I know there is a lot of tyre (or tire) threads but i couldn’t find an answer for my question.
I have just recently bought a Nimbus ISIS 26" Muni that came with a 26x3" Duro Wildlife tyre, however as I am still learning to ride (and not yet going offroad) I was thinking about putting a street tyre on it for now.
My question is : Are uni tyres made with different specifications specifically for uni’s or will any tyre from a LBS be suitable?
UDC in Australia only has one option for 26" and that is the Maxxis Hookworm 2.5". Is this a decent tyre if that is my only option?
I have a 24" learner uni also but i would like to be able to learn with both.
Unicycles use bike tires, the only tires specifically made for unicycles are the 36" ones.
The hookworm is the only option you need, It is probably the most recommended smooth tire for 24 and 26" Munis. I have one on my cargo bike and and have often considered trying it on my Muni just to see how it feels.
I was interested to feel what a big fat 26" tyre would feel like on the road/path but they are very expensive in aus.So I got an idea after watching the “the fastest indian” movie.I have plenty of worn out 26" by 2.7" MTB nobby tyres so as in the movie I went to the kitchen and grabbed the carving knife and cut off all the knobs to a couple of millimetres above the tyre profile ,they cut off fairly easily.The result was fantastic it rides very well with the smoothness over bumps that only a large bagged tyre can provide.They may not last too long but I dont do pavement all that often.I usually go bush on my 24" muni,so it was a $0 resolution for me.
Maybe you can get a worn out old knobbly tyre from your lbs and cut it down, one they were going to bin anyway. I’d give you the worn out duro I have if we lived closer.
Otherwise, the hookworm is a great tyre, I know guys who use them for riding dirt jumps on bikes, and I’ve seen 24" street videos using them, so they’ve got some bounce and ability offroad, but stil super smoothe on tarmac.
I’ve got a 24" hookworm and find that it’s a great tyre for all round riding (no pun intended!). For my road uni I use a 29" Big Apple which is a fantastic tyre. Either of these in a 26" version would be fine for you to learn on.
i bought a pashley 26 " muni ,the tyre it came with was crap so i bought a hookworm ,its so much fun now even though i now own 24 " nimbus/kh muni with 3 " duro tyre which is way better uni and tyre for on and offroad for me.
You will love the Hookworm, it does not have a mind of its own like the Duro does on pavement. I have not done much muni but I intend to try it with my Hookworm when I first start. The Hookworm is the Big Apple for a 24", a great and smooth tire.
We wear out our tires in a lop sided way, because the fixed cranks over stress certain parts of the tire every rev.
There is nothing special to know about uni tire sizing. Except that 20 " trials tires won’t fit on a regular 20" uni because it is made for a 20" mod trials bike (very rare in USA).
But with a 26, you are in luck. It is easily the most common bike size, and bike tires wear nice and even. I strongly suggest you go shopping in the trash bin behind the local bike shop. I am sure you will find a wide choice. Except for the 36, all unis use bike tires, so any 26 should fit your rim.
Coker started out with a 36" wheeled bike (the Monster), but I think the unicycles have greatly outsold it. The other brands of 36" tire may indeed have been designed with unicycles in mind, which is still very rare.
Schwinn had special tires for its unicycles in the “old days” as well as with its second-generation unicycles (1986-93). Beyond that I don’t think there have been more than a handful of tires, if any, made for unicycles.