Changing a Tire?

system · August 10, 2002, 9:38pm

Well here is another newbie question that I need help with (where would I be
without you guys and gals??!!). I have a Sem XL and I notice that where the
frame meets the cranks the bolts that hold these parts together are not
screwed down tight - now for sure this must be on purpose - if not please
tell me. Anyways when I go to change a tire or replace a tube how do I know
how tight/loose to have these bolts when I put everything back together?

Sorry for not having the right terminology for this process but hopefully
you’ll understand what I mean. And I know it should be pretty obvious cause
uni’s are basically pretty simple machines but I don’t want to be in the
middle of a repair or replacement job and then realize I don’t know what I’m
meant to be doing!

thanks,
Erin

harper · August 10, 2002, 9:55pm

Erin-

DON’T OVERTIGHTEN THE BEARING CAP NUTS. Put them on hand tight so that the bearing clamp is spaced equally on both sides of each bearing. Turn the unicycle upside down and spin the wheel and watch it coast slowly to a stop.

Now, tighten one side (side B) just slightly with a 10mm wrench. Tighten the other side (side A) fairly firmly. Spin the wheel and if it coasts the same way you may tighten side A some more. Tighten side A until the wheel appears to slow down more quickly. Side A is now too tight. Back it off until it spins freely again.

Repeat for side B. When you are done the wheel should spin just as it does when the bearing hardware is hand tight. The nuts should still seem loose with a wrench but not with your fingers.