The drilled rim on the KH24 weights 655 grams. The 24×3 tube ~425 grams. Add in the Duro 3.0″ tire and it’s not surprising the KH24 is heavy even compared to the larger KH29.

24x3" tube, thick and heavy

Several rounds of clear adhesive rim tape was used to cover the holes in the drilled rim – the first round facing away from the rim (so the sticky side wasn’t showing through the rim holes) and 3 rounds facing the rim, in the process securing the first round.

One super funky side effect of using clear tape is being able to see the Stans liquid as it sloshes around inside the tire as you ride along.

Tubeless KH24 MUni

The tubeless Duro 3.0 feels GREAT to ride on! I’ve begun exploring lower pressures, no problems so far.

Another funky side effect – motoring along trails in 1:1.5 the tubeless Duro 3.O” tire makes a distinct hollow humming noise

Loosing weight is often done by fitting a smaller tube, cutting tread, drilling rims, wheelbuild, etc. When it comes to loosing weight AND improving ride there aren’t too many options — Go tubeless! With my 36′er wheel being rebuilt (by Andrew at Kaos Custom Bikes) due to my geared hub being MIA it was a good opportunity to give tubeless a go.

Gone Tubeless

All things being equal the weight saving tubeless vs a running a 29′er tube is pretty much the same. I compared the weight of my complete tubeless 36′er wheel to the complete drilled 36′er wheel I have on loan (which is running a 29′er tube and also has trimmed tread). The wheel with the 29′er tube is slightly lighter — add back in the weight saved by drilling the rim and trimming the tread and it’s close to the same, especially considering the tubeless could run lighter with less sealant goop in the tire.

Stan's Solution

As almost all of my 36′er riding is offroad (and I’m not a big guy by any means) I usually run a Nightrider/29′er tube combo fairly low at 35-40 psi, which even then can feel too stiff.

After today’s first off road ride on the tubeless 36′er my first impression is that at an equivalent pressure (35-40 psi) the ride feels nicer vs a tubed tire. Hard to pin down exactly what ‘nicer’ means – supple, livelier, springy? I hope to do some back to back tests of both wheel setups using my other 36′er before it sells.

Tubeless 36'er

Uni Bitch wasn’t meant to come out on today’s ride. I stopped briefly after leaving home to take a photo and there she was coming up the trail… Noooo! She’s not as fit these days and did it tough, luckily there were a few puddles for her to cool off in.

Uni Bitch, puddle stop

With the days of my 36′er GUni over — when the Schlumpf hub returns it will go into my 24 — I was short a hub to rebuild the 36′er wheel so used one of the new KH09 hubs. Some of the new hubs have polished flanges but I prefer the all black look.

Kris Holm 2009 Hub

I’m easily amused by weird signage in the forest

Tubeless AKA Brainless. Protection from what... or who?

Running the 29′er tube was never much of a hassle but if the tubeless setup — which offers a comparable weight saving AND ride benefits — proves to be reliable it’s a no brainer. If not, it’s back to the 29′er tube.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how the tubeless 36′er goes over the coming months. If it goes ok, I’ll probably convert the 24 MUni to tubeless too.

You’d rather not damage the rim, get pinch flats or have the tire collapse unpredictably but you want maximum compression to boost take offs and help absorb landings.

Hmm maybe not enough air pressure

I’ve been taking a tire pump and gauge along on rides where I’m practicing trials skills, to get a better idea of what PSI suits different situations and why.

Pecking up a concrete slope

It’s a work in progress but for me (and my weight) on the 20 and 24 uni’s when mucking around 25-30 psi looks to be a good compromise for most things I’m doing ATM.

One thing is for sure, if the tire pressure is too far out of sync with what you’re doing it won’t take long to know about it

Looking around online I came across the Topeak Defender M2 Mudguard and as luck would have it had a trip planned to the city, so picked one up. Defender – a funny name for a mudguard, I guess it’s defending your butt crack from a spray of cold, muddy water.

The Defender in action – ‘Spinning Wheel by Blood, Sweat and Tears’

According to Topeak:

DeFender™ M2 has an ultra-secure quick release mounting system that easily adjusts from 25.4 to 34.9mm, easily fitting standard and oversized seat posts. The two-pivot arm articulates for improved tire coverage and perfect bike fit. A stiff engineering grade plastic support frame is comolded to a softer more flexible material at the trailing edge for greater durability.

Topeak claim the Defender M2 weighs 230 grams. On the cooking scales of justice myDefender weighed 227 grams, including a smattering of mud and water from today’s ride – not too shabby! The make or break component of the Defender however is the clamping mechanism which easily adjusts to fit around the larger diameter tubes, like the seat posts on current Kris Holm unicycles.

Topeak Defender M2 Mudguard on Kris Holm 36" Unicycle

A quick release along with two soft-ish tacky yellow pads help hold the mudguard firmly in place while riding, and can be adjusted so the the guard can rotate instead of breaking during UPD’s. The mudguard is positioned via the adjustable arm, secured by two hex bolts. Nice! It all looks and feels durable – time will tell I guess.

Topeak Defender M2 Mudguard on Kris Holm 29" Unicycle

Swapping the mudguard from unicycle to unicycle is a quick and easy job. The curve of the mudguard is also a great fit for the 36″ tire.

Topeak Defender M2 Mudguard on Kris Holm 36" Unicycle

The further away from the mount the less rigid the Defender becomes, including a super soft clear section with wings at the very end. It’s a funky look.

Topeak Defender M2 Mudguard on Kris Holm 29" Unicycle

Out on the Trail

Out on the trail the Defender works great. It does the job and stays out of the way during mounting and riding. Knowing you have a mudguard fitted seems to increase the tempation to ride through water. I found myself riding through every puddle, and climbing and descending the trails on the wet line vs the dry line

Two minor things I noticed. Firstly, with the mudguard fitted to the 29′er I had to a be a little more careful when lying the uni down on the ground so as not to sit the weight of the uni on the guard. This is less relevant on the 36″ as the guard is neater fit. Secondly, in the wet conditions the WTB Stout ocassionally picked up small branches which would sometimes then rotate with the tire and jam between the tire and guard. I’ll experiment with positioning the guard on the 29′er to deal with that better.

Defender M2 Mudguard Road Test

All up the Topeak Defender M2 mudguard is a neat piece of design. After a couple of very wet rides I’m satisfied it’s a worthwhile purchase, especially with 3 months of cold and most likely wet Winter ahead.

For more trail notes refer to ‘DeFender of Rain and Cold‘

Here’s what WTB have to say about the Stout:

The Stout thrives in adverse conditions. The staggered square blocks provide an efficient centerline while the wide-open spacing allows the tread to pierce the trail when carving turns or braking. The softer, looser and rougher the terrain, the better the Stout performs with its exceptional stability and easy-lean transitions. The well-supported blocks stay firm on hardpack and asphalt too, but this tire performs best on rugged All Mountain terrain.

Swapping from the Racing Ralph to the WTB Stout 2.3 29′er tire you immediately notice the additional weight – an extra +200 grams -  and more aggressive, open tread pattern of the Stout. Initially it’s not a fun thing – the Stout feels heavy and slow to spin out on the trails compared to the Racing Ralph.

Physically the Stout 2.3 isn’t significantly narrower or wider than the Racing Ralph 2.4 – you’d need to measure it to determine the exact width difference i.e. not much! What is obvious though is how much larger and deeper the knobbies are on the Stout, giving the tire a far more aggressive appearance. The sidewalls of the Stout appear more robust than the Ralph too.

WTB Stout 2.3 29'er All Mountain

A few minutes into the ride and as is the great thing about unicycling your body and mind adjust to whatever you’re now riding and you can start to enjoy the Stout for what it is – a high grip off road tractor tire that complements the new 47mm rim very well, the overall feel encouraging you to ride the 29′er as if it were a smaller wheel. Get back on sealed road with the Stout though and yeah well… it’s not really made for sealed roads

WTB Stout All Mountain 2.3 'Road Test'

After a couple of rides I’m enjoying the Stout. At this stage it’s not a revelation compared to the Racing Ralph 2.4 or PanaRacer Rampage 2.35 for that matter either, and if Summer started tomorrow I’d be reaching for the Racing Ralph – I’d take a hit with durability to drop the weight and gain speed. The Stout is what it is, a big tire built tough, and should turn out to be a good if not great tire for Winter MUni.

The KH29′er is always a hoot to ride off road – it’s just so dang light! For XC/Forest riding the Racing Ralph has been a perfect match for the 29′er and the dry summer conditions in the forest. The tire itself is crazy light for a 2.4″ coming in at 626 grams. It’s dead fast with little rolling resistance, but still ample grip. A hoot to ride!

Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4"

If there’s a catch it’s that the sidewalls are thin and durability is questionable. It’s not really a tire suited to smashing around on stuff, but that isn’t what I used the 29′er for (though that may change somewhat with the new Freeride rim).

All up, I’ve enjoyed riding on the Racing Ralph over summer.

Fitting a 29″ tube to a 36″ wheel is cheap, easy to do and doesn’t compromise reliability if done correctly. Plus 36″ tires are so thick and heavy there’s no real need for an ultra thick tube.

So here’s the easy way to do it, no pinches, no dramas. Apart from step 1 it should all be over in a few minutes, no tools required.

1. Make a Huge Donut

Take the tube out of its box and inflate it to LARGER than the size of the 36″ wheel – that’s one huge donut. Leave the tube sit like this overnight to get it used to stretching to the larger diameter.

This is also a good time to assess the quality of your tube. Better tubes will inflate evenly apart from around the valve stem. You should be looking at an evenly inflated hoop. Poorer quality tubes can look like they’ve gone through a sausage machine, thick and thin, unevenly inflated. Fwiw I use Schwalbe tubes.

2. Powder it All Up

The next day with the tube still inflated like a giant donut, thoroughly but lightly powder up the tube and the inside of the tire using Baby Powder or similar.

Powdering the tube and tire will make it easier for both to slide around as needed later on. Tap the tire if needed to gather up and remove any excess powder.

3. Fit one side of the Tire to the Rim

Your tire is probably already on the rim, if not fit one side of the tire to the rim, pushing the sidewall of the tire against the rim wall that is away from you so there is ample room for the tube to fit in.This is easier to do now vs later.

4. Fitting the Tube

The fun part! With the tube sitting over the tire as if you are about to fit it, slowly let small amounts of air out of the tube until it’s only just slightly larger vs the rim/tire.

Start at the valve. This is really the only awkward bit as it can be a squeeze. Pay attention, the valve stem should not be at weird angle stressing the tube unnecessarily, but perpendicular to the rim. Adjust if necessary by rotating the tube in the tire – the powder makes this easy.

Fit the tube into the tire, working your way around in both directions away from the valve. As you do this, gently roll the trailing tire sidewall on using your palms. To do this easily let small amounts of air out of the tube as you work your away around with your hands – NO TOOLS! -  keeping in mind the tube is still essentially the same diameter as the rim/wheel.

It all should have been quick and easy to this point. As you approach the last difficult section of tire, gently push the remainder of the tube into the tire, letting out air as needed to make it an easy process. The tube should not be bulging out of the tire at this stage but sitting neatly in the tire, filling it lightly, giving the tire a semi inflated appearance.

Work your way around the tire that is fitted to the rim squeezing (using hands) the bead on both sides into the centre of the rim, to gain some/any advantage for the final section of tire.

5. Fit final section of tire

Don’t use ANY tools. Palms ONLY. Work your way along the final section of tire to be fitted, alternating either side, small amounts at a time, rolling it into place with your palms. A new Nightrider tire can seem like a tight fit on a Stealth rim but don’t sweat it – it will roll on with a little effort.

If it feels too difficult have a break and again work your way around the tire that is fitted to the rim squeezing the bead on both sides into the centre of the rim.

After the short battle the very last section of tire usually slides into the rim without any fuss.

6. Inflate & check valve stem

With the tire fitted, inflate the tube to around a riding pressure. Check the valve stem. It shouldn’t be a weird angle. Make a note of any correction needed.

7. Deflate, correct valve stem if needed and fit wheel to unicycle.

Deflate until you hear the sidewalls come off the rim. The initial inflation/deflation/inflation gives everything a chance to settle into place. If you need to correct the valve stem angle this is the time to gently rotate the wheel around the rim – one hande on the tire, one holding the wheel.

Fit the wheel onto the unicycle. The deflated tire means you won’t need to loosen your brakes to get them out of the way of the tire – just squeeze the tire using your hand between the brake pads.

8. Inflate. Check Seating. Job Done.

Inflate the tube to your riding pressure. The tire should seat itself correctly but be sure to visually check it has seated evenly around the tire. If not, deflate as needed, adjust the tire by squeezing with your hands and re-inflate.

9. Wait and Ride

I usually let the uni sit for a period of time, just to double check the tire is good to go, and then ride!

Hope that helps!

Why? No reason especially! Almost all of my riding is off road and even though I’d been riding the tire since last October the new tire rubber dimples on the outside knobs were still intact suggesting they don’t get used much, and just adding weight to the tire.

The initial plan is to remove every second knob on the outside of both sides of the tire and see how it goes, then perhaps remove every second knob from the next row in, leaving the centre row intact for easy cruising on hardpack surfaces.

Within in an hour the first step was almost complete. Needs a little cleaning up with the Dremel, but definitely gives the 36 uni a cool XC look.

36 Nimbus Nightrider Knobby WIP

The weight saving is good too! 75 grams for this first step, so potentially 200 grams is up for grabs with the other two rows of knobbies removed – that’s a big weight saving on the outside of the relatively heavy 36″ flywheel!

PanaRacer Rampage 2.35

Why the Rampage? Firstly there currently aren’t too many tires that are wider – I wanted max width and air volume. June is early Winter down under, I was looking for a tire with open tread, suited to wet forest conditions. I was also looking to save some weight out where it matters. The narrow Klaw came in at 854g, the fatter Rampage at 748gr. Nice. Frame clearance? No worries!

Nothing else to do but go riding and see what gives. I started riding at low tire pressures…

The Bad!

At low pressures the Rampage is a dog of the tire imo, with a mind of its own. I spent a lot of energy fighting against the tire to make the unicycle go where I wanted it to, not where the tire wanted it to! At low pressures track camber was an ongoing battle, and you could really feel the drag of the open tread in the ground.

Sheez, how do I send it back?

PanaRacer Rampage 2.35

But… The Great!

At higher pressures the Rampage is GREAT – a light, agile and fast off road, cross country muni tire. It’s a great match for my style of riding and the nearby forest terrain.

As I became aware of the Rampage’s significant differences in performance based on tire pressure I started to measure the pressure and alter it in steps of 10psi up and down. As I felt I was getting close to something I like I’d drop to steps of 5psi. 40-45psi ended up being the sweet spot, but you can have a life measuring unicycle tire pressures every day so I just go by feel again now.

Maybe it should be called Schizoid instead of Rampage!

*The 2008 KH29′s no longer ship with the Kenda Klaw

NOTE: December 2008 – after a Winter and Spring of enjoyable off road riding on the PanaRacer Rampage it’s being retired for what will hopefully be a good summer dry weather tire – the Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4.