I never tought it would happen but it did, i bent a splined axle/cranks. Im kinda pissed right now because i thought i had goten something that i wouldnt bend. I have a couple quesitons about how to go about fixing this problem…But first how they bent…A 5ft drop onto slanted asfault, no rollout, Also remeber since it was slanted, i had to put allmost all my weight on my back pedal to keep from rolling into rocks.
1: Was i just stupid to do such a drop? Will any hub/cranks bend under something like that?
2: Would a New Hub/cranks be a good idea if i intend to do more stuff like that?
3: Do you think a koxx hub would hold better than a kh 04’?(im too poor to buy profiles)
4: is there any way to save this hub/cranks/wheel without just stoping those kind of drops?
Evan described the drop to me, it was 5ft, onto slanted cement, all his weight was on his back pedal so he wouldn’t roll forward into a possibly painfull obstacle, ten bucks says his knees were straight to make sure the wheel didn’t have any forward roll when he landed as well, I say no wonder they got bent. I’m suprised he didn’t shatter his knee. Probably would have if the cranks didn’t bend ^^
Do you keep your knees straight when you jump, while not ridding a unicycle? Well its a bad idea to do it on a unicycle as well, I just keep enough bend in my knees so they don’t lock, better on your joints, and you’ll have a smoother ride, I thought you knew better then that Evan.
Listen to me, there is a reason I rode motocross for six years and never broke a bone. I learned how to fall, and to roll. Just as sticking your arm out when your falling can break it, the same rule applys to your legs, there should always be a bend in your joints, even though every part of your nature wants to stick your arm straight out when you hurdling twards the ground at 30mph. But you have to fight the urge!
Your photos show no evidence of bent cranks. If the cranks bent, you would most likely see it in the form of pedals that slant toward the ground (viewed from the front or back). Your suspected problem is a twist in the axle. Moving the cranks around to various positions might tell you if the twist is consistent, or if just a few splines were affected.
You plan to do drops bigger than 5ft. What does this mean? Basically, eventually it’s likely you will break equipment. If you have Profiles it is less likely, but still possible. The question is whether it’s worth it to invest in the Profiles, or have to replace parts down the road.
Landing a big drop on a slanted surface, with no rollout, is going to put a lot of stress on parts (yours and the unicycle). Though there may not have been any place to roll in that situation, you could also consider not doing that particular drop because of its wear & tear factor.
According to what I’ve read above, your landing technique has room for improvement. Learning to land with less shock to the unicycle will save you money, and be a kindness to your bones and tendons as well.
Yes, if your axle is truly twisted (looks likely from the pictures and story), it is likely to twist more. Metal, once compromised, becomes weaker. In its current state, your axle looks fine, completely rideable and all. But it may be a little weaker if you do a similar type of drop. Keep it up and eventually it will give way. But better technique could stave this off by quite a bit!
You could consider putting the cranks on opposite sides and riding the uni the other way around, but if a twist is started, it will be weakened and can’t be simply bent back into position.
