Greetings from the Univiking!
Winter is approaching, so I’m getting back to the studded tire question.
I was out on the 20" today, doing 4-5 km which is the longest I have done on the small wheel. We got the first snow Thursday evening, and some of it is around still, but it wasn’t freezing so the simple standard tire was enough.
Soon there will be real snow and ice. I’ve been searching for a studded tire for the 29er, and in fact I have only found one that seems usable: The 54-622 / 29x2.1 Nokian Extreme 294. There are few studded tires for 28" rims, and I have found none other that are over 2" wide. The original tire I have is 60-622 / 2.35" and I don’t want to go much smaller than that. The Nokian is expensive, but on the plus side it’s got 294 studs and they are proper tungsten carbide.
The riding has been going so well recently that I’ll probably cash out for the Nokian. I did 18.5 km on the 29er last Sunday which more than doubled my previous personal best, though there was some saddle soreness towards the end. I think I need a recumbent unicycle
Other than that I learned riding-hopping-riding transitions on the 20", and steadily managing steeper hills and more bumps and curbs. No real jumping yet though. My neighbor has started riding too now, it’s infectious!
The Extreme is supposed to be an awesome tire but some people have lost studs if they ride them aggressively when new. I guess they need time and Km to seat in properly.
If you want wider you can always make your own but it can be a lot of work to get right and you generally end up with a heavier tire and the rubber is not guaranteed to be cold friendly.
Yeah, and I’m lazy Also, our winters usually have periods with clean pavements, and I expect that would kill a DIY tire faster than a commercial one.
I’ve got studded on my recumbent trike (2x 20" Schalbe Marathon Winter in the front, 26" Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 rear) and I’ve lost a few studs. The trike does suffer some aggressive riding with strong sideways forces. I’m not rough on the uni (yet) but I expect sharp low speed turns could rip out some studs.
Do you make your own? I guess a big fat 3" DIY on a wide rim would be superior for offroad.
I did a lot of riding in the ice and snow last year on my 24" Duro Leopard. It’s not a studded tyre but very knobbly. Didn’t really have any issues with the uni slipping out from under me, but that was in our poor Brtish excuse for snow!
I don’t see myself riding a uni aggressively on ice (or at all, really), but with the trike it is great fun! You can drift and spin and stuff - obviously this is a lot easier without the studs - but then you have the extra grip when you need it.
Well, thanks! Funny thing is, this is the only way I can mount the 29er consistently. I’ve been practicing static and rollback mount forever, can’t do it. Except on steep downhills, then the static mount sometimes works.
On the 20" wheel I do mostly rollback, sometimes static. Never dared to try the jump mount on it, it feels too light for that.
Here’s the same location today - we had a heavy snowfall last night.
Great video! I like that you did not dub in some music but kept the natural sounds.
I broke the hub on my uni and I am looking to replace it. I have not ridden in a few weeks now. I was able to go for quite a few meters until my lungs and legs gave out. I need to build up stamina.
Hej there. Gotta like your writing style
Say, are those aero-section horns on your helmet? Would seem logical for a bent rider.
A viking raid involving unicycles is a funny image… you could give them painted disc wheels and hang them onto the side of the ship. Then do all sorts of trick drops into the shallow water when landing… very fearsome
Here’s another winter uni commuter.
My bent is not in use either at the moment - did a winter’s riding on it once, it cost me the prize of an entire drivetrain and the riding was technically hard. Though I’ve heard positive things about the winter performance of frontwheel driven models such as Zox.
btw, here’s a link that might have your interest.
(Norway’s, and thus probably the world’s, most northern recumbent club).
As far as viking battle unicycles go, I think my 29er would do a decent job, with its steel frame, carbide studded tire and spike pedals. It’s like a mace with cranks. It has certainly managed to hurt me, anyways
I am sure some two wheel bents can be ridden safely in winter, but my front fork doesn’t have room for much more than 28 mm tires, and they are not compatible with the kind of snow we get. The front wheel drive is fine on paved roads (I can climb steeper hills than a friend on a normal bike) but spins out easily on gravel.
Thanks for the link. I get the impression most bent riders that far north are actually German and Dutch riders on tours…
As for unicycling, we got ca 0 C now, lots of loose heavy snow on the roads. I was out for a 3.5 km neighborhood ride yesterday and that was quite enough.
Also, our winters usually have periods with clean pavements, and I expect that would kill a DIY tire faster than a commercial one.
