Fastest speed on a unicycle

[minkuni]

Speed (mph), Name, Location, Unicycle, Crank size
---------------------------------------------------------------
26.1 mph, Corbin Dunn, Los Gatos CA USA, Geared KH36, 150mm
20.2 mph, Samuel Farmer, West Sussex England, Qu-ax 36, 114mm
19.9 MPH, Peripatet, Jacksonville FL USA, KH36, 125mm
22.6 mph, Spencer Owen, Nottingham UK, Schlumpf 29, 127mm
22.9 MPH, Scott Wilton, Madison WI USA, Nimbus 36, 114mm
21.1 mph, Øivind Stuan, Trondheim Norway, Nimbus 36, 125mm

34km/h (21.1mph) is my current top speed on a flat stretch of road (no downhill), although I was only able to sustain that speed for a sprint of 50~100m. My usual top speed when I'm not shooting for records is about 30km/h (18.6+ mph).

[scotthue]

Speed (mph), Name, Location, Unicycle, Crank size
---------------------------------------------------------------
26.1 mph, Corbin Dunn, Los Gatos CA USA, Geared KH36, 150mm
24.2 mph, Lars Lottrup, Nivå Denmark, Nimbus 36, 114mm
22.9 MPH, Scott Wilton, Madison WI USA, Nimbus 36, 114mm
22.6 mph, Spencer Owen, Nottingham UK, Schlumpf 29, 127mm
21.1 mph, Øivind Stuan, Trondheim Norway, Nimbus 36, 125mm
20.2 mph, Samuel Farmer, West Sussex England, Qu-ax 36, 114mm
19.9 MPH, Peripatet, Jacksonville FL USA, KH36, 125mm
17. mph, Rob Northcott, Somewhere on Dartmoor, Mongrel 36er, 145mm

Please keep the list going people

EDIT: List is now sorted by speed

[BrianP]

KH24 w 150s 12.8MPH Sorry it isn't too impressive

[steveyo]

Originally Posted by rob.northcott

You're all lying

I'd agree with Rob friendly little jibe, but I actually the saw the top speeds at RTL. I got to watch a lot of the big gunieers, like Arne, Jan, Chuck, Corbin, Tony, and my teammates Vince and Roland, so I do believe most or all these speed claims.

I also got to watch two of the sickest ungeared riders, Ken and Sam, drafting each other. I was ungeared, spinning my Aluminum Coker Big One/114s as fast as I ever have (no speedo, but I think my actual top speeds were in RTL) and I couldn't even hang in the draft of these guys, so they were definitely pushing 20mph. My top verified speed was training for that race: 17.83 mph w/cycle computer, on a vanilla Radial 360 w/125 mm cranks.

Since then I got a KH29g, and I've been up around 17 (according to less accurate GPS), but haven't really spun it up to high revs, because, frankly, I don't want to go that fast. <yipe! yipe! ...swats chicken feathers>

So..


Speed (mph), Name, Location, Unicycle, Crank size
---------------------------------------------------------------
26.1 mph, Corbin Dunn, Los Gatos CA USA, Geared KH36, 150mm
24.2 mph, Lars Lottrup, Nivå Denmark, Nimbus 36, 114mm
22.9 MPH, Scott Wilton, Madison WI USA, Nimbus 36, 114mm
22.6 mph, Spencer Owen, Nottingham UK, Schlumpf 29, 127mm
21.1 mph, Øivind Stuan, Trondheim Norway, Nimbus 36, 125mm
20.2 mph, Samuel Farmer, West Sussex England, Qu-ax 36, 114mm
19.9 MPH, Peripatet, Jacksonville FL USA, KH36, 125mm
17.8 mph, Steve Relles, Delmar NY US, Radial 36er, 125mm
17. mph, Rob Northcott, Somewhere on Dartmoor, Mongrel 36er, 145mm
12.8MPH BrianP, Ocala FL US, KH24 w 150s

[MuniSano]

I like the idea of "Max recorded speed." However I think it would be more interesting, and quantifiable if people posted more of an average speed over a very short distance. The "drag strip method." I'm thinking over 200-400 meters or an eighth - quarter mile, can be on a track or perfectly straight section of pavement or whatever. Measure the course out first, mark it and then either with the help of a friend (or very carefully) record your time over that marked section, obviously with a rolling start (fast rolling start more like). Then you can use that recorded time over that measured distance to get a pretty good estimate of your speed. That way there is no reliance on GPS or bike computer...

Sorry for the thread-jack, perhaps my idea could be implemented in this thread or in another?

I still think it fits in this thread; just a different way to measure "fastest speed on a unicycle." When I get time (and finally get my guni wheel back) I'm going to be interested in my timed speed over a section of road on both my 36er and my virtual 36 (24" guni)....

[rob.northcott]

Originally Posted by steveyo

I'd agree with Rob friendly little jibe, but I actually the saw the top speeds at RTL.

Don't get me wrong, I know some people really can go that fast.

My top speed on a 36er seems to be limited by sheer cowardice as much as anything else. I can spin faster with similar length cranks on my 26" muni, so that's not the limit (although my favouring longer cranks doesn't help with top speed, but I hate the feel of shorter ones).

Apparently a long handle helps with the feeling of "I'll fall off if I hit an ant" at higher speeds, but I haven't got round to trying it yet - it seems I'm happy cruising around at 13-14mph most of the time anyway (mostly on gravel/easy xc - I'm not really much of a road unicyclist (that's what bikes are for)).

Rob

[corbin]

It's amazing how fast a lot of people are on the ungeared unis! My max speed was about 22mph on my ungeared Nimbus 36, with 125s; many of you are faster than me at ungeared riding. I've also hit 22mph on my geared 24, but I think my cyclo computer is reading 1-2% higher than it should.

MuniSano - It also would be interesting to see what people's times are over distance; we could start a thread for that. It is more difficult to do, as you have to have everyone using the same distance and the same conditions to make it comparable. We also do have times over distance recorded from unicon events.

--corbin

[MuniAddict]

I devised an interesting max speed test, where I flip my touring handle 180 degrees so it's pointing backward. then I attach my small videocam between the bars, and positioned so it is filming the cranks, tires and part of the foreground simultaneously. Also in a corner of the shot is my GPS, which will be recording throughout the test. I'm going to try it over a 1/4 mile of flat paved ground and see what my max speed will be.

[Slocan]

Anyone else having issues getting a reliable topspeed on longer rides with a bike computer? I regularly find aberrant values, like speeds there is no way I reached. I placed the magnet so it's not in front of the sensor during idles or mounting, but I still seem to be getting weird readings once in a while. When it's way off chart, it's easy to spot, but I'm never really sure if that new top speed I reached is just an artifact or not. Distance and average speed are quite accurate though.

[David_Stone]

Speed (mph), Name, Location, Unicycle, Crank size
---------------------------------------------------------------
29-ish, Christian Hoverath, ungeared Coker, (more info needed)
26.1 mph, Corbin Dunn, Los Gatos CA USA, Geared KH36, 150mm
24.2 mph, Lars Lottrup, Nivå Denmark, Nimbus 36, 114mm
23.5 mph, David Stone, Lobster, 29" Schlumpf, 125mm
22.9 MPH, Scott Wilton, Madison WI USA, Nimbus 36, 114mm
22.6 mph, Spencer Owen, Nottingham UK, Schlumpf 29, 127mm
22-ish, John Foss, 45" Unicycle Factory Big Wheel (28 pounds), 6.5" cranks
21.1 mph, Øivind Stuan, Trondheim Norway, Nimbus 36, 125mm
20.2 mph, Samuel Farmer, West Sussex England, Qu-ax 36, 114mm
19.9 MPH, Peripatet, Jacksonville FL USA, KH36, 125mm
17.8 mph, Steve Relles, Delmar NY US, Radial 36er, 125mm
17. mph, Rob Northcott, Somewhere on Dartmoor, Mongrel 36er, 145mm
12.8MPH BrianP, Ocala FL US, KH24 w 150s

I added info (already posted) for me, Foss, and Christian Hoverath, about whom we need more data. I believe Christian's time to be fairly accurate given his incredible skill (level 10) and other observers' reports about his riding.
Foss, you're nuts for going that fast on that thing! Wow.

[MuniAddict]

Originally Posted by slocan

anyone else having issues getting a reliable topspeed on longer rides with a bike computer? I regularly find aberrant values, like speeds there is no way i reached. I placed the magnet so it's not in front of the sensor during idles or mounting, but i still seem to be getting weird readings once in a while. When it's way off chart, it's easy to spot, but i'm never really sure if that new top speed i reached is just an artifact or not. Distance and average speed are quite accurate though.

gps! ^^^^

[MuniAddict]

Originally Posted by David_Stone

Speed (mph), Name, Location, Unicycle, Crank size
---------------------------------------------------------------
29-ish, Christian Hoverath, ungeared Coker, (more info needed)

Haha! Yeah right! And he did it with 89mm cranks, going uphill with a 40mph headwind!

[samwii]

Originally Posted by Slocan

Anyone else having issues getting a reliable topspeed on longer rides with a bike computer? I regularly find aberrant values, like speeds there is no way I reached. I placed the magnet so it's not in front of the sensor during idles or mounting, but I still seem to be getting weird readings once in a while. When it's way off chart, it's easy to spot, but I'm never really sure if that new top speed I reached is just an artifact or not. Distance and average speed are quite accurate though.

Yes, it's not too much of a problem, as long as the rest of your computer is working fine (odometer, time, distance so far... etc.) then it shouldn't be a problem, sometimes on my long rides I've had top speeds ranging from 34.6 mph to a crazy 224.8 mph, which I of course done with ease

[minkuni]

What wheel circumferences are you people using on your cycle computers? (GPS-users obviously don't need to worry about this)

I have my cycle computer set to 2775mm (loaded rollout predicted by an Excel spreadsheet I don't quite remember where I found) for my setup with TA tyre, 70kg rider and 35psi of pressure. I haven't taken the time to verify this rollout number in practice, but there may be some of you who have?

With regards to the top speed being strangely off I usually reset my top speed while riding whenever I feel like going for a record (using a cheap Sigma BC1200)

[tholub]

Inaccurate reported top speeds are a problem both with GPS tracking and with reed-switch cycle computers; even on bikes, typical cycle computers will record spurious speeds when you go over bumps in a certain way--this phenomenon is probably worse on unis. Not to mention cycle computer calibration problems. That's why speed records are handled by timing over a specified distance; it's easier to measure distance and time than it is to measure speed.

I don't normally ride with a computer or GPS. In training for RTL, I recorded a criterium lap at 18mph (calculated by distance/time) in strong winds. The back stretch was a lot slower than the front stretch, where I must have been well over 20mph. Beau Hoover, on an ungeared 36 with 102s, had a max speed slightly higher than mine, as he was coming around to pass me when he wiped out. (He still has the scars).

Whatever happened to the GPS data from RTL, anyway? Wasn't that all supposed to be posted somewhere? I'm sure I was above 20mph on the downhill/tailwind section on the last day, but I don't know how much above 20mph.