As I’ve been doing some distance cokering lately, and plan to continue to build up, I’m really wanting to get a front handle for the SpaceCruiser. The main reason I want a good solid handle is because the more I ride without resting, the more painful the saddle gets. Rather than stopping, I like to shift my weight to my arms long enough to allow the blood to recirculate in the bathing suit area. Pretty common for distance riders, right?
Also, I’d like a mount area for a speed computer.
So, yeah…the KH handle is pretty good, but I want something better - plus, I might end up using a miyata airsaddle as the permanent coker saddle in the future. So, I guess I’ll lay out my two choices and I’d like to hear whatever comments you guys have about them.
1 - the GB handle. http://gallery.unicyclist.com/airseat_conversion/aad
I like this one a lot. It looks like just what I need. Has anybody used it with a brake? Is it hard to grab the brake lever with this handle on? I’d probably get the miyata stiffener plate as well. Altogether, will this be solid enough to take the weight?
2 - they Wyganowski extender
as seen on Nathan Hoover’s hunter 36"
I like this one too. Does it make the brake easier to grab? I wouldn’t be mounting all the water that Nathan does - I prefer the camelbak. What I do like is the idea of maybe putting some sort of miniature pannier on the back, and there’s still my goofy idea of mounting small speakers in the front. Anyway, what are your thoughts? My concern is that I have to drop my seat pretty low, and I’m not sure there’s enough seat post exposed to clamp this to.
Nathan posted a positive review of the GB handle not that long ago, and I believe he’s used it w/ a brake. It would seem like a simpler setup as long as you’re not planning on riding across Norway or something similar. I couldn’t find the post but didn’t look too hard…if you search on it, it should pop up. The post title was something pretty descriptive, like GB Handle Review.
I’ve just ordered one for my Coker, but don’t plan on setting it up with a brake…at least for a while.
I really like that design. It allows for a lot of digestibility. If you want the handles to be further out just slide the stem along the boom. If you want the handles higher then use a longer stem. Very modular.
I had been thinking of using an adjustable stoker stem (for the rear rider on a tandem bike) to make a very similar handle boom for my Coker. An adjustable stoker stem looks like this
<http://www.co-motion.com/featr.html#stem>
But your idea of using the top tube from an old bike might actually be cheaper than messing with the stoker stem and making a custom boom to fit it. Cool.
You can also change the angle of the barends, or even swap them out for different lengths and bends. The hard part is fitting a drag brake handle. I’m thinking of trying a set of very long barends which will allow the handle to be fit in the standard mounting position instead of reversed, as on the Wilder style.
I had considered a stoker stem, also. There are extra long stems that could be inserted, and stem extenders, but the cost of those far outweighed the price I paid for the parts I used on my version.
George Barnes, you’re my hero. I think I really like what you have going on there, based on the idea that the trunk arm can be optional. If i don’t need it, I can take it off. I can put it back on when I do need it.
I did some web searching for rack trunks and found plenty, but they all have support arms that go down and attach to the axle of the bike’s back wheel. Can you give me a clue where you found just the arm that clamps around the seat tube?
Most bike shops will have racks that only attach to the seatpost. The racks are typically for use on mountain bikes that have a rear suspension but they can be used on any bike, or on a unicycle. Shop around and look at the different makes and models. Some of them are more angled than others. On a unicycle you’ll want one that is straighter since our seatposts are vertical and not angled back like a bike.
I too am getting into the handle game. I am buying Bronson Silva’s old Wyganowski bar, which is the same as the one on Nathan’s Hunter 36". Though I would have more fun designing one myself, this will get me out on the road a lot faster.
That one looks like you can play around with it until you have the perfect fit and features.
The riding position for bikes has been worked out over 100 years to a science of knowing pretty much how you should be positioned. This is an entirely new area for unicycles. Handlebars are going to become a common thing on unicycles that are ridden long distances. Though some of the science of body positioning on regular bikes will probably apply, I’m sure there will be aspects of position that are different for unicycles.
For a more comfortable ride, I’m guessing it might be nice to have your hands farther forward than you get with the simpler handles that bolt to the bottom of the seat. Being farther out, they need to attach to something more solid than the seat because the seat and post aren’t desinged for this strain. Nathan’s current design, with the multiple handles, probably works well with the close-in handle for control over bumps, and the forward handles for a more ergo riding position. He’ll know how well it worked for him when he gets back from Norway.
I’m looking forward to experiementing on my own, with my 8-mile commute…
You probably won’t find a better deal than the Performance rack that John linked to.
If you didn’t like the angle of the rack, you could have it cut and rewelded at the “right” angle. Any decent welding shop should have the facilities to weld aluminum and shouldn’t charge too much for this operation.
the idea that springs immediatley to my mind is: why not
have this handle fixed to the hub instead?
(that is something starting from the hub or lower part of the frame
, where you can
choose the height and the position of the handle)
since this is an obvious idea I suspect it has already been tested
… and abandonned
I would be curious to learn why.
Very nice, Max. Your clamping arrangement is much stronger than my bicycle top tube boom. Are they for sale? If so, at what price? Will bar end grips fit on the handle?
The only thing I don’t like about the idea of having a handle is that it would get in the way when you fall off (and come on… we all have pesky UPD’s now and then ) They seem like they could cause some nasty damage to your inner thighs, and the less we think about the mashing effect on the bollo*ks if you fall weirdly the better!! (OUCH)
It is good that you can see your computer while riding though, and having a brake mount is very useful. There must be a handle out there somewhere that is just the right size so that it causes no obstructions but is still fully functional.
I’ve found the only injury you really get from a handle is when it whacks into the back of your ankle if you come off the front and drop it. The handle is low down enough to not cause you to get tangled in it when you come off normally.
That one would be $50 plus shipping. They can be made with 7/8 crossbars to acomidate bar ends, or larger/smaller for opimum comfort. Can be made for any seat, bumper or no. Also wygonowski-style handles can be made as well, but with that style of attachment mechanism.
That’s why the GB handle seems better tailored to me. I really like the mounting setup on Max’s concept, but the “T” aspect of the handle makes me nervous relative to forward-falling UPDs, versus the GB handle where the two bars point forward and seem less likely to “catch” on your thighs or other less durable parts.
Hey, wasn’t dissing the set-up. It is just that I am the type of person that stupid injurious things seem to happen to. Since childhood it’s been my own personal “Murphy’s Law”. Any injury will happen that can…
I know you can’t tell from the photo, but I’m a dyed redhead. My natural color went grey years ago from worrying about my next crash.
) They seem like they could cause some nasty damage to your inner thighs, and the less we think about the mashing effect on the bollo*ks if you fall weirdly the better!! (OUCH)