I am currently contemplating the purchase of a new 24" MUni (like you
haven’t heard THAT before). Anyway, I am torn between the new low cost
KH 24" (yet to be tested) or a proven Yuni (Lucifer fork) with the
Profile setup.
If I get the Profile setup, is it difficult to pull and replace the
bearings? I was looking at Andrew’s Profile pics and it looks like I
might need special tools? Is a Profile hub and crank setup fairly easy
to maintain?
As far as long term maintenence goes, i really don’t know, since my Profile setup is still new, but the bearings aren’t a problem, you just have to get the cranks off first . . . anyhow, as long as the good folks at unicylce.com don’t forget to send the instructions for the profile unicycle hub (they forgot, so I confusedly looked through the bike instuction manual for some time before giving them a call) it should be fine, should you decide to buy one.
This makes removal of the cranks much easier. You can probably find this tool in a nearby Auto shop too. I had much difficulty removing my cranks when they were new (a quarter of the way on the axle) Now, i can just slide the cranks off with this tool. it works really well!
Hope that helps,
-Ryan
p.s. BUY THE PROFILES!! i have 2 pairs (trials and MUni) and they really are the ultimate!
The Profile hub setup is fairly straightforward. It’s just different than a standard square tapered hub so you’ll need different tools. The Profile uses spacers to position the bearing. The cranks squeeze everything together to get it all tight.
The only real tricky part is getting the cranks off the very first time. Once the hub and cranks have been used for a short while the cranks get looser and become easy to take off.
Maintenance is just keeping it well lubed with anti-seize and keeping the crank nuts tight. One additional step you should do is force as much anti-seize or grease in the keyway as possible. This will keep water from getting in there and causing rust and other problems. I suspect that the keyway is where most people get the Profile creaking sound. Keeping the keyway free of rust may be the trick to keeping your Profile setup creak and squeak free.
I agree with John and the others in that the Profile hub set is fairly maintenance free. The cranks and bearings come off easily with the above-mentioned bearing puller and should slide back on easily after the maintenance is complete. There’s really not a lot to them. Interestingly, my Profile hub set started creaking just before UNICON last July then was almost unbearably noisy during UNICON. Not long after that, the creaking disappeared and has not returned since. Today, it’s as quite as can be.
Ditto here. It is so strange how it is sometimes completely quiet, including
when torqued to the max I can do. Then, later, it’s squeaking again even on
very light uphills. Mine right now has been quiet for several weeks. I can’t
correlate this to immersion or mud or anything. It’s just weird. Just keep
them tight seems to be the best plan. Always carry a 7/32 inch hex wrench
with you (I had to send one to David Poznanter in China earlier this year -
that size is not available there for some reason.)
> I agree with John and the others in that the Profile hub set is fairly
> maintenance free. The cranks and bearings come off easily with the
> above-mentioned bearing puller and should slide back on easily after the
> maintenance is complete. There’s really not a lot to them.
> Interestingly, my Profile hub set started creaking just before UNICON
> last July then was almost unbearably noisy during UNICON. Not long
> after that, the creaking disappeared and has not returned since. Today,
> it’s as quite as can be.
>
> Bruce
It is very very close, but the 7/32 inch allen key is the proper fit. The 5.5 mm is just a tad smaller and you might round out the allen key getting it tight. A 7/32 key with a longer arm will let you get the crank bolts really tight.
I was using a 5.5 mm allen key when I first got my Profile cranks because I happend to have a 5.5 mm key and didn’t have a 7/32 inch key. It took me a couple of weeks before I managed to go to the hardware store to get a 7/32.