What is more fun, 24 or 29?

It is very unlikely that a 26" KH will be released. There are a lot of people that have both a 24" and 29" KH, so if he made a 26" then most people would probably only buy one unicycle so he would lose sales.

I think your decission to go with a 24" now and updgrade the hub later sounds right for you. It’s probably worth getting the dual hole cranks now though, so at least you can try different settings on different terrain to see what works best for you.

STM

Well for me personally…

A 29er would be good for…

  • Long distance commuting and is a + in MUni i believe.
  • Bigger wheels make it fast and lightweight.
  • It’s best to have one with an ISIS hub. So that way it some punishment and keep going.

A 24" on the other hand…

  • Cheaper then the 29er
  • Would corner more easily because of the smaller tyre.
  • Having 150 - 175mm cranks would make it one ideal MUni machine.
  • It maybe slower then the 29er, but you may become more focused and concentrate as to what is ahead of you.

Kris said at Ride the Lobster, that he’d like to do a KH26, but that it’d split the sales of munis 3 ways rather than the current 2, so he has to be selling a certain amount of munis for it to be worth doing. I guess a new wheel size is a bit more complicated than the multiple frame variations on the 20", he’d need a new rim and a new frame.

Although personally I’d be happy if he’d just make a 26" frame only and nothing else - there are tons of good rims around for 26", and all the other parts are pretty much the same, but there is only one standard 26" frame that comes stock with brake bosses fitted (koxx track monster).

Joe

i found initially that 24 with 165mm was fine, fast enough even… but after a couple years it is now way too slow, even on technical sections, the lack of momentum hurt… and the q factor terrible.

I personally ended up with a 26 with 150s, enough speed for some swoop, and smoothness on easier sections but still small enough/enough torque to crank up steeps… I find the q factor less has made “lines” easier

although eventually I am sure I will end up on a 29 with the 125/150 as I become accustomed to this set up and eventually find it slow

I’ve started with 26 with 150s, got a 29 with 125s, then a 29 with 150s then back to 26 with 150s. 29ers are okay, but the tyres I’ve used are just not as nice as a 26" downhill tyre, so they limit you a lot, particularly on trails with rocks and when it is really muddy. I don’t find I’m much faster on the 29er, probably not at all when the trail is technical, I can hammer down a lot more on a 26 than a 29.

Joe

so what tire for 26 would you recommend? running a 2.6 right now, although something beefier might be nice… but am worried about fold over when pecking… (using the nimbus 26" rim which is fairly wide)

Kris prefered a 2.6 when he ran a 26" wheel. I think it was a Gazoladi.

Kris has said hear before that a 24 w/ shorter cranks gets the speed of a 26, and considering all the + & -'s the 24 was better for most situations. (& even more so when using second gear, if you have that hub.)

if the trail is like a public trail the 29er is the best for you.:smiley:

@joemarshall
there is also a fine 26" from surly, the “conandrum”
espescialy the large marge rim is very fine:)

I myself prefere for downhill the koxx monster frame with the large marge rim and a 3" gazzaloddi, hs33 magura break and the kh moment 150 / 125 cranks.
the koxx frame is nearly undestroiable,
the diametre of this combination is equal to the 29"kh, but the tire is much wider and of cause softer to jump and land
and with the 125 crank length you can go downhill nice fast:D

jogi

I am running a 2.6 now… and for the most part like it… it rolls well.

After riding a 3.0 inch tire on a 24 for Muni with 165s for past two years I have recently switched to a 26 with 150s and I have never enjoyed Muni more. I guess i am more toward the “rolling trials” then the hopping… and the larger diameter wheel helps…

that surly looks nice… but is it heavy? probably good for snow or sand though

I want brakes for downhills!

I am learning to ride Muni, but a lot of my riding now is on gravel and dirt roads. I may get into more tech stuff, but I can always use my son’s 24" or the KH 20 we just orderd :slight_smile:

So here’s the dilemna:
I’m have a custom powder coated Nimbus 26", ISIS hub, Ringle DW, but no brake bosses. I looked at adding the Dimension brake kit, but the attachment is a bit hokey. My other option is adding bosses ($60), but I hate to mess up the custom powder coat.

So here are my options:

  1. Buy a new frame and use my wheel, Surly ($250) or Koxx ($90), then add Maguras ($100), sell the custom Nimbus frame.
  2. Buy a complete Koxx with brakes ($550), then sell my Nimbus complete.
  3. Buy a KK 29er frame ($200), make custom brake adaptors (~$75), then add brakes ($100), then sell the custom Nimbus frame.
    Buy a complete KH 29er ($450), sell my custom Nimbus frame, use my custom wheel for a dual purpose uni (26/29), add brakes for 29er ($100).

I don’t know Koxx, but they have a good reputation for a quality product. The Surly frame is a bit wide, and since I have no plans to use a large marge rim, the width is probably an overkill. Will I hit my heels?
The KH 29er frame would allow me to have one uni for two wheels, so maybe unbraked as a 26", then braked as a 29er. But honestly, do I need a 29er if I have a 26er running a 2.6 Gazz?
It was also suggested that I could possibly talk Hunter into building me a 26" frame ($300).

So, what would you do?

i have done some steep descents and have no brakes… Not sure if I would use them… of course I have been on few long long descents (5 miles is the longest) and have always had enough leg strength to act as a brake… then again maybe I am missing out… I have a similar set up… uni wise…

the only uni i feel like i need a brake on is my 36…

Yeah, I understand the leg strength thing, but brakes can be nice, even if you just wanna give yourself a brake :wink:

What crank length do you run? What size Muni?

I run 150s on my 26inch (w/ 2.6 inch tire) and 125s on my 36…

just got back from a spin on my 36 and I definately feel like brakes would help for reducing speed on some of the steep hills around here.

I would skip all that and buy a KH24 and KH29 to begin with. :stuck_out_tongue:

FWIW, I only have a brake on my N36 with 110 mm cranks and KH29 with 125/150 mm cranks and geared. The reasons to put a brake on a unicycle, IMO, are to save your knees to ride farther and to help with really steep descents. Both of those reasons are valid for my 29 and 36.

My KH24 with 137 mm cranks has no brake. I only ride it when I want to be able to play on stuff on the side of the trail (i.e., do trials during a ride), and I’d rather not have a brake that can be broken. Also, I don’t typically do long rides on my 24, so I’m not really concerned with saving my knees for the distance. And, “steep for a 24” is way less common than “steep for a 29 or 36”.

with the 4" endomorph its very good for gravel, sand, snow, but on grass or in the wood only if dry and on road it´s ok with higher pressure.

with the 3" gazzaloddi it´s really good in all conditions

all in all I think its one pound more than the koxx. the frame is not wider than the koxx and really pretty but not as stabile as the koxx so that in hard uphill the rim grinds at the brake