Been away, wasn’t blowing anyone off. A couple of very generous offers were made and I thank you very much. I’m still dickering with Coker to get the wheel set from a Wheelman. A regular coaster brake applies the brake when you pedal backwards. I think this would be a recipe for disaster (at least with me). The wheelman is like a 10 speed where you can pedal backwards freely. I think this would be easier to control. Like many have already said, this may be just a wasted effort. But if it is possible, It may aid in distance riding.
If jona’s not interested in the freewheeling hub you have, I’m interested.
That’s cool with me…Get a few attempts at this going.
(again I say thank you for the offers)
The back-pedal braking might be helpful when riding a “freewheel” unicycle.
Scott
I think that would be an all or nothing brake system. I’m along the notion the rider will need a little of both. Hand feathering the brake (or at least at the ready)on anything flatish or downhill. Kinda like using the brake to go down a hill faster on a 36er now. There is also a slop area between brake and power making recovery more difficult.
Hub /Wheel?
It’s Yours, it has 40 spoke holes so any even pattern can be made P.M. me with address, taking this apart to hub and cranks.
LOBBYBOPSTER
Not as sweet and easy as it sounds
I posted a thread a few years back of how I went about making a free-wheeling uni, but it appears the thread has been deleted (?). I used the Huffy Green Machine hub and switched out the bearings to a more appropriate size. Anyways, here’s a video of me and my friend trying to ride it. I practiced for a month, and went maybe a hundred yards or so a few times. Really damn hard to ride the thing. I don’t know how long it would last if I started practicing again since the wheel only has 28 spokes, and I weigh ~50 pounds more than did back then.
Thank you for the video, Worth a million words.
Without brakes, a foot scrub would be your only counter balance and speed control. 
Thanks for posting this! This is the video I referred to earlier in this thread and couldn’t find. Can you share any details about how you made the uni? Did you lace the wheel yourself? What frame did you use? lobbybopster graciously donated a Green Machine hub to me (the 48 hole version) and I’m trying to put together a uni around it with my limited mechanical skills. The bearing spacing is wider than the couple spare frames I have but not as wide as the frame of my fat wheel unicycle. I got some calipers and measured the spacing and diameter of the flange but it doesn’t compare to hubs in other wheels I might try to recycle.
Thanks for sharing. Did you also tried to cycle uphill? I would expect that uphill is somehow easier, you can accelerate and slow down (balance over the cycle) with some pressure on the front pedal.
Albatros
The wheel came laced and ready to go. As for the frame, I don’t think you’ll find one that will fit onto the bearings out of the box. I had to bend mine. Obviously getting something custom made is the way to go, but if you don’t want to go that route I’d recommend using a round crown frame since bending them should pose less issues/risks.
It rode like a normal uni uphill for the most part. Just had to always be aware that letting off the pedals for a split second would result in a bruised rump.
Thanks for the tips! I swapped hubs with an existing wheel and the math worked out close enough (the spokes were a little long but it’s a double wall rim). I also have a frame I can put on it without too much bending. Now I just have to figure out how to swap bearings around. Any tips on mounting? I briefly put the bearing caps on and can see mounting is going to be a challenge.
I think the video I posted should give you a general idea. Basically, try keeping the wheel behind you so you can keep some pressure applied on the pedals while you climb on the thing. Freemounting is definitely doable.
I posted an update over in the Current Projects thread about the freewheel unicycle I put together thanks to Mark (lobbybopster). I practiced with it today and got a couple 100 foot coasting runs and lots of 30-50 feet ones and only did free mounts. The only time I fell was when I went off plan and tried pedaling. I want to get more comfortable coasting on it before I do any serious pedaling. I was pleasantly surprised that I had enough leverage for forward and backward corrections. At least at the slow speeds I’m starting out with it seemed similar to regular coasting.
I posted a video in the Unicycling Videos forum showing my progress with the freewheel unicycle after a couple short and a couple longer practice sessions.
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
If you’re really feeling frisky, you can put the wheel on backward and try coasting that way.
Interesting idea, but I should probably wait until I’m able to coast backwards the regular way.
Or just turn the seat around!
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