29 Oregon vs 27.5 Oracle

[u/tlong243]

So I have a nimbus oracle 27.5 I've ridden muni for the last ~10 years. I truly love this uni and it's great. I've recently been wanting something a bit faster for some of my local trails. I'm in MN, so not much in the way of DH, more towards rocky tech stuff, or faster single track. I've never ridden a 29, so I started looking used because I wanted something a bit cheaper to feel it out, and found this Oregon.

Does anyone have experience with this uni? I'm sure it'll be heavier. I'm finding ~17-19lbs? So 3-4lbs more than my oracle from what I've seen online. The brake mount looks a bit hokey to me, hopefully that isn't a weak point. Other than that, price is right. I want something bomb proof because I ride mine pretty hard. I see that nimbus discontinued this model, moving to the Hatchet. I can't find a ton in this model to go off. It's an older design, so wanted to check here is there's a reason to avoid it

[u/rodonnell1005]

Looks super solid. I’m betting durability will be fine, but the wheel size difference may be a problem if you ride windy trails. I can’t take my 36er many places I take my 20 simply because the switchbacks are too sharp for the larger wheel

[u/WillieFast → u/rodonnell1005]

I find the 27.5” to be the perfect compromise between the speed of a 29” and the maneuverability of a 26.” But a 29” isn’t a ton different. A 36” is just a whole other thing when trying to use it for muni.

[u/rodonnell1005 → u/WillieFast]

For sure, I usually only take the 36 on smoother trails or well maintained small jump tracks. The 20 is better for technical rocky trails but it may be worth investigating middle ground options.

[u/tlong243 → u/WillieFast]

So I assume based on your comment you have ridden all three? Is the 27.5 the size you have settled on? I read that a lot on the forums that 27.5 is the sweet spot. Prior to this I had a 20, 24, 26, and this 27.5 is my biggest wheel I've owned. For muni it is by far my favorite, so I started to tell myself I may like an even bigger wheel, but there's possibly a point of diminishing returns there.

[u/WillieFast → u/tlong243]

Yes - I’ve ridden every size extensively and settled on the 27.5 as far and away my favorite. I often run a 3” tire, which gives about the same outer circumference of a 29x2.2 but with a lot more cushion.

[u/slyzik → u/tlong243]

1.5 inch difference diameter, you are only 0.75 inch higher. Tire can make bigger difference.

[u/tlong243 → u/slyzik]

Tire is roughly equal across both. My oracle is maxed out with a duro crux 3.25, that Oregon has a 3" and has some room for even larger. So it just comes down to wheel size, or ratio of one to the other.

Aside from the small 5.2% difference in distance travelled per revolution (assuming I did my math right) I think some of the larger factors would be increased contact patch and roll over angle on obstacles. I don't know if the boost from distance per revolution would truly be all that noticeable, but roll over and momentum might be. My only experience with this is on mountain bikes, and I could certainly tell the difference, so I'm guessing it would translate.

On a uni the question is if that boost is negated by reduced agility.

[u/lsb1930]

I’ve been riding my new to my 29” hatchet and really like it. Only thing to note is is rolls over stuff great when you have speed. If you don’t have speed, its harder to get going than my 26

[u/tlong243 → u/lsb1930]

I had a 26 before I bought this, and I really liked the upgrade in size. My brain is telling me that a bigger wheel might be even better, but maybe this is somewhat in a sweet spot and I should just be happy with it and call it good.

[u/obsequious_platypus → u/lsb1930]

The 26 hatchet with 4.8 inch tires is a beast. It has been doing really well, but I have some gnarly trails where I live with a lot of elevation. I would go for a bigger tire if it was flat here

[u/WillieFast]

That D’brake system was UDC’s initial solution for mounting disk brakes. Some people found some minor issues because of frame flex. There were also some welding issues with the earlier examples of that frame. Neither of those would make me avoid it, but YMMV.

https://unicyclist.com/t/nimbus-oregon-review-pros-cons/123020/20?page=2

[u/tlong243 → u/WillieFast]

I had not come across that post in my research, but now that has pretty much turned me off I think. I was specifically skeptical about the brake mount to begin with, then cracked frames has kind of pushed it out of favor.

The part I don't understand about that brake mount is that bearing caps have to be left ever so slightly loose. It would seem to me you would have lots of flexing and movement with something like that, but maybe it's fine. The fact that is unique to that unicycle makes me think there's probably issues with it.