Looking for a set of old style cranks; the ones that are fixed with the help of cotters. I‘ve got an oldie that I‘d like to bring back into use. The original cranks are about 130mm, which is a bit long for the wheel size and intended use.
Thus, I’m looking for cranks in the 114 to 120mm range.
According to an AI chatbot, you can find some at this guy’s store. Or, you can find them sometimes on eBay. I was careful to specify cottered cranks, not cotter-LESS cranks.
Is there any way you could remove the bottom bracket and put in a square tapered bottom bracket? You’d be much better off with that …
Thanks for pointing out. Shortest ones are 5“, so 127mm. Unfortunately that‘s not much of a difference to the current 130s.
Probably still worth a call, the site says call for special sizes so he might have something.
On a side note, is it wrong to find the site so bittersweet in it’s being yourself and good-enough-ness…
What’s the difference between cottered, cotterless, and square taper?
- Last Revised: 27 December 2006
That surely is part of the good-enough-ness ![]()
I kinda like those hopelessly dated website designs. They remind me of times when the internet was associated with lots of confidence of making the world a better place. Unfortunately it turned out to just be a multiplier of everything human, good and bad… In this regard the same rules apply as in the real world.
Cotterless and square tapered are usually the same thing. I say usually because ISIS cranks are also cotterless, but they aren’t typically called “cotterless.”
The cottered cranks are an older variety seen on some seriously antique things. The crank is held onto the hub with a cotter pin.
He also has a unicycle cartoon section. I have been looking at it.
It’s an interesting place, for sure*. I also like the real sheepskin seat (scroll down to the bottom). Plus, there’s a green-white Miyata seat. Maybe that could be adapted to a very particular Hatchet? Anyway, I digress, as usual.
*EDIT: There’s an interesting take at a freewheel uni. Not suitable for disk brakes as it is, but a refreshingly different approach, in my opinion.
EDIT 2: Lots of other cool stuff, too. https://sillycycle.com
That seat was made for that unicycle. It must not become fully assembled in my sight or it will scald my brain though.
You could get yourself a couple of these for the princely sum of £9.98 and see if you can drill and helicoil one for the right-hand side. They look closer to 100mm than the stated 90mm, so maybe still a bit shorter than you are looking for, but they are cheap and a bit of a fun project (the tools to put the helicoil in would be more expensive!). ![]()
Thanks, but no thanks. I run 100s on my 20er, but anything shorter would be suicidal, particularly on a bigger uni. These are meant to be mounted onto a 650B/27.5er (though one with a rather narrow tyre, probably around 1.75" wide).
This could be my new city unicycle, but for that I need a reasonable amount of control (to be able to ride around people without putting them in danger, and to cope with Bern’s cobblestones and other challenges, like riding up a sidewalk).
The current 130s would be great as far as control is concerned, but given that 125s feel just about right on a 29er I think I can go a bit shorter and enjoy the greater speed that can be achieved.
The guy you are referring to as” this guy” is Tom Miller and he is a legend in the unicycle world. He has been making and riding unicycle longer than most of us have been alive, including some massive giraffes. There is a documentary about him on YouTube. He is a very interesting guy.
Thanks for sharing that video!
You also may consider shortening the cranks you have. I shortened a set of outdated Profile cranks by cutting out a section and welding back together. I’ve used them for years and they work great.
I did indeed consider that possibility. I could buy some crappy old second hand uni for next to nothing, just for the cranks.
Unfortunately I have neither the equipment nor the knowledge to weld. It’s something I’d like to be able to do for quite a while. But when you spend most of your dispensable money on unicycles… ![]()
How about 110’s ?
I think this is a complete crankset for £7.99 (best check you get both cranks)…. a couple of minutes with a grinder and the chainring will just come off…. It is probably just essentially riveted onto a short spline on the back of the crank, you could probably file that off if you don’t have a grinder, or failing that just cut the arms of the spider with a hacksaw…. No welding or pesky helicoils for this one ![]()
Of course you could always keep the chainring on it, that way you don’t need those annoying ‘L’ and ‘R’ stickers….
It would be just like a set of Spirit cranks with a small ‘sawtooth’ brake disc on them…. (!)
Thanks for the link. 110mm clearly is on the short side of things, but worth a try I guess. I did ask them whether this was a single crank or a pair.
Best thing about it! ![]()
What about replacing the hub with a modern one?