anybody know if i can get cranks shorter than 102mm for cheaper than the doteks? my 102’s feel enormous, sort of like my 150’s did, and i want shorter. am i going to eventually have to make my own?
Re: 89mm cranks
On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 13:36:51 -0500, ubersquish
<ubersquish.u4cye@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:
>anybody know if i can get cranks shorter than 102mm for cheaper than the
>doteks?
<www.unicycle.uk.com> sells 89 mm cranks that are inexpensive. I
haven’t checked whether the US outfit <www.unicycle.com> carries them
as well.
Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
If the crank is moving then it really sounds as if it’s loose. - onewheeldave trying to pinpoint the cause of a clicking crank
www.unicycle.uk.com sells two different types of 89mm cranks. There are basic cheap ones for about £10, and some nicer ones which are cut and machined down from full length bicycle cranks. I have a pair of each.
I went through a phase of going for shorter and shorter cranks. I considered having some even shorter ones made.
I have ‘comfortably’ ridden long distances (up to 24 miles) on my 24 with the 102s, and I have even done some light ‘off roading’ with some ups and downs. However, I never really got on with the 89s. The lack of control cancelled out any possible increase of speed from the smaller pedalling circle. I also tried the 89s on my 20 for a while and they were too short to be fun.
Others might disagree with my conclusion, but I decided the 89s were more of a novelty than a genuine upgrade to the unicycle. There is a certain ‘macho’ factor to extreme numbers (shorter cranks, bigger wheels, fatter tyres, bigger drops, etc.) but I found no other ‘advantage’ to the 89s.
So, my advice is buy the cheap 89s from unicycle.uk.com if you want to try this length. You might like them, in which case the cut down Doteks will be a nice upgrade later. I think you might hate them, though.
Remember that under racing rules, the minimum crank length on a (true) 24 is 125mm (I think) and speeds of 16 mph or more can be reached on that set up. (But not by me!)
if nothing else, it’ll be more of a workout for my legs. the reason i want 89’s isn’t so i can go faster, but because my 102’s feel so big. looking at what i just wrote, i feel like an idiot. but it’s true
and that’s about four times what i’m willing to pay