Coker freewheel hub on a uni.

Unicycles and Equipment
41

Freewheel manifesto

I know hearing about someone’s obsessions can be boring but I was consolidating the information I’ve gathered and wanted to post a set of instructions in case someone wanted to build their own simple freewheel unicycle. If anyone’s interested in taking it further let me know. If I get really good at the freewheel I may experiment with a larger wheel (width or diameter) or higher quality components.

Putting together a simple freewheel unicycle
The easiest and possibly cheapest way to put together a freewheel unicycle is to find or purchase:

  • 20” round crown unicycle frame like Avenir Deluxe Unicycle ($69.99 at Amazon.com with free shipping, this type often shows up on craigslist)
  • Hill Kicker Pro replacement wheel ($68.95 including shipping)
  • 6203-15-2RS - 15x40x12mm, available at http://myworld.ebay.com/locatebearings ($34.40 - $9.95 each times two plus $11.95 shipping and $2.47 sales tax)
  • gear puller
  • crank puller
  • (optional) Sunlite MX Sidepull Brake Kit
  • (optional) drill and 6mm carbide bit
Remove pedals from round crown unicycle. Pull the bearings off the Hill Kicker Pro wheel. This can be difficult and dangerous so be careful. A higher quality gear puller may be necessary. Some auto shops let you borrow one with a deposit. Remove the cranks and install new bearings using a dead blow or rubber mallet and a piece of seat tube or something similar so you don’t damage the bearings. Install cranks and pedals. Replace wheel of round crown unicycle with new freewheel in the correct orientation. The bearings will be spaced too wide for the frame to go on easy and you’ll have to force it. You can optionally drill holes in the frame (or find someone to do it) to install a caliper brake. You now have a freewheel unicycle!