This thread is a big hit on my speedsolving forum and I figured that it would probably convert over to unicycling pretty easily.
This is the place to post questions or problems you may have that are easily solved by one answer or a few short answers. So rather than starting a whole new thread for info on where to find a tutorial, or what unicycle to pick you could post that question here and get it answered easily without cluttering the forums with a lot of threads about the same thing.
I’ll start the ball rolling, I’m in the market for a new unicycle. I really want a muni but I’m very indecisive about what size to get. on one hand I feel that the maneuverability and control of a 24" would be good because a lot of the trails I ride are fairly technical and still involve a fair bit of trials and hopping to get through. On the other hand the extra speed on a 26" seems like it would be faster and who doesn’t love going fast. Questions time. How much faster is a 26" with 145’s going to be over a 24" with 137? (yes I’ve already decided crank lengths) are the trials-y technical type things just as easy on the 26 as they are on the 24? and lastly, how difficult is it going to be for me to take some of my 20" street tricks(crankflips, unispins, etc.) and turn them over to the bigger wheels?
Thanks a lot, and hopefully this thread becomes a staple for asking and answering questions for both noob’s and seasoned riders alike.
Max
ooh, sounds like a good idea!
there’s an ~8% increase in wheelsize from 24-26 and a ~5% increase in crank length, assuming those directly translate to speed, which i doubt they do you get a 3% increase in speed from 24-26"
Street tricks transfer nicely, but take a bit of getting used to, look at some of jacob spera’s stuff
I’m thinking of fitting breaks to my stock Nimbus 29…should I renew the rim at the same time? (the stock rim is a touch wonky at the weld). As an early poster to this thread I expect an excellent answer
Don’t assume a 24" MUni has a 24" wheel. It doesn’t. Small difference in tire diameter; small difference in speed. If you know you’ll be hopping around a lot, I’d get the 24".
The one answer thing is more of a guideline than a strict rule. This wouldn’t be the place to post a discussion type questions, but if you have a fairly simple question that is going to be solved and done with once you get an answer or two from some folks more knowledgeable than yourself then this is the place.
why opt for a rail post instead of a plain bolt on, just for the added strength?
how important is seat weight in comparison to the weight of other parts? do we use plastic and fibre seats because that’s what cyclists use, or is the minor added weight of a sturdier seat a big set back?
If you are looking for an excuse to get another rim go ahead and upgrade, otherwise you can sand out the lump at the join if it bothers you.
The weight of your seat is about as important as the weight of your frame. It doesn’t affect handling as much as wheel weight but may affect hopping etc.
why are sprung seatposts not more prevalent in the unicycle community? a loosely sprung post with a ton of travel seems like it could be used to get more air than normal, especially with side hops
You have to keep in mind that you are not jumping with your butt, but rather with your feet. Shocks/suspension would only work if they were somehow “under” the pedals/cranks. So on a full suspension bike, all the travel is made to compensate for the rider as he is on the pedals. That’s why road bikes in comparison have no shocks (well other than the fact that its lighter) because if there is less travel, you get more efficient pedal strokes. Working in a bike store, there are still people that say a stiff Carbon Fibre frame still has to much flex (or travel per say) in comparison to a Ti frame. Cushioning travel between your butt and feet is virtually pointless.
But wouldn’t a suspension point on a frame add a point of weakness? I mean maybe not so much for XC or road riding, but for any kind of muni there’s bound to be a significant amount of torque placed onto the frame.
Yes, it would need a killer design, but know knows, someone might do it eventually. It would need to be a very stiff suspension, since all of the weight is on it, and if you were riding in normal flat sections you wouldn’t want it moving at all, because that wastes energy. So in short, you could maybe save what, and inch of seatpost height. I just use a quick release now though, so even if there was a suspension available I wouldn’t bother. There was a member here though that had really cool frames they designed using the rear suspension of a bike.
Thudbuster suspension seat posts were somewhat common in the early days of MUni but they seem to fallen out of fashion. Fat tires are our suspension now.
I have never tried a thudbuster, you are going to have to ask one of the old timers about the pros/cons.
I have a 24" club unicycle with a 1.95" (width) tire on it. Would I be able to stick a 2.1" wide tire on the rim? I’m thinking not so I was wondering where is a good place to buy another tire since UDC does not have any 1.95" tires online?
I’m not sure about adding the wider tire to that rim. It really depends on frame clearance more than anything. You might want to make a trip to your local bike shop with your unicycle. They probably have more 1.95" tires in stock and they may also be able to shed some light onto the 2.10" question.
you get a 3% increase in speed from 24-26"
