Hey im really eager to invest in a giraffe after riding one a few weeks ago down in southampton. i found this one on ebay
and dont know if its any good or not. What do you guys think? Has anyone had any experience with a DM Giraffe?
Thanks
They are excellent. Really well made, popular with performers as they are bomb proof. They are very heavy, though, not that it makes much difference.
Yep, a really solid piece, sadly no longer available. You might want to switch the saddle though, those rails are a little infamous for breaking fingers. I once met a performer who’d been using his DM solidly for the last 15 years without ever experiencing a problem.
Changing the saddle could be difficult. The DM contoured saddle uses a 3-bolt fixing, which means that the DM seatpost won’t be compatible with the 4-bolt fixing that seems to be near-universal these days. That means you’d also need to change the seatpost.
My DM Ringmaster has a 25.0mm seatpost, I assume the giraffe would have the same. And 25.0mm seatposts are /really/ hard to come by [1], as I’ve found when trying to replace my Ringmaster’s saddle (currently held together with gaffer tape). There’s no way a 25.4mm post will fit. You could shim a 22.2mm post, if you’d be happy with that.
DM contoured saddles are great, though (I’d suggest that Ben tries mine at hockey on Wednesday, but the auction will have finished by then). I wouldn’t dream of replacing one on a giraffe unless it was broken. Having ridden a DM for the last 14 years, if I was buying a giraffe I’d want a DM with the contoured saddle, if I could find one.
I’ve never heard of anyone breaking a finger on the grab rails, although they hurt when they catch the back of your ankle. Wrapping gaffer tape round them helps a bit. They’re easily removed, anyway, although that would mean you have no handle on the seat.
[1] If anyone in the UK has a 25.0mm seatpost, at least 31cm long, with a standard 4-bolt fixing going spare, I’d love to hear from you.
You could modify that frame to fit a 25.4 post
Looking at the seat post clamp close up picture, I can see a steel frame that has been heavily swagged down to a smaller diameter, then a 2 bolt clamp fitted over that.
You only need another .4 mm or so. There are tools that fit inside pipes that are expanded to increase the ID slightly. A muffler shop would have them, yet not likely that small.
Anyway, I think a clever metal worker could find a way to "unswage " that frame out a half mm.
in that case don’t worry about the saddle, I’ve only ridden the infamous DM T-bar saddle, didn’t realise they made decent ones aswell.
I thought I would weigh one for you: 8.1 Kg according to the bathroom scales. ( Although mine has a lighter seat than the original had.)
Nao
I have a 6 foot DM giraffe. I hardly use it, but I couldnt sell it. I love it when I get it out, but apart from that, ‘they just dont build them like that anymore’ 
Joe,
Thanks for all the good advice, just hoping i win it now!
fingers crossed
Yeah that really seems like a classy looking giraffe. Hope you win!
Same for my old Schwinn Giraffe, which was also my first unicycle (that I owned). But they weren’t handmade like the DMs were. At least I think they weren’t, they were very well made also.
Just ask…
400mm long one is sitting on my desk.
Roger
WOOP WOOP WOOP!!! Im am soon to be the proud owner of a DM Giraffe unicycle! Fingers crossed it will arrive by the weekend!
It is an excellent machine, and at a very good price for as new. Well done.
wow, i paid more than that for a torker TX, very nice work, a top find.
Thanks Roger, post arrived this morning.
I wasn’t expecting to end up with a post long enough that I’d have to shorten it! I’ve taken a pipe cutter to it, and I now have a KH saddle on my Ringmaster ready for Colwyn Bay.
Best of all, the diameter seems to be a fraction of a mm more than my old seatpost. It’s a tight fit, which with a bit of luck will reduce the tendency to twist when I drop it playing hockey.
Just had my first attempt on my new giraffe, came close to free mounting couple times but i got fed up as i was eager to actually ride it so i mounted against a lamp post rode a few metres and my foot slipped off the pedal and i ended up in a heap on the floor and a bruised hand! tried again which was much more succesful and i managed to dismount properly!
Ouch! Giraffes are so cool to ride though, they feel so different when you first get going, and its just a great feeling to be 5 or 6 ft taller than normal! Hope you have a lot of fun!
I wonder what the tallest giraffe would be before it is not an option to UPD.
That is a very good question and I will personally volenteer to help find out:)
I don’t know, it’s probably down to skill and ballance I suppose. but I think Sem Abrahms attempt has a pretty high UPD rate!