Hey, I'm going to totally second Corbin: Geared 36 is the way to go.
Some have said here that long cranks will tire you out faster, but,
honestly, if you're using long cranks on a geared 36, you'll be
spinning a lot more slowly than even on a geared 29 for any given
speed. Granted, long cranks while spinning fast definitely tire you
out, but long cranks and 60-80 RPM are just golden. I think the
argument that long cranks are tiring hinges on the assumption that
you'll be spinning at the same cadence for a given ground speed, and,
with geared hubs and big wheels, that doesn't hold water.
I actually think longer cranks and slower spin are better than a faster
spin with shorter cranks, because you're able to use more of your
muscle and spread the load with the better leg extension. On my bike I
have 175 cranks and always choose a gear that keeps me between 80 and
100 RPM, and I can do a spontaneous century here or there and feel
great afterwards, with a clean thorough exercise of the entire lengths
of my legs. On my ungeared 36 with 125s (and even moreso with 102s), it
felt like all the work was being concentrated in my quads (top of leg)
right behind my knees. Now I can get that bike-workout feeling from my
geared 36, and go faster all the same. I think for touring longevity
longer cranks and slower cadence (for the same mechanical advantage at
the pedal, i.e. same 'gear ratio'😉 are going to be the winner, which
would leave you on a geared 36 with 150 cranks probably spinning a cool
easy 80-90 RPM for around 15mph. (which I think is a pretty decent
touring speed for a unicycle, IMHO). I have no doubt that it'd be
doable to hold an easy 15mph spin on a geared 36 with 150 cranks for
40, 50, 60, 80 miles at a time, leaving you ready for more the next day
on a big touring ride. And if you want to go fast, it's more than
likely very possible with a bit of work to hold 18-20 over flat ground.
(I haven't done this for a long period of time yet, but I can do it for
the occasional
couple-miles-at-a-time-between-the-burrito-shop-and-office
opportunities I've had, and it doesn't feel that bad.)
Doing 15 mph on my geared 36 feels like a relaxing, easy cruise, and
I'm on 165 cranks. I'm planning on going 150 or 137 very soon, as 165
is way too long, but I'm totally sold on a geared 36. Maybe 137 will be
too short, but I have to find out. I'm anticipating ending up on 150
cranks after trying out the different lengths.
Edit: What crank length I end up on is irrelevant, though... I think
that a geared 36 would be your best bet for easy speed on a tour, and,
for me, it'd be worth the cumber. (Considering I already have one 🙂) I
could totally understand wanting a geared 29 over a geared 36, though,
if space and luggability are a concern. That said, I'd get the 36 and
put a KH schlumpf hub in it.
that said, i don't think that an equivalent wheel size much higher than
54 would be a good idea, except for very very flat ground and/or
downhills; 54\" seems to be just easy enough to control on flat ground
to be fast. (but maybe that's because i'm still in the
falling-in-love-and-getting-used-to-it stage).
--
chuckaeronut
Cycling: It doesn't get easier; you just get faster.
Unicycling: It doesn't get easier; you just do tougher stuff.
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