>I just replaced my schwinn [] with a semcycle XL. It’s only 5 months new and >I keep going through hell with the crank arms. After about 10 miles they loosen >up and start jiggling. ARGH!! I have to tighten them so often. I know they’re >not on backwards, so what’s going on? Do sems always do that?
>Missing my schwinn.
I have a borrowed semcycle XL with the same problem. A few suggestings:
carry a wrench where ever you go.
replace the nut (this seems to help for a while)
super glue the nut. (as has been suggested before on this group)
In talking to Tom Miller, he says that if everything is right that the nut
should not loosen. However he didn’t give any suggestions other than tighten as
tight as you can.
Andy C. … I think you said that you recomend the semcycle to new riders. Do
they have any problems? Is the Non XL any better?
I’m looking for a good 24" uni for racing. What’s the best out there? Why? John
Foss said that he hase one uni for racing but did not say what kind (custom
built maybe?)
>>I just replaced my schwinn [] with a semcycle XL. It’s only 5 months new and >>I keep going through hell with the crank arms. After about 10 miles they >>loosen up and start jiggling. ARGH!! I have to tighten them so often. I know >>they’re not on backwards, so what’s going on? Do sems always do that?
>In talking to Tom Miller, he says that if everything is right that the nut >should not loosen. However he didn’t give any suggestions other than tighten as >tight as you can.
Use a rubber hammer or regular hammer and a block of wood to pound the
cotterless cranks on firmly. Place the opposite crankarm on a (another) block of
wood on the floor to avoid pounding stress to the spokes and wheel, etc.
However, do not pound real hard or the crankarms and possibly even the axle
could be damaged.
After the above, snug up the nuts real tight. Your should never have to worry
about loose crankarms again, WITHOUT using lock tight. The non-permanent lock
tight couldn’t hurt though, but be sure the crankarms are on very, very tight
before using it!
>I’m looking for a good 24" uni for racing. What’s the best out there? Why? John >Foss said that he hase one uni for racing but did not say what kind (custom >built maybe?)
I’m quite sure that John’s racing uni is a 24" Miyata Deluxe with 1
3/8" tire and rim. It has cyclo-meter imbedded in the front part of the seat
foam. It might even have flared and flat racing spokes, though wind resistance
due to spokes at speeds achieveable on a 24" unicycle is many times less than
on a racing bicycle.
> In talking to Tom Miller, he says that if everything is right that the nut > should not loosen. However he didn’t give any suggestions other than tighten > as tight as you can. > > Andy C. … I think you said that you recomend the semcycle to new riders. Do > they have any problems? Is the Non XL any better?
The problem with the semcycle hubs is that (according to Tom Miller) when the
hub machined it isnt smoothly tapered. Instead it is machined in small steps.
This is what makes the problem of the cranks getting lose, instead of sliding on
until snug, the crank catches on a step. A crank that is slightly loose will
help work the nut loose because of the constant back and forth movement. The
method I use is to oil the hub, including the threads then put the crank on.
This way I can get it much tighter than without using oil. Many years ago, I
stripped a few nuts (shouldnt have put the breaker bar on the socket) so it is
possible to strip the bolt. The good news is the bolt is standard stock item for
bicycle stores. I keep a half a dozen in my unicycle tool box just in case.
> I’m looking for a good 24" uni for racing. What’s the best out there? Why? > John Foss said that he hase one uni for racing but did not say what kind > (custom built maybe?)
Besides John Foss (who has the best unicycle racing machine (and most
expensive)), the racing unicycles that are most common are the Miyata unicycle
with a custom 24 rim and tire. I have been using this combination for a couple
of years and it makes a big differance in racing times. Tom Miller is the person
to get the rim, spokes and tire. Although, dont have him assemble it for you, he
is so behind that you might not get it until after the 1997 convention. Have it
assembled by a local bike shop.
Below is a message that posted Dec 8 about cranks that loosen. I was asked to
clarify a few things I said. So here it goes:
On Fri, 8 Dec 1995, Andy Cotter wrote:
> > In talking to Tom Miller, he says that if everything is right that the nut > > should not loosen. However he didn’t give any suggestions other than tighten > > as tight as you can. > > > > Andy C. … I think you said that you recomend the semcycle to new riders. > > Do they have any problems? Is the Non XL any better? > > The problem with the semcycle hubs is that (according to Tom Miller) when the > hub machined it isnt smoothly tapered. Instead it is machined in small steps. > This is what makes the problem of the cranks getting lose, instead of sliding > on until snug, the crank catches on a step. A crank that is slightly loose > will help work the nut loose because of the constant back and forth movement. > The method I use is to oil the hub, including the threads then put the crank > on. This way I can get it much tighter than without using oil. Many years > ago, I stripped a few nuts (shouldnt have put the breaker bar on the socket) > so it is possible to strip the bolt. The good news is the bolt is standard > stock item for bicycle stores. I keep a half a dozen in my unicycle tool box > just in case.
Clarification: The above axle I was talking about was the SemCycle XL hub. The
hub that goes on the SemCycle deluxe (at least the one that I am familiar with)
is one of the best hubs available. Back in the late 80’s I was breaking Miyata
hubs every 6 months. I went out and bought a SemCycle Deluxe and still have that
hub today. The Miyata hubs are much better quality today. I haven’t broken a
Miyata hub in a year and half.
> > I’m looking for a good 24" uni for racing. What’s the best out there? Why? > > John Foss said that he hase one uni for racing but did not say what kind > > (custom built maybe?) > > Besides John Foss (who has the best unicycle racing machine (and most > expensive)), the racing unicycles that are most common are the Miyata unicycle > with a custom 24 rim and tire. I have been using this combination for a couple > of years and it makes a big differance in racing times. Tom Miller is the > person to get the rim, spokes and tire. Although, dont have him assemble it > for you, he is so behind that you might not get it until after the 1997 > convention. Have it assembled by a local bike shop.
Clarification: As was hinted above, Tom Miller is busy making custom unicycles.
He is very good about getting out parts very promptly. Tom Miller has so many
orders for custom unicycles that if you were to order a custom unicycle it
could take up to two years. To get the exact time estimate on a unicycle call
Tom Miller.