Custom 24 Hour Endurance Racing 29er



U

U-Turn

Guest
Hello everybody!

Ben Plotkin-Swing and I have been collaborating on an Endurance Racing
29er for the Toronto race at the end of May. It's not that handsome
because we did some parts scrounging. We didn't make weight our primary
consideration to cut down on cost somewhat. Basically our goal was to
use a non-Magura brake and to use the GBDS handle to enable normal brake
lever action, allow better cyclometer positioning and manipulation, and
to allow the use of a uni-mounted headlight to supplement a helmet
light.

It turned out to be surprisingly light anyway, and the brake seems to
have turned out well. We did a day of final setup and testing here in
Connecticut, and now Ben has it back in Boston for more shakedown and to
prepare for the race. We'll see how it holds up!

There's a new album of photos positioned first 'here'
(http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuu55).


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--
U-Turn - Member of Generation XO

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.

'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)

'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)

'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)

-- Dave Stockton
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That sounds interesting, Dave. I want to see more but the galleries
seem to be down today. What length cranks is he planning to run?

Scott


--
S_Wallis - Back in the saddle

"Don't neglect your knees! They're really useful." Words of wisdom from
Cyberbellum

"I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn
how to do it." Pablo Picasso
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U-Turn wrote:
> *It's not that handsome because we did some parts scrounging.*

Au contraire... I've not seen the gallery photos, but it looks like a
nice black and white colour scheme you've got there. Looks good!

What kind of terrain is the race on? Those do look like fearsomely short
cranks...

Phil


--
phil - ex-studenty type

"Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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On it now are 125s and he's been experimenting with 102s and I believe
is going to test 110s as well. But I don't want to give away any race
secrets, so I'll let Ben explain his approach (if he is willing!). :D


Yes the galleries seemed to go down earlier today, just after I posted.
I put the pics up yesterday so it's not my fault! :rolleyes:


--
U-Turn - Member of Generation XO

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.

'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)

'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)

'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)

-- Dave Stockton
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The cranks in the picture are 125mm. So far I've experimented with 102s
and 125s, and I've pretty sure at this point that I'll use the 125s in
the race. The difference between the two is really very striking. With
102s, it feels, as I mentioned in another thread, like a Coker. With
125s it feels more like a regular unicycle, except really fast. I know
that several people who've done this race before are doing it on Cokers,
so I'm not to worried that I won't be able to ride the terrain.

The brake really compliments this unicycle. It's helpful both for
recovering energy you'd otherwise use slowing yourself while going down
a hill, and for increasing by quite a bit the amount of steep terrain
that can be ridden in control. The cable brake works as well as a Magura
so far. We'll see how it holds up over time.

The handle strikes a good balance between having things you need, and
not getting in the way. I really like the twin hand grips for cruising,
and they work fine for muscling the wheel around offroad. The option to
mount a lighting system on the handle is also great.l Although I don't
have much experience with other lighting systems, my impression is that
having a light mounted on your frame combined with a light on your
helmet is more effective than that amount of light combined, on your
helmet.

Overall, working with Dave to build this uni was a lot of fun, and the
result is an amazing ride.

Ben


--
Ben Plotkin-Swing

www.benps.com

"Every truly great accomplishment is at first impossible" -Fortune
cookie.
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Hey Ben & Dave,

That's a sweet looking ride! Nice touch with the blue, too.

I have Shimano V brakes on my 700c road bike. The shoes took a little
while to break in but now that they are a little dirty and worn in they
modulate nicely.

Good luck in the race!

Tim


--
cyberbellum - Level 1.0 rider!

Optimists think the glass is half full. Pesimists think the glass is
half empty. Engineers think the glass is too big.
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Ben Plotkin-Swing wrote:
> *The cranks in the picture are 125mm. So far I've experimented with
> 102s and 125s, and I've pretty sure at this point that I'll use the
> 125s in the race. The difference between the two is really very
> striking. With 102s, it feels, as I mentioned in another thread, like
> a Coker. With 125s it feels more like a regular unicycle, except
> really fast. I know that several people who've done this race before
> are doing it on Cokers, so I'm not to worried that I won't be able to
> ride the terrain.
>
> The brake really compliments this unicycle. It's helpful both for
> recovering energy you'd otherwise use slowing yourself while going
> down a hill, and for increasing by quite a bit the amount of steep
> terrain that can be ridden in control. The cable brake works as well
> as a Magura so far. We'll see how it holds up over time.
>
> The handle strikes a good balance between having things you need, and
> not getting in the way. I really like the twin hand grips for
> cruising, and they work fine for muscling the wheel around offroad.
> The option to mount a lighting system on the handle is also great.l
> Although I don't have much experience with other lighting systems, my
> impression is that having a light mounted on your frame combined with
> a light on your helmet is more effective than that amount of light
> combined, on your helmet.
>
> Overall, working with Dave to build this uni was a lot of fun, and the
> result is an amazing ride.
>
> Ben *


That's a neat looking machine Ben! (one day I'll have to get Dave
Stockton to build me something like that :p )

Are you going solo?

Anyway, I don't know what terrain you're up against- but in my
experience from the Moonride- 125mm cranks are too short for 24hr solo.
OK if you're in a team perhaps, but at night when your body is totally
knackered, it's not the easiest gear to push. I used a 29'er with 125mm
cranks last year. It seemed to work fine when I did a practice lap, but
was hopeless during the race- especially at night if you hit a bump you
didn't see. It takes a huge amount of effort to correct yourself and
stay on. You need more leverage even if just to roll over things when
you legs have turned to jelly. The course wasn't particularly hilly
either(lots of rolling singletrack).

This year I tried a Coker with 150mm cranks- although the gear ratio is
similar or even higher- the huge coker tyre and wheel diameter means you
can roll over things rather than thrown off. I found the Coker much
easier to ride than the 125mm/29'er set-up I had last year. It soaks up
bumps- kind of like riding a full suspension bike. All the top soloists
were riding full suspension, whereas the top bike teams seemed to like
riding hardtails (light and fast but not good to ride for 24hrs)

In terms of lighting- the more the better. The trick is to know how
many laps you can do with your battery- try to work it so your battery
will last a set number of laps ie- 2hrs battery power, thirty minute
laps = 4 laps. You don't want to be caught half way around a lap with a
dead battery, nor do you want to lug around an extra battery if you
don't have to.

The helmet light is good- let's you see where you're going, but a
handlebar (or frame) mounted light gives better depth perception by
casting shadows on irregularities on the trail. If you wear glasses- I
swear by using antifog lens spray every couple of hours- it makes a huge
difference.

Good luck and have fun!


--
GizmoDuck - Adventure unicyclist

o-kO


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Ben Plotkin-Swing wrote:
> *The cranks in the picture are 125mm. So far I've experimented with
> 102s and 125s, and I've pretty sure at this point that I'll use the
> 125s in the race. The difference between the two is really very
> striking. With 102s, it feels, as I mentioned in another thread, like
> a Coker. With 125s it feels more like a regular unicycle, except
> really fast. I know that several people who've done this race before
> are doing it on Cokers, so I'm not to worried that I won't be able to
> ride the terrain.
>
> The brake really compliments this unicycle. It's helpful both for
> recovering energy you'd otherwise use slowing yourself while going
> down a hill, and for increasing by quite a bit the amount of steep
> terrain that can be ridden in control. The cable brake works as well
> as a Magura so far. We'll see how it holds up over time.
>
> The handle strikes a good balance between having things you need, and
> not getting in the way. I really like the twin hand grips for
> cruising, and they work fine for muscling the wheel around offroad.
> The option to mount a lighting system on the handle is also great.l
> Although I don't have much experience with other lighting systems, my
> impression is that having a light mounted on your frame combined with
> a light on your helmet is more effective than that amount of light
> combined, on your helmet.
>
> Overall, working with Dave to build this uni was a lot of fun, and the
> result is an amazing ride.
>
> Ben *


That's a neat looking machine Ben! (one day I'll have to get Dave
Stockton to build me something like that :p )

Are you going solo?

Anyway, I don't know what terrain you're up against- but in my
experience from the Moonride- 125mm cranks are too short for 24hr solo.
OK if you're in a team perhaps, but at night when your body is totally
knackered, it's not the easiest gear to push. I used a 29'er with 125mm
cranks last year. It seemed to work fine when I did a practice lap, but
was hopeless during the race- especially at night if you hit a bump you
didn't see. It takes a huge amount of effort to correct yourself and
stay on. You need more leverage even if just to roll over things when
you legs have turned to jelly. The course wasn't particularly hilly
either(lots of rolling singletrack).

This year I tried a Coker with 150mm cranks- although the gear ratio is
similar or even higher- the huge coker tyre and wheel diameter means you
can roll over things rather than thrown off. I found the Coker much
easier to ride than the 125mm/29'er set-up I had last year. It soaks up
bumps- kind of like riding a full suspension bike. All the top soloists
were riding full suspension, whereas the top bike teams seemed to like
riding hardtails (light and fast but not good to ride for 24hrs)

In terms of lighting- the more the better. The trick is to know how
many laps you can do with your battery- try to work it so your battery
will last a set number of laps ie- 2hrs battery power, thirty minute
laps = 4 laps. You don't want to be caught half way around a lap with a
dead battery, nor do you want to lug around an extra battery if you
don't have to.

The helmet light is good- let's you see where you're going, but a
handlebar (or frame) mounted light gives better depth perception by
casting shadows on irregularities on the trail. If you wear glasses- I
swear by using antifog lens spray every couple of hours- it makes a huge
difference.

Good luck and have fun!


--
GizmoDuck - Adventure unicyclist

o-kO


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Ok, time to post a review of my experience using the Custom 29er in the
Lifestyles 24hr race.

Overall, a 29er was the best uni for the race. The majority of riders
used that size. After seeing the course, I decided to switch to 152mm
cranks, which I'd gotten at the last minute from Darren Bedford. Boy am
I glad I did. The course was probably ridable in theory with 125 cranks,
but it wouldn't have been much fun, and it would be much slower on
average than 150s.

The biggest factor of race as far as equipment goes was lights. Here is
where the custom 29er really shines (har har). Everybody, including
those with high powered HID lights was complaining about not being able
to see the ground very well because of light reflected back at them from
mist and rain in the air. I was running two 15 watt halogen lights, one
on my helmet, and one mounted on the handle of the uni. I also noticed a
lot of glare coming back at me from the helmet light, but I could still
see the ground well because of the other source of light. The night lap
was the only time I turned in a faster lap than Ryan, and I think the
light was the deciding factor.

I meant to get a picture of the unicycle with the light on it, but it
didn't work out. I don't remember any pictures being taken, but if
anybody happens to see one, could you let me know?

The brake worked well. Everything got very muddy and wet, including the
rim, which actually made the braking a little smoother.

In general, the race was a big success. Unicycle performed great, I had
an amazing time, and I managed to crank out four sub 1hr laps, which was
one of my goals.

Ben


--
Ben Plotkin-Swing

www.benps.com

"Every truly great accomplishment is at first impossible" -Fortune
cookie.
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What kind of air seat is shown in the picture?

Also what sort of tools/equipment do you bring with you on your long
distance races/rides, and what do you pack them in? (backpack,
fannypack, etc.). I am just now really getting into long distance rides
(10 miles is long for me) and my left crank came off on my last ride,
from what I have been reading it seems like I need to bring a socket
wrench or something with me when I go riding, but I am curious as to
what you all bring with you.


--
siafirede - unicycleXcore
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Dave Stockton built the air seat. It has miyata foam and a 12"
innnertube wrapped in duct tape, in a KH cover. It's firmer than
airseats I've used in the past, but that actually makes it more
comfortable for distance riding because it doesn't squish around and
apply pressure where you don't want it.


Ben


--
Ben Plotkin-Swing

www.benps.com

"Every truly great accomplishment is at first impossible" -Fortune
cookie.
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I used a Nanoraptor tire. I was happy with it, but it's possible a tire
with a more aggresive tread pattern would have been better. I'll have a
better answer when I'm done with the tire study.

Ben


--
Ben Plotkin-Swing

www.benps.com

"Every truly great accomplishment is at first impossible" -Fortune
cookie.
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Ben Plotkin-Swing wrote:
> *I used a Nanoraptor tire. I was happy with it, but it's possible a
> tire with a more aggresive tread pattern would have been better. I'll
> have a better answer when I'm done with the tire study.
>
> Ben *


I'm looking forward to the study results. Thanks!


--
BillyTheMountain
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