gonzo;1153100 wrote:
Corbin,
Thanks for posting this great video. It is not often that we see geared
unicycles on videos, especially 24", so thanks a lot for sharing your
experience!
My question: which unicycle do you prefer for riding
mildly/non-technical offroad? geared KH24 or non-geared KH36??
I am contemplating buying a new unicycle next year to have a good
option for more speed (and distance). My goal is to have a unicycle that
makes non-technical X-country riding enjoyable and that gives me the
possibility to ride more with bikers (I have a KH24 and a KH29 so I am
covered for the more technical stuff - I find I could enjoy something
faster than the KH29 on some of the trails I am going to). Not
interested at all in road riding at the moment.
I have narrowed down to 2 possibilities: KH24 geared or KH36 ungeared.
Until I saw your video, I sort of convinced myself that the KH36 would
be the best option for me because:
- 2-3x cheaper than the KH24 geared
- I thought a KH36 would be more fun to ride at high speed than a
geared KH24: banked turns, better rolling over obstacles, more
stability. Do you confirm??
- I love the look of such a big wheel
But the geared KH24 option is also very appealing - could do a mixture
of technical and non-technical in the same ride instead of constraining
the trail I ride to the limitations of whichever unicycle I decide to
ride.
The geared 24" option would clearly be more versatile, but do you enjoy
it as much as a 36" at high-speed? How technically easy does the terrain
has to be before you can ride it in high-gear, compared to riding the
non-geared 36"? Can you do mildly-technical downhills in high-gear for
instance? How about climbing - any clear winner between the 2?
Appreciate any comments that might help me in my decision!
Teddy
Hi Teddy -- well, for non-technical / non-steep offroad, I would prefer
a geared 36. I know that wasn't one of the options, but the thing is,
simple fireroads can be ridden quite fast on a geared 36. We have a
local "Rob's ride" that we have done on geared 36'ers, and it is quite
fun in the high gear (and sometimes scary).
Currently, I enjoy riding the geared 24 on any semi-technical or harder
trail. I can (probably) ride the geared 24, in high gear, in the same
places I could ride the ungeared 24, EXCEPT for going up steep hills --
for those cases, it is easier to shift to the lower gear, and spin
faster than I would normally spin on the coker, but still maintain the
same speed.
If I were to compare the geared 24 to an ungeared 36, I would say the
geared 24 takes a little more effort on every turn, and my top speed is
probably slightly slower. I also think it takes a little more muscle to
get going. But, I didn't have much trouble keeping up with other cokers
on one coker ride I did on it.
To answer your questions:
geared KH24 vs ungeared 36; I would prefer a geared 24. It gives you
two useful gears; you can ride technical things on it in the lower gear,
and crank up MUCH steeper hills than you could ever do on the 36. To go
faster, you can simply shift to the higher gear. The disadvantages:
requires more muscle power, and it has some learning curve.
I thought a KH36 would be more fun to ride at high speed than a
geared KH24: banked turns, better rolling over obstacles, more
stability. Do you confirm??
I think they are equally fun for banked turns. The KH24 is easier to
roll over obstacles when in the low gear. When in the high gear, it is
slightly harder for me to roll over (large) obstacles, that would be
easier for me to roll over on an ungeared coker (ie: rolling up curbs --
but it may get easier when i have more time on the guni 24).
The geared 24" option would clearly be more versatile, but do you
enjoy it as much as a 36" at high-speed?
For me, the guni 24 is just as enjoyable. The unguni 36 is slightly
more stable, and is definitely easier to ride fast.
How technically easy does the terrain has to be before you can ride
it in high-gear, compared to riding the non-geared 36
I try to ride most things in high gear; but...people sometimes think
I'm crazy. I also enjoy the challenge, and I tend to fall a lot in high
gear. Most of these trails are things I couldn't normally ride a 36'er
on.
Can you do mildly-technical downhills in high-gear for instance?
Yes -- and I can do more than mildly technical stuff in high gear.
How about climbing - any clear winner between the 2
It depends; for really steep hills, an ungeared 24 (or low gear 24) is
better for climbing than an ungeared coker.
Overall, I'm definitely biased towards the geared 24". I think a person
who doesn't have a Coker yet, but loves muni, could easily get a geared
24 and be able to ride coker speeds when they want, and still use it for
muni. Granted, the hubs are touchy; and I have had two that have had
problems with them (on my 36'er frame, which I had improperly modified,
and hence caused bearing failures), so that is something to keep in
mind.
We are riding again this weekend..I'll try to get more footage and post
another review comparing it to a coker at some point.
corbin
--
corbin
http://www.corbinstreehouse.com
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