Luke,
Thanks for the info about the Miyata saddles and the frame. Can you think of any other way for me to get a Miyata saddle in Australia other than shipping from overseas? I still have to be careful when getting the frame made because, while keeping it skinny, it has to fit a 2.5" wide Monty tyre.
Max,
Could you please post those photos? It really would help me.
Thanks,
Andrew
Here is a picture of the bearing holders for my KH20 (black) and DM Ringmaster Advanced (chrome). The KH20 only has a single lip while the DM has a lip on both sides of the bearing holder. A single lip bearing holder will be easier to machine and is adequate. You may even be able to buy the single lip bearing holders from a bearing supply shop.
Thanks a lot John. That’s really helpful
Hi
I’d really like to know how you are getting the profile hub and cranks and how much for. About the Miyata seat I’m sure that juggle art will have new stock but of the later supposedly weaker saddle. I do have one and it hasn’t given up on me yet! They’re not all that expensive either at $80 and free postage.
Luke
Luke,
It’s good to meet another Australian unicyclist. Where in Australia do you live? As for the Profile hub and crankset, I think I’m ordering it directly through Profile. They have an Australian distributor. I’m not sure because the local bike shop where I work is organising everything for me. I think it’ll cost between $500 and $550 but I’m really not sure. I’m waiting for Profile to ring the shop and arrange the order. They should ring sometime in the next few days so I’ll find out then and tell you exactly how much they are. If I forget to post the price maybe you could send me a private message to remind me to tell you.
Andrew
Luke,
Do you have any photos of your frame and could you please reply to my thread called ‘Frame design help needed…’?
Thanks,
Andrew
Ill do so when I get home tonight.
there we go, Pics up in the gallery at: http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albun41
I hope this helps, includes measurements and specs.
Whne making your own bearing holders, one option is to buy bearings with the right inside diameter of the outer ring so the bearing on your uni will fit in. Cut in half and weld to the frame. Weld the piece that the bolts fit through on either side and you have your own bearing holder.
just a thought…
It’s actually easier to buy tubing that’s the right ID, and then weld the other tubing on, and finally cut it, and weld it to the frame. but that still takes some time…
Thanks a lot Max, those photos were really helpful, especially the ones with the measurements. Would you mind if I use parts of this design for my frame? You said as a subtitle of one of the photos, “Clearance with a small 24” x 3" tire", how can a 3" tyre be small? Have you ever had any problems with hitting your legs of the sides of the frame? I’m just checking if there are any downsides to having a frame that can fit a 3" tyre.
I’m just checking…does the lip on a single lip bearing holder go on the inside or the outside?
Thanks a lot for all your help, I’m thinking of painting the frame something like the new KH trials unicycle. What do you think? Maybe a little more metallic.
Thanks,
Andrew
frame
Ive found that with a wide frame that fits a 3" tire its not the frame that hits your leg, but it is the tire that brushes agaisnt your legs. Maybe thats just me, but that seems to happen fairly easy when im riding, but as long as i have the roach armor on, im fine.
Thanks Scott,
I’ve just got a few more questions and then that’ll be it…
Tyre Clearance - Firstly should I get a 3.0" tyre or the Monty 2.5" one? What are the advantages/disadvantages? Also, how much clearance should a tyre have with the inside of the frame on the top and sides?
Material - What’s the best type of metal for the frame and is weight a very important factor?
Thanks, that should be everything I have to ask about frames,
Andrew
Use all you want, I wouldnt have put it up if i didnt want you to use it.
I have never hit my legs on the crown, but somtimes I hit my legs on the tire. I say small because The intense is wider than most 3"ers, but it is significantly shorter.
Your planning this for strictly trials use right? If so go with a monty, unless there is a 20x3" that I dont know about.
By the way, my frame weighs about 1.75 pounds, I think… I havent brought out the scale for quite some time. I also have a mod frame of similar construction sitting in the garage, from when I actually had one. Ill check the fork blade length on that too…
I’m planning to use it for trials, northshore, muni, and light freestyle. I know it’ll be harder to do muni on a 20" but it’ll still be heaps of fun. Does that change your tyre recommendation?
If you’re wanting to mix in muni and stunts you should consider a 24x3 tire instead of a Monty.
The Monty with 150mm Profile cranks is not really usable for muni because the cranks are so long that they will constantly hit the ground. You can do some muni on a Monty if you have shorter cranks (like maybe 125s) but Profiles don’t come that short. With 150 cranks, muni is pretty much out of the question on a Monty.
A 24x3 is the most versatile size for a mix of trials and muni. You can still do a lot of trials with a 24x3. It just weighs a little more so you won’t be able to jump as high, but you can make up for that by being able to roll over stuff better. Back before the Monty uni craze hit, people were doing trials on 26" and 24x3 unicycles.
You get a Monty if your plan is to do pure trials. You may ride a few blocks to get to a riding area. Once at the riding area you’ll start jumping on things, riding skinnies, and doing other trials type stuff. The uni outing is mostly pure trials.
With a 24x3 you can actually cover some ground and explore while mixing in some trials along the way. You can ride many blocks (several miles) to get to get to trials locations where you start jumping on things, riding skinnies and doing other trials type stuff. It makes for a fun urban assault city ride. It ends up being a mix of a city ride and a trials ride mixed in one.
For what you’re wanting to do it sounds like a 24x3 is the better choice.
Thanks for the advice John. It all makes sense and seems like the best solution but I’ve ridden my friend’s 24" and I like the feel of a 20" better. It seems more sensitive to turning and that sort of thing and I feel like I’m in more control when on my 20". I’m still considering it, but I think it’d be really hard to bring myself to buy a 24". Is that the sort of thing you just get used to after riding it for a while?
Is there a huge difference between 125mm and 145mm cranks (I think the Profile ones are 145mm)? I’ve done a bit of muni on my 20" with 125mm cranks and they didn’t hit the ground once. Also, I’d be riding mainly northshore sort of stuff like along rails and things like that. Wouldn’t that have less of a risk of hitting the cranks on the ground?
I am still considering getting a 24". Most of the trials I like to do involves balancing along narrow planks, walls, etc, dropping and gapping. I don’t actually do much jumping up onto high things. How much harder will it be to jump on a 24"?
Back to the frame…what if I get a 24" and try to save some weight by using an aluminium frame? Will this be as strong as others and will it be much more expensive?
Also, if I did use a 24" with a 3" tyre, wouldn’t that give me a bit more bounce in the tyre anyway? If so, would this extra bounce make up much for the extra weight?
Does anyone else do any trials on a 24" unicycle (apart from Kris Holm)?
Thanks a lot,
Andrew
I use a 24x3 for all Muni/trials type riding. the biggerst reason is being cost effective, less cash for an overall good ride. The 24" works fine for trials, it just might take longer to learn things like pedal grabs.
Yes, the 20mm diffence is a Huge difference with pedals hiting the ground. The bounce depends on how much air you have in the tire, A mod can have more bounce because of the lightness, but then it folds the tire more. on the other hand the 24" can be just as good if you find the right tire pressure setting.
the main thing is if you have to ride to the trials site, get the 24", if you dont go with a mod.
What if I get a 24" and try to save some weight by using an aluminium frame? Will this be as strong as others and will it be much more expensive? If I do this, how much heavier will the 24" be compared to a 20"? Don’t 24" wheels taco easier than 20" ones or does it take a lot to taco a good quality wheel?
Also, I’d be riding mainly northshore sort of stuff like along rails and things like that. Wouldn’t that have less of a risk of hitting the cranks on the ground with a 20"?
Thanks,
Andrew
I would assume that an aluminum frame would be more expensive, but I would be wrong. About the wheel strengh, I dont think kris has taco’d any wheels since switching to a 24", This could be wrong, but I though I heard him say that.
The 24" will ultimately have less risk of pedals striking the ground, do to the higher wheel center.