So I made these unicycle cranks at school, their 82mm (I know it’s a weird measurement, don’t ask me why it’s 82 and not 89 or 75 cause I cudnt tell ya) anyways I’ve put them on my spare unicycle thinking that I could use them to learn some freestyle riding and tricks, I’m an intermediate street umicyclist and my normal uni has 114mm cranks in it, I love them and think their perfect for skatepark riding. Perhaps some 110s or 100s wud be fun to try one day at the park but anyways I digress.
My question here is what unicycle tricks either greatly benefit from or require ridiculously short cranks? I know most advanced freestyle riders use short cranks but the only reason I can think of is to avoid pedal scrapes when making sharp turns. I’m keen to experiment with this new setup and learn some tricks that justify its existence.
thx for reading and thx in advance for any responses
Spins and swirls work much better and easier with short cranks. Also most crossed and cross-over tricks, only work with short crank, as with longer cranks your leg permantenly rub the tire. I personally find drag seat easier with short ones.
Overall, riding looks much smoother and more elegant than with longer cranks. A freestyle performance with 125s would look awkward. Also the riding speed can be increased which is especially important for tricks, that involve phases without pedal contact (gliding, coasting).
Crossover only works with short cranks as your leg rubs too much with >100mm and better with sub-85. I can’t do side ride but I would guess better with shorter.
Also spins, hand ride. But most of the advantage comes from easier transition for really advanced stuff, e.g. riding jump to stand walk or pedals to stand gliding, and more speed.
As I guess you know, almost all the best freestylers ride 72-80mm with 75mm being the most common in Germany.
