What is the best size for touring?

General
1

Hi all,

I’ve been riding a 20" cycle. But I really like the idea of touring, and I know I’ll need a unicycle with a larger wheel.

Unicycle.com lists touring sizes as 26", 28" and 29".

Which size should I get?

I’ve never gone for long rides, but to me touring means riding on bike paths or country lanes for 30 min or an hour. I’m 5’ 9" and I guess the size I’d like is 29".

But here are some questions:
Are there any special skills needed to ride 26" 28" or 29"? I’ve ridden a 24", without any trouble, so I’d assume one simply gets used to the larger size wheel.

I assume that I’d mount using a post (I can just barely free mount the 20".)

I would expect falling off a larger wheel is going to hurt more than falling off a smaller wheel, simply because one is higher and going faster. Is this an issue worthing considering?

In reading the posts, I’ve been surprise to hear that a SMALLER crank size is preferred for touring. Did I get that right? A smaller crank means there is more force, but less leg motion than with a larger crank. But if one is climbing or descending hills, I’d think a longer crank is better. Comments?

Is the ride any different with different wheel sizes? I’ve noticed how much one feels the road riding a cycle. Is this affected by wheel size?

Any other issues worth noting?

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

Marc

2

I have a 26" with 5" cranks. It’s nice for touring, but i still have trouble keeping up with people on rollerblades. I can free mount it fine now, but when i first got it, it took some getting used to. I’m sure that a 29" would be near impossible for you, until you can mount a 20" easily and consistently. Riding the bigger wheels don’t take any special skills though, just getting used to. Although, i’ve read that 28"-36" require more of a rolling mount to get up on them.

Smaller cranks mean that you can go faster, since your feet have a shorter distance to travel per wheel revolution. So, yes, smaller cranks are preferred for touring (speed or distance). But, it also means that you have to pedal that much harder in order to get the same amount of force to the relatively bigger wheel. According to that, it would seem that climbing hills would be harder, but i don’t even notice the difference between my 20" and my 26" on hills. 26" wheels gain a lot more angular momentum though, so maybe the momentum is helping me to climb the hills without me knowing. I guess i haven’t really tried any serious hills though.

I haven’t fallen off my 26" before. When you’re only touring, there aren’t really any excuses for bailing.

I like the ride a lot more on my 26", because it’s so smooth, but i don’t use it a lot, since i’m more into street (20") riding.

I bought my 26" instead of a 28" because i live downtown and ride on crowded sidewalks all the time. With bigger wheels, it’s harder to start, stop, and turn on a dime, so it’s best for me. If you are want to rip and are in the country, then maybe you’d want to get a 28" or 29". You probably won’t even notice the difference between a 28 and a 29, so just base your decision on the rest of the uni (price, brand, etc.).

One cool thing about riding bigger wheels is that you are that much higher above the ground. It feels like you are driving a big rig, sort of - makes you feel a bit macho. Haha! Try it. You’ll like it, i’m sure.

3

get the Yuni 29"er, i am quite happy with mine.

there are no special skills needed to learn to ride a bigger wheel, if you are a good rider on your 20" you will soon be a good rider on your touring uni, it just takes a couple days (or hours) to get used to it. I went from a 20" to a 29" and I had no problem adjusting, I was able to freemount, ride, idle, and do most of the skills i could do on my 20" after a couple minutes of riding.

Edit:

and for crank size, the 150s are better for a lot of steep hills, but I would recommend the 125s. Unless you live in a really hilly place, go for the 125s. It might be a harder transition though to go from a 20" to a 29" with smaller cranks though, you have more control with the longer cranks. You still have a lot of control with 125s, it just takes more practice.

4

If you really are touring I don’t think there is yet a real alternative to the Coker. The extra weight in the tyre and rim, along with the size really helps get you moving with relatively low effort. It is a lot less practical in traffic though and is really heavy and difficult to store and move around… but I love mine. :slight_smile:

On a side note… there is a new Unicycle.com product coming very soon which is a Nimbus 29" I don’t know how it will compare price wise with what is about at the moment but it comes with Big Apple tyre, aluminum seatpost, KH saddle and aluminum cranks. The UK gets theirs next week. :slight_smile:

Roger

5

Nimbus 29"!

Thanks for the information about the upcoming Nimbus 29". I’ve just got a Numbus X 20-inch Freestyle and like it very much. I’ll look out for the 29" on unicycle.com.

6

Re: What is the best size for touring?

On Wed, 8 Sep 2004 14:14:30 -0500, “marcvg” wrote:

>Unicycle.com lists touring sizes as 26", 28" and 29".
>
>Which size should I get?
From those, I’d say a 29". Cokeurs might (errr, that’s an
understatement) recommend a 36", I personally have no experience with
that size but I’m tempted.

>Are there any special skills needed to ride 26" 28" or 29"? I’ve ridden
>a 24", without any trouble, so I’d assume one simply gets used to the
>larger size wheel.
That’s right.

>I assume that I’d mount using a post (I can just barely free mount the
>20".)
Maybe initially. Freemounting a larger wheel is more like freemounting
a smaller wheel if you use long cranks, say 150 rather than 125. The
longer cranks also ease the 20 -> 29 transition re riding. But long
cranks are not required for easing the transition, as the transition
is not very difficult anyway.

>I would expect falling off a larger wheel is going to hurt more than
>falling off a smaller wheel, simply because one is higher and going
>faster. Is this an issue worthing considering?
Yes. Wear at least a helmet, possibly also other padding. If you’re
going below about 20 km/h you should be able to run out of most falls.

>In reading the posts, I’ve been surprise to hear that a SMALLER crank
>size is preferred for touring. Did I get that right? A smaller crank
>means there is more force, but less leg motion than with a larger crank.
>But if one is climbing or descending hills, I’d think a longer crank is
>better. Comments?
Smaller cranks are more comfortable for speed, and higher speeds are
attainable with them because your leg motion is smaller. It has been
referred to as gearing, but it’s not as good as proper gearing. Yes
for climbing long cranks (“low gear”) are better, so it depends on
your intended riding.

>Is the ride any different with different wheel sizes? I’ve noticed how
>much one feels the road riding a cycle. Is this affected by wheel
>size?
You feel the road in a different way, but about how you’d expect it to
be different so no big deal. With a 29" you feel the road less than
with a 28", in a positive way, as a 29" tyre sits on the same rim but
is fatter.

>Any other issues worth noting?
On a larger wheel you are high up. If you ride with a bicyclist you
will tower above him/her.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict

“The more you think, the less you have to do. - Leo Vandewoestijne”