is it possible to make a home made uni???
i dont have much money and i would like a new one
post if you ever did
its costs alot more for supplies to build one than it does to just buy one…
What do you mean by “home made?” Do you have a machine shop in your garage? You’ll need a lathe to turn the hub, a mill to make the splines / square taper, a punch / press to make the seatbase and bearing holders (unless you’re really good with the mill), a welder to stitch things together… and on and on.
Having the machines, you’ll likely need to buy specific tooling for the jobs… make jigs for assembly… integrate premade parts into your design (who’s gonna make their own bearings?)… buy materials above and beyond what you need for production (to account for prototypes, mistakes, etc.)
Even if you buy the hub, pedals, spokes and rim premade, you’re already spending quite a bit of money. You’ll definitely end up spend a lot more time than the few minutes spent clicking around Unicycle.com to find a pre-built unicycle.
All this being said, it’s totally possible to build your own unicycle. I’ve built (and since thrown away) a frame out of scrap steel. Gerblefranklin built a spankin’ aluminum trials frame himself and rides it to this day. Handles and seatpost / seatbase mods are quite popular garage projects, requiring very little machinery / tooling to produce. There are even a few engineer types floating around these fora who make (or have made) splined hub / cranksets, carbon fiber seats / handles, titanium components… but they have access to fully equipped machine shops.
Why not start with a pre-made unicycle that you can afford then make some mods for it? This way you get some idea of what goes into making a unicycle better, while having something to ride at the same time. Start with making your own handle or seatbase reinforcement. Move onto a better seatpost. Then you might be able to put together your own frame. Build a wheel or two from premade components so you can learn the subtleties of its design and implementation. The experience of making the mods will be good “practice” for when you decide to really put one together from scratch…
Who knows, maybe you’ll come up with a mod that everyone will want… let us know what comes out of your shop!
I agree it is more expensive to build your own but I still do it anyhow.
I have built quite a few in my time and am rideing my newest one still and am planning on a modified version of it with some small design changes.
I prefer to build them that way I don’t have a cookie cutter uni.
I think Jason is right. Yeah, building a unicycle at “home” is possible, it just takes an extraordinary home. Not many homes are equipped with a full compliment of welders and machine tools.
It’s a big deal to make any unicycle parts one-off. The fastest metal part I ever made for a unicycle was a handle reinforcer/brake mount set for Jason and myself. Each one took ~20 minutes. My BC plates were similar. Those were also the only 3 parts I ever made that were cheaper to make than to buy. Custom fabrication is slow and inefficient, at best. It’s far more expensive than buying ready made parts in most cases.
You built it sideways…
Keith Griffiths (keg) built some frames. I believe they’re steel frames and I think he was brazing them together. Even the first one he made as a test is very smart.
But they do almost certainly cost him about the same or more than a nimbus frame, even ignoring the equipment cost. People make frames cos they like making frames, rather than to save money.
Joe
I built my own for about the cost of buying one of similar quality. It rides great and I’m still really proud of it. Here it is; Finished my 29er
To be sure, building an entire uni would be very expensive and difficult. I just built the frame. Hub, wheel, cranks, seat, etc. were all purchased and bolted on. The frame is still something that will require some machining and/or welding. I still highly recommend it. It’s fun and gratifying.
how would you build a hub for the unicyle? do you just buy a standard bicycle hub and convert it somehow?
Woah! I thought Paco was back for a second there!
Keyways.
unfortunately bike and uni hubs are completelty different in their construction, the only way to build your own hub from scratch would be to have a pretty decent lathe and mill and a lot of experience using both
i checked the bicycle hub out, and i think that if i weld the axle so it doesnt turn, i could then also somehow attatch the bearings with the housings…
My short suggestion: eBay
can you make a uni out of a bike?
It depends how crappy a unicycle you want. You’ll still have to make a hub, and figure out how to attach the fork to the hub. And you’ll have to do something with the bike’s seat!
Is it easier to make one out of a trike?
The book Atomic Zombie’s Bicycle Builder’s Bonanza has an interesting looking how-to guide on making a giraffe unicycle out of a bicycle.