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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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: