’t trust myself to use it correctly. I have a drag break on my 29, and that seems much safer. I don’t know why more people don’t go in for one. A squeeze break seems like a terrible idea for anyone who is mainly going to use the unicycle for speed. I intend to go quickly on paved roads, so a drag break would be a good idea, but a hydraulic brake seems like I would end up in the hospital.
Superman is cool in movies, but not on a unicycle.
It’s not that bad. It can be set up so that it barely catches with the lever fully squeezed. In that form, it’s almost a drag brake.
The problem I’ve had with 36" wheels is getting enought pull on a v-brake to get the pads to engage the brake, but not rub when climbing. In the past I used a Travel Agent adapter to pull more cable. It had the added benefit (as in this case) of decreasing braking power- pretty much making it a drag brake.
If you do get into some hills (early in the thread you said they’re minimal) a brake of some short is highly recommended with a geared 36. Especially if you’ve had knee problems in the past.
You most likely will enjoy the geared 36. Stay safe!
Bronson and I went back and forth a bit on this one. In the end, we decided not to use a hydraulic brake as a sort of drag brake. That’s not what he’s comfortable setting up, and it’s not how the brake is designed.
Maybe I’ll put on a drag brake at some point.