Another very nice frame Kenny. What was the final cost of the parts for the frame? Have you thought about using heavier duty bearing housings like the 2004 KH or other machined housing?
Yes I did ovalize the tubes myself using a 10-ton press and a couple of thick steel plates. It is definately the most cost effective way to get a custom frame, I’ve got about $18 in it 
John,
There’s a little over 3/8" clearance between the tire and the sides of the crown. I’ve only ridden it aroud the shop, but took a couple of real sharp turns without it rubbing. If it does ever rub, I can easily remove some of the aluminum from the crown for more clearance.
You give me inspiration to make something similar for a 29er. I guess that crown (aluminum is it?) comes from a suspended mtb fork. Are the tubes welded to the crown?
The crown is indeed from an old MTB suspension fork and is made of aluminum. If you do decide to make one of these, there are a few things to consider. I’ve always used crowns that had “1 inch” stanchion tubes on the fork legs. The forks that use larger diameter tubes usually have a wider gap and will be too wide to properly fit the unicycle hub and may cause “knee interference” also.
Another consideration is the diameter of the steerer tube, which will become the seat tube. This frame was made from a fork that had a 1 1/8" steerer tube and I had to insert (braze) a shim to fit the standard unicycle seatpost (22.2 mm). The crown that I used on my MUni, however, had a 1" steerer tube and the seatpost fit inside perfectly.
Feel free to pm me if you need any more info.
Well, that’s a great looking frame. I like the color, the red/silver works out well. I’m thinking on making myself a frame a bit, so i’d appreciate it if someone would put up a nice tutorial. I don’t really have any skills or equipment, so I probably am not going to be able to do it, but it would be nice to know how.
It’s really not that hard to do for someone that has some metal working experience,if one takes care and starts off with the proper crown as I mentioned previously. The bearing holders can be purchased from uni.com and any competent welder can attach them to the fork legs after the tubes have been ovalized and the recess has been cut into the bottom of the tube. First, I ovalized the tubes. Next, I used the bearing cap as a pattern and marked the metal that needed to be removed to get an arc at the bottom of the tube for the bearing cap to set into. I removed the unwanted metal with a die grinder until I got a perfect fit for the bearing cap. Then I stood the tubing on top of the bearing holders and welded them on, being careful to position them exactly the same. (I made a jig to hold them in place while welding). Probably the biggest problem that you would encounter would be ovalizing the tubes. I had acces to a hydraulic press which made the process quite simple.
Good luck 
Kenny, how exactly did you get the tubes to fit in to the crown? Looks like some sort of bolt from on top, but i don’t see how that would work, also where did you get the crown from?
I usually get my crowns from the local b*ke shop. Just ask them if they have any damaged/worn out suspension forks laying around. It has to be a crown that uses “pinch bolts” to attach the legs. Take a seatpost along when you go shopping to be sure that it will fit into the steerer tube, as this will become your seat tube.
How to embarrass your kids
You do almost as good of work as I do.
“if your kids aren’t embarassed by you then your not unicycling enough”
Try Uniwalking, when you take your dog for a walk and you ride your unicycle. This really embarasses my kids.
Ken,
I’m in the process of drawing up plans to custom build a 36"er. I like your idea. Not only does it look good but more importantly it’s so easy to do. Here’s my only concern: The crowns on most, if not all, suspension forks are offset from the fork blades. I notice this on yours as well. Does this cause the ride of your uni to “feel” differently than a frame without the offset? My first thought is that with an offset crown the unicycle would tend to lean backwards abit since your weight is no longer over the center of the wheel.
No, the offset is un-noticeable, it feels just the same as my original Coker frame, but has considerably less flex. The main concern is finding a crown with a 1 inch steerer tube to accomodate the seatpost. The crown that I used on the 36" frame had a 1 1/8 steerer tube and I brazed a short piece of 1" steerer tube inside it. The crown that I used on my first frame that I built for my MUni had quite a bit of “rake” to it, so I simply spun the saddle around backwards and it tilted the nose of the saddle up at just the perfect angle. Here’s a link to my first frame:
http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36747
Good luck with your project:D
KK
Thanks for the quick reply. I have an old RockShox and it looks exactly like the one in your first project. I guess I can use it but I have the resources to locate one without the rake.
Have you ever seen a Telford unicycle? They were intentionally built with rake in the seatpost. This was so the seatpost would be angled back like a bike seatpost so that the Thudbuster style seatpost shocks would work better. The strange frame geometry did not make the unicycle feel different. All that matters is that the seat be somehow fixed above the wheel by a frame. What the frame does below the seat does not matter as long as the frame stays out of the way. When you get on the uni the seat will be directly above the hub just like a normal unicycle.
So don’t worry about the rake unless you don’t like it because it makes the unicycle look funny.
The Telford’s are no longer made so you can’t get one any more unless you can find one used.
Here’s a picture of the Telford
anyone got an email address for telford? - I’d like to make a uni in a simmilar style but it’d be polite to ask first.
Freaky! But it makes a lot of sense.
With this info I may have my 36"er built by next weekend.
Thanks
Please help me, Kenny!!!
Hi Kenny,
My name’s Aj and I’m from Austin. I’ve heard a lot about you from Eric Lancaster and Scott Wallis. I’m looking for a replacement frame for my Coker and I like the looks of yours. Any chance you’d be willing to make one for me? On my current coker the distance between the bottom of the frame and the top of the tire is getting smaller and smaller. I’m not sure if it’s a frame problem but it sounds like a good place to start. E-mail me at onewheelcynic@hotmail.com. Thanks, man.
Aj
Re: Please help me, Kenny!!!
It is possible that one or both of the bearings is slipping on the hub and moving out towards the cranks. That can cause the frame to get off center and rub the tire or to get very close to rubbing the tire.
Take the wheel out of the frame and look at the bearings. Are they still pressed all the way on the hub? Can you see any obvious slippage?
The fix is to secure the bearings in place with Loctite Sleeve Retainer. This thread explains how: moving my bearing.
You can find the Loctite high strength sleeve retainer at auto parts stores. It will have a part or item number of 640 or 64000 or something with 640 in the number.
If the problem is a slipping bearing a new frame won’t fix it and you’ll end up having the same problem with the new frame.
Re: Please help me, Kenny!!!
Aj,
I’ve heard your name mentioned a few times I only make frames as the mood hits me and I stumble across parts. I’ll let you know if I do get a chance to build one up. John is probably onto something with the idea of the bearings slipping. Have you seen this:
http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41109
John and Kenny
Thanks for the advice John. I recently had to take the wheel out of the frame to replace a flat and when I put it back on it seemed to fix the problem.
Kenny, Please keep me in mind for a Coker frame because even though the problem seemed to have corrected itself I would still like to start building another Coker probably starting with the frame. No pressure. Just if you find anything you can use keep me in mind. Later, gators.
Aj
NICE JOB
WAY TO GO SPURS !!!