which way pedals

OK I’m trying to get my uni down for luggage.

Which way do you turn to take off the pedals for left and right crank, facing the wheel, with pedal in front.

It’s gotta fit in the case :smiley: also when ppl had experiences with the pressure and in the hold?

The right pedal is a normal thread (anti-clockwise to undo), the left pedal is a left-hand thread (clockwise to undo). Or, another way to look at it is to turn both pedals backwards (relative to the uni direction) to undo, forwards to tighten.

Best to lower the tyre pressure a bit to make sure it doesn’t burst in the hold, but I’ve never heard of it happening except on very high pressure road tyres.

Rob

When I remove cranks I am behind the wheel, make sure the right crank is on the right side, put pedal wrench on with the handle up, and pull it backwards towards me. Works every time.

Be carefull if the pedals are tight and you’re pulling really hard. When they release you may find your hand flying back and hitting the frame, of course I did not learn that from experience. :o (Assuming you don’t have the wheel turned around and are actually tightnening).

Also a good time to be sure your threads are well greased.

My rule for pedals" Foreward on. Back off."

i used a rubber hammer :wink:

what about tire pressure and flying, anyone had any probs, i deflated the tire just in case.

I remember reading one thread where someone’s tube popped, but I’ve only heard of it happening once. I don’t think it’s a prolific problem, but pumping after you land sure beats having to find a bike store to get a new tube.

Be really, really careful when you put the pedals on again. I cross-threaded a crank just by putting the pedal on with my fingers. I was trying to be careful and still messed up. :frowning:

Wheel Rider speaks the truth. A crank is more difficult to instantly locate than a tube or patch kit. Look at those threads. Clean and grease those threads. Start and advance those threads with your fingers. If it is at all difficult before you have completed a couple of turns, find out why. You’re going to be around a lot of people who know what they’re doing. Ask them if you have any questions. You only get to force your pedals on once.

Yep. I had to buy new cranks after taking my pedals off to get the uni in a suitcase.

cathy

The theoretical maximum change of pressure in flight is of course one atmospher of pressure - that’s one Bar, which is about 14 psi. Most tyres will take 40 or more psi, and most unicyclists run them a lot lower.

Of course, the plane will never go so high that the air pressure is a whole atmospher lower than at ground level, otherwise it would be in space, and the wings wouldn’t work.

Fast road bikes run tyres at 100 psi or more, and a few extra psi could make a difference. For your uni, it’s unlikely to matter.

More worrying is that in the unshielded hold of the aeroplane, the frame will be subject to higher levels of cosmic radiation. Any components containing aluminium can retain this for several weeks, so it would be as well to wear a protective layer of baking foil inside your cycling shorts for the first few rides after a flight.

For tire pressure, I usually let some out, but not enough for the tire to come loose on the rim. This just makes the unicycles easier to pack, and self-bumpering in the luggage. I also bring a small pump with me.

Technically you should only need to lower your pressure if you run your tires at very high pressures. Or for very big wheels, like Cokers, where the tire may be more prone to coming off the rim. I have also flown without taking any air out. No problems. Pressure in the plane’s cargo area is the same pressure you get in your seat. Roughly the equivalent of 10,000’ or less.

My way to remember pedal threading:
Righty-righty, lefty-lefty. Sounds stupid, but the right side works normally (screws on to the right) and the left side is the odd one (screws on to the left).

one of the pedals should have ridges on the part that you put the wrench on, and the other should be smooth, just put some tape on the crank that has the rough one and don’t worry about that part

I think the rough one is the one w/ left helical (turn it the opposite way to take it off, but im not sure