I once did 100km on a 24"/150mm and regularly used to do a 55km circuit with the same setup. Lots of saddle soreness. And then I got the 36" and then doing distance on a 24" became too slow and boring (my concept of speed changed after the 36"). My last long ride on the 24"/150mm setup was a brutal 72km speed attempt on another circuit. I took very few breaks and spun as fast as I could. I completed it but ended up with pain in my hip joint (that lasted two years each time I went for spin). Shorter cranks would have been a wise choice.
I think 160km on a 29" with short cranks would be doable quite easily if you’ve already done one on the 36". With cranks longer than 140mm, it’ll get a tad tedious (if you’re used to a 36"). Good luck.
It’s always nice to have crank length options, hence the advent of the dual holed moments. Kris told me that if I wanted the 89mm crank option, that I could have my current 110/127 moments tapped and drilled for a third, 89mm hole. I like this idea very much, especially since I’ll then have three length options, which could prove to be very helpful on a never-before-ridden 29er century!
I know, I’ll just carry my 36er (in a custom made nylon case, attached to my backpack) in case the 29er doesn’t work out!
(don’t worry, the nylon case is very light!)
I have used for road purpose the “Schwalbe Big Apple 28x2.0” LiteSkin" on my KH29, and it is pretty good! The section though is very close from a pure circle, which means that, especially if the pressure is not to the max (depending on your weight of course), the portion of the tire in contact with the road can be pretty significant. Not necessarily a plus for non-technical long distance riding.
More recently, I have built a KH26 Guni, and I’ve used the “Schwalbe Marathon Plus 26x1.75” as a start (intending to ride roads for a few weeks, before going off-road). This tire is really thin - not only due to the width (1.75" vs 2.00"), but also due to the shape of the tire itself: the section is more like an oval, and it is definitely better than the Big Apple IMHO, from a strict performance standpoint. However, being not used to thin tires, I have little troubles with my lateral balance, especially in turns (but as always that’s mainly a question of “getting used to it” I guess).
Concerning the crank length, I would definitely want to use shorter cranks than 110mm for a century ride on a non-geared 29er. I’ve never been though shorted than 102mm, but 102mm is in my view a kind of “maximum length” for such a long ride / “small” wheel.
Note that I have never ridden more than 50kms the same day, so quite obviously I may have neglected in my previous statement how tired one can be after 99 miles, and how precious it can be in this case to have a decent amount of control over the uni, i.e. longer cranks.
Wow, that’s good news! Would it be easier still on a 26, 24, or even a trials? :p. Seriously, why do you think it can be easier doing a century on an (ungeared) 29er?
I figured it had been done at least once before, and from what I read via your link, it looks like it took them 22 hours to ride 102 miles! <<we finished our 102.1-mile, 22.5-hour stretch of riding>> Must’ve been some massive hill climbing and head winds! I really just thought that it might be more challenging to complete a one-day century on the smaller, ungeared 29" wheel, and try to do it in roughly the same amount of time as a 36er.
I dunno. There are elements of good and bad but I dunno about easier. Easier than a 24 or a 20 perhaps.
Four and a half miles an hour seems like a low average speed. Must’ve been some long breaks thrown in I reckon.
I did 100 miles in 2006 around lake Taupo on a 28" with 125mm cranks, and it took me around 13 hours. It was very painful- I rode an old cracked KH seat and my trousers had holes when I started, and my legs had holes when I finished. At the end I was so exhausted I could hardly lift my legs and I drove David Kha’s van back home- it was quite an adventure. The pros for me was having all the encouragement from the two-wheelers along the way keeping me pretending to have fun and spinning faster. Even if it has been done before it seems different to most people at the time when you do it. Another highlight was riding past bikes with mechanical problems on such a simple wheeled form of transport.
I would not consider doing that distance with 125mm cranks on the 28" again- it would have to be 89mm, and I’d want to settle in and get used to the cranks for a while first. I’ve got 89mm cranks on my 28 now with the KH t-bar thing, and it nips along pretty fast. 29er might be ok if you can ride for hours on it already.
As Rowan stated probably there were some longish brakes in that time and two additional factors: it was just one of many days of their trip and additionally… it was unsupported trip so they had all theirs stuff including tent on them.
Hope you don’t mind me breathing life into this old thread Terry. I have got it into my head to try a century on a 29er.
For the past week I have done 8 miles every morning on my KH24 and I think that if I can address the saddle pain thing there’s nothing - this side of a couple of months of conditioning and practice - that would prevent me from giving it a go.
I need to get fit and get better at unicycling and there’s nothing better than a goal to keep you focused and motivated - so why not?
Questions:
Saddle pain I think I am going to have to make a saddle along the lines of Gracie Sorbello’s Divide by One air saddle and invest in some quality cycling shorts - advice and suggestions please.
Verification Is there a need to verify my achievement (and if so how) - assuming I achieve it - or do I just tell you all I have done a century on my 29er and you all believe and congratulate me? I see on Gracie’s blog that she has a photo of, I assume, a cycling computer showing 102.5. It goes without saying that everyone on this blog’s veracity is beyond question, but all the same, if I am to receive congratulations from my unicycleing peers the least I can do is offer up some form of evidence to confirm that I’ve done what I say I’ve done - again advice and suggestions please.
Record I’ve been unicycling since 21st January (my 47th Birthday) is there a record for the newest newbie to complete a century?
As a final point, I’m open to suggestions that I should only be attempting a century on a 36er, but before you all pile in with them, having only just learnt to ride I don’t have time to aquire the riding (and particularly mounting) skills to attempt a century on a 36er this summer - the time frame I have set myself - so it’s going to have to be a 29er. I accept that it’s going to take me the best part of 24 hours, but, as they say - if it was easy everyone would be doing it.
@saddlepunk: When I did my first century back on 7/11/10, I wanted to document it, so I shot footage of my ride while I was riding! I had made a kind of “sheath” attached to my touring handle, that held my camera, with tripod attached. All I needed to do was reach down and take it out, turn it on and shoot.
Saddle soreness is one of the most common issues with long unicycle rides, but this - and other issues - can be dramatically minimized if you follow some basic dos and don’ts. DO get quality cycling shorts with a decent, absorbing padded crotch. DO get the current model KH Fusion FF saddle. DO increase your mileages slowly, and ride LOTS of miles leading up to your century, with plenty of rest every other day for adequate recovery.
DO consider adding a touring handle and possibly aero bars as well; it will provide you more comfort and a way to push yourself up off the saddle from time to time so you can keep the blood flowing and prevent numbness. DO eat quality food with low fat and high protein, plenty of complex carbs that will fuel your muscles over the long ride. Do drink LOTS of water. DO get 7-8 hours of sleep every night.
DON’T try to do too much too soon.
PS: Centuries are usually done on 36ers, since each revolution takes you much farther than smaller wheels. But as mentioned, centuries and even cross-country rides have been done on smaller wheels, including a 24" Schwinn back in the 70’s I believe.
