36" UNICYCLE EXPLAINED (Speed, Break, Wheel, Crank, Gear...)

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Watch my unicycle adventure from the begin : • 1000 km around Estonia...
Hi, My name is Sylvain. I am french and I live in Estonia. During summer 2020, I rode around Estonia on my unicycle. In today video I answer all the question people regularly ask me about unicycle.
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[@SylvainOULALA]

Thanks for watching. I travelled 1 000 km around Estonia with this unicycle. Check this link to watch it : kzbin.info/aero/PLZllYq1qAsljbp8u31SE8YPmaPFrD8nJ-

[@matasabaliksta682]

There are actually two ways of adding gears on a unicycle. The first one is using a schlumpf hub (the one u mentioned). The second way is to put on sprockets and a chain to the pedals, although this is only a DIY way to do it

[@SylvainOULALA]

Is it possible to switch gear with this DIY option or it is just having a different ratio ? I know some people did this kind of set up but never saw it myself. Should be pretty cool.

[@Oridemic]

@@SylvainOULALA I own a unicycle with a jackshaft chain drive system, and yes, it can change gears. I can get about 5 different gear ratios by swapping sprockets of different sizes in the system, or 20 of them if I decide to swap out the fourth one behind the frame. It can go anywhere from a 1:0.83 underdrive to a 1:1.91 overdrive, which is a basically just a 1:2 gear ratio. It takes about 5-10 minutes just to swap gears and you need to make sure everything is screwed super tight because when it’s running at a 1:2, the system is under around 800 pounds of force, which can knock things loose and damage the system. As cool as the unicycle is, it’s nowhere near as handy as a simple schlumpf hub is. The jackshaft also weighs down the unicycle a ton too, as mine weighs like nearly 20 pounds. If you want to check it out, you can look up the “Red Menace” thread on unicyclist.com.

[@SylvainOULALA]

@@Oridemic Yes, I've heard about these type of unicycle, but never had opportunity to try them myself. (mainly unirex). I also don't really consider them as geared unicycle. As you can not change the gear while ridding.

[@silentcyclist]

I ride a fixed gear bicycle and have to pedal all the time, but on two wheels. Great video, I have to learn how to ride a unicycle, it looks so much fun and balance.

[@UknownWorlds]

This is so amazing. Wow. Kuddos to you.

[@AobatrozFilms]

Thanks a lot for the free wheel explanation!

[@mikemartinez7306]

Where did you cover getting the bags? Looking back through all this great content!

[@SylvainOULALA]

I got the bag from this video from anime shop. And the bag I currently have I made them myself. 😃

[@midwestunicycle]

Every time I do distance riding on my biggest wheel which is 29” after a half hour sometimes my feet will go numb and my crouch always hurts like hell. I hope to get a 36” wheel sometime just need to save.

[@SylvainOULALA]

Yep, personally my crouch is my main limitation. And to be honest there is no secrets about it. You just have to bear the pain.

[@evelthonm]

You are the best

Nice unicycle dude!

[@mdnasrulloh]

Someday i bought that

[@nick_gauntlett]

Was wondering, do your muscles prefer riding on shorter cranks or longer cranks on a flat surface?

[@SylvainOULALA]

I prefer shorter crank. The feeling of riding with short crank is so much more satisfying to me, it feel more like flying over the road. It is more exhausting for the muscles. Meanwhile you go faster so you can ride a longer distance before my but start getting to painful.

[@davidgray6398]

@@SylvainOULALA can you still mount and ride effectively on short cranks with all that gear on the front/back? I put a panier rack on my 36"/110mm and anything over a kilo of weight in there seriously inhibits mounting for me. I've since switched to a geared 36" with 150mm cranks but I'm a bit wary of pushing speed on that since I've had a few falls already as a 36" can get sketchy once you start pushing over 20km/hr.

[@SylvainOULALA]

@David Gray Mounting is the most tricky part with a 36" inch. It get harder when the unicycle is loaded and/or with short crank (also when I was tired too). I recommend to get confortable riding and mounting with long crank before reducing the size. It is a skill that take a bit of time but with some practice you will get it ;) _"I've since switched to a geared 36" with 150mm cranks"_ NICE set up ! Go easy on it at the beginning and you will soon feel more confortable and get faster. I start my tour with an average speed of 13-15 km/h. And when I switch to shorter crank and get more confortable I was more around 19-22km/h .

[@davidgray6398]

@@SylvainOULALA I'm well versed with short cranks (110mm) on a 36" was doing it for at least a year on an ungeared 36". Mounting short cranks and stuff on the rack on the grass in my yard is incredibly challenging though. The only other thing is you probably have your weight of your equipment on your uni better distributed then I did. I think if I put more stuff in the front it would be better. Once you get moving it's not too bad just mounting is hard. The guni originally had 165mm cranks but I found them far too long for 1:1 riding so I reduced them to 150mm and this seems to be a good balance for geared/ungeared riding. I do have the option of going to 127mm but I am leaving that for much later when I'm much better at geared riding. I can manage similar speeds on both geared/ungeard 36” but when I rode an ungeared 36” I never thought they were too slow. Both can go crazy fast with little effort especially downhill and I’m generally most comfortable around 20-25km/hr max if I get over those speeds I try to slow down.

[@pavelsfomins2828]

I wanted to ask if you can fully support your body on those handlebars in your long trips? I mean, can you bend over to the front and rest on those bars? Or is it more like you hold them in your hands?

[@SylvainOULALA]

Very good question. I can't really support my body on the handle bar. It is just to rest my hands on, It give me a bit more stability and power to make turn. So all my weight is on the saddle and that's why I need to make regular break otherwise my butt hurt.

[@cauliflower_lightninggirl311]

Can you idle on the 36' and how do you do intersections? Finally how tight of turns can you do?

[@SylvainOULALA]

I haven't learn to idle on the 36". I think it is almost impossible while fully loaded. Similar story about turning : I can't turn as tight when the uni is loaded but I still have good control. Better than a bike I would say. :)

[@mcrubar]

How do you break if you cant just hit them? Isnt it dangerous if you cant brake fast?

[@SylvainOULALA]

You break with your legs. And if something very unexpected happen the best way to deal with it is to jump out of the unicycle. It's a bit dangerous especially in city. But on the road you can anticipate problem in advance quite easily.

[@UknownWorlds]

Sorry but what restorative position do you use to rest your bum? Because I take it that if your bumm hurts you would not like to sit again. So would you say you will rest on your side with a cushion or something or will you lie flat with a pillow under you head,but and feet? This question is for when your done for the day and you do not intend on riding anymore.

[@SylvainOULALA]

That's actually a very good question. I wasn't pushing very hard through the pain. Therefore I did not have to rest in any particular position after riding. The main thing I was doing for recovery was to apply a biking cream to help my butt recover after the day.

[@TectonicChris]

Have you got any tips on how to transition from a 26inch wheel to a 36inch? I can ride my 26inch fairly well, but the 36 inch is a different matter, so scary.

[@SylvainOULALA]

Hey mate, I don't really have any secret tips to make the transition. 36" will feel very strange at the beginning, but your body will adapt very fast. Just start with long crank, and without any load/bag-back on the unicycle. And to get on the unicycle don't hold the steering bar, but hold the saddle like you would do on a normal uni. It took me about 30 minutes of practice to make the transition. And soon it will be very smooth trust me ;)

[@etunimisukunimi1981]

Did you have to patch the inner tube on your unicycle during your tour de Estonia?

[@SylvainOULALA]

Not even once !

[@Funky_Geek]

Have you got your bar end on the wrong way around there?

[@SylvainOULALA]

No, I don't think so... Or have I been wrong my whole life ^^

[@Funky_Geek]

@@SylvainOULALA It is in the user manual :-)

[@SylvainOULALA]

@@Funky_Geek come one who read the user manual 😂😂😂

[@MotoTrialGuarulhos]

How to Begin 36", Man?

[@SylvainOULALA]

To you mean how to free nount ? Or how to learn ridding it ? In general there are no real secret, just practice for a bit and if you can already ride a normal sized unicycle you should be able to adapt very quickly. You can check this video when I was trying 36" for the first time ever : kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKWtk6N-Zt6cnac

[@MotoTrialGuarulhos]

@@SylvainOULALA thanks for help...learn riding a 20" in this time, for 10 meters only rsrsrsrsrs

Nice unicycle dude!