Thanks for your insights Mark. All my drops are rolled out as well, including those done in my 29er video posted in this thread. Because of this you see that my flow is not interrupted by any of the drops I did.
Sometimes I also like doing natural trials on boulders and other obstacles that might be found off the trail. (also in the video) So I would hope that the Schlumpf could live up to its advertised claim that it can withstand drops up to 4.5 feet.
I would probably limit myself to just 3 feet and under, and with a 5 year warranty, I would assume it would hold up fine, if not overly abused. It’s those who would try doing silly stuff like drops to dead flat with no roll out that would likely cause premature failure.
I agree that it’s a personal choice on wheelsize for geared unis, depending on the terrain, riding style, the size/strength of the rider.
Terry - if your goal is to see what is the technically hardest terrain you ride in second gear, you might consider a geared 24. If your goal is to build a setup that is the most versatile possible for covering lots of ground, from steep, long climbs, to technical downhill, to cruisy easy stuff, your preference may be a 26.
My geared KH26 is the most versatile uni I’ve ever ridden; it can work on basically everything. The trails where I live are quite technical no matter what, so I keep with a larger volume tire. I picked the Ardent 26x2.6 for the spec’d uni because it is high volume but quite lightweight for the size; I like this one.
I still use my single speed KH24 for freeriding (e.g. North Shore downhill), where I prefer the 24x3" tire and really have no need for a geared hub.
Regarding Moment cranks with a geared hub: The outward flare on the Moment cranks matches the thickness of the shifter button (e.g. the shifter button does not stick out past the crank profile). This helps prevent accidental shifting while pedalling, while still allowing easy shifting when you actually want to shift gear.
I dont have all of those uni sizes, but I did ride a 24" Guni, 26" Guni and 36" Guni a few times. I think the 36" is a little bit overkill, since you really like Muni, I think you should go with something you can Muni with. That leaves the 24", 26" and 29". I would go with the 26". You can ride technical DH on a 26" wheel (it’s harder on the 29" I guess and you already have a beastly 24" for hardcore riding) and you can also have more speed than a normal 36"!
Thanks Kris for your input! I’ve been hoping you would see and reply to this thread. I think you and others have definitely sold me on the 26er GUni as the most versatile for my kind of riding! And I also like the tire choice. I guess all that’s left is for me to place my order. If I may ask Kris, what crank size do you prefer on your G26 and are they dual hole? PS: I am honored that you posted my “Versatile 29er” video on your KH website and facebook page! :D\
Haha, another vote for the G26! I guess that’s settled!
For ultimate versatility, yes dual hole would be good.
Offroad I personally always use 150’s on my geared KH26. I don’t feel I have enough power to ride singletrack in 2nd gear with 125’s, unless it was really easy. If I spent a day riding dirt or paved roads or touring, I would likely switch to 125’s. I think this probably depends a lot on where you ride.
It’s probably good to also note that riding singletrack in 2nd gear can feel like a whole new learning curve, initially in the basic shifting dynamics, and over the longer term in figuring out which gear is optimal under particular conditions. Which is good in that it’s really fun to have a whole new learning curve =). It’s also important to note that the purity of a singlespeed 29er is really cool too. I’d never argue that one is “better” than the other for that reason, in terms of having fun.
I agree. The single speed 29er and geared 26(or24) are both great for the same kinds of terrain but are two totally different, and both fun, experiences.
Napalm, I don’t think people are down on the hub so much as they are simply not wanting to deal with having it fixed.
It’s not so simple to fix a Schlumph because the wheel needs to be disassembled, then the hub is shipped across the ocean (USA), wait, wait, then once the hub returns you have to rebuild the wheel. Time and money, they don’t come cheap.
Having broken two regular hubs back to back, my tolerance for rebuilding wheels is not so high right now.
If I could afford to have two Schlumph wheelsets…
BTW, anyone know when the Florian’s patent expires? I wonder if someone else will take up the challenge and revise the product…
I was thinking 150’s as well. But like you say, it’s good to have that extra option. And I’m sure you’re right about the “learning curve”. I remember trying John Long’s G24 when he first got it, and it felt really strange in high gear, which is how I mounted it since I could not shift yet. It felt like it really wanted to GO and I could definitely sense the speed potential. I also remember John kept up just fine with the 36er group I was with at the time.
Haha, it’s the collective wisdom of the entire uni-community, of which you are a part!
A few other GMuni riders you may want the opinions of who I haven’t seen here yet are Ken (Gizmoduck), joemarshal, and Corbin. (I bet if you came up to the South Bay, Corbin would let you try his G24.)
Ken and Joe have said that 2nd gear is rarely useable on a 29 and often spinning in low gear can often be as fast or a bit faster. Only really usable on smooth fire roads and easy open downhills (which could build up to scarry fast speeds). Both were using 150’s, I believe, so 2nd gear would prob get more use w/ 165’s.
I’ve read where that one of the reason’s the first batch of 26’s only had clearance for a 2.6 is Kris said that when geared up, the momentum of a 3" tire would become problematic (which wasn’t really a problem at all on the 24 w/ it’s lower inertia). Also a 26x3 is nearly as tall as a 29 which would have the same poblems as a G29 Muni above.
Again I think an ideal setup would be G26x2.6 or 2.7 w/ your choice of cranks (I’d do the longer dual holes to extend flexability but they aren’t that much $ and easy to swich out so you could try both). Also that setup would prob be the most ideal for racing against 2 wheelers and giving you the best chance of beating as many of them as you can.
I think it’d be good to tweak your riding style on the GMuni to all rolling, including running into the occational 3-4 ft. drop (like in Rocco’s Wildbad vid). Shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for you since you roll a lot of the tech bits anyways. This would extend the hubs life even more.
Check out the speed Kevin gets on his ungeared 26 through this tech stuff! (yellow rim)
[QUOTE=skilewis74;1441996]
A few other GMuni riders you may want the opinions of who I haven’t seen here yet are Ken (Gizmoduck), joemarshal, and Corbin. (I bet if you came up to the South Bay, Corbin would let you try his G24.)
Ken and Joe have said that 2nd gear is rarely useable on a 29 and often spinning in low gear can often be as fast or a bit faster. Only really usable on smooth fire roads and easy open downhills (which could build up to scarry fast speeds). Both were using 150’s, I believe, so 2nd gear would prob get more use w/ 165’s.
I’ve read where that one of the reason’s the first batch of 26’s only had clearance for a 2.6 is Kris said that when geared up, the momentum of a 3" tire would become problematic (which wasn’t really a problem at all on the 24 w/ it’s lower inertia). Also a 26x3 is nearly as tall as a 29 which would have the same poblems as a G29 Muni above.
Again I think an ideal setup would be G26x2.6 or 2.7 w/ your choice of cranks (I’d do the longer dual holes to extend flexability but they aren’t that much $ and easy to swich out so you could try both). Also that setup would prob be the most ideal for racing against 2 wheelers and giving you the best chance of beating as many of them as you can.
I think it’d be good to tweak your riding style on the GMuni to all rolling, including running into the occational 3-4 ft. drop (like in Rocco’s Wildbad vid). Shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for you since you roll a lot of the tech bits anyways. This would extend the hubs life even more.
Check out the speed Kevin gets on his ungeared 26 through this tech stuff! (yellow rim)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjLBB81Ztzk
/QUOTE]I’d bet that there would be quite a few G29er owner who might take a bit of an issue with the first paragraph above. I ordered the G26er with the ardent 2.6, which is the same set up Kris uses. I’m pretty excited about this whole new G-world I’ll be entering!
I wonder how many G29er owners might disagree with the underlined quote above. But I ordered the G26er with the ardent 2.6, which is the same set up Kris uses. I’m pretty excited about this whole new G-world I’ll be entering!
One issue I can think of would be figuring out how to mount the brake lever if I also want to get the KH handle. (short version like KH uses). If it’s mounted on the handle, (on the tubing below the “T”, just under the front of the saddle) it puts the lever almost out of reach because it’s so far below where it usually is when mounted on the traditional brake mount. There’s really nowhere else to mount it, that I can think of anyway.
IMO, at first you really miss having the brake lever directly on the handle. Then you start to get used to it, and soon it feels really normal, even preferred. It’s worth trying out the brake positioned on the T-bar (between the bar ends) for quite an extended period, on lots of types of terrain, before making a final decision.
The only kinds of riding I’d still prefer to have it on the saddle handle are the kinds where I’d also prefer not to have a handle at all - freeriding on my singlespeed K24.
I do suggest cutting the T-bar narrower (mine is 120 mm wide, rather than the 150 it comes with) if you mount it low and close to the saddle, to avoid hitting it with your knees. For the furthest back position, flip the slotted tube mount so the seatpost clamp is towards the back. Also, when the T-bar is close to the saddle, it moves the tube angle up, which means you can angle the bar-ends down, bringing the brake lever closer to your fingers. Definitely it’s worth playing around quite a bit with the 3 aspects of adjustability on the T-bar (length, angle of the bar, and angle of the bar-ends).
Can you post some pics of your G26er with the brake? If mounted to the T bar would the standard 18" maggie main line need to be longer? UDC has just 2 lengths that I know of; 18" & 30". But some pics of your setup would be great!
Attached are two photos. This is the closest I’d use. Furthest would be maybe 3 cm further out (e.g. the length of the extra tube sticking out the back). Mounting it fairly low lets me lean on it, and having it close to the saddle means that I can pull straight up on the handle to unweight over bumps.
This setup uses an 18" brake line on my KH26. It is pretty much at the limit of fitting, with one wrap around the seatpost tube. If I was taller I’d need a longer brakeline.
Yes - those are close to the appearance of the new gloves. The photo shows a prototype with grey palms; production are black.
There’s one more new item in the photo; can you spot it? =)
You don’t trust my 2 months of muni experience??
