A simple question that I can’t get out of my head…
When people talk about a “5-foot”, or whatever, giraffe unicycle, is that the height of the bottom bracket, or the saddle, or something completely different? If it’s the saddle, presumably that’s measured when it’s set up for an “average” size person.
Rob
It is the height of the saddle. It is only a rough figure, not exact.
Thanks for that Nick 
It was just something I started thinking about and then I just had to find out…
Rob
It is the height of the saddle, but obviously most people adjust it after they get it. So a 5 foot giraffe is probably anywhere from 4’6" to 5’6". About.
There needs to be a more consistent standardized system for tall unicycle sizing, so that we can describe the thing for what it is, without having it depend on who is riding it at the moment. We shouldn’t have a kid riding a five-footer one moment, and an adult riding a six- or seven-footer the next, when it’s the same unicycle. Imagine if we did the same thing for standard unicycles, and used only the saddle heights to identify them. Completely unworkable.
I suggest using a two-number size designation for the frame, based on the tire size (just like a standard uni) and the length of the chain (distance between the hub and the bracket, whatever the tech term for that is). Thus we could have a 20-12" unicycle, meaning a 20" wheel with a 12" chain, or a 24-60", or the 36-24" that I keep pressuring Max’s dad to build. I use a hyphen to allow for full indication of the tire size with a slash if desired, such as a 700/52-18" for a modestly tall uni with a 29" Nanoraptor tire. The chain-length number could be in inches or feet or mm (e.g. 700/52-458mm); the point is that it would let everyone in the world know exactly what we were talking about without us all having to know everyone’s inseam measurements.
That’s an interesting idea on giraffe heights. Here’s how it reflects on today’s giraffe-riding world:
Non-riders never care exactly how high a giraffe is, they always exaggerate the height anyway. Basically a non-rider measures a giraffe uni from the top of the rider’s head, then adding 20-50% on top of that.
Giraffe owners (and especially sellers) want their giraffes to be as tall as possible. Therefore they are not likely to embrace sizes that are less than the maximum dimension of the cycle.
The Schwinn U-72, their old Giraffe, was exactly 6’ tall with the saddle set to the max. height line. That’s the obvious way a manufacturer is going to list giraffe height.
For those of us who need something more accurate (I never really have), Weeble’s measurement method makes a lot of sense. For the most part, you don’t need wheel size so I’d just go for a measurement of wheel axle to bottom bracket. Then you can add wheel size if it’s not a 20", which the vast majority of giraffes are. But those few inches aren’t real important compared to the rider’s seat height.
This measurement scheme would render my Schwinn giraffe down to something like 26" or so. Ouch.
Of course, if you shorten the cranks, you have to raise the seat to compensate.
So the height of a giraffe would be defined by the wheel diameter (although radius is the actual dimension which is factored into the height), and the distance between the axle and the spindle, with a factor for the crank length.
As wheels are always in inches, and cranks are always in mm, it makes perfect sense for the axle-spindle dimension to be measured in cubits.
So a typical giraffe might be a 20 inch, 1.5 cubit, 150mm, defined as a 20/1.5/150. For those who need to insert tyre details then it might be a 20x1.95/1.5/150, and if pressure is important, it could be a 20x1.95(40psi)/1.5/150.
Now, if you’re wearing a very tall top hat, say in a parade, that could have aerodynamic implications so perhaps there should be a section for that?
On the other hand, you could just use a nominal size giving an approximate idea of the height of the saddle when the unicycle is on maximum setting, and express it in feet.
P.S. Rob: whereabouts on dartmoor. My girlfriend lives 10 miles out of Okey, so I’m down near Dartmoor fairly often, and occasionally take the MUni on the moor.
Maybe they should be categorized on how high they can be.
For example: Instead of buying a five foot giraffe, or a six foot giraffe, you can buy a 5 to 6 foot giraffe.
My, what a lovely navel; I could look at it all day. 
My Torker 5’ will actually go to 5’11" when I raise the seat to the max. I am well over 6’ tall and could use the seat a little higher but it is not worth the extra money for me. I just tell people that it is a 6’ unicycle because that is pretty much what it is.
The thing about people thinking it is taller than it is is true though. I’ve had people estimate the height at 10’. Surprising for me.
Overestimating giraffe’s height seems especially true for street performers who use them. Somehow an extra foot gets added to these unicycles - I noticed that what I’d call a 5’ giraffe is a 6’ giraffe in street performer parlance and similarly a 6 footer is a 7 footer. Amazing how they grow like that!
Re: Height of a giraffe
On Wed, 18 Aug 2004 11:20:52 -0500, “weeble” wrote:
>We shouldn’t
>have a kid riding a five-footer one moment, and an adult riding a six-
>or seven-footer the next, when it’s the same unicycle.
I disagree. The giraffe IS actually higher when the adult rides it.
(Although not by as much as one or two feet.)
Otherwise I agree with nickjb, the ‘feet’ height of giraffes is just a
rough indication.
I like the idea of not having to balance when out on a ride - joe
Looks like I’ve started quite a discussion with my seemingly inocent query 
Princetown, up by the prison 
Rob
i have a three foot seat post on my 5ft raffie
i’m not calling it an 8ftr for nobody
i always asumed that the height was an indication from the floor to the seatpost bracket
as that is the ‘unchangable’ (unless u change the wheel)part of the raffie, it makes sense to me
love the idea of measuring it in cubits, mike
