Thanks to info posted on this thread from Fraggle and John Foss, I am sorting out the proper tire pressure for my 3-wheeler.
It certainly takes more leg power (compared to a standard giraffe chain drive) to overcome the friction of the tires. One of my sons had a UPD when his foot slipped from the pedal. The 3-wheeler ships from UDC with “beginner plastic” pedals.
I am thinking of replacing the pedals with something grippier. I don’t think I want a metal pinned MUni pedal. My gut feeling is to stay with plastic. I have read others on street/flat threads raving about the Odyssey Twisted plastic pedal.
Has anyone had good luck with a grippier pedal on a giraffe? I am concerned about the trade-off between easy foot repositioning and extra grip.
Questions:
Would you change pedals? Why?
If you would change, what would you recommend?
If you would recommend the Odyssey Twisted, where can I get them? (they are not on the UDC web site).
What do you mean invent…I have ridin with several other street giraffe riders :-D. I rode with one guy from the bay area who could also 180 3 sets it was pretty tight! Lol kinda like muni street I read someone invented it just not to long ago…Ive been ridin that style with some friends for a good 3-4 years hahha. But I think someone should make a hella cool giraffe street vid!
I am thinking of getting a local frame/bike builder to build up a tallish giraffe for me. I would like to get something around 12 - 15 feet high. I currently have an 8’ giraffe but it doesn’t feel as high as it used to.
Does anyone here have any tips for building such a thing? I would like it to be fairly reliable - a tight chain, no punctures, no chainslip, etc.
I am thinking using dual chain but how do you get a chainring on a left side crank arm?
Well i do know someone from these forums who made some INSANE tall unicycles, unicycles in general and bikes. But i haven’t seen him in ages. I’m referring to iridemymuni (Owen)
I might try someone a bit closer to Melbourne if I can, no offence to Owen. I think the cost of hauling something that large from Brisbane might be a bit high. He sounds a bit busy from what he wrote in JC.
Hi cool thread. Are giraffes fun? I am thinking of getting one rather than a trials or in addition to. Does the chain come off ever? And can the torker tx handle hops and things like that because it’s pretty cheap and I was wondering if you really get what you pay for. Thx
You really get what you pay for. You can beef up the wheel though, with a stronger rim and solid wheel-build, but the drivetrain will still be that of a giraffe. It’s not made for Trials, if that’s what you meant. A little hopping around should be fine though.
…although you can still have fun on one. I have a video somewhere taken a few years ago of Zyllan, when he was about 12, riding a 5 foot DM down a snow covered sledging slope. The DM is of course tough as old boots, and would probably, along with the cockroaches, survive a direct hit nuclear attack.
I bought a second hand DM giraffe myself, very cheaply, a couple of years ago. It is not an everyday ride though, so very heavy and hard to transport that I confess to only having ridden it a half dozen times. At the cheap price it was worth it, but had I paid the full price I would have probably better spent the money elsewhere. And no, I can’t freemount it.
I’ve had my used, stock 5’ Sun Giraffe with 20" wheel for over a year now and just recently started doing some really light trials with it. I know the stock steel rim and tire probably will be destroyed soon so what do people recommend to “beef” it up? I guess a lower cost dual wall rim and some type of wider 20" tire? What are the giraffe trials/street riders going with? I doubt I’ll upgrade to a dual chain as I really don’t plan on riding my giraffe all too much.
Where do you get a replacement chain for a schwinn 6 ft unicycle? I am thinking about buying this 6 ft unicycle on ebay and it looks like the chain is rusted
It’s bike chain. You just need enough chain to reach, which usually requires two “regular” chains, or just some lengths of “junk” chain that your bike shop may have. If you don’t want to mess with adding/removing links, they can also do that for you.
Not compared to a Schwinn. If you have the chance to get a Schwinn, go for it. Though it’s better to have a later one. Ask if the one for sale has three bolts holding the bottom sprocket to the axle. If not, it’s like an old-style track hub and can unscrew. These can be loctited but the 3-bolt kind is easier to deal with.
It should be possible to dig up some pictures of existing solid ones. Things to think about:
The heights you’re describing, 12-15’, will lead to almost-guaranteed injury if you fall off them. 10’ is impressively tall, while you can still do UPDs, with a lower chance of injury.
In my old unicycle club, our giraffes topped out at 12’ because any higher and they wouldn’t fit under the wires that typically cross over the streets we rode parades on. Don’t forget to allow at least 3’ above the saddle for your head, which is where the current would enter your body if you got too close to a power line…
As giraffes get taller, they get heavier. You don’t want a double-chain, better to have a single chain that won’t derail.
To keep your chain on you should think about running two separate chains (one ending where the next one starts, or at least one idler wheel halfway up. Your frame design has to be all about rigidity so it doesn’t bow front to back. That’s what happens when you put tension on the chain. The frame bows, the chain becomes a D shape, and can easily derail. Consider your design carefully before building, making sure it’s rigid, and trying to keep it from being outrageously heavy. It’s going to be heavy no matter what, but keep track of your total weight.
Thanks for your reply John. I had thought of using the idler wheel or two (one on each side of the chain, front and rear). I did not think of using two separate chains but will look at that idea.
I am thinking of using two main tubes in parallel with some triangle cross pieces to keep it rigid, my bike builder is looking into getting some quality straight gauge CrMo.
I did a quick survey of my local area and found I should be ok for electricity, etc. I also have a few other places to ride without any overhead wires.
