The time has come to part with a first love, to make room for new projects. Up for sale is the geared uni known as “Purple Phaze”. To my knowledge this was the first guni with a compact chain-driven transmission to allow higher than 1:1 ratios on a 36er.
Frame: the V-frame is my design and construction. All steel, with 1/2" tubing, except for the seat and stem tubes. It provides for the saddle and a set of bars via an adjustable riser stem. Takes 40mm bearings. Painted in a deep purple pearl, which is better than any photo can show.
Wheel: the wheel is built around a custom machined alloy hub shell drilled on both sides for the 6-bolt ISO 44mm BCD disc rotor pattern. Inside the hub shell are 2 17x35mm sealed bearings. 14g stainless spokes of standard UDC length (375mm). Sem 12g body spoke nipples. An ORIGINAL model (i.e. black anodized and correct diameter) Airfoil rim with extra holes drilled in the center channel for weight savings. A fairly new TA tire. A 700c lightweight tube with purple alloy stem cap. TNT purple alloy 175mm cranks bolted to a custom Phil Wood 17 x 180mm square taper axle.
Saddle: Gemcrest carbon base, inner tube & foam air seat, and a black leather Gemcrest saddle cover. The tube stem also has a faded purple valve cover.
Seatpost: custom welded 27.0 alloy post with std. 4-bolt attachment. Any smaller seat post will fit with an appropriate shim.
Handlebars: comes with 2 sets of bars, one as shown with a gradual up-curve, brake lever mounts on each side, and purple tape. The 2nd set is my original aero bars, flatter and longer reach. The bars clamp into the riser stem and have adjustable tilt.
Brake: a standard Magura HS-33, silver lever and (faded) purple cylinder caps.
Transmission: I have drilled several track cogs with the ISO 44BCD pattern. The drive cog bolts to the hub. A std. 58BCD granny chainring (20 or 22t) bolts to the right crank arm. The jackshafts are 1-piece steel units, with track cogs welded on each side and sealed bearings inside. The jackshafts drop down into a welded box on the frame, and the chains are tensioned with bmx chain tensioners. The crank cog and the left side jack cog are the same, as is the hub cog and the right side jack cog. So the ratio between the cogs themselves s doubled for the final gear ratio. I have jackshafts for 1.89 and 1.56 ratios. I have made a jackshaft for a 1.22 ratio, but the frame would need a minor welding modification for a 20t hub cog to clear the frame (the current ratios use a 16t cog on the hub).
Pedals: comes with a pair of matching purple Wellgo MG-1 magnesium pinned pedals, 380g for the pair.
Total weight: 19 3/4 lbs. Total joy of going faster than your head can handle: priceless.
Well, not actually. I think its worth 4 figures. But, while it’s a wild speed freak, it is also a prototype and proof-of-concept vehicle, and as such the build quality is all hand-made and nowhere near production quality. It has been around the block a time or two and has scratches and dents from normal uni usage. It creaks and groans on occasion. It need fiddling with, such as the chain tension needs to e constantly monitored. I just replaced the hub bearings. It needs a home a mechanically-inlined owner, because there is some minor disassembly required to change the cogs and the gear ratio when desired (although I found that the 1.56 ratio was fine for all conditions but substantial hills). Therefore, I will entertain serious offers.
A search on “Purple Phaze” will yield a few threads and history. Some old dude who had only been unicycling for 15 months hopped on it for an hour record attempt. It needs an aggressive rider to bring out its full guni glory! Could that be YOU?
Due to the cost (might exceed $100.), I’d really like to limit shipping to the U.S. and Canada only. Questions please reply here or email Pete at (soulskater-at-netos-dot-com).
