Uni5

Greg,

Michael was kind enough to bring the uni by my house for a quick test
ride. While reading this observation keep in mind that the only
uicycing I do is on top of a Coker.

It took me several attempts at free mounting before I actually
succeeded. Experiencing some difficulty with the mount suggests that
there is at least some difference in characteristics when comparing with
a Coker.

Once I was up and going surprisingly it felt just like my Coker. I rode
it for a couple of blocks and reach speeds of ( I am guessing) 16 to 18
MPH. I needed some more experience with it before feeling comfortable
at attempting faster speeds.–It turned just like a Coker. First
impressions were that with the exception of some backlash ( a lot less
than what I was expecting), UNI5 felt the same as a Coker.

I then hopped on my Coker and rode the same 3 blocks. The Coker felt a
bit smoother, and took less effort. I then jumped back on the UNI5 and
confirmed that it did take a little bit more effort to steady the UNI5
down the road

I am taking it on a 15 to 20 mile ride tomorrow and will be able to get
a better idea of the differences–I will let you know

As for the mechanics of the hub, much better than expected. Much
lighter, very little back lash, and was much easier to propel down the
road than what I expected. The backslash does not present a problem with
control whatsoever!

First impression–It is what I have been waiting for for 4 years. I
went from a 48 inch Penny Farthing Uni (not the way to go) to a Coker.
I am needing something that will give me more inches of travel per
revolution than a Coker for speed and distance. Using this hub on a 28
inch tire would be incredible. It would enable me to travel the
distances of 50-100 miles in faster times.

Conclusion-- Much easier to ride than what I had expected. Having
never ridden a geared up uni whatsoever, form all of what I have heard
and read, I was expecting a lot of trouble with control. UNI5 is no
doubt a little harder to propel down the road than the Coker however, it
will be interesting with my ride tomorrow to see if difficulty will be
lessened with experience.

Provided the hub proves durable I am fairly confident that even if after
my ride tomorrow UNI5 does prove more difficult to propel than the
Coker, I could still do 50 to 100 miles much faster than the Coker with
not much more effort.

I want one!

dan

Dan

Effort is difficult to quantify. I perceived that the uni.5 required more effort but I attributed it to the energy going into corrections made on a small wheel with less inertia than the Coker wheel.

Keep having fun and ride like the wind. How’s Michael feeling? Did he say he’d be OK before this weekend?

Re: Uni5

> How’s Michael feeling? Did he
> say he’d be OK before this weekend?
>
> –
> harper - Greg Harper: Frequent Faller (oops)
>
> -Greg Harper

Thanks for asking. I’m feeling much better. Rolf Thompson stopped by my
place this afternoon and took the uni.5 for a spin around the block. Being
that he’s almost exclusively an off-roader I don’t think he loved it like
Dan seemed to.

I’m passing it off to Dan tomorrow since I won’t have much time to ride it
until the weekend. And I’m sure Dan will be able to put more miles on it
that I could.

Saturday I’m hoping to get a group of interested “beta testers” together in
Salt Lake City. I’ll let you know how it goes.

By the way, the lid to the shipping crate had a minor problem. One of the
1x1s has come off and a couple of the screws are bent (not a big problem).
I’ll make the necessary repairs. Just thought you might want to know.

How long do we have before we need to ship it to the next leg of the “tour”?

-mg

Re: Re: Uni5

[QUOTE]
Originally posted by Michael Grant
[B
By the way, the lid to the shipping crate had a minor problem. One of the
1x1s has come off and a couple of the screws are bent

[/B][/QUOTE

oh my God, its gone rabid and wants out!

Where can I get some details on this geared hub? We have long distances here in Oz and lack of speed is frustrating for long trips.

Gabe-

Look at http://staff.washington.edu/gharper/

Michael-

You should ship to Doug Massey by Monday morning 8 April and then he should get it by that Wednesday afternoon. Thanks for repairing the crate. Hopefully it will get to the point where less effort goes into keeping the crate alive. I would hate to have it be more of a burden than repacking in a new cardboard box each time.

Re: Uni5

On Wed, 3 Apr 2002 15:29:53 -0600, dan
<dan.2jzkz@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:

>Provided the hub proves durable I am fairly confident that even if
>after
>my ride tomorrow UNI5 does prove more difficult to propel than the
>Coker, I could still do 50 to 100 miles much faster than the Coker
>with
>not much more effort.

Are you saying the uni.5 would be faster than a Coker? Why would that
be?

Klaas Bil

“To trigger/fool/saturate/overload Echelon, the following has been picked automagically from a database:”
“utopia, 3M, ABC”

Re: Re: Uni5

No, he’s saying that a 28" wheel geared up by 1.5 to 42" MIGHT be faster than a Coker. Actually, that was my intent. After NAUCC and UNICON I was going to take the 24" apart and make a higher end, lightweight 28" or 700c. Frank’s unicycle is 28" geared up by 1.57 to 44", I believe. It must really be a streak.

Took Uni5 for a 2 hour and 15 minute ride tonight without dismounting. Average cadence about 100. So I am guessing about
20 miles. Relatively flat with a few overpasses. Here are my thoughts:

The first 3 or 4 miles were uncomfortable. It seemed like I was constantly making corrections by either speeding up or holding
back. Then I turned onto a rode that I soon noticed had been recently resurfaced. The road was free of any imperfections such
as lines, holes, or unevenness. Low and behold–smooth riding, fee of corrections. Shoulders were completely relaxed, hands
to the side–same as the Coker It felt effortless. Completely enjoyable. As soon as I turned onto a rode that was not quite so
smooth, back to the corrections. I feel that the 24 inch tire picking up road imperfections resulting in corrections is 95% of the
reason the Cocker is a little easier

Obviously, with the 24 inch tire, rode imperfections are magnified compared to the Coker. However when riding on smooth
roads the characteristics of the two are close. I was not effected by the wind nearly as I am on the Coker. Obviously a head
wind is much easier to contend with simply because your not as exposed. Surprisingly hills are easier with UNI5, probably
because of the weight difference. Uni5 feels a little lighter.

Once up and running back lash is not a factor on smooth roads. Obviously on roads with imperfections, due to having to
correct, more effort is used to compensate for back lash.

Those that are interested in speed and distance in my opinion we are really on to something here. I was expecting the worst
from reading posts on geared up uni’s being extremely difficult to propel. I heard that it was hard to stay above the wheel,
therefor constantly making corrections. This is not the case, at least with this hub. Overall it takes more effort to propel UNI5
when compared to a Coker–But, not much.

Here’s the thing–Those that are looking to increase speed and distance, until someone comes up with (around 45 inch)
pneumatic tire, its not going to happen without this hub. I have been calling manufactures and waiting for 8 years. Using this hub
in combination with a 700C tire opens a bunch of doors. Much faster than a Coker. Think of the rim and tire selections. Most
importantly, with the 700C, less effort will be lost due to corrections. Again, I feel this is 95% of the reason UNI5 is a little
harder to propel. Inherently a 700C is less susceptible to road imperfections than a 24 inch thereby lessening corrections

So, this hub in combination with a 700C in my opinion the benefits would be huge for speed and distance. Even if 45 inch
pneumatic tires were available Im not so sure it would be the way to go compared to this. They’re heavy, and you are much
more exposed to the elements.

Im confident all you speedsters will feel the same after riding this–hope you have as mcuh fun as I did! Thanks Greg

Dan

Re: Uni5

On Thu, 4 Apr 2002 17:36:05 -0600, harper
<harper.2m01a@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:

>
>Klaas Bil wrote:
>> *
>> Are you saying the uni.5 would be faster than a Coker? Why would that
>> be?
>> *
>
>No, he’s saying that a 28" wheel geared up by 1.5 to 42" MIGHT be faster
>than a Coker. Actually, that was my intent. After NAUCC and UNICON I was
>going to take the 24" apart and make a higher end, lightweight 28" or
>700c. Frank’s unicycle is 28" geared up by 1.57 to 44", I believe. It
>must really be a streak.

My one is a 26" geared up by 1.58333 to 41.2". I don´t know what
streak means in this case but i love this uni!

Frank

Re: Re: Uni5

Streak: Moving so fast that to on lookers you become an elongated blurr. Or, in some cases, moving fast while naked. I’ll be sure to give the Mini Mach 5 a therough cleaning before mounting it.

Remember- It’s ok to love your Uni- just as long as you don’t L O V E your Uni.

Christopher

I’m afraid I missed something a ways back — is this a single gear uni or do you shift gears as you ride, and if so, how do you shift gears?

Frank,

Share with us the charactoristics of your geared up uni. I assume that its internaly geared simalar to the Uni5. 42 inches is about what Im looking for. Tell us how this uni is ridden. Distance? Speed/ How fast and how long. Do you own a Coker? If so how would you compare the two?

Since Greg was kind enough to reveal the drawing of his internal geared hub,I am seriously considering having one built

Dan

Re: Uni5

U-Turn <U-Turn.2n35m@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote in news:U-
Turn.2n35m@timelimit.unicyclist.com:

>
> I’m afraid I missed something a ways back — is this a single gear uni
> or do you shift gears as you ride, and if so, how do you shift gears?
>

This one is a single gear. I’ve read about Sturmey-Archer hubs on Sheldon
Brown’s site, and apparently you can take one of the old 3-speed S-A hubs
and turn it into a fixed-gear (non-coasting) 2-speed hub. They did make a
3-speed fixed-gear, but they are rare. The 2-speed ends up being a direct
drive plus the 33% overdrive like Greg’s hub. The 3-speed has a 25%
reduction, direct, and 33% overdrive.

John

Re: Uni5

On Fri, 5 Apr 2002 07:59:39 -0600, dan
<dan.2n42z@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:

>
>Frank,
>
>Share with us the charactoristics of your geared up uni. I assume that
>its internaly geared simalar to the Uni5. 42 inches is about what Im
>looking for. Tell us how this uni is ridden. Distance? Speed/ How fast
>and how long. Do you own a Coker? If so how would you compare the
>two?

Hi!

Characteristics: normal fork, hub with parts from a shimano 7 speed
hub, single speed with ratio 1.58333 : 1, 26"wheel geared up to
41", a little backlash which causes no problems, very little friction

Yes, it is the same principle as Uni5.

It is ridden just like any other unicycle. Every “normal” unicyclist
who has tried was able to freemount and ride comfortable after a few
minutes. I didn´t take it for real high speed/long distance rides up
to now (bad weather). But a normal speed is 25kmph, 30kmph is no
problem. I definitely can go faster but only with protectors for
knees, elbows. Perhaps i will try this weekend.

I don´t own a coker. I tried and didn´t like them at the Ride across
Minnesota and i didn´t feel very comfortable on Roger´s coker at
BJC2000 altough i liked the speed. I definitely want a light wheel
which fits into a european car :wink:

More information is on my webpage

http://www.unicycle.de.vu

I haven´t updated it since the day of the first ride. Go to unicycle
prototype.

Ciao!

Frank

Dan-

The drawing set is very close to “as built” but, since I did both the design and the machining there is quite a bit of latitude that I gave myself to make things fit just so. The dimensions are given in 4 decimal places with few tolerances listed which is absurd precision. I didn’t care because I had all the pieces on hand to check press fits and sliding fits on the fly. One unlisted detail I can think of offhand is that the axles are relieved by 0.001"-0.002" to allow bearings to slide over non-pressed regions.

Also keep in mind that I have a second, identical hub that I will have partially assembled for eye-candy at the summer conventions. I will auction off either the unused hub or the Uni.5 unicycle (buyers choice) to recover out-of-pocket expenses with the excess proceeds going to NWCUE

http://www.nwcue.org/events/naucc2002.html

which may (or may not) be cheaper than having one built.

Re: Uni5

Dan, thanks for the write-up of the Uni.5. I can’t wait to test it.

Question: What is the crank size on the Uni.5? I have gotten accustomed to
4.3" cranks on my Coker and am wondering if Harper’s Hub is going to get
me up to the same speed – about 14mph average on long rides. I have a
feeling that I’ll be riding slower on it for long distances, tho it sounds
like maybe it’s possible to go really fast for short spurts.

David Stone
Unatics of NY

Re: Re: Uni5

The Uni.5 comes with 6" aluminum cranks. That’s the only set in the crate right now. My intent was to make it comparable to a stock Coker (effective 36" diameter wheel, 6" cranks) but feel free to put any ALUMINUM cranks on that you like. I have to insist on aluminum only for the cranks because the axle is unhardened steel and might get galled up from steel cranks. Does Lasco make some cheap aluminum cranks of various lengths? Maybe some will find their way into the box before you get it. If not, I can buy a pair from Drummond and have him put them in when he gets it in a couple of weeks.

RE: Uni5

> I was expecting the worst from reading posts on geared
> up uni’s being extremely difficult to propel. I heard
> that it was hard to stay above the wheel, therefor
> constantly making corrections. This is not the
> case, at least with this hub.

Part of that previous information is probably from me, from experience
riding geared giraffes and a 20" geared to 40" many years ago. But the
difference is in the ratio. At only 1.5:1, this cycle is a much easier ride
than the 3:1 giraffe I rode at UNICON VIII, the 20" geared to 40" I rode in
1982, or the almost 2:1 Schwinn Giraffe I set up in 1980. It’s still extra
work to stay above the wheel, but the gear ratio is the controlling factor
of that.

> Overall it takes more effort to propel UNI5
> when compared to a Coker–But, not much.

I agree. But 20% more “effort” at the most, and this based on minimal riding
experience. The percentage would surely go down with practice, but I think,
always remain above zero.

> Most importantly, with the 700C, less effort will be
> lost due to corrections. Again, I feel this is 95% of
> the reason UNI5 is a little harder to propel.
> Inherently a 700C is less susceptible to road
> imperfections than a 24 inch thereby lessening corrections

I don’t think it’s the wheel size so much as the gear ratio. But this means
the effort on a 700c wheel would still be similar to on the 24". As the
wheel gets heavier, though, I would expect an increase in “work”. But a 700c
“road” wheel should be lighter and more responsive than a typical 24" wheel.

> Even if 45 inch pneumatic tires were available Im
> not so sure it would be the way to go compared to this.

It’s still about the same; the big wheel will always be the more effortless
and steady ride. But it will always be heavier, more susceptible to wind,
and harder to fit into the cupboard. The smaller, geared wheel will be
lighter, better for going uphill, and much better for storage.

> They’re heavy, and you are much
> more exposed to the elements.

I don’t see how you are more or less exposed to the elements on a different
sized wheel. You are presenting exactly the same profile to the wind, and
sitting in the same position. The difference is you don’t have all that
wheel causing wind drag.

Stay on top,
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
jfoss@unicycling.com

“We were discussing Big Mac Meals. I think that has little if anything to do
with cow parts. There are probably more UNICYCLE parts in a Big Mac than cow
parts.” - Greg Harper on cuisine

David,

I suggest you approach the uni5 like it is no different than your Coker. Ride at whatever speeds your used to. Do not assume you will have to settle for a slower pace. Throw all of what you have heard about geared-up uni’s out the window. On smooth roads I can maintain speeds at 13 to 14 MPH no problem. Again, very little differences between the two. And that is the exciting thing! I rode for 2 hours and 15 minutes at an average speed of around 10 MPH. But I have had the flu for over a month and am not in the greatest shape. If I were in the kind of shape that I’m used to being in, I’m confident a 2-hour ride at 13 to 14 MPH would be no problem, particularly if roads are smooth. So, plan on riding it just like you do your Coker and like me, you will find it enjoyable with very little differences!

If uni5 has no interested test riders for Sunday, I am going to take it on a longer faster ride. However, if any interest at all is expressed I will let them preside over me. After all, I’ve already had my fun!