Road Unicycle Set-Up and T7 Handle Modification

[BoojiBoy]

@rob.northcott

If you redesign the frame a bit so the wheel is further back, you could add another wheel under the handlebars for stability at speed. Perhaps add a chain drive to keep your legs in a comfortable position and…

Sorry - it’s looking interesting, although those wide handlebars look like they’d be pretty hard to avoid in a front dismount. All these mods are a bit extreme for me (I don’t really do much pure road unicycling - prefer bikes for that), but it’s inspired me to want to try some sort of simpler extended handle on my 36er. Keep at it

Rob

I see where you’re coming from. I’m excited about the creativity and new designs that people are coming up with. I think Turtle’s V frame looks like a really fun ride, but I think we might be coming to a point where the evolution of the unicycle meets a devolved bike. I like unicycles because they’re different from a bike. I don’t think I could complain about “where’s your other wheel?” comments if I was riding something like this that really does look like you’re missing a wheel.

We’re still in the R&D stage on this one, so I like seeing Turtle’s updates. The cagemount on the aluminum bridge is pretty sweet. I could see making a cross-country trip on something like this with a good amount of gear packed inbetween the V.

[corbin]

@vincelemay

Hi roadies,

Hey Vince, that’s super cool! I’m just getting into machining (picking up a mill this Saturday!) and I’m hoping it will open up a lot of possible things I could make. I’d love to check out your 3d Drawings – could you email them to me? cd at bluetreesoft dot com.

Here’s my current handlebar setup; brazed to one position, but it works great, and looks similar to some of the positions yours has. 329 grams total. I’m going to write a blog post about it soon, and I’ll post details here too. It’s all cromoly steel, but quite light.

corbin

[siafirede]

@corbin

Hey Vince, that’s super cool! I’m just getting into machining (picking up a mill this Saturday!) and I’m hoping it will open up a lot of possible things I could make. I’d love to check out your 3d Drawings – could you email them to me? cd at bluetreesoft dot com.

Here’s my current handlebar setup; brazed to one position, but it works great, and looks similar to some of the positions yours has. 329 grams total. I’m going to write a blog post about it soon, and I’ll post details here too. It’s all cromoly steel, but quite light.

corbin

Very nice Corbin. 2 sets of handholds definitely seems like the way to go. The T7 just doesn’t seem to cut it with the geared 36 for me anymore.

[vincelemay]

Corbin : your touring handle has an almost fixed position, but it’s great. You’ve done so much bars the last few years to determine what’s the setup you like the best for your riding.
Once the position dialed, my adjustable setup won’t be useful anymore… and I’ll have a few more dead grams on the uni (but I really don’t care that much about weight!)
CrMo is really better for handles like yours where a single welded connection is eating almost all the stress.

I wish I could have a milling machine in my back yard… ehh well just having a back yard would be a good start.

@corbin

Hey Vince, that’s super cool! I’m just getting into machining (picking up a mill this Saturday!) and I’m hoping it will open up a lot of possible things I could make. I’d love to check out your 3d Drawings – could you email them to me? cd at bluetreesoft dot com.

Here’s my current handlebar setup; brazed to one position, but it works great, and looks similar to some of the positions yours has. 329 grams total. I’m going to write a blog post about it soon, and I’ll post details here too. It’s all cromoly steel, but quite light.

corbin

[brycer1968]

handlebars and milling

Nice design work there Vince. I went with an adjustable set up to evaluate handlebar geometry and length too and its gives you a lot more comfort knowing you have adjusted every variable before you build V2 for light weight and appearance. I’m still working to finish the three barsets that I designed out of 1 1/8" .030" cromo tubing. The commuter bar is done, but not powder coated yet in the pics below and I’m really liking it for rides less than 20 miles or so. Thin wall cromo was less weight than the comparable strength aluminum tubing that would have stood upto UPDs at speed, plus I love working with steel, and generally dislike aluminum.
The adjustability of the hand grips is accomplished by buying different lenghth and angle threadless stems and the seat uses an adjustable seat post to dial in the angle/height just right. The unfinished other two bars: 1. The Midget 36"er bar and 2. The Century bar (with aero bars and elbow pads) are close to ready to ride, but awaiting (a true midget test rider and) a couple of parts that I need to finish on the milling machine.

And hey, +1 on the value of having a milling machine Corbin. I found a used Seig X-2 mini mill, and yes, milling machine snobs, this is the milling machine equivalrent of the Yugo or Ford Festiva, but hey. . . . if you add gas lift assist, belt drive conversion, better axis screws and learn how to work around the limits of the machine’s crappy Z axis, its ok for a $500 mill. it works great in aluminum and can drive small endmills under 3/8" through steel.

Nice video there Turtle. That thing is gonna be so cool with a geared hub.
Brycer

[brycer1968]

@lunicycle

Ouch, is that a unicycle or a surgical instrument?

TBH as inventive as it is it’s unnerving seeing guys use T7’s as top bars, even if as only temporary solutions.

Lunicycle: Oh man, that is some wild stuff there. Don’t let any one tell you that isn’t a strong design. I’m a big fan of wire rope. . . . its the duct tape of the rigging world. and yes, you fixed the floppy T-7 . . . . .and made the only one-wheeled compound bow. Ride with arrows/bolts and you can dismount to shoot some ducks on the way home from work.

Seriously, this thread just keeps getting better.
B

[lunicycle]

@brycer1968

Lunicycle: Oh man, that is some wild stuff there. Don’t let any one tell you that isn’t a strong design. I’m a big fan of wire rope. . . . its the duct tape of the rigging world. and yes, you fixed the floppy T-7 . . . . .and made the only one-wheeled compound bow. Ride with arrows/bolts and you can dismount to shoot some ducks on the way home from work.

Not doubting the strength of wire rope mate, though I’d say some duct tape applied liberally to the crotch area would also be handy with that design

[Joseppi]

@brycer1968

Lunicycle: Oh man, that is some wild stuff there. Don’t let any one tell you that isn’t a strong design. I’m a big fan of wire rope. . . . its the duct tape of the rigging world. and yes, you fixed the floppy T-7 . . . . .and made the only one-wheeled compound bow. Ride with arrows/bolts and you can dismount to shoot some ducks on the way home from work.

Seriously, this thread just keeps getting better.
B

I feel better about it with your endorsement. I don’t know if I’ll see any ducks in the Iowa corn fields, but I’ll have my arrows ready and let you know come this July.

@lunicycle

Not doubting the strength of wire rope mate, though I’d say some duct tape applied liberally to the crotch area would also be handy with that design

I’ll be sure to bring some duct tape too.

[turtle]

@brycer1968

Nice video there Turtle. That thing is gonna be so cool with a geared hub.
Brycer

i’m still waiting for the other 29" rim, to build the geared wheelset (29er), i think it will be ready next week and i’ll do some serious XC

one thing to all the comments that turtle’s “V” is more like a bike or isn’t the real uni-philosophy… and stuff like that: i would say that too, if i wouldn’t own a V-frame …and after all it’s still one-wheeled…

[corbin]

Hey all, I posted a new blog entry on my latest handlebar:

The latest unicycle handle

I used some good quality automotive paint to spray it black, and it looks quite nice!

Here’s some of the pics copied for reference:

Larger ones on the click through to my blog.

Brycer – that’s a great new design! I like the way you utilized the seat post. RE mills – I picked up an older (1990) bridgeport clone from a tool dealer in the east bay of San Fran. I’m going to pick it up tomorrow, and I’m super excited to learn how to play more with metal.

corbin

[brycer1968]

[QUOTE
Brycer – that’s a great new design! I like the way you utilized the seat post. RE mills – I picked up an older (1990) bridgeport clone from a tool dealer in the east bay of San Fran. I’m going to pick it up tomorrow, and I’m super excited to learn how to play more with metal.

corbin[/QUOTE]

Oh man, you are gonna love that mill. A little jealous here. The versatility of a full size mill is huge and for a guy (like me) that goes from using hacksaws, files and hand held grinders to a vertical mill, the quality of your work goes up like 1000% overnight. Have fun.
B

[OneWheelLess]

@turtle

i like the handlebar from vicelemay! i just think the saddle will be to wide in the front for a streched position…

turtle’s V update:

nice design, turtle! the funny thing is, even the first time i saw it i knew that it reminded me of something, but i couldn’t think what it was. it sorta looks like a compact excercise bike! lol

[napalm]

Corbin- i am interested to see the development of your GMuni handlebar set up. After riding a 36er with a t7 for a year and a bit i am sold on the handlebar setup, and have been thinking of what would be the best handle to attach to the new generation of geared off road machines. For me, the ability to ride the really tech single track will always outweigh the comfort factor for fire trail riding. So a shorter more compact handle would seem more appropriate.

I like the smaller part of your latest design- the boom that connects to rear facing bar ends. The rest of it seems to favor serious fireroad riding and looks to me that it might hinder balance etc when things get rough. If that design idea was complemented with a regular plastic KH handle on the seat, i think you would be getting close to my idea of an ideal GMuni handle.

Before seeing your newest design i envisioned something a little bit like a S Wallis road relief saddle with ambidextrous CF handle that has the extended handles coming out of both sides and attaching at a rounded point in the middle. By relying on the CF for strength you get to skip having to use a boom (which adds a fair bit of weight and makes the design look convoluted).

i know working with cf is pretty complex and outside the means for most people on these forums but it would be amazing to see something like the above.

I know KH is making a touring handle, but i wonder if he is also considering a different design for GMuni where the application is pretty different.

Mark

[lunicycle]

Mark fwiw I’ve been messing with handle ideas for a while, mainly for off road/XC 36 GUNI/single speed riding as that is pretty much all I’ve been doing.

I’ll post some better pics of my current handle later, but essentially it replaces and retains the core use of the front KH handle and KH style brake bracket (that combo is by far my favorite setup for off road brake use). The additional cross bar for cruising, compared to a T7, is slightly further out and lower, also wider and takes bar ends.

I’m fairly short, so there was never the option of having a long bar coming off the seatpost as there is none to spare. For whatever reason that design doesn’t appeal to me anyway.

The handle is out of Alu. I’ve changed the design and material specs as I’ve gone along, starting off too light and subsequently destroying the bars during UPD’s, to what I have now which is way overbuilt but essentially suits me great! The next version will be machined out to drop some weight, add some eye candy, without loosing much strength.

The V frame and super long bar stuff is cool and it’s lots of fun watching guys explore it - can see the applications for road riding especially, but tbh all I really want is a handle that suits XC/Offroad 36 riding.

Anyways here’s a pic of it in action last night - 36 GUNI off road at night is mental fun - photo credits to my 12 year old daughter!

[steveyo]

@lunicycle

Anyways here’s a pic of it in action last night - 36 GUNI off road at night is mental fun - photo credits to my 12 year old daughter!

Damn, boy, that’s some hella lighting setup. What kind(s) of light are those?

[Klaas_Bil]

@steveyo

Damn, boy, that’s some hella lighting setup. What kind(s) of light are those?

Lights that don’t shine straight rays

[steveyo]

@Klaas Bil

Lights that don’t shine straight rays

Hey, you’re right. Lunicycle must have been riding over a small black hole.

[1-wheeled-grape]

wow! them lights are bright!

[lunicycle]

@steveyo, the lights are Ayup’s, popular in MTB night racing. Bright, light, long run time, cheap and aussie!
http://www.ayup.com.au

@Klaas, it’s a time exposure. They are light trails created as the uni moves through the frame, not how the light beam appears to the eye

Anyways, apologies for the off topic. Main thing is I’m loving the handlebar on the 36!

[danger_uni]

Hey,

I just posted about the 2009 KH lineup here, including a description and photo of the new T-bar touring handle.

As mentioned in that thread, the objective was to make an adjustable handle that allows a moderate extended-forward riding stance, stays out of the way of your knees, and uses bar-ends that can be replaced if damaged in a crash, and is as simple as possible to install and maintain. Attached is a photo, and a schematic drawing.

So far, I believe that this style of handle, with a uni saddle, will be the most popular approach for most kinds of riding. For myself, even on long rides I find that there are a lot of times when I want to switch to an upright stance for bumps, idling, crosswinds, or just switching positions, and a combo of extended handle and a uni saddle is good for that. It is also very simple and does not introduce any additional complications such as frame sizing for different riders.

In my opinion, this configuration also (IMO) also works well for steep climbing where you are pulling up hard because you can use the existing handle with no need for additional hardware, and because if you stand up and pull on the handle, the frame will always swing forward to be directly beneath you with no additional bulk out front. For myself, I like having the frame angled back when in touring mode because there’s nothing to hit between my legs.

So far, I am not yet sure that a full, bike-like frame is needed since unlike a bike we are only supporting a handle, not a wheel, and strength seems adequate for at least the length of this production T-bar. For those of you who want to experiment with longer versions, the T-bar uses standard 22.2 mm tubing and it would be easy to make a different dimension of T-section and use all the rest of the existing hardware. A really long custom handle might require an additional reinforcement though, extending below the bar back to the frame.

Having angle adjustment and bar-ends that are adjustable also allows the handle to be clamped tight enough to stay in place, but loose enough that it can be bumped out of position in a crash, reducing the chance of breakage.

Kris

T-bar R3-Layout2_orig.pdf (159 KB)