Advice for mountain Cokering

send a pm to brian mackenzie on these fora...that or aspenmike...i think
those would be the 2 guys to talk to about coker muni.

--
trials_uni

TRIALS 4 LIFE !

Quoted message said:

<>UNICYCLING FOR MYSLELF<><

'Check Out The Newbie Guide' (http://tinyurl.com/99yez)

koebwil said:

I'm too hardcore to type. I just punch the keyboard and delete the
letters I don't want

w00t...i got reply # 60666 in MR
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tommillermn said:

I'm fishing for advice on how best to deal with the terrain in the high
mountains of Colorado on my Coker. I dropped $65 to register for the
Iron Horse this year and have been getting in tons of bike, mtb, muni,
and Coker miles over the past few months and fitness-wise I'll be as
ready as I'm going to be. I wanted to know from those who swim with
the two-wheelers what I need to know about dealing with cyclists coming
up behind me on the descents, coping with lllloooonnnngggg, steep
stretches of road (up and down), and anything you've learned the hard
way so I don't have to.
My Coker has a caliper brake that I can fit with either a brake
lever or thumbshifter and I'm even considering riding about half the
ride on a 29er for the better climbing gear and slower speed for the
steep descents. Thanks to all for your advice.
Tom Miller
Kokopelli Bike and Board
Cortez, CO

Why do you even want to use your coker for muni? Why not get a 24, or
26, or even your 29, but a 36???

--
terrybigwheel

Impotence: Nature's Way Of Saying "No Hard Feelings".

Uni is just a cycle I'm going through. 😎

You -can- "Tune a fish". You simply adjust their "scales"! 😄
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terrybigwheel said:

Why do you even want to use your coker for muni? Why not get a 24, or
26, or even your 29, but a 36???

'cuz it's a blast.

--
U-Turn

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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terrybigwheel said:

Why do you even want to use your coker for muni?

I -think- he's talking about road (distance) riding in a mountainous
area.

In that case, people like Nathan Hoover, John Stone, and others who do
the various European unicycle tours would give the best advice.

--
uni57

-\"what's a troll?\"- - billythemountain
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U-Turn said:

'cuz it's a blast.

But are they "practical" for muni, especially the more "trialsy", rocky
type trails? Big drops, gapping, hopping, etc, or are you thinking more
"rolling" type muni? Do you think, in time, that the 36" size will
overtake the stadard 24/26 in popularity for muni? I have a coker, but
it's the basic one, so the rim would fold really easily on even short
drops.

--
terrybigwheel

Impotence: Nature's Way Of Saying "No Hard Feelings".

Uni is just a cycle I'm going through. 😎

You -can- "Tune a fish". You simply adjust their "scales"! 😄
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terrybigwheel said:

But are they "practical" for muni, especially the more "trialsy", rocky
type trails? Big drops, gapping, hopping, etc, or are you thinking more
"rolling" type muni? Do you think, in time, that the 36" size will
overtake the stadard 24/26 in popularity for muni? I have a coker, but
it's the basic one, so the rim would fold really easily on even short
drops.

Well, with the latest advances (widened hub, airfoil rim, s-steel
spokes, Stockton build, 29er tube, Wallis saddle/handle, Hunter frame),
a -36" MUni is the *same weight* as an older 24" MUni-. Couple that
with trials-quality cranks and excellent pedals, and you're talking
about rolling log piles (see Brian's footage), easily doing big drops,
whipping through stuff you had to work through on your 24". That's
practical. Whether it will become the "standard" MUni -- I kinda doubt
it, because it's slightly heavier (coupla pounds) than the
equivalently-advanced 24".

It's really an individual preference. This is a new situation; only
about 4 years ago the conventional wisdom was: 20" is for trials only,
24" is for MUni, 26" is too weak for technical MUni but ok for X-C, 29"
is too weak for technical MUni but ok for X-C, and Cokers were too weak
for anything but road riding by light persons.

Now the wisdom is: Select your size based on your preference and riding
goals, since all five are available in versions that are tough enough
for just about anything. {The jury is still out on 29ers, though;
neither I nor anyone else has seriously gone after that size for huge
stuff; though Jag has done some, and I know that Ben's done some great
off-road with a 29er I built for him, including some 2' drops at a
skate park (vid available), the Lifestyles race, and the Mt. Washington
Hill Climb (vid available)}

I'm not saying that stock versions of those sizes are tough enough.
Even matching component lists does not guarantee that a uni is tough;
the build is equally important. Just because Joe Schmo has the same
recipe and ingredients as Master Chef XYZ doesn't mean his omelette
will taste as good!

--
U-Turn

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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terry click the strongest coker wheel link in u-turns sig...you will see
what a well built coker wheel can really take.

--
trials_uni

TRIALS 4 LIFE !

Quoted message said:

<>UNICYCLING FOR MYSLELF<><

'Check Out The Newbie Guide' (http://tinyurl.com/99yez)

koebwil said:

I'm too hardcore to type. I just punch the keyboard and delete the
letters I don't want

w00t...i got reply # 60666 in MR
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Cokers are great for fast, non-techincal MUni. If you have a
lightweight wheel- there's an amazing amount of terrain that can be
covered. I've done several 100km+ Mountainbike races and there is no
way I would have done these on a smaller wheel- it would have taken
forever.

The best upgrade for an offroad Coker is a tubelss tyre and an airfoil
rim 🙂

--
GizmoDuck

'www.adventureunicyclist.com' (http://www.adventureunicyclist.com/)
'Laos Unicycle Tour' (http://www.laosunitour.org)
'New Zealand Unicycle Federation' (http://www.unicycle.org.nz)

The SINZ Unitour- coming soon......
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Back to topic, please. The Iron Horse is a road race, pedalers versus a
train. It isn't offroad muni...it's all pavement over big Colorado
passes. I believe that Aspenmike is the only person that has ridden it
start to finish. You should PM him if he doesn't jump on this thread.

I did a quick search and found 'this'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40525) thread on
last year's event. Mike did a super-detailed write-up of his ride
experience last year.

Good luck Tom...it sounds like a great event. Maybe you and Mike will
double down on the uni finishers this year.

--
tomblackwood

Tailgate at your own risk...
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trials_uni said:

terry click the strongest coker wheel link in u-turns sig...you will see
what a well built coker wheel can really take.

It just seems to me that because of the super large wheel and added
weight, pedalling uphill would be much harder, and of course, brakes
would be a must, but usesless in steep DH rocky terrain. Cokers are
hard to stop at higher speeds; at least quickly, if you either don't
have, or can't use the brakes. Plus there is significantly less
Maneuverability than a 24. But still sounds like it would be fun, at
least as a novelty.

--
terrybigwheel

Impotence: Nature's Way Of Saying "No Hard Feelings".

Uni is just a cycle I'm going through. 😎

You -can- "Tune a fish". You simply adjust their "scales"! 😄
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terrybigwheel said:

But are they "practical" for muni, especially the more "trialsy", rocky
type trails? Big drops, gapping, hopping, etc, or are you thinking more
"rolling" type muni? Do you think, in time, that the 36" size will
overtake the stadard 24/26 in popularity for muni? I have a coker, but
it's the basic one, so the rim would fold really easily on even short
drops.

They're fantabulous for cross country, not very technical MUni, but not
for natural trials, which is what you're talking about I think.
So anyway...long cranks are good for coker MUni. How long depends on
how heavy your wheelset is, and how strong your legs are. I have the
airfoil wheelset, so I have 150mm cranks, which work well for hills.

--
James_Potter

i still believe that all you need is love...john
lennon
'*mikael atkinson*' (http://www.barefoothippie.com)
jonny peacock is my main man.
mdotedotatkinsonatgmaildotcom
*President of the 'MRIS' (http://tinyurl.com/dk2de)*
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James_Potter said:

They're fantabulous for cross country, not very technical MUni, but not
for natural trials, which is what you're talking about I think.
So anyway...long cranks are good for coker MUni. How long depends on
how heavy your wheelset is, and how strong your legs are. I have the
airfoil wheelset, so I have 150mm cranks, which work well for hills.

150's? The average muni, at least the KH 24 freeride has 165's, and
that's on a 24! So 150's on a 36" wheel would be like that same kh with
110's, or even shorter, which doesn't seem very eficient or practical
for muni, unless your on flat ground most of the time. To get
comparable "torque" capability for the coker, wouldn't you need a much
LONGER crank, say at least 180s? Just curious.

--
terrybigwheel

Impotence: Nature's Way Of Saying "No Hard Feelings".

Uni is just a cycle I'm going through. 😎

You -can- "Tune a fish". You simply adjust their "scales"! 😄
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I don't know much about a real 24" MUni, since I've never ridden
one...but I find that with a regular coker rim, since its so heavy, you
need about 170mm cranks, but with the airfoil, 150mm are fine...could
just be me though....

--
James_Potter

i still believe that all you need is love...john
lennon
'*mikael atkinson*' (http://www.barefoothippie.com)
jonny peacock is my main man.
mdotedotatkinsonatgmaildotcom
*President of the 'MRIS' (http://tinyurl.com/dk2de)*
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James_Potter said:

I don't know much about a real 24" MUni, since I've never ridden
one...but I find that with a regular coker rim, since its so heavy, you
need about 170mm cranks, but with the airfoil, 150mm are fine...could
just be me though....

YOur coker is still a couple pounds heavier than a modern kh 24, and
yet your cranks are significantly shorter than the 24. Yes, you can
surly go faster, but I can't see how climbing and stopping (without
brakes) would be as easy as a 24 with 165's.

--
terrybigwheel

Impotence: Nature's Way Of Saying "No Hard Feelings".

Uni is just a cycle I'm going through. 😎

You -can- "Tune a fish". You simply adjust their "scales"! 😄
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Tom,

I'll see you there. Look for me on a blue KH29XC with a Big Apple.

My plans are less ambitious than yours--my goal this year is Hermosa.

Best of luck as you prepare. I'll be rooting for you.

Carey

--
Carey
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terrybigwheel said:

YOur coker is still a couple pounds heavier than a modern kh 24, and yet
your cranks are significantly shorter than the 24. Yes, you can surly
go faster, but I can't see how climbing and stopping (without brakes)
would be as easy as a 24 with 165's.

Cokering off-road isn't about doing things the easy way.

--
tholub
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I think cokering uphill is almost easier than a Muni, BECAUSE it's
bigger. I use 125s for around campus, with various short hills, and
they're fine. You can't really understand it if you haven't done it
before. It's the same as how someone who's never ridden a unicycle
before doesn't understand what it's like.

--
loosejello
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loosejello said:

I think cokering uphill is almost easier than a Muni, BECAUSE it's
bigger. I use 125s for around campus, with various short hills, and
they're fine. You can't really understand it if you haven't done it
before. It's the same as how someone who's never ridden a unicycle
before doesn't understand what it's like.

Yep, because the wheel is so big and heavy, it practically keeps itself
going up hills, since its harder to stop. So if you can get going
before you reach the hill, you can use your momentum to keep going.

--
James_Potter

i still believe that all you need is love...john
lennon
'*mikael atkinson*' (http://www.barefoothippie.com)
jonny peacock is my main man.
mdotedotatkinsonatgmaildotcom
*President of the 'MRIS' (http://tinyurl.com/dk2de)*
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tholub said:

Cokering off-road isn't about doing things the easy way.

Neither is Muni-ing on a 24! Try 5' drops and hopping and gapping
hardcore rocky/hilly terrain ona coker. It's hard enough on a 24.

--
terrybigwheel

Impotence: Nature's Way Of Saying "No Hard Feelings".

Uni is just a cycle I'm going through. 😎

You -can- "Tune a fish". You simply adjust their "scales"! 😄
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