Hi I have a few questions, one about instaling spokes yourself.
I’m planning on custom making my own trials uni pretty soon, but first I have a few questions.
1: I have NO clue how to instal spokes on a rim and hub. I know you need special tools, but I’d greatly apreciate a website that would describe the proccess in detail.
And 2, I plan on purchasing the seat, and peddles for my new uni now and just instaling them on my learner uni, that i’m currently riding (24" sun, I think I’m ganna kill the rim or hub soon) anyhow, i’m looking for some highly recomended peddles, and wanted some input on the seat, I was planning on just getting a miyata then instaling the air coushin, but if anyone has a better seat to recomend for trials i’d greatly apreciate it.
Oh, and I just wanted to add, I’d like pedals that will do well with grinding, and although they will beable to grip my shoe, they wont drag so much on the grinding surface… if such a thing exists.
to get that you’ll need a grind plate. as far as building a wheel, if you have no idea, you’re probably better off asking a bike shop to do it for you and asking if they’ll let you watch. I can replace spokes and true wheels pretty well and i’m not 100% sure i wanna jump into wheel building, yet. maybe on the next one.
There are a few options here:
1.) Build a grind plate, these are just a metal plate that grips over one side of your grinding pedal so it slides well but you still have one side that is grippy. There are instruction on how to easily build a grind plate on www.unicycle.2ya.com under the ‘Street skills’ section.
2.) You probably wont want this but it is an option - put a plastic pedal on your grinding side. For instance if you grind on your right keep a good pedal on your left side and a plastic one on your right, plastic pedals are still fairly grippy but they slide really well, though you would have to change your pedal often. Kevin McMullin does this and he’s awesome, though he only does street so its allright, if you want to do trials as well a plastic pedal my not provide enough grip.
3.) This is what I do - I just take the pins out of on side of my right (grinding side) pedal. If you dont have removable pins just use a bench grinder to get them off (i did this with the non-removable pins on the pedal). This way you have one good side of the pedal for grip etc, and the other slide is just as slippery as a grind plate without the hassle of making one.
Hope this helps and good luck with building your uni.
If it gives you any hope I built my first wheel with nearly no outside help using a 6" crescent wrench for a spoke wrench. I think building a wheel is simple as long as you have spoke prep, a wheel to copy, and a spoke wrench. Buy good spokes, such as DT, it pays off in the end. I bought generic and the nipples were poorly made and were large for one wrench and small for the other.
In the end wheel building is just a measure of one’s patience and mechanical aptitude. If it feels right, it probably is. I would say there’s no reason not to try to build your own wheel. You don’t even need a truing stand, just use your frame. Buy a good spoke wrench to fit your spokes, though.
Thanks all for the great, site on how to build your own wheel, and, also on the grinding plate, and peddle recomondation, Although instaling your own wheel does seem kinda intimidating i’m very mechanicly enclined, and poor, so i’m ganna go for it ^^