From: bkonarsk@mcs.kent.edu (Beirne Konarski)
>Well, I bought a 20" Miyata, but if I had to do it again, I think I would buy a
>Semcycle. Today the seat clamp mechanism broke, and the seat never stayed tight
>before that. I’m going to have to go to a bike store and get a conventional nut
>and bolt and crank it down. I’ll carry two wrenches with me for when I need to
>adjust the seat height.
Ken Fuchs already answered you on this message, but I'll add a little.
The Miyata clamps are one of their weak points. Unicycle seats are
subjected to a lot more torque than bicycle seats, and a normal clamp,
especially a quick release, is not made for that kind of pressure.
Remember, the main market for Miyata is zillions of school-age Japanese
kids, mostly entry-level. On my Miyatas, I cut off the clamps and put on
my own, as described by Ken. Use a big, nasty, strong one. Once you get
a good clamp that works, you won't have to carry wrenches (unless you
change height for multiple riders or other reasons).
>While I am at it, I’ll complain about the fork top. Since it has clear edges at
>the top of the forks, I figured it would be better than the sloping fork top on
>Schwinn’s and some Semcycles, so that my foot could firmly rest there when I do
>one-footed tricks. My foot lands there fine, but I spend most of the time while
>riding one-footed wondering if my foot is going to slide off, and I keep having
>to time things to reset my foot.
>Oh yea, I’ll grumble about the seat handle to. When I hop on my Schwinn, I can
>hold onto the seat and it doesn’t move. The handle on the Miyata is easy to
>hold on to, but since it is bolted on to the seat it moves around some while I
>hop. An annoying feature.
I am reminded of when I made the switch from Schwinn to Miyata, way back
in 1981. My one foot skills were just beginning then, and I didn't
really notice the change until I went *back* to the Schwinn, and found
my foot always slipping down that slope. ESPECIALLY if my foot was wet!
Someday, I'll have my own fork made, with a specific place for the feet.
As for saddles, the newer Miyatas have a skinnier seat with a big
nose-handle on the front. This is more flexy than the older ones, but
just remember there is less weight in the unicycle to begin with.
If you really want a difficult transition, try changing wheel sizes for
all of your riding. In 1984 I started doing all my freestyle on a 20"
instead of a 24", and it took me almost a year to get used to it!
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone