I actually went to put in an order for a 20" front wheel and Dahon front fork but there was an issue with their PayPal settings. I’ll complete my order when that’s resolved. Shipping to the US is a bit steep (£85, £30 more than my geared drift trike front end which is certainly heavier). I have concerns over the axle size (3/8) but we’ll see how it goes! Let’s see who makes the first loopwheels unicycle!
OK, that’s finally ordered. It’s got to go from the UK to the USA so there’s still time for someone from Europe to beat me to the punch.
You’re planning on using the wheel as it is for one of your unpowered freewheel devices (soory can’t remember the correct names for any of them)? Or what else do you need the Dahon fork for?
I was looking at getting a rear wheel, as I’m sure I read something about the spring tension being higher, and for my plans I’d just be discarding the hub anyway - does mean you’re paying more for a bit you don’t need though. Though I do wonder whether they might be prepared to just sell me the parts without a hub if I mention my plans - can’t do any harm to ask.
My immediate plan is to turn it as-is into a peg unicycle by sticking pegs on the axle and a seat post and saddle in the fork. I’m planning to use the Dahon fork since it’s known to work with the wheel and has the right inner/outer diameter. I realize the tension is lower than the rear wheel but it’s hard to tell which is better suited to my purpose. It’s just a big experiment to get some experience with the technology before their MTB version comes out in a couple years. I’ll leave it to you and others to see how hard it is to put in a unicycle hub although I’ll be happy to share any information that I can. Judging from their feedback and Instragram:
http://instagram.com/p/44mUp8xw1j/
I think they are amenable to custom orders.
There’s probably a reason BMX went to 14mm. On the upside, you should be able to pick up some pegs from the bargain bin at your LBS since they made 3/8 for decades. Also, depending on the drum brake you may be able to replace the axle with a CrMo axle from Wheels Manufacturing. That would probably put your worries to rest.
Ah, so I could still be the first with one in a conventional unicycle. To which end I’ve been doing a bit more research on their current products. I think you’re mistaken about that disk wheel being evidence of a custom order though - it appears to be a production prototype of the disk hub mentioned on https://www.loopwheels.com/products/trikes/ Almost certainly a front stub axle hub looking at that, which is presumably an adaption of their existing cast stub axle hubs used on their wheelchair wheels. Certainly no way that a cast hub is a custom job!
It doesn’t seem likely they’re going to phase out their adapters for conventional hubs though, as it would be prohibitive for them to make their own internal geared, or even cassette hubs (hence another reason that disc hub is a front). Nothing is going to be easy though - I checked the specs on the rear hubs they’re using and even the 3 speed has assymetric flanges. I suspect I have enough info to start working on designs, but await your feedback with great interest.
When looking through their stuff I got quite excited by the wheelchair wheels as it turns out what they describe as 25" is actually what most of us call a 26" wheel - not sure if that’s a wheelchair convention, or simply an attempt to obfuscate and stop people making the connection I did. Unfortunately it seems their wheelchair wheels are all using their cast hub which seems to have permanently attached springs so no obvious way of converting that.
Seems like it’s a wheelchair standard: Help with Tyre and Wheel Sizing - Draft Wheelchairs
It also seems it’s a similar sort of thing to 28" vs. 29" vs. 700c - all are the same rim diameter, and tyres should be pretty much interchangable (widths permitting) and yet there we are, with three different size measurements (28" is usually used to describe 700c tyres I think, to differentiate them from the slightly wider/taller 29er tyres) 
Wheel sizes are seriously weird even just in the bike world (I have a bike that’s running 27x1.25 wheels, which despite the numbers is a slightly bigger diameter than a 29er/700c/28" rim thanks to metric vs. imperial measurements), I’d imagine adding other vehicles just throws the confusion around even more.
Thanks for the update! I’m not mechanically inclined (one time I busted a crank puller) but may need to take some classes so I can satisfy my own needs for unicycle ideas in the future. Besides their cast hub I’m not sure if they only have one “center” to attach the springs and hub or multiple ones. For instance, I can’t quite tell if the specs of the Sturmey Archer X-FD (used on the commuter bike model) and Sturmey Archer X-SD (used on the recumbent trike model) are the same from looking at them. I sent an inquiry to LoopWheels to see if I can at least get my wheel changed from front wheel tension to rear wheel tension with a front hub. I’ll keep you updated and can give you measurements when I get the wheel.
Ultimate Wheel?
A LBS “expert” in unicycling has told me much that contradicts what I have read elsewhere. One of the things he said was that an “Ultimate Wheel” is a brand name, much like “Freon” is for refrigerant or “Kleenex” is for tissue papers, and that the proper “industry standard” term is “Pedal Wheel”. Has anybody else heard of this? And, if so, why haven’t I heard of it by now with all of my searching? I would really like to know if my local LBS unicycle expert is FOS or not.
In the 21 years since I first signed up to the unicycle mailing list (which was rendered obsolete by rec.sport.unicycling, which was then replaced by this forum), it’s not a claim that I’ve ever seen or heard before.
I’ve just had a quick flick through Jack Wiley’s “The Ultimate Wheel Book” (published in 1988) and didn’t see anything about it being a brand name. The closest I found to anything about manufacturers was at the beginning of chapter 3, where he wrote: “At the present time, I do not know of any ultimate wheels that are manufactured.”
Unless John Foss pops up and says otherwise, I’m going with FOS.
I found out they aren’t offering the 20" disc wheel as an option at this time but it sounds like it will be at some point. They gave me the option of a 20" front wheel with 3 different spring forces.
1.) Normal: used in the bike front wheels,
2.) Medium: used in our trike front wheels,
3.) Heavy: used for heavy duty trailers.
I chose #3. They also said the hubs are not interchangeable once they’re built. I believe that means they use different hub interfaces and I wonder if the force tuning is done with the hub in place. So in order to use a different hub (like a fixed unicycle hub) it’s probably necessary to develop a custom interface (with or without the loopwheels team) and then they would probably need to build and tune the wheel. I’m waiting until after I get my wheel to see if it’s worth trying to take any further. I imagine it will take the release of the MTB wheel to garner enough interest from unicyclists to try to commission a custom interface (if that’s even a possibility). Another option may be to replace the internal components of a hub that already has an interface with a direct-drive axle.
Ah, I thought I’d already commented on this. Yes the interfaces (the triangular bits which bolt to the hub and hold the springs) must be different for each hub because the flanges are different on each hub they use (both different diameter and different offsets from the centre line).
I have to admit I’d not considered the idea of a custom interface. My plan was to get some flanges made which bolted to a uni hub and provided holes in the same place as one of the hubs they use, so that you could just bolt the supplied interfaces on - something similar to what is described in this post: Aaaagh - broken flange on my Schlumpf - #14 by nickjb
I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to get something like that made - whilst a custom interface would be a better solution, it would involve a lot more complex machining. The remaining issue though is that the interfaces will be under preload when fitted to the hubs - I suspect they attach the springs last and have some mechanism to preload them when they fit them. It’s not going to be straightforward to do without that.
Very interesting to hear that they will fit different weight springs though - that certainly solves one issue, as it’s a lot simpler to make something to front hub dimensions. I wonder if I supplied them with a hub with identical flange dimensions to that whether they’d build one up for me? Looking forwards to your feedback.
It wasn’t clear to me if the triangle was a single piece or if there was something that fit inside it for the hub to attach to but I think you’re right that the triangular bit is the interface and there’s one for each type of (geometrically different) hub. I can give you details on the one that I get.
Yes, this is probably the simplest route. It’s probably not something I’m capable of doing. I’m sure LanceB will share the files from his 36-48 Schlumpf adapter rings and maybe that’s something I can work from. I have access to 3D modeling software but not necessarily the expertise to use it.
One of the key factors is whether or not the hub can be switched out without removing the springs first. If that’s the case then that’s a huge feature for me. I would love to have a single wheel and be able to swap in hubs (freewheel, fixed, peg).
It’ll probably be another couple weeks before I get the wheel but I’ll let you know how it goes.
Sure, I’d be happy to share what I have, or make up something new, similar to the other, that works for your exact purpose. Stuff like this is fun!
Thanks, Lance! The first step will be to figure out if the technology is worth pursuing. I’ve seen various posts about your adapter rings in the past and did a search recently but didn’t see details on the whole process. How did you make the part and what hardware did you use?
The rings were pretty simple. I just duplicated the hole pattern for the hub (which was 36 holes), and put in another 48-hole pattern outside it. I had a laser cutting company I found on the internet cut them out of stainless steel. I used small (#2-56) screws and nuts to attach the rings to the hub through the hub’s spoke holes. Not much to it.
LoopWheels peg unicycle
I got my LoopWheel and put the saddle on. I need to get some peg adapters before I can fit my pegs on, however. Instructions say, “Don’t attempt to disassemble the wheels for servicing as there is no requirement to service, other than light cleaning as detailed above. (Resist the bike enthusiast’s natural inclination to tinker and adjust!! Again - if you feel a need, speak to us first!)”
I finally got my peg adapters and had a couple of short practice sessions on my suspension peg unicycle. My main observation is that even though I got the highest spring force available it’s still too bouncy. It’s not user adjustable, either. I think for a regular unicycle a higher force is necessary and with this technology that means a stronger spring. It may be possible to commission this but it’s not readily available from the maker (let alone the issues with getting a pedal hub). I would say that the technology does do what it’s supposed to and smooths out cobblestone style road bumps but I can’t say if it’s much different than a bigger, lower pressure tire. It’s usable as a peg unicycle and for me the drum brake is a huge feature over the disc brake on my regular peg unicycle (which gets out of alignment on particularly violent UPDs). The bounciness takes a little getting used to and I’m planning on testing out how well it absorbs the type of larger bumps on trails that would knock me off my regular peg unicycle at higher speeds. It’s fun and works for me but is probably still a novelty at this stage.
That works by changing the effective radius of the wheel when it hits a bump. Just when you need most control, your steering geometry changes. On the back wheel, it’s going to affect your effective gearing too. And all those pivots are wear points. Horrible.
Years ago they made motorcycles with sprung hubs. You don’t see many around now, because telescopic forks work far better.
I don’t think suspension forks would work in a traditional unicycle design. I’m going to look for a Cruzbike conversion kit to see if I can make a sort of unibike without handlebars. That would allow for a more traditional suspension fork but may be challenging to ride and turn out to be another novelty.