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Big Wheels, Long Cranks...



 
 
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  #11  
Old July 28th 04, 11:45 PM
onewheeldave
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Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


Update 1.

Several days of 29-er with 150's have passed and I'm still feeling that
this is the ideal combination for the area of Sheffield I'm in.

Though on a couple of occasions I've had a mild hankering for some of
the characteristics I remember of the 125's, it's more than made up for
by the fact that I feel much more in control.

It's amazing how fast the 29-er goes with 150's especially on steep
stuff and rough ground. I think that this is due to a combination of
being happy to be at max speed as the extra length of cranks provide a
'safety net', and also the phenomenon I've mentioned before of the
contrast between 'acual speed' and 'illusory speed'.

ie as someone who lacks a cycle computer I find it difficult to judge
actual speed, but often I've found that spinning fast on a muni gives an
impression of greater speed than the 'actual' higher speed of a big
wheel combination.

Anyway, the 29-er with 150 cranks seems to provide a little extra of
both actual and illusory speed! and the extra leverage/control gives a
nice feeling of security if anything goes wrong.

The rides have been very high energy, with access to the monster road
hills that previously were only feasable on the muni, I've found myself
climbing like a maniac and arriving home never less than fully drenched
in sweat

Interestingly, even the steepest of the uphills seem easier than on the
muni, the bigger wheeler and slightly higher gear meaning that progress
up them is faster.

Though the downhills are all very do-able, I'm feeling that 29/150 is
stressing the joints more than the muni would.

Off road, things got even better, the trail that I often ride muni on
was gone in a flash on the 29-er.

None of the inclines, declines, rough spots or small drops were any
trouble at all- almost as smooth as on the muni, but much faster. Having
said that, I can feel the wheel flex on some small drops, but I'm sure
that that's partly due to my rim being the stock Nimbus 700c of two
years ago.

I'm inclined to say that the 29-er with 150's is surely a prime
contender for the title of- 'ultimate speed orientated XC muni'
machine.

Next week I'm going to be spending several days in Milton Keynes with my
brother and his family; I'll be taking the 29-er and looking forward to
some distance rides on the much flatter terrain, I'll be taking a set of
125's and it'll be intersting to see if I switch over to them.


--
onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"He's also been known to indulge in a spot of flame juggling - but it's
the Muni that really fires him up."

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  #12  
Old August 17th 05, 05:33 PM
Skippii
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Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


Well, I use the 150s that came stock on my 28. I wanted to switch to
125s, but UDC was out of stock on ALL of them when I called (except the
expensive ones.)
So, I'm still using 150s.
My vitural 60" Guni will have 175s or 170s, whichever I can get cheaper.


--
Skippii - Kingpin, One for the Road

One for the Road: Harrisonburg's Unicycle gang.
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  #13  
Old August 17th 05, 05:53 PM
Mikefule
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Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


Well, here we are a year or so on, and my Coker remains on 150s, but my
28 is down from 110s to 102s. My MUni remains on 150s.

I think it's as much to do with leg length as crank length. I find
difficulty pedalling smoothly and fast on 150s, but the flywheel effect
of the Coker wheel helps to smooth my action. With the 28, the short
cranks are there because I like the feel, rather than because I think
they add significantly to the speed.

Of course, my riding is mainly on the flood plains. Rob and I did over
1000 feet of climbing on Dartmoor and I was grateful for the 150s then!
Dave, your place in Sheffield has some exceptionally steep hills, so I
can see why you prefer the longer cranks. I would, too!


--
Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

http://www.dolphin-morris.co.uk/

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  #14  
Old August 17th 05, 06:11 PM
johnfoss
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Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


From reading all of this it sounds like the best crank length is a
combination of three main factors:

1. Steepness/roughness of terrain

2. Rider body size and preference (some of us like to pedal faster than
others)

3. Purpose of the ride (casual, workout, A to B, or race?)

My Coker has 125s on it. I'm sure I could get used to shorter cranks,
but only for pretty flat riding. There are some hills on my commute, but
none are steep and the 125s are fine. Sometimes I worry on the way down
the hills (I let it roll out), but otherwise it's fine. I have also used
160s and 170s for MUni. Which length is "better" for trails has a lot to
do with the difficulty/steepness of those trails.

My 29er is normally ridden on road with 102s. I feel I have "enough"
control on that crank size, though it's a bit of a compromise. Anything
longer and I will mostly wonder why I'm not on my Coker.

With 160s on it, I love the way it rides on trails. Just don't bring it
to Downieville! That ride requires a robust wheel and either longer
cranks or a brake.

My riding background includes racing, which means lots of riding at very
high RPMs. So I generally like my cranks shorter than the average
rider.

Currently I have 140s on the 29er. I put them on for the cross country
race at NAUCC. Due to the mostly flat and not technical nature of the
race course, the 29" wheel blew away the competition. That's a good
crank length for *easy* trails.

With those cranks still on, I rode the 29er to my wife's office the
other night, to pick up her car. This was a road ride, mostly on side
streets. The cranks definitely felt too long, and I could tell I was
wasting a lot of energy making the bigger circles with my feet. I was
pretty sweatty by the time I got to the car. I definitely like something
shorter for a flat road ride on the 29er.


--
johnfoss - More Moab Fun

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  #15  
Old August 17th 05, 06:11 PM
johnfoss
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Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


From reading all of this it sounds like the best crank length is a
combination of three main factors:

1. Steepness/roughness of terrain

2. Rider body size and preference (some of us like to pedal faster than
others)

3. Purpose of the ride (casual, workout, A to B, or race?)

My Coker has 125s on it. I'm sure I could get used to shorter cranks,
but only for pretty flat riding. There are some hills on my commute, but
none are steep and the 125s are fine. Sometimes I worry on the way down
the hills (I let it roll out), but otherwise it's fine. I have also used
160s and 170s for MUni. Which length is "better" for trails has a lot to
do with the difficulty/steepness of those trails.

My 29er is normally ridden on road with 102s. I feel I have "enough"
control on that crank size, though it's a bit of a compromise. Anything
longer and I will mostly wonder why I'm not on my Coker.

With 160s on it, I love the way it rides on trails. Just don't bring it
to Downieville! That ride requires a robust wheel and either longer
cranks or a brake.

My riding background includes racing, which means lots of riding at very
high RPMs. So I generally like my cranks shorter than the average
rider.

Currently I have 140s on the 29er. I put them on for the cross country
race at NAUCC. Due to the mostly flat and not technical nature of the
race course, the 29" wheel blew away the competition. That's a good
crank length for *easy* trails.

With those cranks still on, I rode the 29er to my wife's office the
other night, to pick up her car. This was a road ride, mostly on side
streets. The cranks definitely felt too long, and I could tell I was
wasting a lot of energy making the bigger circles with my feet. I was
pretty sweatty by the time I got to the car. I definitely like something
shorter for a flat road ride on the 29er.


--
johnfoss - More Moab Fun

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  #16  
Old August 17th 05, 06:11 PM
johnfoss
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Posts: n/a
Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


From reading all of this it sounds like the best crank length is a
combination of three main factors:

1. Steepness/roughness of terrain

2. Rider body size and preference (some of us like to pedal faster than
others)

3. Purpose of the ride (casual, workout, A to B, or race?)

My Coker has 125s on it. I'm sure I could get used to shorter cranks,
but only for pretty flat riding. There are some hills on my commute, but
none are steep and the 125s are fine. Sometimes I worry on the way down
the hills (I let it roll out), but otherwise it's fine. I have also used
160s and 170s for MUni. Which length is "better" for trails has a lot to
do with the difficulty/steepness of those trails.

My 29er is normally ridden on road with 102s. I feel I have "enough"
control on that crank size, though it's a bit of a compromise. Anything
longer and I will mostly wonder why I'm not on my Coker.

With 160s on it, I love the way it rides on trails. Just don't bring it
to Downieville! That ride requires a robust wheel and either longer
cranks or a brake.

My riding background includes racing, which means lots of riding at very
high RPMs. So I generally like my cranks shorter than the average
rider.

Currently I have 140s on the 29er. I put them on for the cross country
race at NAUCC. Due to the mostly flat and not technical nature of the
race course, the 29" wheel blew away the competition. That's a good
crank length for *easy* trails.

With those cranks still on, I rode the 29er to my wife's office the
other night, to pick up her car. This was a road ride, mostly on side
streets. The cranks definitely felt too long, and I could tell I was
wasting a lot of energy making the bigger circles with my feet. I was
pretty sweatty by the time I got to the car. I definitely like something
shorter for a flat road ride on the 29er.


--
johnfoss - More Moab Fun

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  #17  
Old August 17th 05, 06:11 PM
johnfoss
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Posts: n/a
Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


From reading all of this it sounds like the best crank length is a
combination of three main factors:

1. Steepness/roughness of terrain

2. Rider body size and preference (some of us like to pedal faster than
others)

3. Purpose of the ride (casual, workout, A to B, or race?)

My Coker has 125s on it. I'm sure I could get used to shorter cranks,
but only for pretty flat riding. There are some hills on my commute, but
none are steep and the 125s are fine. Sometimes I worry on the way down
the hills (I let it roll out), but otherwise it's fine. I have also used
160s and 170s for MUni. Which length is "better" for trails has a lot to
do with the difficulty/steepness of those trails.

My 29er is normally ridden on road with 102s. I feel I have "enough"
control on that crank size, though it's a bit of a compromise. Anything
longer and I will mostly wonder why I'm not on my Coker.

With 160s on it, I love the way it rides on trails. Just don't bring it
to Downieville! That ride requires a robust wheel and either longer
cranks or a brake.

My riding background includes racing, which means lots of riding at very
high RPMs. So I generally like my cranks shorter than the average
rider.

Currently I have 140s on the 29er. I put them on for the cross country
race at NAUCC. Due to the mostly flat and not technical nature of the
race course, the 29" wheel blew away the competition. That's a good
crank length for *easy* trails.

With those cranks still on, I rode the 29er to my wife's office the
other night, to pick up her car. This was a road ride, mostly on side
streets. The cranks definitely felt too long, and I could tell I was
wasting a lot of energy making the bigger circles with my feet. I was
pretty sweatty by the time I got to the car. I definitely like something
shorter for a flat road ride on the 29er.


--
johnfoss - More Moab Fun

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/34147

  #18  
Old August 17th 05, 06:43 PM
unipsychler
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Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


Wouldn't it be nice if you could buy a crank system where you can vary
the length of the cranks with simply the turn of a screw?

With all the talk about experimenting with different crank lengths and
doing the same myself I may just design something.

Look for future posts on the subject.

Happy crank changing!


--
unipsychler - Ride The Unicycle ~ A Crash Course!

Interested in learning to ride the unicycle QUICKLY AND SAFELY? Or how
about getting one of the coolest uni t-shirts around? Check out my
website at www.ridetheunicycle.com
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  #19  
Old August 17th 05, 10:41 PM
onewheeldave
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Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


Check out this thread for lots of ideas concerning adjustable cranks-

http://tinyurl.com/2plgy


--
onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the ******* work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32
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  #20  
Old August 17th 05, 11:04 PM
Skippii
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Default Big Wheels, Long Cranks...


oops...I meant to post in the other thread, not bump this year-old one.
[image: http://ebassist.com/vb3/images/smilies/smack.gif]


--
Skippii - Kingpin, One for the Road

One for the Road: Harrisonburg's Unicycle gang.
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