I would like to get some new pedals for my unicycle. I like the BMX style platform pedals with the little pins in them to grip your shoes. I always used them on my bike. Can you just buy bicycle pedals and they will work for the unicycle too, or are unicycle pedals special?
Also, I seem to have a problem with my ankle bone hitting the crank alot when I’m riding. I saw on Unicycle.com they have these little spacers that bring your pedals out farther from the cranks. Is that what I need to remedy the ankle-hitting-crank problem?
And lastly, I seem to have crank arms that are considered to be long for a unicycle. It is a 24", and the crank arms are over 6" long. Other riders tell me I should get shorter arms. Why are shorter arms better?
I have those exact pedals on my '04 KH 24". There are actually no uni-specific pedals, because it is such a minority market. Standard 9/16s threaded pedals will work. BTW, you don’t happen to have a Torker LX, do you?
Oh, OK. As for cranks, shorter cranks=more speed, because your feet have less space to travel for each revolution. Shorter cranks offer less control, though. For hitting your ankles, it’s possible that your unicycle is poorly designed, or maybe you need to adjust where you put your feet on the pedals. We can’t tell for sure without pictures.
i used to hit my ankles alot… i think their is still blood on my old unicycles cranks… anyway, as you get betetr in skill, you dont hit your ankles as much. so i wouldnt worry about that
Also a good thing to keep in mind is that metal pedals hurt more when you shin them. I took all the pegs I could out of mine when I got sealed bearing BMX pedals, and there are still some incidents.
i used to hit my ankles alot… i think their is still blood on my old unicycles cranks… anyway, as you get bettr in skill, you dont hit your ankles as much. so i wouldnt worry about that
In message
<07f9eac621a7f1904e775cb272d63036.1zc9k0@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyc list.com>, wheeliemaster
<wheeliemaster@NoEmail.Message.Poster.at.Unicyclist.com> writes
>
>I would like to get some new pedals for my unicycle. I like the BMX
>style platform pedals with the little pins in them to grip your shoes.
>I always used them on my bike. Can you just buy bicycle pedals and
>they will work for the unicycle too, or are unicycle pedals special?
Yes, ordinary b*ke pedals work. There are two thread sizes in common
use: 1/2" and 9/16". It’s almost certain that you’ll have 9/16", but
check first. Don’t forget that the LH pedal unscrews opposite way to
normal (or is it the RH pedal!?). Lots of suitable pedals on Ebay, I’ve
just swapped the ones that came with my uni for some Gusset Incas.
Brilliant - they really make riding in the wet easier.
Wassail!
Martin E Phillips nb Boden, Splatt Bridge http://www.g4cio.demon.co.uk martin/at/g4cio/dot/demon/dot/co/dot/uk
Homebrewing, black pudding, boats, morris dancing, ham radio and more!
The Gloucester-Sharpness canal page http://www.glos-sharpness.org.uk
Hitting your ankle on the crank is normal while learning and can continue a bit after you learn as well. It corrects itself after you get better at riding and are better able to adjust your feet on the pedals.
Practice riding as smoothly as possible with as little pressure on the pedals as possible. Make sure you’re pedaling in circles. This practice will make it easier for you to learn how to adjust your feet on the pedals as you ride along. The problem should correct itself at that point. You shouldn’t need the spacers that Unicycle.com has and they’re rather expensive too.
Both Fox and 661 make ankle guards. 661 makes the Ankle Biter and Fox makes BMX Ankle Guards. You can also find ankle guards similar to the Fox ones as part of soccer shin guards.
I’m pretty good at adjusting my feet on the pedals, and I have gotten alot better at riding so it doesn’t happen as much now. My pedals seem too small though. They are a common design on unicycles, they are black composite material and they are oval shaped. I saw some just like them on Unicycle.com but they were white. I don’t have big feet either, I wear a size 11 or 10 and a half if they are Vans slip-ons.
Except when you are pedaling really really fast. Short cranks are smoother, long cranks choppier and result in more side to side wobble and loss of control because your limbs are flying up and down with greater amplitude.
Some of the stock oval style pedals are rather small. A larger pedal might solve your problem.
The Odyssey Twisted PC pedals are nice for general riding. They’re square and larger. They’re also pretty grippy for plastic pedals.
The Odyssey Jim Cielencki pedals are nice for metal pedals for trials and such. But they’re not the most grippy metal pedals. The metal Odyssey Twisted Pro pedals are more grippy and better for Coker riding and things of that nature.
Can I ask a question about the “replaceable pins” in some of these pedals? Where the heck do you get the “replacements”? Unicycle.com doesn’t seem to carry them. Internet sources raise more questions than answers for me…are the pins standardized, or are they brand-specific?
Go to your local hardware store with an old pin and have them find you a comparable machine screw. You should be able to get a handful of screws for a couple dollars.
It’s highly unlikely there are any “custom screws” out there due to the fact that standard screws are available, in bulk, for very cheap compared to the cost of manufacturing one’s own screw.
