Got a call from Kaos Custom Bikes this morning to say the 24″ GUni wheel was ready… AWESOME!

I collected the wheel from Andrew and checked out his new 36″ Titanium custom bike – very cool, will post pics in the next day. Also cool, the tubeless conversion on the drilled KH24″ rim worked, more on that below.

So with Torque tools in hand it was time to put the GUni together.

The reduced torque settings on the bearings make more sense IMO – firm but the wheel is still able to spin freely (unlike at the earlier recommended setting of 12Nm). Also 5-6Nm isn’t much – given the problem with bearings in the past, better to not guess and go too high ‘ by feel’.

The torque recommendations for the crank bolts remain at 50-55Nm, dang high as has been discussed previously. I used 45Nm (not shown below!), that’s still way tight.

The shifter buttons now use a 2mm Allen Wrench vs 2.5mm on the older buttons. Florian mentioned this was part of changes made to get more material into the button to reduce related failures but means older buttons aren’t compatible with the new hub.

Thanks to the super funky clear tape Andy used in the tubeless conversion not only can you hear the Stans goop swish around in the tire, you can also SEE the goop 🙂

I had issues with crank/frame clearance with the previous hub – some cranks just wouldn’t settle and continued to move in close to the frame – tolerances maybe? Florian recommended milling the cranks as the best solution.  Thanks to Ian Holmes in South Australia, and a contra or two later the ‘test’ cranks were milled – dual hole Moment 150/125’s – ending up a bunch lighter than the standard 150’s.

I’m not really into dual hole cranks – nice theory, but a PITA to swap pedal positions out on the trail, and how many long rides are neatly divided into chunks according to crank length? Anyways… if the cranks hold up ok I’ll get straight 150’s and mill them, though differently to the test cranks.

I love Speedplay pedals – super smooth spinning, big, flat, supportive platforms, great match for the big soles of the 5.10 shoes, and look da bomb. I only have the one pair, they go from uni to uni – now onto the 24 GUni.

By the time that was all done daylight was running short but I managed to squeeze in 30 mins or so of riding. First impressions

• MUCH less play/slop felt through the cranks than the earlier hub. GREAT.
• My old hub hadn’t shifted that sweetly for a long time. NICE.
• The two gears work well on the 24″. 1:1.5 is fun and fast, without the death factor of 1:1.5 on the 36’er off road. COOL.
• The tubeless 3.0 Duro feels great. BONUS.

I’ll probably also fit my XC GUni bars, just to try them out on the 24″!

I’d be really interested to see the official list from Schlumpf as to the changes made in the hub. The more you look closely, the more you notice changes, and that’s only the parts you can see.

The weather forecast is looking good for tomorrow, one way or another I’m heading out for a ride!