Is that a normal problem? I put a brake on my Coker and I’m scared to use it. It’s quite grabby. I just go down the hills using my legs.
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Who makes those cranks? Where did you get them?
From a few posts up:
I think it partially depends on the condition of the rim – mine has nicks/dings on it at this point, which effects braking. But, it is also quite difficult to get it 100% true. Part of the problem I have is making sure it is vertically true; if it isn’t the slight taper on the rim moves up and down, causing the brake to grab with a different rate depending on the rotational position.
Is it a normal problem? I’m not sure. I have had the problem on several different rims with several different braking surfaces, but only on my 36’ers. the 24’s I can get much more true, and don’t have the same angled rim that the Nimbus Nightrider rim has.
For most people the biggest problem is getting comfortable with a brake – it takes practice + time.
corbin
NOTE: my rim is within 1mm true.
I got the description in the post…which low end kids bike?
Does anyone know of a better (aluminum) source?
Another good thing
Another good thing about this set up is it unaffected by any frame flex that’s seems to be inherent to 36er Nimbus’s’s’s. By eliminating the pads and magura set up entirely, I no longer have any issues with the pads inadvertenly hitting the rim with an uphill acceleration, or an abrupt stop
The Franken-brake
Wow, I like the cool look of the disc set-up there, but there may be a simpler solution to the frame flex problem that many of the 36er frames with brakes seem to have. I posted a bit about a hybrid brake that uses the bomb-proof Magura HS22 lever housing (has a larger piston than the HS33) with the short and adjustable HS33 lever blade to get a brake that drives the brake pads a little further - so you can position the pads further away from the wheel and avoid all the annoying brake pad rubbing during idling and acceleration (and the HS33 lever blade is still is spooner compatible).
See the link to the Frankenbrake post below. I’ve ridden a blue franken-brake on my KH36 on two century rides this year and the brakes never touch the rim unless I pull the lever.
BTW: I can make these up for anyone that wants one (I now have Frankenbrakes in day-glo yellow, polished alumiinum, caterpillar yellow, grey, KH blue, red and some sweet NOS black ones) and I’ve got the parts prices/labor down a bit so they are $85/wheel -shipped - for a complete brake for your 36er: Magura modified HS22 Magura brakes for KH36 and 36” Schlumpf wheels: $90 shipped
Brycer
![IMG_0035[1].jpg](https://cdn.unicyclist.com/uploads/default/original/3X/b/f/bf7766a03c8cfedf97228ff3ec449980b4867a9b.jpeg)
Hi, you might try adjusting the wheel cylinders/pads so they toe in or out slightly if they grab too much. Adjusting Magura wheel cylinders can be a tediouos trial and error process to get them set up just right for you.
That said, it does take a rather light touch and some practice to get just the right ammt of resistance at speed.
B
When I first got my 36er I had the grabby inconsistent brake problem. It had a powdercoated airfoil rim and after I sanded all the paint off the sides and polished it up the brake was much more usable. I still think a disk is a great idea though.
I have no trouble using the Magura brakes on the 24" or the 29". The Coker is set up with a Shimano V brake. The rim seems true. I did toe the pads in slightly a couple of days ago. I will have the chance to try it out tomorrow. It gets too dang dark so early now. Until Santa brings me a good helmet light I’m not riding hills after work. If it’s still a problem then maybe I’ll get the wheel checked to make sure it is really true.
Nice idea! Hope it works out well.
As for rim brakes on 36", the old Airfoil rims worked better than the newer Stealth ones, but if you sand the braking surface to be smoother you may find it works a little better. Mine works great in low gear. In high gear, it is a skill you have to learn. I am getting decent at it, but haven’t quite mastered it. It is quite exciting on bumpy dirt roads, fast, in high gear!
It would be pretty cool to have a disc I think.
—Nathan
I wonder how braking would be affected if you did this with a GUni in high gear. I guess it would be less powerfull in high gear but that could also be a good thing.
Disk brakes work really well on 36" wheels. They are really smooth and even when used with cheap cable calipers they out perform the very top of the range hydraulic rim brakes. When you fit a hydraulic disk brake the performance is staggering, it opens their use to a wider range of riders.
Roger
Why couldn’t you use a set of MTB ISIS cranks, then use the drive side spider to attach the disc? It might require some adaption, but the spline is already there…
Great idea!
So why doesn’t UDC carry the parts needed to do this? I see you’ve got a v-brake adapter on the UDC-UK site; how about adding cranks with a spider, and maybe some kind of bolt-on mount for the calipers? Or better yet, maybe the next generation of nightriders could have a disk brake option?
Hmmm, what a good idea. Of course I can not tell you if it will happen or not… or about the auto balance control or the twin jet pack or the optional barbacue set. If I did tell you I would have to kill you… or something like that.
Roger
Fair enough. But for what it’s worth, I think a disk brake would complement a twin jet pack quite nicely. 
. . . and I for one would definitely buy a nightrider with a disk brake if you make it.
Jet pack, of course! The perfect heat souse for making a couple slices of toast.
You keep mentioning the barbecue set but I think most of us would be happy with just a toast rack. No need to go overboard.
On the subject of crank mounted disk brake disks I have been thinking of getting a centerlock adaptor, drilling it out and threading it to thread onto my trial bike cranks that I use for MUni. That would definitely be the easiest way for me to put on a disk without major modifications.
We could adopt threaded cranks like trials bikes… The standard is already out there and we might get more cross-pollination of parts. You would just have to be careful not to apply your brake while riding backwards or they might unscrew!
Excellent that will save some development time. The barbecue set was causing us a few headaches. Toast rack it is then. 
Roger
regarding ISIS mountain cranks to disk… I’m on it’, like last week. the important part will be what kind of spacer is made between the mount and the caliper. So, there is a market for this, even if you have to find a welder to mount the caliper to your frames?
unless, and even, if frames with disk mounts and disk ready hubs eventually become available… (like disk brakes evolved on everything else) will there still be a market for crank mounted disks to retrofit existing unicycles?
If you had to buy a new wheel and frame to upgrade to disk, would the option of a cheaper “upgrade” still be relevant for some time -especially if you already have cranks and the brakes from an old mountainbike?
I mean, you can’t readily get dual hole square taper cranks, and to get that and disks in one upgrade… smellin what I’m steppin in? Keep ur eyes open, They’re comin! Who wants them?