60rpm -> 14mph !
Its gear inches is large relative to unicycles, but compared to bikes, is not that abnormal. Riding on flat ground sounds viable in my opinion. Looking forward to see you riding this!
When I get this down I’ll probably shoot a video in the same location as this one:
It will be mostly the same except for less pedaling. I don’t know a way to make an interesting sidewalk video.
Yes, it’s a 20 inch wheel and the tricky part for me is to learn more of skate start where I push with one foot and coast for a little while before pedaling.
Nice gear-inches… Is there any particular reason for the 125mm crank limit? Is it purely because of the wheel size?
Can’t wait to see some speed-tests on it once you get the hang of it! 
Really looking forward to seeing it in action.
Well, zero Q cranks larger than that will hit the “frame” because of the design:
I’m going to check to see whether my 135mm Sinz cranks have enough Q factor to clear the frame.
Coasting skate-type start… is this a freewheeling geared hub then? I missed that bit before. If it is, I can see how your coasting unicycle experience is vital. For a regular “fixie-only” uni rider like me the combination of coasting and a gear ratio close to 4 would be absolutely prohibitive to riding.
So… is it freewheeling?
Yes, freewheeling 3.8x hub. The coasting part is a benefit with such a high gear because I don’t have to start pedaling from 0 and I can get a little speed first. I’m not sure how practical it is as a method of transportation but it’s a lot of fun.
After a couple practice sessions it seems easier than I expected. My flat saddle makes it a little more difficult. I could easily swap that out but that strikes me as a crutch. It’s easier to pedal-coast-pedal at higher speeds than a 1:1 freewheel. I can see maintaining 10mph on flat terrain.
http://instagram.com/p/yPukofwta-/
http://instagram.com/p/yPtrqzQtY3/
Very cool, Carl! You make it look easy.
Do I need an Instagram account to see this, or what? I get a blank screen on both links.
That is amazing.
You shouldn’t. I opened the links in a browser that wasn’t logged in to Instagram and they seemed ok. Maybe some kind of flash issue?
The links worked for me, and I don’t have an Instagram account. Maybe there are different access rules for European countries?
Worked for me, and I don’t have an Instagram OR Flash installed (Because F*** flash)
Using Firefox.
Works in Germany as well, Firefox 35 with latetest Adobe flash player
Waaalrus, why wouldn’t you set a brake? I use it to jump-mount on my freewheel unicycle. I can’t imagine how to ride brakeless freewheel uni at all, not to mention a 3.8 geared one!
I’ve seen them now. They didn’t work in IE but Firefox is OK, possibly because its Flash implementation is better up-to-date. Whatever.
This is so cool! I wouldn’t say it looks easy, but it sure looks as if you (waaalrus) don’t have too much trouble riding this setup. Kudos!
Carl – so awesome!!!
I put on a brake almost as soon as I got it; that first picture was just before I got a chance. The latest incarnation is with a KH Fusion Freeride saddle, Avid Speed Dial brake lever, TRP Spyke mechanical caliper, and (custom) Hope 225mm rotor. I usually ride flat saddles but the extra curve in the Freeride is actually pretty useful to help control the torque.
My normal freewheel mount is a static mount where I tap the brake as I’m on top of the wheel. On this high geared unicycle I don’t tap the brake. I’m finding that just the slight momentum I get from hopping up to the saddle helps me to be able to slowly roll up to speed and I don’t need to do a skate start. You can see it in the video linked above but it’s maybe from too far away. Even if I could do a jump mount I wouldn’t do it on this unicycle because the frame attaches to the hub with a set of bolts. There’s a small lip that it sits into but it wasn’t designed to have the weight of a body on top of it.
Thanks, Corbin! You’ll have to give it a try sometime.
I can’t understand how you do a static mount in the first place. When I try it on my freewheel uni, rear pedal is rolling down to the dead point (I do static mount on a regular uni perfectly well). Also I tried a static mount stepping on a front pedal first (pedals wouldn’t roll away) but jump mount is easier for me.