From: d.kathrens@genie.geis.com
>Next time you go to your bike shop, you can mention to the smart people there
My mistake. I retract the words “smart people.”
>You know, another mechanic told me that bike cranks wouldn’t work on a uni
>because unis have two cranks exactly alike (right hand thread). He said I’d
>have to buy two complete bike crank sets and two pair of pedals to get one
>crank/pedal set for a uni. Of course I knew better but instead of arguing I
>just smiled and left.
Sometimes, when replacing old crank arms, one can use bicycle cranks, but one
must cut off the sprocket from the right hand crank. This is not the best way,
but it works when you can’t find the parts you want. It’s usually done on old
wheels with cottered cranks. The mechanic’s dorkiness is shared by that of many
unicycle assemblers at bike shops. I enjoy examining assembled unicycles in
shops to see if the cranks are on the right sides, if the fork and seat are
facing the right way, etc. It does matter.
>I know there is a standard mathematical formula for computing spoke length
>for any hub/rim combination in 2,3 or 4 cross. My local bike mechanic never
>heard of it,
More points for the dork.
>He says he has built thousands of wheels (but OTOH he thought “high flange” was
>a brand name. Groan). I’ll give him a week to either do it or ensure I never
>darken his door again.
I hope your wheel comes out good, and that there are other bike “experts”
available in your area.
>When you cc your private reply to the mailing list I get two copies of the
>same mail.
Sorry 'bout that, just thought it more polite that way.
>I get charged extra for email via GEnie above a certain monthly limit so there
>is an added cost factor too.
Depending on your needs, perhaps you should look into America Online, which I
use. Though the service is not as big as CompuServe, there is no charge for
unlimited exchanging of email (CompuServe charges per message). They are also
fairly cheap, and soon expect to have WWW access.
Please let us know how the Muni turns out!
Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone unicycle@aol.com