Bike vs Unicycle: "Two against One!"

[unigeezer]

Got a new state-of-the-art internal geared hub (Schlumpf, made in Switzerland) for my 26er unicycle. The gearing goes from direct 1:1 to FAST with one click of the shift button, located on each axle bolt. $1,750 just for the hub, but for me it's been more than worth it!

 

[kdelong]

Great innovation. Now they need to develop one that you can shift on the fly. Maybe a Shimano Nexus hub, but where do you put the shift mechanism?

 

[jpr95]

Originally Posted by kdelong .

Great innovation. Now they need to develop one that you can shift on the fly. Maybe a Shimano Nexus hub, but where do you put the shift mechanism?

Between your cheeks. Just don't eat beans before a ride.

 

[unigeezer]

Originally Posted by unigeezer .

Got a new state-of-the-art internal geared hub (Schlumpf, made in Switzerland) for my 26er unicycle. The gearing goes from direct 1:1 to FAST with one click of the shift button, located on each axle bolt. $1,750 just for the hub, but for me it's been more than worth it!

You CAN shift it on the fly! The "static toe and heel" shifts are just an alternate technique that I used for this particular video. Have a look at this one and you can see me shifting while pedaling. You can bypass the short tutorial at the beginning by scrolling ahead to 2:03.

 

[kdelong]

I see how you do it now. Thanks for the video and the tips on using aluminum tape. I was confused because in your first video you were showing the static changes and I did not realize that you could shift on the fly or that it would be so easy.

 

[oldbobcat]

I'm impressed. That video of you flying along at 15 mph made my day.

 

[unigeezer]

Originally Posted by kdelong .

I see how you do it now. Thanks for the video and the tips on using aluminum tape. I was confused because in your first video you were showing the static changes and I did not realize that you could shift on the fly or that it would be so easy.

Yeah, being able to shift while in motion is really the key, and is especially helpful when coming up to a climb in high and you need to downshift, or kicking up to high on smoother trail sections.

Originally Posted by oldbobcat .

I'm impressed. That video of you flying along at 15 mph made my day.

Thanks. Some fellow uni riders are saying I should get the same geared hub for my 36er! But that won't be happening since I already can go more than fast enough on that one, without a gear! I know of a few that do have this hub on their 36ers, and some have hit close to 30mph on it! To me, this is just plain crazy and highly dangerous. It would be literally impossible to "run out" if you fell, let alone at 15mph, but 30? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif

If you did fall off of a geared uni at anywhere approaching that speed, it is very likely that you would not walk away without at least one broken bone and other serious injuries. Not worth it to me, especially at my age, when you don't recover nearly as fast as a young person. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif