I've been out on the 29-er (2.1" tyre, 5"/125 mm cranks)
pretty much every night for the past 2/3 weeks.
It's fitted with lights and I've got a fluro waistcoat so
I've been venturing onto the roads as well.
Past excursions have been fun but also involved some pain
and dissapointment (doing a search on my past posts will
give the details), so I'm happy to report that this latest
one has been wholey good.
This time round I didn't launch off determined to prove that
the 29-er can tackle the same terrain as my 24x3 muni.
Instead I found a nice route which took in what I believe to
be Sheffields longest non-road cycle track; there are bits
of steep gradient but not the really extreme hills.
Plugging away at this route has reaped good results in terms
of control and confidence.
One transition point I noticed is when I started to get some
of the hip swaying/wheel leaning that was a big part of my
muni riding, another was tonight when I got some consistent
high speeds and felt totally stable with it.
One thing I've noticed is the existence of 'devious' bumps
i.e. I found myself UPD-ing at certain spots for no apparent
reason. Later, on UPD-ing at the same place I checked it out
and found a bump which, in the dark, was impossible to see
from the unicycle (my lights are there purely to satisfy
road legislation and so that I can be seen on the road, they
cast very little light onto the path).
On a muni they'd be no problem, in daylight on a 29-er
they'd be visible, but the combination of 29 and night =
UPD; until you've ridden the path and know where they are.
Luckily they seem to be confined to paths rather than roads.
During the three weeks, I have had a couple of UPD's on a
road, both happened when the road was devoid of traffic and
I was pushing the speed.
On roads with traffic I'm very wary; though I'm confident of
my abilities I know that bad things happen on roads, often
the fault of someone else. I guess it's because so much of
my life is about being active (unicycling, poi spinning,
walking etc) that I question whether it's worth the risk.
But then again I think I'm starting to really enjoy big
wheel riding, maybe if I moved somewhere suitable for a
Coker e.g. a place with long non-road tracks, i could
start getting some real distance in and maybe get to the
point where I could take part in one of the long distance
Coker runs.
I've been thinking about how difficult the transition from a
muni to a 29" wheel/125 cranks is; many on this forum have
pointed out that the is actually little difference i.e. a
29-er is only a little higher off the ground, the wheel is
only a little larger and the cranks a little shorter
Nevertheless I've found the difference quite large, and I
think it's because though the differences are small, when
taken in combination they add up.
So, on a free mount, it's true that you only need to jump a
little higher, but, when you land on the seat you not only
have to get control from a jump higher than you're used to,
but with the added difficulty of a larger wheel and less
crank leverage.
My mounts on the flat are getting a lot better, but still
not the 100% certainty I had on the muni, and gradients are
a challenge.
At a guess I would put the extra difficulty of free mounting
and general riding (i.e. tackling a few gradients, curb
drops etc) at about a 1/3 to a 1/2, lowering with practice.
As always, this is in Sheffield; somewhere flatter it would
probably be easier, and I expect if I had a go on a Coker
here I would probably wonder how I ever had a problem with
the 29-er.
But it's well worth it, when you accustom to the shorter
crank turning circle you'll appreciate the extra speed and
smoothness a lot.
My tips for any beginners to 29-ing, especially those
transitioning from a smaller wheel are: -
1. Safety first. Wristguards will help you not to break your
wrists, helmets are good.
2. Take it easy at first, a 29-er won't do the same stuff
as a muni, especially at the start; later on it's
surprising what it can do, there's a little but longish
off road hillock that I like to do on the muni, it's
great fun climbing it on the 29-er and then bombing it a
29-er speed.
3. Be 100% solid before riding in traffic. I think on the
roads a helmet is a really good idea- whilst some argue
that a UPD-ing unicyclist will rarely land on their head,
the presence of cars adds a new element to the equation.
A car impact can throw you at high velocity in a way
leaves you unable to have any influence on the way you
land. Also, you'll look more as if you know what you are
doing if you have sensible safety gear on.
4. Lights are essential on roads at night, a rear reflector
is probably a legal requirement and also good in case
your rear light fails without you being aware of it. A
flouro waistcoat is a good idea.
5. Trying 125's on a muni for a few days is nice, the
shorter cranks are easy to adapt to cos the height
and wheel size stay the same. Also a muni with 125's
is a nice machine with good control and a useful
extra turn of speed.
6. Remember you're higher, branches that wouldn't be a
problem on a muni could be grabbing your head on a 29-er.
--
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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