I am new to unicycling and this forum. Just bought my new Nimbus Muni
(orange) a few months ago from Unicycle.com. I am now totally hooked. The only issue is that my unicycle seem to creak when I put weight on it. I know that there are threads addressing this issue here, but none of them seem to address the symptoms my unicycle exhibits (if I missed something, I apologize in advance).
Before anything else, I just want to ask, is slight creaking normal for a unicycle or are they supposed to be absolutely silent? Here are the other symptoms; I think that the best way is to show you what I mean, so please watch the video.
There have been creaking issues with certain older batches of “press-fit” hubs, but I’m pretty sure yours is the welded nimbus hub, so it is highly unlikely that any creaking is coming from it. The spokes could be a bit on the loose side and rubbing where they cross. Valeline may help a little but that is not addressing the issue if the spokes are loose. You should tighten each bearing cap separately until the wheel begins to slow down fairly rapidly when you spin it, then back off the bearing cap bolt until the wheel spins more freely, but it should not spin totally freely. Then repeat on the other side.
The cranks should be fully seated against the bearing spacers, and the axle splines could benefit from a thin coating of lithium grease, to make sure they seat and go on properly. do NOT overtighten the pedals! They should be snug, but not so tight that they are difficult to get loose with a crank wrench. Unless you plan to ride backwards a LOT, they will not come loose since you are pedaling in the same direction that they thread on. Also check that the saddle bolts are tight and snug on the seat post. Then just ride it and break it in, which will also help seat everything.
Hi welcome to the forums. I have the same muni and mine has creaked before too but I fixed it. Creaking can be either fine or a sign of worst things to come. When mine creaked it was because the seat post bolts were loose. However I think your problem( assuming nothing’s cracked or broken) involves the bearing holders take it off and make sure there is no debri on the bearings or on the bearing holders/ frame then add a little grease and put the bearing holders back on making sure that the gap is even on both sides. Then tighten them careful not to over tighten but if it is too loose it will creak so make sure the bolts are firm and secure. Too loose might be your problem to begin with. If this is unsuccesful just go over the whole uni and make sure every bolt is how it should be. Hope this helped if you have any questions feel free to ask
Thank you so much for all your quick reply. I got into unicycling for two reasons: the richness of the activity and the amazing community. I will take your advice and go through my unicycle when the tools I ordered from Unicycle.com arrive. Then I will get back to you on the progress. Thanks again!
Sounds like your bearing caps/holders are loose. Stand your unicycle on it’s saddle and twist the wheel side to side to check if there’s any sideways movement or noise. If there is any wobble then you need to tighten the cap bolts. Tighten the bolts fully like Muni Addict suggests and then loosen off all the bolts equally ( one quarter turn at a time) until your wheel can spin freely for about eight to ten revolutions before stopping.
So I have taken all of your advice and tightened the bearing holders. The unicycle is now completely silent. To be honest, it feels as if I have never truly ridden a unicycle until now. The new silent machine is a wonder of engineering.
However, I am still paranoid about over-tightening the bearing holders, so I have uploaded a short video (a few seconds long) of my spinning the wheel. I ask that the experts here please take a look at how long the wheels spins and deduce whether or not the bearing holders are too tight.
IMO definatly not too tight, but could be a bit more so maybe.
What I do, when it gets close, is w/ the uni upside down, tighten each side half a turn per side (keeping the bearing cap level) until the wheel slows. Then loosen one bolt per side 1/4 turn at a time until it rotates slower than when loose, but just enough for me to notice the difference. For my Muni (not a Nimbus) that’s loosening 1/4 - 3/4 a turn per side. I repeat to make sure the tention is the same on each side.
That’s the thing with steel frames, they are a bit finicky about bearing cup tightness - I swithched to an Oracle frame and I’ve never looked back (mainly because of stiffness etc.).
On an unrelated note, where’s your sig from Dydaying - sounds like something Morrissey might say.
I don’t actually know who Morrissey is. A quick google search yielded a musician, but I don’t know if that is the Morrissey you are referring to. My signature is a belief of mine, which is derived from a fundamental theory in computational psychology, which says that it is not the material but rather the organization of those materials that matters to function/behavior. This means that all those metaphors you hear people using are not metaphors at all. We are not “like” computers or timepieces; we are computers or timepieces–only we have more sophisticated parts that function more intelligently together. Our consciousness results from a sum that is greater than the parts, but it is by no means caused by an innate spark.
Anyway, sorry about the rambling but, in fairness, you asked for it. I probably sound like a nerdy hippy now, but I kind of like it. Hope I didn’t offend anyone with my beliefs, and I apologize ahead of time if I did.
