problem with my nimbus?

Unicycles and Equipment
1

Two days ago I received my Nimbus X Street unicycle from Unicycle.com. After riding on it for a few hours I became aware of a clicking sound coming from my uni, sounding almost like my shoelaces were hitting the spokes. Upon further inspection, including pushing my uni with my hands on the pedals, I came to the conclusion that the sound was coming from where the pedal meets the crank. I sprayed some WD 40 on it and the noise went away for about four hours of on and off riding.

After those 4 hours, my uni started up again, but this time the sound was two quick clicks instead of just one. I am worried that I might be damaging it, but I am also aware that it is brand new and might just need some breaking in.

Has anyone else experienced any problems similar to the one I currently am?

If it has anything to do with the cranks or pedals that I am using, here’s my current setup:

Nimbus Venture Cranks(the ones that come with the uni to start)
Cheap Plastic Pedals that are free with ordering(I’m still saving for some quality ones)

2

WD-40 is almost never useful for the kinds of things people use it for. It certainly won’t help with a clicking crank or pedal in any lasting way.

There are a few possibilities:

  • The spokes themselves are creaking. It’s a crappy machine-built wheel that’s not properly tensioned or stress relieved.

  • The pedal is loose. Make sure it’s properly tight in the crank. Also make sure you have the right pedal on the right side of the unicycle.

  • The crank is loose. Make sure it’s properly tight on the axle.

  • The pedal’s bearings are loose or clicking. You’d have to repack the pedal bearings, or just ignore the noise.

3

My Nimbus did the same thing. I asked the same question and got the same advice that Tholub gave. I thought my pedals were plenty tight but when I tightened them a little more the clicky sound went away.

4

It seems you ruled out the most obvious reason for clicking which is spokes rubbing. The fact that WD-40 remedied the problem briefly isn’t a surprise as it has a mild lubricant. The problem is that WD-40 is more actively a cleaner/rust preventative, and will disolve, and remove oil and grease from your bearings more than it will lubricate. Luckily your uni’s bearings are sealed, and it’s unlikely that the WD-40 got into new bearings. About the only thing I would use WD-40 for on a uni would be as a penetrating fluid to get a stuck bolt, or seatpost free. I suppose if you have a nimbus hub you could wipe a little on it to prevent rust, but it would attract a bit more dirt.

Check to make sure that your bearing holders are evenly tightened (same gap on both bolts for each bearing). I seem to remember someone a long time ago figuring out that the click in his uni was the bearings not seating correctly in the hangers.

5

Make sure the right pedal is on the right crank and smae with left. if theya re not you can wreak your cranks and pedal thered.

6

I always thought that because the thread only goes one way that you cant put the left pedal on the right crank or vice versa. :slight_smile:

Is that wrong?

7

That is right; however, it is very easy to have the pedals/cranks on the wrong side of the uni. You need to make sure that the right pedal/crank is on the right side of the uni, and the same with the left. If you have it backwards your pedals will unscrew themselves as you ride.

8

The original post appears to suggest that spraying WD40 where the crank meets the hub “dealt with” the problem.

The obvious conclusion is that the crank is loose.

Tighten it immediately with a 14mm socket, or you will damage the crank or - worse - the hub.

It takes a while for a new uni to bed in as all the various nuts and bolts need tightening after the first ride or two.

WD40 was designed as a water dispersant - hence the name which is short for “Water Dispersant, formula number 40”. It was designed to disperse water from electrical components such as spark plug caps and points on engines.

It has a variety of other unofficial uses:

It penetrates and eases rusted or seized bolts - but not as well as “penetrating and easing oil/spray” which is designed for the purpose… (So don’t spray it on one that’s already loose, to stop it squeaking or clicking!)

It coats components, making them less vulnerable to rust - but not as well as polish or wax finishes designed for the purpose.

It can be used, with a cloth, to clean greasy, dirty or slightly rusty metal components - but not as well as cleansing compounds designed for the purpose.

It lubricates small hard to get at mechanisms - but not as well as proper oil or grease designed for the purpose.

The distnctive smell of a few squirts of WD40 on a motorbike or car will give the customer the pleasing illusion that his car has been properly serviced when he pays £200 for an oil change.

9

A left pedal will only fit a left crank, and a right pedal will only fit a right crank. BUT either crank can potentially fit on either side of the unicycle - and that is BAD because if you accidentally put the cranks on the wrong sides, the pedals will unscrew, damaging the cranks. This happened to me once within 250 metres of riding on a brand new pair of alloy cranks.

10

You forgot to mention that if used in conjunction with a cigarette lighter it forms a very effective anti-spider weapon in a concrete garage.

if used in the same way to rid spiders from a wooden shed, it simply becomes an anti-shed agent.

STM - Arachnophobe with no shed. Anymore.

11

I’ve put my right pedal on my left crank before it just took along time + it was when I was tired and most likely half drank :smiley:

12

Thanks for that. :slight_smile:

13

Thanks a lot. It’s great to be part of a community with such knowledgeable individuals. Everyone probably saved me from ruining my unicycle.

It’s also great that everyone knows so much about WD40.

14

I had similar problems with my Nimbus II. The left pedal clicked at every rotation after it was “warmed up”. I tried some standard fixes, such as tightening spokes and tightening the pedal. Eventually I got a new pair of pedals and the problem went away. I suspect that the problem was lousy bearings on the original pedals.

15

i had a problem slightly similar- i heard a creaking noise. It turns out that my one crank didnt have threads drilled into it all the way- my solution was to replace my cranks with kh ones and get new pedals. I couldnt even put a new set of pedals on. My first pedals only went on because I had cheap aluminum threads on the pedals that wore off enough to fit into the cranks.