At the moment I ride a 26-inch Muni from mad4one.
A few weeks ago I did my first 5-day-trip with this unicycle. It was much of fun, but very hard and I would not do it again with this unicycle, because I was very slow, I had a package problem and my bottom hurt very much.
Does anyone have tips about the package, bottom or what unicycle/ seat could be better?
I hope someone can help me.
Welcome to the forum, that sounds like a pretty epic trip!
Unicycle wise, it’s going to depend on what type of riding you do.
Seat wise, i think there’s going to be a lot of different solutions. Personally I go for a very firm saddle and cycling shorts for road riding. While things go to sleep after a while, I can stay in the saddle for 2-3 hours at a time (working on more but a. am overweight b. returning from stopping riding for over 5 years). Other people like much softer saddles, very flat saddles, fit gel covers etc.
My vote goes for 29er or 32 for me I’m to short for a standard 36er (excluding night fox). I have been riding the 32 a lot with 138 cranks and find it quite capable for longer rides. Lastly try the nimbus air saddle cover, it will make any saddle more comfortable.
Side note, Ed Pratt rode around the world on a kitted out nimbus 36er, but he also did a Trip in the Baltics on a 27.5 kitted out with gear.
The best seat is a bike seat, but it’s a journey to get there. In the meantime, I can definitely recommend the Nimbus air saddle cover, and also the nimbus air saddle. I also liked the Qu-Ax Eleven. Some people like the KH Fusion One, but I did not, even with the air saddle cover on it.
If you’re interested in using a bike seat, you’ll need to learn to ride with a handlebar first. Without something to hold on to, it’s pretty easy to slide off the front. The KH handlebar won’t work for this, but Qu-Ax sells one that replaces the seat post clamp, or goes around the post, depending what size you get.
+1 for bike seat. My next-best go-to is the mad4one handle saddle series.
Personally, I prefer a firmer, thinner saddle. A bike saddle would probably be nice, but I haven’t tried one yet, and find it easier to get on the uni or to jump (what I do when I have to wait at stops for example) while holding the handle. My favorite saddle to date is the KH fusion slim.
This has two main interests :
I would also strongly recommend adding handlebars (shorter for muni / gravel, longer for road riding), or even aero bars if you do exclusively road riding. It is a great way to put less weight on your butt (and it should give more control over your uni).
Please note that it should be as rigid as possible, a floppy handlebar has basically no interest.
About the package, try to bring as little as possible, weight and volume can quickly become a huge inconvenience. Depending on what you ride on, I would also recommend you to put as little as possible on your back, you would have to carry it twice (once on your butt, and then on your feet, to control the extra weight of the whole (you and your uni).
To go faster, I would recommend a 29 or bigger wheel (once again, depending on the kind of terrain you’re riding). A geared hub can also be a really good addition to the setup, especially if there are hills. Don’t forget a good brake in that case, it saves so much energy when going downhill!
Do you have any informations about what kind of distance / terrain / time you ride everyday during this kind of ride ?
You can look at My custom travel frame to see what might be the best touring setup (upgraded with a geared hub since) for a few days rides (maybe more in a “ultra” riding point of view).