I naturally meant pins and not spikes. Those pictures were from @Ulkicycling’s contraption, which if I understand it correctly is like the uni that @ManiusTerentiusPullus posted at the start of the thread. @Ulkicycling is a better rider than I am and I doubt he will ever get pedalbite anymore. In my setups I prefer pedals with metal pins while the soles of my shoes are hard and flat. For me that is the best combo.
Though of course if I were to teach my kids on my learner OnlyOne unicycle, it is best not to have pins and those pedals will suffice. @one you call those pedals “kangaroo”? Is that the brand? @Ulkicycling put those on the UW I got from him, but also I think the flat area isn’t big enough for my feet.
@Bug72 what pedals did you put on your trainer, surely you upgraded along those 2000 miles. Oh that is about 10 miles per week then? If Im lucky I ride 10km per week.
That referred to the position of the cranks being parallel instead of 180° opposed. Such a uni is called a kangaroo because when you ride it you kinda look silly …I mean you kinda look like a kangaroo. It feels about as funny to ride as it looks, by the way, so absolutely worth a try!
They could of course have called that configuration setonix instead, but alas!
Hey, do not hijack the thread. Stay focused — the correct question is: “What’s wrong with basic pedals on a kangaroo?”
By the way, I have an orange kangaroo in my shed — same pedals!
I am not sure you are replying to the correct thread. Neither uni discussed above is intended for riding. @ManiusTerentiusPullus is building one for learning and teaching, and @Ulkicycling has shared a picture of a fun toy designed to confuse experienced riders. Please think carefully before suggesting pins, spikes, or even basic metal pedals.
It is quite clear.
I had no idea what you meant with kangaroos, but thanks Wheelou for the explanation. I had not noticed in @ulkicycling’s picture and focused on his ‘feet-holders’ on the frame, which was funny.
I think, when looking at the title of the thread “making cheap unicycles better”, then a cheap upgrade would be pedals.. with pins, because in my mind they are better.
As for staying focused on the thread, @ManiusTerentiusPullus’ unicycle has its cranks on the right way, not the kanga way.
And if you have an orange kanga in the shed, that is just silly. It is just a unicycle that you put the crank on the wrong. By changing to the right position, ur uni becomes rideable.
If you don’t want to read my answers, you can just skip and stop reading them. Just pretend I am not here.
I guess a kangaroo is about as rideable as an ultimate wheel (on the flat); just more relaxed, since it has a seat ;-).
[/hijack]
As far as pedals are concerned, I think the ones on Manius‘ uni look just fine for casual riding.Really the only thing that uni needs is a new seat, and a fitting seat post. Maybe also a new clamp, if it‘s the clamp that makes it difficult to adjust the seat post (could also be due to the seat post diameter being slightly out of specs).
I love cheep unicycles for tricks, so there is nothing wrong with @ManiusTerentiusPullus Uni. Mine is shown above, the Kangaroo unicycle where I showed the tube clamps. I bought it on a flea market maybe for 15€. I swapped the seatpost and seat for sure, don’t remember detailles. I love these super cheap no name unis with plastic pedals for training outdoors or in a hall where metal pedals aren’t allowed for not scratching the floor nor the legs. I remember when we had to put socks on the black pedals to be allowed to ride in a gym hall, lol. When the uni breaks you buy a new one for even less money. Ofcourse you stay with your beloved unique no name plastic pedals on the new uni again. A slightly heeled shoe can fix the feet’s position even in wet weather. The only danger is to roll over in case the pedals are too narrow and you try to push hard at top dead center. Scary idea in 2nd gear on a 36" uni, but even there I had my plastic pedals for a long time. Outdoors, wet weather, mud, no heels and no roll over- that’s where platform pedals shine, but you should avoid risky tricks to prevent leg scratches. Pedals are like cars, everyone likes/requires something different. Very personal opinions. Everyone is right with what he prefers on that uni at that time under that climate condition with these shoes. Shoes… riding to your bank advisor? Riding to the discotheque? Wanting less pain when switching the schlumpf gear with your ankle? Wheelwalk without slipping? Wearing safety shoes at work? There is not one shoe and as a result there is not one pedal.
Prolly depends where / how the excenter is placed. I think it could make it both easier or heavier, depending at which crank position the uni moves up or down, respectively.
Click or clipless pedals would allow for the same amount of control in a different way. But with some experience it is not required. To start without experience mount the pedals at 90°, what makes it alot easier.
Sorry, man, I did not realize the deep ancestral relationship between quokkas and kangaroos. Of course, I would think twice before acknowledging to a setonix that I caged my orange kangaroo in a shed with little daylight, or that I put cheap plastic pedals on its cranks. Please keep in mind that I added nice, lightweight alloy 127mm cranks to compensate for the pedals. And no worries, I’ll continue reading your posts to help users avoid mistakes like putting clipless pedals on beginner learners or misaligning cranks, all in the name of preventing animal cruelty.
I think if the cranks were rotated slightly to the front, you‘d even have more control. The weight of the rider would push the wheel so the hub is at its lowest possible position. That‘s where the cranks in the image are right at the top. If they were slightly more to the front, pushing them down would become easier. Then again, once the thing is moving the inertia will help to get over the dead point.
Man, I just realised how mighty long those cranks are. They must be the longest I‘ve ever seen, in relation to the wheel size!
Yes, but the seat (and your body) moves up and down constantly, which makes any distance riding questionable. A kangaroo (even an orange one) with a regular wheel can be ridden one-footed, with the extra bonus help from the other foot. You can even ride distance. This year, Tyler Pike rode 10k one-footed at NAUCC.
When I get back from DK next week, I will get the BC wheel. Hopefully I am not as wrong as with the Ultimate wheel, but if I train hard enough, a BC wheel will be more distance material than the UW36. The UW is simply too much of an energy eater and 250metres is my current max distance. And I need to give my knees some rest before continuing with it.
The kangaroo looks to be too tiring for distance moving up and down like that. But I also don’t see myself ride 10K one-footed.
Beginner friendly 90° cranks made of valuable aluminium alloy to respect kangaroos. The outer crank is 1mm shorter than the tire radius and can act as a uni stand. Riding according to this thread is preferred on railroad trails: Micro Machines: Tiny crank and tiny wheel Megathread - #20 by PedalSprell
Cheapest eBay brake for muni conversion
T-bar to mount brake lever
new seat post clamp
New seat post
New seat
Two pipe clamps acting as foot rest on the frame
Medal pin () platform pedals
Tennis balls between the spokes
Changes for road riding:
13. Reflective tire
14. reflectors front white/rear red
15. light
16. Fender
17. bell
They must be the longest I‘ve ever seen, in relation to the wheel size!
) platform pedals