More like a future project than something I’m really working on, and not too big a project, but anyway …I think it fits better to this thread than to the “pictures of my unicycles” thread.
So I got my self an oldie. The embossed frame number ends with 73, and I have the suspicion that this could indeed be the year of manufacture.
It’s a swiss made Imholz unicycle with a rather elegant lugged steel frame…
…with lollipops; they’re fixed in a better way than most lollies, though.
Given its age it comes as no surprise that this uni features cottered steel cranks, as discussed in this thread.
The spokes are stainless steel by DT Swiss, probably meaning that the wheel has been rebuilt or exchanged at some point in time - DT Swiss was only founded in 1994. The uni features a rather narrow (27.3mm OD) aluminium rim with a 37-584 tyre - yes, this is a 27.5er which is probably half a century old.
The tyre dates from '86. Could also be '98, but that would be a somewhat top heavy number 9 in my opinion.
The seat needs some attention…
It is fixed by something that UDC calls a “Unicycle Saddle Adaptor for Plain Seatpost”.
I’d like to replace the seatpost with a lighter aluminium seatpost, but the diameter is 25.0mm. Tried to insert a 25.4mm one, but it doesn’t fit, indeed. So I could turn down the bottom part of a 25.4er. Or I could make a shim that allows me to use a 22.2er - I’m not concerned about stability or rigidity, after all the whole uni is quite filigrane, thus doesn’t lend itself for rough riding anyway (the cottered cranks only underline this assessment). The third option is to use the existing seat post and just replace the seat. The old seat is riveted to the adapter, but rough measurements indicate that the holes match the pattern of modern seats pretty much perfectly. And if needed, I can always drill, mill or file to make things fit…
I’m not sure what the price for this one was (a buddy of mine bought it and brought it to me months later), but it ranges somewhere from free to 10 bucks - that’s what I gave my friend.
I’d love to repaint the uni to a very refreshing green, very similar to this (yep, I don’t like that colour on a Hatchet, particularly in combination with a white wall tyre. But I like the colour per se). But this oldie is in rather good shape overall, so it would be a shame to repaint it.