The right crank on a MUni that I am riding keeps clicking everytime i ride forward or backwards. I tried to tighten the nut, which made the crank click less, but it continues to click. I found that the crank usually clicks in the position that i usually hop in (right foot out the front), ie. when i am riding and the right foot passes out the front, the crank clicks. I have found that after i had a look at the unicycle, the crank would wobble from side to side if i gave it a bit of a pull, but the weird thing is, that it’s only at the point when the crank is out the front. I hope that someone can help me with my problem…
If there’s a chance that this is due to crank looseness you should stop riding it immediately till you sort it out. Riding with a loose crank will damage the crank and axle.
Usual advice to get cranks seated properly involves removal, greasing the axle and hammering the crank on with a wooden mallet; this ensures it is seated properly.
Then tighten up the bolt and, for the first few rides, take the wrench with you and retighten at any sign of looseness.
I have ridden LOTS, and I cannot recall a crank problem resulting in a click.
Possible click culprits…
A small pebble in the tread hitting the frame (that’s always in the same place in the hopping posture)
A shoelace is a good one, that was a mystery click that stumped me for ages…it never clicked when I got off and looked for the culprit.
The bearings/bushings in the pedal may be loose, or shot. Hold the crank firmly, you should not feel any movement in the pedal (other than rotation) when wiggling it with your hand.
Perhaps the click is the starting of a creek. Maybe you have some loose spokes?
Are you over 30? It could be your bones
Now would be a good time to tighten your crank bolt (it’s always a good time for that) but I doubt it’s your cranks.
Well, none of those things seem to be happening (I am only 16), there are no pebbles stuck in the tread, i always tuck my shoelaces into my shoes, the peddles are fine (i checked them again just to make sure, the spokes are fine as well.) I’ve already tightened the crank bolt as tight as possible (well, if i used heavy machinery… but if you needed heavy machinery then not many people would be able to fix their unicycle), but the problem remains.
The click is audible, however it is not the click that is bothering me (if it was just that then it would be ok), it’s the movement of the crank that is the problem. At first I thought that it might have been the pedals, but it’s definately the crank. The tightening of the right crank (that’s where the problem is) stopped it considerably, but after riding it for a bit, it started to get worse again. The amount that it loosened was far more when I was rocking or going backwards.
Anyway, thanks for all the help, and if anyone has had a similar problem or knows how to fix it, I would be thankful for there input. If all else fails, I’ll go to the bike shop and see if they know how to fix it.
If the crank has become deformed at all where it slides onto the axle, then no amount of hammering or tightening will now prevent it feeling/becoming loose.
Sounds like you need a new pair of cranks really, don’t carry on riding it if you can’t get it suitably tightened, or you’re going to damage the axle in no time.
When you get the cranks off to replace them, have a really good look at the axle. If it is already damaged, then putting new cranks on will only result in them getting out of shape and becoming loose again, good money after bad I think is the saying.
The moral of the story is to always ensure your cranks are tight on the axle, and the moment they come loose, stop riding, don’t, ‘just do 5 minutes more’, or, ‘It’s just a mile till I’m home’. Stop.
This knowledge is gained from working in a Bike shop, and seeing countless examples of this problem on Bottom Bracket Axles, but there is no reason the same principles wouldn’t apply to a unicycle.
Incidentally, 9 times out of 10 it was the left hand crank that would come loose, not the chainwheel side, anyone got any idea why that would be?
try using lock tight to keep the crank tight. my left crank cannot stay tight unless i use lock tight. my crank creeks when it is loose. it is an extremely annoying problem…
