I’ve been enjoying getting back into the KH36 lately. It’s easy to forget how efficient the big old 36’er fly wheel is and how fast and smooth it rolls through terrain compared to smaller wheels. Uphill or on the flat, trail it slightly and it rolls auto-magically. All up, it’s a load of fun to ride off road. I knew that already, but I guess I’d become too obsessed with the 24 GUni and needed reminding 😛
More idyllic early Spring weather today so I grabbed the KH36 and Didj the uni dog and headed along the Goldfields Railway track before turning off into the nearby forest – a mix of MTB single track and fire trails.
I’m running 137mm cranks on the 36’er, have had them on for a long time, though I’m thinking about putting 150’s on instead for a bit more oomph off road. Tricky though as the 36’er is also the round town commuter. Will wait and see. The speed and smoothness of the 36’er/137mm cranks made for a flowing, enjoyable ride, especially along the twisty single track. I thought I’d miss the width and ride of the 3.0″ tire on the 24 GUni especially on the loose marbles, not so today. What’s especially fun on the 36’er offroad is how much ground you cover with each pedal stroke – makes sustained slow, relaxed, out of the saddle climbing a satisfying thing.
The tubeless setup makes for a sweet ride on the 36’er – 12 months on and no problems.
I agree about the fun of ridding the 36 off road. I start doing it few months back on the heavy coker with 125 cranks as i have to cross the valley on dirt trail. Of course the Coker is design for roads but I’m waiting for the KH 36; I would like the 125/150 cranks. I’m not big fan of 165 for some reason. I cannot decide on the geared hub since it costs twice as much as the uni alone. The speed and maneuvering the wheel around off road obstacles is highly addictive. I’m really surprise how much person can do with that size.