What was that clunk on the KH hub?

Unicycles and Equipment
1

About 6 months ago, I bought a brand new KH trials wheelset. I dropped it in an old Onza frame that was a few years old. Placing shims on top of the bearings raised the frame up enough so the dust covers would not scrape. It felt solid and I bounced around on it a little - a few minutes here, a few minutes there… very little in fact.

Then it starts, a clunk when ever I did a side hop. I look at it, wiggle the wheel, and it feels like a loose bearing. I take the wheel off and move the bearings with my fingers and they seem to have more play than I remember on my other unis. The trials gets mothballed for a few months except for some WW practice twice a month.

Finally, two days ago, Evan Byrne asks to borrow it for the trials comp at the LA uni roundup. So,I finally decide to go out and change the bearings. Upon getting the donut rings off, I go to loosen the crank bolts and notice that they seem to loosen very easily. Hmmmmmmm. I pull one off and start to realize that it wasn’t the darn bearing, but I just needed to tighten the bolts.
Arrrrghhh. Yep, that’s all it needed. clunk is gone.:slight_smile:

Tightening the bolts pressed the bearings against the hub.

Though, interestingly, one of the crank arms pulled off easily by hand, the other did not. I had to use a bearing puller. I stopped about halfway up the splines thinking, that if it was that hard to pull off, I might not be able to put it back on. I just tightened that crank bolt up and moved on, not risking any wierd stuff.

Evan has a nice cherry ride for the trials comp, now.

For anyone getting a new Kh - If the wheel starts to clunk, just tighten the crank bolts.:smiley:

Cheers

2

KH hubs always have loose bearings, you need to take off the bearings and the spacer, put the space over 1 layer of paper and then put the bearings bk on over the spacer with a off cut of pipe. No more slippage :stuck_out_tongue:

3

Same goes for the Old KH hub and Cranks(nubbed ones). I had this same problem with my Gen 1 setup and it was the same solution. Just make sure that all your bolts are tight and if the creak, give em a wiggle and if they move even a tiny bit tighten em some more(on mine it was the pinchbolts).

P.S. Teachndad, maybe you should indeed take that stubborn crank off. I had the exact same problem(one slid on and off easy,the other was a bugger). I just took it off and greased the splines generously, on the inside of the crank and on the axel, now its great!

-Phil

4

Yay, Thanks Rod.

5

Is your arm back in service?

6

Yes indeed.

7

with tightening your cranks on, allen key and use foot 2 time doing 60 ish degrees, what roger did to mine at BUC O.o or just the once will be uber tight :smiley: