Schlumpf hubs: general discussion.

[napalm]

Hi everyone,

I thought it is a shame that most of the talk of schlumpf hubs occurs in the 'brand new broken schlumpf' thread. So with the teething problems of the first generation hubs being rectified (in a very noble manner by florian i must add), and more and more people enjoying this pretty amazing new piece of equipment i thought it would be time to start a new thread for people to talk and share ideas about their Hubs, the unicycles they are in, shifting techniques etc.

I'll start off, I have my Hub in a KH24" with 150/125 moment cranks (although i have yet to give the 125s a proper go). Slop is hardly noticeable in the hub, and the added weight didn't stop me from climbing my normal route to the summit of Mt Majura (300m of climbing). Once i get my magura brake line fixed i am looking forward to hitting some of the steep sections in high gear- at the moment there is just too much torque hitting my legs and the 1:1 ratio is compulsory.

I can shift within 1 or two pedal strokes of wanting to (but there is some preparation needed to make that happen). My feet are not huge so for me to shift i have to squidge my foot over on the pedal so that it is closer to the button- but also so that the pedal is more under the ball of my foot. At the moment riding on the balls of my feet for long stretches is not the most comfortable (especially if it is getting technical) so noting the terrain further ahead than i usually do is needed. Once i can see there is a spot i will need to downshift i can position my foot and then when i get to it shift on the first or second pedal revolution.

Also noticed (i only just received my hub back from Switzerland) that the cranks have not moved a bit since i initially installed them (despite removing the buttons twice and checking on my 15km ride this evening). They are seated well and there is a god amount of clearance between the crank and the frame.

Ok thats about enough from me- but lets hear from you! How is the schlumpf experience treating you?

cheers,
Mark

[GizmoDuck]

I rode 29.993km/hr on a 36" Schlumpf.

So it's pretty fast.

I like my Unguni, and I like my Schlumpfs. They have different uses.

That's all I have to say about that.

[corbin]

The Schlumpf hubs have changed unicycling.

Heck, they allowed a KH24 to tour with other 36'ers through Africa! We had 2 geared 24's, two geared 36'ers, and two ungeared 36ers on the tour:

http://www.corbinstreehouse.com/blog...video-unimoon/

The geared 36 is the perfect road machine. The geared 24 or 26 is the perfect off road machine. I really like my hubs, and I fully support Florian. He has done a great job.

-corbin

[siafirede]

Originally Posted by corbin

The Schlumpf hubs have changed unicycling.

Heck, they allowed a KH24 to tour with other 36'ers through Africa! We had 2 geared 24's, two geared 36'ers, and two ungeared 36ers on the tour:

http://www.corbinstreehouse.com/blog...video-unimoon/

The geared 36 is the perfect road machine. The geared 24 or 26 is the perfect off road machine. I really like my hubs, and I fully support Florian. He has done a great job.

-corbin

I do love my geared 36. Lets not forget that the geared 29 is also an amazing road machine with the capability of light muni and XC and traveling.

Basically the schlumpf hub in a 24/26/29/36 will make your riding way more interesting and open a new world of possibilities to you.

I have had no issues with my hub. I did send it back after ride the lobster because it was recalled (even though I had no problems with mine), Florian beefed up the bearings a little and the planet carrier, and I have still had no issues with it. Since then, the bearings have become even bigger and stronger and it has a longer axle width to allow cranks other than the Moments. I do not have these two upgrades on my hub, but mine is still going strong.

[naturequack]

Those who say money can't buy you happiness don't own a Schlumpf.
It has opened a whole new world for me. I am exploring paces I never would have gone without it.
My hub has worked flawlessly for ~2800 km and counting. I feel fortunate to live in the era of unicycling when the Schlumpf hub exists.

Geoff

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by naturequack

Those who say money can't buy you happiness don't own a Schlumpf.

When most of the money is in the pockets of a few people then money can't buy most people happiness. The few people with the money who can afford thousands of Schlumpf hubs will not be anywhere near as happy with them as the people who cannot afford them.

People should stop using oil in cars to ensure a steady supply of oil for the future of geared unicycle hubs, and it would also make road commuting more attractive to cyclists.

[MuniAddict]

I'm pretty much in the Kris Holm camp regarding crank length, for the G26er. We both use 150's, and I like them for the versatility; great on super tech terrain, providing optimum leverage and control. Also great for DH as the longer crank length makes back pressuring easier with less dependence of the brake, while still allowing for high speed riding with minimum wobble. Plus, I've been doing a fair amount of climbing in *high* gear, where the 150's also seem optimal.

Having said all that, I did try the 125 hole in my dual moments; In high it was much harder to stop by back pressuring, and the speed difference was negligible. In 1:1 they were ok and climbing wasn't much harder vs the 150's. I do have 137's on my trials uni, so I might give those a try, just to see if I might prefer them over 150's.

[danger_uni]

Yes I think that the preferred length comes down to not just your riding style but also the terrain where you ride. Even if it's hilly, short cranks can be really good for climbing, of course, but singletrack climbs requiring combo cranking, pulling over bumps, and some hops, might benefit from a bit of extra torque. But things change, too: a decade ago I was running 175's on my 26" (ungeared) muni and today I've got 137's on my (ungeared) KH24 for the same terrain. So far I like 150's on my geared 26 for the rooty trails where I live and huge variation in difficulty on some rides, but will certainly keep experimenting.

Kris

[Nurse Ben]

But things change, too: a decade ago I was running 175's on my 26" (ungeared) muni and today I've got 137's on my (ungeared) KH24 for the same terrain.

Relative to Kris, I am a very new rider, but even in the short three years since I started riding, my preferences have changed dramatically. It seems like, as my skills grow, I have more ability to accomodate to shorter cranks as well as develop a style that allows me to use a shorter crank.

I'm not sure I could have ridden a 26er with 137's last year, at least not as well as I can now.

I still find a 50% gear step to be excessive. I would gladly pay more $$ for a 25-33% step if it were available, any chance of that Kris?

[danger_uni]

I'm not sure as it really depends on market size - if we could sell thousands of these hubs then a lot more options would open up in terms of things like different gear ratios. Right now the major goals are to keep it simple, reliable, not overly heavy, and available.

On the them of things changing with experience, I agree that the ratio jump is a lot but over time the current setup becomes (for many, maybe not all) more and more helpful as it spans the useful practical range of gearing for most people, on or off road.

Kris

[Nurse Ben]

Well, last night I went out for a training ride on the guni, which wasn't bad, but it definitely "informed me" that I was not ready for prime time

Riding in high gear in rough terrain is hard, then when I'm tired it's really hard, then when miss shifts it's really really hard, then I so tired that I'm walking stuff I can ride which sucks.

I think it must take some time to become efficient at riding in high gear because I do not find it to be energy saving over riding in low or riding my fixed gear 29.

I'll keep working at it, I can see the possibilities a little better now, though a smaller step would be more usable esp for low angle climbing. I think the short cranks are helping (137 Moments), but to make it even easier to hit the button without hitting my ankle I'm changing to Koxx K1 140's which have low Q.

I am also going to change out the Ardent from 26 x 2.6 for a 26 x 2.4, this will drop some weight and minimize some of the "auto steer" that I get with the high centerline DH version of the Ardent.

So it'll be the KH 29 at the Black Bear race this weekend, should be fun, so far there are seven muni riders, yeah!

BTW, I spoke to Steve at UDC and he said that UDC will advertise a uni event for free if the director of said event provides fliers/cards to use as package inserts.

[MuniAddict]

Since there is no visual way to see how much grease is left in the hub, (without taking it apart! DON'T!) how would you know when it's time to add more...short of it seizing up, falling apart, etc, haha. And I also wonder that if you're seeing an excessive amount coming out of the hub via the seals, if that means there is maybe a bit too much inside.

That was happening to my hub for the first few months of riding, but now the "leakage" has almost completely stopped. So I don't know if that means it's time to add more, or simply that the excess grease has made its way out.

[MuniOrBust]

Maybe add half a syringe and see if you start getting leakage again?
Over time, maybe you'll observe a cause and effect.

I don't pay attention enough to leakage so I've just added half a syringe a couple times a year.

[MuniAddict]

Originally Posted by MuniOrBust

Maybe add half a syringe and see if you start getting leakage again?
Over time, maybe you'll observe a cause and effect.

I don't pay attention enough to leakage so I've just added half a syringe a couple times a year.

Check your PM.

[KcTheAcy]

Originally Posted by MuniOrBust

Maybe add half a syringe and see if you start getting leakage again?
Over time, maybe you'll observe a cause and effect.

I don't pay attention enough to leakage so I've just added half a syringe a couple times a year.

Thanks for the grease man!