Any advice on what to wear other than the typical ultra lite gear? Are running shoes sufficient for unicycling? What pants are recommended?
Was thinking about doing 300 miles on a 26"
What you wear will really depends on where you are riding and your pace. I would say you should just take a look at what local hikers and/or bikepackers are wearing. The only difference with hikers will be the shoes and cycling shorts.
I’m in the camp of, if it is going to rain, chances are you are getting soaked regardless, so I prefer quick drying to heavier items that keep water out. I’ve ridden in Merrel Moab Ventilators (shoes) for awhile. They aren’t terrible, and most trail running shoes will probably be a little grippier. I only disliked the Moabs because the sole is a little stiff and my feet would occasionally slide on the pedals. If you want, the common cycling shoes like FiveTens will work too, but may take a little more time to dry out (I have no idea if they have lighter versions than the Spitfires I have).
I don’t have much to provide on cycling shorts. I would also say that if the weather will be above freezing (or whatever the lowest limit you can tolerate) you can get away without worrying about pants. The lighter and less volume in total, the better.
All that said, I haven’t done any serious unipacking as of yet, just some hiking every now and then.
Generally you want stiff soles for cycling. You get better power transfer and avoid pressure hotspots on your feet.
Very stiff soles can be awkward to walk in though, so there is a trade off to be made.
Yeah, that’s a good point. I suppose I meant the outsole rubber isn’t as soft and tends to slide more. I didn’t mean the stiffness/inability to flex the entire sole.
While we’re on the subject of breaking records…
1kw, if my count is correct, of your 11 posts, 9 of them were thread-starters, and the other 2 posts were in threads you started. Please, every time you have an idea, consider adding your reflections to an appropriate, already existing thread, rather than starting a new one.
Personally, I am guilty of threadjacking. If I had my way, I’d turn any thread into a discussion of why SIF and handlebars are the way of the future. But I have never started a new thread. Not once. And, for the record, multi-quote is still confusing-as-hell.
So, back on topic, if you want to ride 300 miles, start working on your SIF and get some handlebars.
Good for you. Go post your opinion elsewhere. I created this thread to have a few insights of more recent shoes, gear, than digging up a 3 year old thread
I really like approach shoes for bikepacking and MTB and they should work just as well on a unicycle, although I’ve only ridden them for short rides. Stiff soles with sticky rubber but much more comfortable to hike in than MTB shoes. I like the La Sportiva Boulder X but there are many options to choose from, 5.10 is another popular brand.
I think when people tell others to go search stuff they should save their post and go search themselves.
Let new people do what they want to do. If you don’t want to rehash old topics then don’t. Don’t post.
If you want to repeat information for the topic then great. That’s what they’re asking for.
Sorry, back on topic.
I found out the hard way that protecting one’s ankles from impact is a really good idea.
These are by far the best shoes I have found for general purpose uni.
They also protect the heel. One of our members had their heel bone smashed by the seat handle while others have had Achilles tendon damage. I have been hit in these areas a remarkable number of times and am very glad for the protection.
Your comment makes no sense. The person needing to do the search is the person seeking the information.
I wear BMX shoes, mountain bike trousers, a road bike top, and a road bike helmet.
Hi there
I wear ‘walking boots’ when doing Muni and they do the job quite nicely. Handy if you are planning in walking/touring quite a bit.
I’ll second the 5.10
I often find great deals in their closeout section.
The bots are getting more subtle.
I used to wear running and hiking shoes, and swore by the feel of the Converse mid tops. Now it is purely 510s. It took a while to get used to them, but they 're awesome with some ankle protection and wouldnt ride my g36 without them.
Definitely worth checking this section out. I got my Spitfire rev 1 from there for something ridiculous like 35$. BTW those are nice ones, they’re stiffer than regular sport shoes, but not as much as the other 5-10 shoes, and they go up the ankle a bit. For regular riding, they’re probably the best shoes in my opinion.
A recent discovery for me are cycling bibs. Like most people here, longer riding brings stuff like rubbed inner thighs and saddle soreness, so I bought cycling shorts to go under my cycling pants - gave up on jeans, the seams between the legs is badly placed. A couple of weeks ago, I added a pair of cycling bibs to my equipment and was not expecting them to be that great. On normal rides, even with the cycling shorts, you always have to shift your package a couple of times as you remount. With the bibs, not once! Good tip I read before buying: they have to be worn tight. Highly recommended.
I wear BMX shoes
For me the most important thing about clothes and shoes while Muni touring/ unipacking is, that I have to be used to them. So try them out for a while and find out if you find them comfortable, if you don’t get along with them, don’t take them on a long distance ride. You don’t want to find yourself on a long distance ride finding out that your shorts are rubbing badly.
I personally wear five ten sleuth ( they are very similar from the sole to the spitfires, so not to stiff and not to flexible). And I am not wearing bike shorts, just some normal sport shorts. But everyone likes it different.
Love it when a spam-bot unearths a thread. Keeps the talking going!
Did Ed have a lot of different clothes on his world tour?
Yes, god forbid that the 25th thread, which was last posted in almost a month ago, be pushed off the front page.
We’re not exactly overwhelmed with traffic here.