I just picked up a Kona Unit, but have been riding my track frame for most of the summer.
The Unit will be my Fall/Winter rig, since I don't like messing with gears.

It's so much harder/more work to ride my Unit.
Yes I get the whole weight thing, but the Unit isn't really that heavy for a MTB.
It's lighter than my BMX actually.
I may have to teak my gear ratio on my Unit, it's currently @ 36 x 17 (I think).
My track bike is @ 46 x 17 SS & 46 x 18 FG.
36 x 17 is great for climbing hills, but I find I get tired much easier with this ratio.
On my track it's a nightmare trying to climb steep hills.

I'm running Conti Contacts on the Unit so the rolling resistance isn't too bad, I may switch too knobbies if we get snow.
I ran with Specialized Turbos on my Track bike most of the summer & these were wicked tires, I now have Halo Twin Rail Courirers & love them too.
The Halos work better on wet pavement, & light gravel.

Can anyone offer an input on how I can make my ride a little easier with my Unit?

Thanks in advance.

just keep playing with your unit til it feels right

I think that's the opposite of what the adults said when we were kids.
LOL

& Yes I'm a noob to bikes ohter than BMX.

MTBs on the road suck, even with slicks. It'll never be as efficient as a road or track bike. Where are you at? I can normally get away with riding road/track bikes through a lot of the winter. Its not icy and snowy all the time. Use the MTB only when necessary. In ****ty weather, the inefficiency of the MTB will be less annoying as its benefits become more obvious.

We have very mild winters, it only freezes once in a while, I'm not so much worried about snow, it's the rain. We're known for the amount of rain we get in Vancouver, Canada. I basically got the Unit to abuse, I don't want to put my Track through these conditions if I don't need to. Can anyone recommend good/great tires for wet weather? I love my Halos so far, but I haven't had to test them in "real rain" yet.

i think the difference you are experiencing between your bikes is pretty obvious. but i can never understand why guys around here buy ss mtbs (which of course are designed for riding hilly off-road trails) & then seem surprised that they come with such low gear ratios. in fact, i think yours is likely even lower than what you posted.

anyway, you can follow fastbartender's advice to play with your unit & you should also experiment with different rings & cogs to get higher gear ratios on the bike for easier pavement riding.

or you can learn to really spin with your current gearing & soon you will build up your wind & won't get so tired.

have fun & good luck...

I have a SS MB and a FG that I use to get to work and school year round. I ride my FG (even on slicks) through the rain and up to an inch of snow and it handles it just fine. If there is more snow than that or if there is ice involved, I'll ride the SS MB.

The geometry will lead to lower speed given the same amount of power. You could alter things a little bit to make it fit more like a road bike(longer stem, move the seat back) but in the end the bike just isnt designed for a fast ride. It probably does make for a decent slush/ heavy rain bike. So maybe you should just keep it for that.

I'm also somewhat in your situation. I have a SS 29er mtb and a fixed gear. When it's wet out I ride my mtb. Like yours, my 29er has a really low gear ratio which causes it to be slower and a lot of work to ride fast. I haven't changed my gear ratio yet because I just need it for getting around campus. I assume your commute would be longer so you should try a higher gear ratio.