Broken Frame Cap?

[skate4flip]

I was out working on my gliding today and when i came back in i noticed that the little cap on my frame (see arrow on picture) was missing. All there was an empty hole into the frame and i saw wedged in the middle was a little thing that looked like the bottom of the frame cap. (is it called a frame cap?) I think it broke in half and the top part was fell off. Anyone know how to fix this or have similar problems to this?

[jagur]

its not welded over like the yuni frames!?

a open hole into the fork blade under a cap!? OMG that is so freakin cheap.

better hope nobody fills it up with cement on April fools day.

[cyberpunk]

And I just thought the onza frames were ugly.

(Yuni's are ugly too)

[skate4flip]

i went outside and lucky found the piece that broke off. I dont have a working camera right now so i will attempt to draw the broken parts in paint? Do you think it would be a good idea to the glue the top piece back on?

[cyberpunk]

I really don't know since i've never had a onza frame, but the top cap dosn't hold any mechanical purpose does it? I mean it just keep dirt/watere out of the frame, and makes your footing more comfturble, right? Well if thats the case I see no problem in glueing it back on other then it might be difficult to get it back off if you ever want to, but thats nothing a lighter or a hairdryer can't fix.

[Catboy]

I lost mine on my left side working on gliding too... It'e been gone for half a year, and has caused no problems...

[deadlydes]

i have the same problem with mine.
the cap is only there to keep dirt out so isnt 'REALLY' necessary.
i have tried glueing mine on but that didnt work :-(
i think that a peice of metal should have been welded onto the top of the fork with these frames. the added weight would have been nothing and the frame looks a bit crap if you do lose one of the caps.
i think onza should think about this one.

BTW
my mate suggested getting a stopper that goes onto the end of b*ke handlebars. he said you should get something to fit and they actually compress into the hole so would be allot more stable.
havent looked onto it yet though

[deadlydes]

something like this
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=1219

they are called bar end plugs

[mango]

Originally posted by deadlydes
something like this
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=1219

they are called bar end plugs

Hey now, that could look hot!

[jagur]

there are also bar end plugs that would fit that have flashing red LED's if you really want to look into it.

[mikepenton]

...or with tassles like on kids bikes!

- you may find bar end plugs too small, as the inside diameter is probably larger on the frame compared to handle bars.

[DarkTom]

I've lost mine too, one went ages ago and a friend noticed it. The other one got the top ripped off trying to wheelwalk. I did have skateboard grip-tape on top of the plugs for better grip one-footed, etc but the tube itself gives a better grip on my shoe!

It does look a bit rubbish with big holes in your frame, but they alloy bar end plugs reminded me that my old rusting BMX has a set of Snafu bar-end plugs.

I took them off but they don't expand enough to fill the uni tube, handlebar tubes must be thinner. I'll see about making some kind of shim for them.

Time for a can of coke I think......

T.

EDIT: MikePenton's EDIT wasn't there when I posted, but he's right, they don't fit. Until I make the shim.

[DarkTom]

I've been a busy boy! Since reading this thread and posting my post, I removed the Snafu bar-end plugs from my bmx, and they didn't fit - the uni frame tubing is too fat for them.

So, after a hoke through my "box full of bits" I found a suitable bit of tube, cut two 1inch sections off it, and a slit down the side of each one. These are my shims.

They were still a wee bit wee so I used two strips of plastic between the shims and the plugs. Now they fit fine.

Next I used a dremel type tool to remove the paint and Snafu logo and shine them up.

And they look good.

Now I feel my trials uni is complete. Silver Pr1mo pedals, silver knurled seat-post-tube, silver frame-plugs, and I even put some silver bearing holders on instead of the black.


So, aye... bar-end plugs will work for this purpose and do look good, but you'll need to make (or buy) some sort of shim to make them fit properly.

T.

[DarkTom]

Here are some close-ups. You can see how the plugs are a tiny bit bigger than the tube, but not too big that they look out of place.

I'll try and find some non-rusty bolts to hold them in with next.

I also forgot to mention my shiny silver valve cap.

T.

[johnfoss]

Originally posted by jagur
better hope nobody fills it up with cement on April fools day.

That gives me some ideas....

Sounds like the caps are plastic? Kind of a lame detail on an otherwise very burly unicycle. I guess it's part of their relatively low price.

You don't want to leave your tubes open for a few reasons:

- Water will get in and it will rust in there. This can become a big problem depending on your riding environment.

- Dirt, but that's less of an issue than water.

- Open-ended tubing will get dented up! Putting your feet on there, loading the uni in the car, or even your feet brushing and scraping over the open tube when wheel walking will eventually make the opening some shape other than round. Better to plug it before this happens.

- Jagur (or some other prankster) might put cement in there.

The cap idea sounds real nice, with shims to make them fit. If you take the uni to your bike shop they may be able to find something that can fit without too much modification. If you have a local bike shop that has lots of older parts, try them as there's more to work with. In my experience the best bike shops for unicyclists are the ones that have dusty shelves in back filled with all sorts of outdated parts. And someone who knows where they are, and is creative enough to use them! A lot of bike shop personnel can't seem to think beyond today's current, standard bike parts and methods. We don't ride bikes.