20" Muni Test and Trail Work

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am thinking about the possibility of moving my Schlumpf hub into a 20" wheel. The small wheel could be good for technical trail sections and climbing, and the high gear would boost its speed to about a 30" wheel for easier sections.

Today I brought my 24" muni and 20" 'trials' uni to Webster Park. The 20" uni already has a KH muni saddle on it, as that is more comfortable when Kessa or Sydney have ridden it in the neighborhood.

I did a particular loop on the 24" and then the 20". A few observations:

• The 20" did not give me instant superpowers at climbing hills, but there were a few other variables:
  
  
•  I am not used to this uni. I noticed as I climbed over roots and pulled up, I got more bounce over them which is probably good, but kind of surprised me. It tripped me up at least once.
  
  
• The pedals currently on that uni are flat plastic pedals, with no grippy pegs. This is bad for climbing steep hills with roots, and when needing to turn in different directions on those climbs. I slipped off and fell, lightly, once because of it.
  
  
• The 20" did not seem too slow in the trails, like it does on the road, but faster would be better for sure.
  
  
• The cranks are about 137 mm. These are slightly longer than what I learned was best for my Schlumpf shifting, which is 127 mm. Longer is likely an advantage for climbing, so would I lose any advantages if I had a Schlumpf and had to use 127 cranks? 

So it's not seeming to be a no-brainer for me. I may try again with the right pedals.

I did a third lap, bringing my folding saw and pruners. I removed some fallen trees on a less popular side trail that I like, and removed some encroaching branches here and there.

before

after

Still not busted

 After my injuries from falling in April, and my efforts to get back into shape, I'm generally fit and strong. Unfortunately, some weeks back I did have another injury from overextending myself during weight workouts, and my right shoulder needed a lot of rest. I think it was a rotator cuff issue. It's still not 100% but much more tolerable. Not that my shoulders are critical to muni, but I didn't want another fall to injure it more.

Feeling strong enough at this point, I rode at Webster and Whiting today.

I felt a good combination of strength and stamina, but also a reminder than muni is tough. I had a successful technically short hill climbs that I know would trip of a lot of riders. I also had some heroic pushes and recoveries that impressed myself, but also plenty of trip ups that shouldn't have happened. I'm a bit rusty perhaps. I rode 5 miles.

I also stopped by Bauman's Farm Market to get some Pop's Peanut Brittle which is made by a past coworker and friend, Chris Wegman.

During my ride I was thinking about an idea I've had. With the falls I had in April on my geared 27.5, I'm not really excited about getting back to the fast life. Maybe I will, but I have another idea. Since I really like riding on the local trails with their short technically challenging hills, maybe I would enjoy a rather unorthodox setup: a geared 20" muni. Most of the time I would be in high gear, meaning about a 30" equivalent wheel. I know a 29'er would be great in most cases on trails, so this is good. And then for the steep hills and technical sections, I shift down and have a 20" wheel. That could make climbing easier. I'd likely convert my current geared 27.5 uni for this. The frame is big for a 20" wheel, but not really. It's just unnecessarily more legs than seat post. I'd need to buy a new 20" rim and to have the Schlumpf hub taken out of the 27.5 wheel, which is a bit of a shame. But it's something to think about.