Lars' Bars

Unicycles and Equipment
1

Has any one here mounted a set of handles from behind the seat of thier Coker?

I know that Lars Clausen, when he went on his cross country ride had a set of bars from a kid’s sidewalk bike mounted from behind his seat.
It seems that most people here use the front mounted bars.

I have been experiment on my coker with rear mounted bars. I tried the kids bike bars route, but found it difficult to mount with them in the way and could never get a hand position that felt comfortable.

So I got some 3/4" EMT (electrical conduit) and bent a set up from scratch.

It just seems to me that the lift point on a set of handles should be centered over the axle.

here are some pics

cokerprofile.jpg

2

another angle

cokerseatbars.jpg

3

and from behind

cokerseatrear.jpg

4

How do you mount it?

5

The modified Y shape of the bars allows mounting with the standard rolling mount. You just have to hold the seat down a little lower than normal step ovet the bars then hold the seat up like you normally would and mount up.

maybee I need more pics.

6

Love the cycle-computer-through-handle approach.

7

Nah, just video of the mount. :slight_smile:

Lars has to climb inside and then do a standard mount. Your handlebar setup may be more compact which would allow for your modified rolling mount.

8

Wow, I still dont understand how someone would ride with them, let alone use it to an advantage…

A picture of you riding the thing would be awesome.

9

that seems a bit weird to me. I guess I can see how that’d work, but frankly it makes the Coker look like both a deathtrap and an old person’s walker to me :frowning:

But hey, if it works for you, then who am I to critisize you! :smiley:

10

Hey!!! in another year I’ll be gettin’ me an AARP card. Watch who your callin old :wink:

Death trap?? I still have the scars on my elboes and knees from my first Coker ride stock out of the box. I don’t think I own a safe unicycle.

The advantage seems to me being able to unweight from the seat without puting all ones weight on the pedals. Just resting the weight of my arms while I am riding allows me to ride two to three extra miles without having to dismount. and climbing up hills is much smoother by lifting just a little more weight off of the seat.

11

oooh, me too…that’s very cool.
so, how well does it ride? is it comfy?

12

Al, Those look great. How long did it take for you to knock thos out? If you were starting from scratch is there anything you would change?

I am extremely interested in how it rides, and what mounting is like. There is no doubt that getting some of the pressure evenly distributed on the hands would be great. We are riding Tuesdays and Thursdays around Stone Mtn a couple of times. If you want to join us let me know.

Send me an e-mail on the cost of making me a set. I would really like to try them out.

13

In the vernacular of '60s hot rodders, I “frenched” the cycle meter into the handle.

14

Hey Chad would love to meet up with all ya’ll on Thursday. I’ll let you try it on for size then.
Welding up the handles wasnt a big deal, but finding another stem like the one I used might be a problem. I think it was off a kids 12" bike I picked up for parts at a Wal-Mart close out.

Email Me with the when and where you’ll be meeting up at stone mountain Thursday.

Al

15

Sent e-mail.

16

brainstorming

I consider those two horns protruding very dangerous in case of nasty fall.
could we imagine that:

  • the handles continue in a gentle curve that folds back (diminishing the risk of getting impaled by a handle)

  • the handles being allowed to rotate horizontally . that means replacing the horizontal bar by some elastic contraption that enable you to have slight horizontal moves of the hands.(to regain balance)

17

more

brainstroming cont’nued:

each bar can rotate independantly on an axle which is not fuly vertical but tilted backwards.
each handle has a strong spring that makes the bar go backwards when rider not holding it.

then:

  • no problems when mounting (the bars point back and do not get in the way)
  • each bar could be handled differently (one hand or two hands) … just a bit difficult to get hold of one while rolling.
  • the vertical pull is always there (that’s what we need)

makes sense?

18

Springs, piviots, swivels, bungees and the like are the antithesis of what I was trying to make. A simple, light weight, sturdy (not flexible) handgrip(s) that interfere minimally with riding and mounting my Coker.

My goal was to make a convienent, comfortable way to partially take my weight off the seat to reduce rubbing and the eventual numbness of my central pants reigon.

Lifting off the seat by holding the front of the seat has always (30+years) been of minimal help to me during distance riding and besides it just looks too Michael Jackson.

The only senario where I can imagine getting impailed by the bars is being hit by a car, and y’er in a world of hurt by then, no matter what.

19

me and my bad habit of brainstorming on everything …

that’s the only point where I 'll have to disagree… from experience: I had my achille’s tendon severed by a Coker handle. So just imagine if your handle picked somewhere in an unfortunate way … shit happens and if it could it will happen:(
so my only suggestion is only to smoothen the horn point that the handle constitutes.

just my 0.02 Euros…:wink:

20

Youch!!

I’ll be welding washers over the open ends of the tubes before my next ride.

only a fool would ignore such hard learned knowledge.