My first 36" Unicycle: Nimbus Nightrider Pro

[Freecloud]

I've been riding a Torker CX 24" for the last two years and I just took the first ride on my new Nightrider Pro 36" unicycle and all I can say is "Wow!".

The Nightrider tire rides so smooth and the extra speed is amazing. I love being able to feel the wind in my face as I ride!

It took me about 10-15 minutes of getting the feel for it and getting my confidence up. I learned quickly that I had to lean forward more than with the 24". Pretty soon I was zipping around the neighborhood with no problem.

I went with the Qu-ax 145mm ISIS crank arms which are a little shorter than the standard 152mm that I'm used to. This together with the size and weight of the 36" wheel makes it a little more challenging to accelerate or to slow down on a sleep hill, etc. Hopefully a little more leg strength will compensate for this.

I didn't focus too much on free mounting, however, I was able to land one free mount which boosted my confidence a bit. I've been watching some UniGeezer videos on mounting a 36er which has helped. Any advice will certainly be appreciated! Which free mount technique is the easiest one to learn first?

The standard gel saddle is a ten-fold improvement over my Toker CX seat. I feel like my weight is more evenly spread over the seat. I'll see how it does for longer rides and decide if I want to upgrade it later to a KH fusion or something.

Overall, I love my new Nightrider Pro and I can't wait to put many, many miles on it!

Dan



Getting the feel for it...


One of my first test rides...

[Klaas Bil]

For starters, welcome to the forums! I take it that you haven't ridden a 36" before owning one? Indeed, a first ride on a 36" is an amazing feeling.

As to the best freemounting technique. I think a static mount is the easiest to learn, also for a 36". On this big wheel you have to "jump" both a lot higher, and more forward than on the 24" you're used to. Many people have had success by building up a little forward momentum before beginning the actual mount. You can either take a single step, while aligning the cranks such that after that step the pedal is in the proper position for the mount, or do a short "run" of several steps with the uni rolling in front of you, and then timing your mount when the pedal comes along. Either way, you can push yourself up by putting more weight on the first pedal while the uni won't roll back because of the forward speed.

Here's to many happy miles!

[ezas]

Sweet ride, congrats.

No shin pads mounting a 36"? You are braver than I am. I use inexpensive soccer shin guards and they work great.

[kb1jki]

nice ride, I love mine! it only gets better!

[Unicyclopz]

Are you interested in selling your nightrider pro?

[Freecloud]

Hi Unicyclopz,

I'm still enjoying my nightrider pro, so I'll be hanging on to it for a while.

Dan