So I bought a Torker TX yesterday. After hopping some and riding backwards, the chainwheel was slipping and I was starting to worry about the cranks (cottered?), so I was wondering if anyone knew of a giraffe made of really quality parts that will stand up to some abuse. I starting to think you would have to get one special-made or something… also, what does Dustin Kelm ride? he hops up stairs on his.
thanks!
Yea my friend had the same thing with his giraffe, I think any kind of giraffe does it, he didnt have a tx, idk wht he did have, but the chain slipped to.
make sure the crank area is properly tightened, i believe there is an inner piece that needs to be tightened beofre the outer ring is to be tightened (I’ll wait for some expert advice here)
The Torker giraffe is the giraffe from Inner Balance doing 4 stair gaps, 2.5 foot drops, etc, I think it’s plenty strong, just in need of some adjustment
Probably the best giraffe option right now for a giraffe you can buy without getting it custom made is the Nimbus double chain model. One big safety feature is that it has bolt on sprockets on the hub rather than the screw on style sprockets. The bolt on sprockets are attached similar to how disk brake rotors are attached to a mountain bike hub. The bolt on sprocket will not come loose on you while riding.
Other Nimbus giraffes also have the bolt on sprocket. That’s a big time safety upgrade. All giraffes should move to that style.
The Torker has a track bike style threaded sprocket on the hub. The sprocket is threaded on and has a lockring to secure it. The problem is that pedaling backwards can loosen the sprocket.
You need a special lockring wrench to tighten the lockring. You also need a chain whip to tighten the sprocket. You can get those tools at a bike shop. Or take the unicycle to a bike shop and have them do the work to properly tighten the sprocket and lockring.
It needs to be tight. Best option is to have them use RED HIGH STRENGTH Locktite on the threads before tightening the sprocket and lockring.
If you continue to have problems with the sprocket getting loose you can have the sprocket welded to the hub. Just make sure the welder doesn’t get the sprocket too hot and warp the sprocket.
Dustin Kelm rides a 6 foot Semcycle giraffe. He used to do the Loctite thing to keep the sprocket tight. But he’d still have to get that redone ever year or so because the sprocket would slip. Then he got the sprocket welded on.
thanks JC, I wasn’t aware of this giraffe, it sounds great
Yeah, I just had my procket welded on as well. I got sick and tired of trying to keep it from slipping. As for the cranks, the best swap you could make if your going to do crazy stuff on it would be to go to a BMX one piece set. All the bottom bracket hardware is the same as a regular bike. Just keep everything tight. Unlike normal uni stuff, your giraffe is made the same as most bikes, so your LBS can help out lots. I wentto a rail post for mine as well and it works great.
I got my Sem 6 after cracking the bottom bracket on my Schwinn 6. Schwinn made a nice hub with a bolt on sprocket that never slipped. Others like Sem for instance use a screw on and lockring that is okay for easy riders but when you put any torque on it the wrong way it will slip as has been noted in this thread.
The loctite route lasted until the first time I would transition out doing the side ride. I didn’t put up with that very long. Get that sprocket brazed on! It screws up the servicability of the wheel but it’s necessary.
Now my Sem 6ft is splitting apart where the wheel goes in the frame. I’m working with Paul Wyganowski on new 6 and 10 ft frames that will be lighter and stronger. So far we haven’t gotten all the bugs worked out.