New Upgrades - Nimbus Stealth Pro Rim + 14g SS Spokes

[Ducttape]

Originally Posted by Chexjc

I just placed the order on Tuesday and the wheelbuild arrived Friday! Wow, A+ shipping, Unicycle.com . I actually didn't know the rim was white...I thought it was chrome, but white is even better!

Here's my coker:

• Radial Frame
• UDC Super-Wide Hub
• Qu-Ax Alloy Cranks - 125mm
• T7 Handle
• KH Seatpost - Primo Clamp
• Jim C Pedals
• Wheel TA Tire
• Nimbus Stealth Pro Rim
• 14g SS Spokes (36)

I just took it for it's first test spin - The weight difference makes a huge impact on the way it handles. Not only is it somewhat nicer to lug around, it's also much more maneuverable. This should be nice to ride the LBI Unithon with.

I know, the Jim C's are a bit bulky. I'm planning to pick up some twisted Odysseys soon.

why is it so clean and pretty! crash that thing a few times at high speeds and dirty it up!

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by Ducttape

first picture almost looks like a 29'er.

I think 36" wheels look more impressive when they're set up for shorter people, with a lower saddle. With loads of seatpost showing you lose the sense of scale. Those rocks in our wall are pretty big as well, which adds to the illusion... it's definitely a 36 though, honest

I'm not ridiculously tall though - a bit under 6'2", with slightly short legs for my height (I wear 32" inside leg trousers).

Rob

[Chexjc]

Originally Posted by Ducttape

why is it so clean and pretty! crash that thing a few times at high speeds and dirty it up!

Heh, funny you say that...

I took a nice fall just yesterday when I hit a pothole I wasn't looking for . I'm okay though, just a few scratches. The T7 got a little banged up.

I rode 15 miles on Sunday and another 15 on Monday this week - My first decent rides on the new rim. It feels excellent. Powering up hills has never been easier. The best part is how much easier the overall handling feels. It's much more nimble of a ride.

Give the 125's some more time. My guess is that you'll end up liking them a lot more. I went from 150's as well and also felt a bit unstable at first. But once you get the feel for them, it's almost as though hills get easier (?). Maybe it has to do with the extra speed you can pick up with them.

I'm going to try 114's next. The wobble in my wheel at high speeds is starting to bug me.

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by Chexjc

Give the 125's some more time. My guess is that you'll end up liking them a lot more.

I can see myself getting to like them on the road, but for my half-xc route to work I think they're a bit too short. I've never been much of a road unicyclist anyway - that's what bikes are for! That's probably why I've never really become comfortable at high speeds on my coker - my top speed is around 15mph; any faster and I feel really unsafe. It amazes me how people manage to ride at 20mph without crashing on every tiny ripple in the road.

Actually the climbs weren't too bad on the 125s - I almost made it up the steepest bit of my route (about 1:6 for nearly half a mile, with little bits probably 1:5), and I only stopped because of a horse in the middle of the road. I think I could have JUST made it to the top if I'd had a clear run, but there was no way I could mount on that hill (I can't do it on 150s either). Downhills are a completely different matter though - utterly scary (and the new rim/brake block combination hasn't bedded in yet )

Rob

[Chexjc]

Originally Posted by rob.northcott

Downhills are a completely different matter though - utterly scary...

I agree. I'll get a brake sometime in the future. I hate downhills.

[rob.northcott]

Just thought I'd post an update after a few more days' use.

I put the 145mm cranks on and they suit me much better for my usual route - I think it's just too rough and hilly for the 125s, at least until I get MUCH more used to them on the flat first. I also changed the brake blocks (cheap ones that came with the BMX brake) for some decent Aztec ones and the braking is now extremely smooth and controllable, meaning I can ride faster down steep hills without the feeling of losing control.

The lighter weight of the wheel is very noticeable, making the unicycle feel much easier to ride and balance, especially on the rougher parts of the route.

An unexpected bonus is that I really like the reduced Q of the standard width hub. I had a super-wide hub in my old wheel and was a bit concerned it might end up too flexy with a normal one, but I wanted to use ISIS cranks so it had to be a normal hub. I know a few people who ride normal width hubs with no problems, so decided to go for it. Wheel flex is no more than my old tank-like wheel, and the narrower Q feels really nice to ride (it's actually even narrower than my muni because I'm using QuAx straight cranks). I didn't think I'd notice the difference (it's only an inch narrower after all, and I'm quite tall), but I'm sure it feels better.

So, overall I think it was a very worthwhile upgrade. I'm still no sprinter on a coker (although my top speed has been up about 1mph to 16mph on the new wheel), but my actual average speeds and journey times have improved noticeably. Now to find somewhere flat to get used to those 125s...

Rob

[goldenchickenIV]

I would not mind having the pedals less apart. My 36er has the super-duper wide hub mainly because I belive the size craves it. If someone can convince me that the wheel won't become weaker with the normal hub I will relace it. I just hurled my (very) Q-ed quax cranks into the lake (yes, figuratively). Having to pedal in cowboy-fashion is a nuisance.

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by goldenchickenIV

I would not mind having the pedals less apart. My 36er has the super-duper wide hub mainly because I belive the size craves it. If someone can convince me that the wheel won't become weaker with the normal hub I will relace it. I just hurled my (very) Q-ed quax cranks into the lake (yes, figuratively). Having to pedal in cowboy-fashion is a nuisance.

The wheel is certainly slightly stronger with a wider hub - nobody can deny that, it's just a fact. But I reckon it's strong enough with the normal width hub, and if the spokes are nice and tight the flex isn't bad either. I think the people who complain about wheel flex are mostly using Magura brakes, which needs to be set up quite close to the rim. With a caliper brake the pads can be set up much further apart, so brake rub isn't a problem. I can JUST get the rim to brush the brake while honking it up a really steep hill, but it's really not a problem. I swapped to a normal width hub on my new wheel purely because I wanted to use ISIS cranks, not because I was unhappy with my old super-wide hub, but since I've had it I do like the feel of the lower Q. You could try some straight cranks on your existing hub - my old hub with straight cranks had about the same Q as my muni with ProWheel cranks. My new ISIS hub with straight cranks is considerably narrower than the muni.

The longer your legs are, the less you should notice a given change in Q, but I'm fairly tall and I'm sure the narrower hub feels nicer to me.

Rob

[goldenchickenIV]

I have another reason to downgrade to normal hub - my spokes are a tad too short for the airfoil rim. A smaller hub would get them a little further into the nipples. But on the other hand I have maguras and the reason for me upgrading to airfoil, super-duper hub and nimbus frame in the first place was that the brakes were chafing the rim. So I better brood some more on the matter before I take any action.

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by goldenchickenIV

I have another reason to downgrade to normal hub - my spokes are a tad too short for the airfoil rim. A smaller hub would get them a little further into the nipples.

Only by a miniscule amount - probably hardly noticeable.

Originally Posted by goldenchickenIV

But on the other hand I have maguras and the reason for me upgrading to airfoil, super-duper hub and nimbus frame in the first place was that the brakes were chafing the rim.

You'll certainly get a bit more flex with a narrower hub, leaving the rest of the components the same. With the amount of clearance you get with Maggies (i.e. not much) you may need to keep the flex to an absolute minimum, which means using a wide hub. All the people I know who use normal width hubs in cokers have caliper brakes, so I can't comment on whether it can be made to work satisfactorily with Maguras.

If you're not using straight cranks then just doing that would be an improvement - as I said, my setup with super-wide hub and straight cranks was no wider than my muni with ProWheel cranks. I don't think I'd be desperate to swap to a narrower hub if I wasn't buying a new wheel anyway, and given that you use Maggies I'd say the extra bit of stiffness with the wide hub probably outweighs any benefit from the Q reduction in your case.

Rob

[goldenchickenIV]

Yes I have switched to an old pair of alu cranks that are straight. The qu-ax prowheel cranks made distance between pedals almost absurdly wide.

I think you're right about the spokes and the nipples, the narrower hub won't do much difference. So I will stick with it at least until next upgrade which I hope to be a stealth rim with ss-spokes.

Or – if someone cares to invent it – a 36" carbon fibre wheel.

[munirocks]

Originally Posted by goldenchickenIV

Or – if someone cares to invent it – a 36" carbon fibre wheel.

That would be awesome

[munirocks]

I'd love to see a carbon fiber 36er frame as well... That should be a worthwhile project for some folks here, I think.

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by munirocks

I'd love to see a carbon fiber 36er frame as well... That should be a worthwhile project for some folks here, I think.

I think somebody may be working on one. Dave (kington99) mentioned to me last weekend about somebody making a cf coker frame with blade-type forks, like a road bike fork. Should look nice if nothing else.

Rob

[Ducttape]

Originally Posted by rob.northcott

I think somebody may be working on one. Dave (kington99) mentioned to me last weekend about somebody making a cf coker frame with blade-type forks, like a road bike fork. Should look nice if nothing else.

Rob

really? that would be cool, I've been researching doing up a carbon fiber rim and frame but the fact that I'm a poor teenager affects my ability to try anything as far as actual production.