Crank/Pedal issues

loctite?

--
Skippii - Kingpin, One for the Road

One for the Road: Harrisonburg's Unicycle gang.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skippii's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/7822
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/41643

This sounds like the cranks are on the wrong sides of the uni.

Your right foot should be on the pedal labelled "R", and your left foot
should be on the pedal left over. :0)

To tell which way the frame should be facing, look for the slot in the
top of the seat tube - the bit that is nipped tight when you tighten the
bolt or lever that allows you to adjust the height of the seat. That
slot should be at the back.

It doesn't really matter which way round the wheel goes (unlike on a
bicylce) but it does matter which side the pedals go.

The right pedal has a right hand thread (conventional thread: clockwise
to tighten). The left pedal has a left hand thread (anticlockwise to
tighten). This is very very very important indeedy. If you have the
pedals on the wrong sides then they will loosen as you ride, and the
pedals and cranks may be damaged.

It is not clear from the description that you gave whether the cranks
are held on with cotter pins or with the more modern cotterless system.
A cotter pin is a strangely shaped bolt with a flat side that makes it
act as a wedge to hold the crank on. A cotterless system has a single
central nut or bolt that screws onto or into the end of the axle.

Either way, it should be an easy matter to swap the cranks round so that
you have the left one on the left and the right one on the right. I
can't emphasise enough how important this is. I wrote off a brand new
crank in 400 yards once.

Now, fitting the crank: make sure all the surfaces are clean. Put it
on absolutely straight. If cotterless, give it a sharp tap with a
mallet to bed it onto the square taper of the axle. Tighten the nut (or
bolt) then ride for a short distance and tighten it again. If with a
cotter pin, be careful not to overtighten as they can shear easily.
Cotter pins are a disposable item, and can be replaced at a local bike
shop or even a good toy shop or hardware shop.

To tighten the pedals, use a 15 mm spanner - don't rely on the screw
slot or hex socket in the end of the pedal axle.

Things loosen on unicycles, unless you fit them well, and tighten them
after a short ride.

Look at the shop page at www.unicyle.com for examples of the various
types of cranks.

Thsi bit of your post was refreshing: <<but hey I can't complain, this
was just sitting in our garage because someone gave it to my dad and I
decided to put it to some use. >> and this bit was impressive: << I've
started maybe 3-4 weeks ago. But I am now able to freemount, ride a
decent distance, ride off steps/sidewalks, turns, and dismount somewhat
gracefully. >>

Welcome to the fold. 🙂

--
Mikefule - The first cuckoo of unicycling

Sumer is icomen in, loud sing Mikefule!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mikefule's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/879
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/41643

Mikefule, thanks for your help! I've gone ahead and switched my cranks
[which seem to be cotterless] and everything seemed to fine, until a
tall friend of mine tried it out and one of the pedals came loose again
[stripped the crank threading where the pedal is attached]. I believe
this is due to not keeping the pedal tight enough and it happened with
the crank that had not been replaced yet [taken too much abuse perhaps].
Plus, this taller friend doesn't really know what he's doing on the uni,
so it endured some more abuse. Lucky for me I purchased a set of cranks
when replacing the one that originally got wasted, and I simply need to
pull this stripped one out and slap the new one on.

Anyhow, thanks for the advice, I only have one more specific question:
is there any way to remove the crank without having to purchase the tool
that is specifically designed for crank removal? I originally removed
them when swapping them around by simply pedalling the wrong way to
loosen them up again, but now i cannot do so since one of the pedals
have fallen off, and i'd much rather not do it that way again as it's
probably not doing my uni any good. Sorry if I sound cheap, I just like
to do things as most conventionally as possible.

Mikefule said, "Welcome to the fold."

Thanks, glad to be part of this community. I just wish there some nice
areas around the Los Angeles area where i can take my uni [if anyone
knows of any, please let me know]. For now, I practice at my church. we
luckily have a fairly spacious, flat area and an amphitheatre where i
practice going down big steps.

--
kohpee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
kohpee's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/10282
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/41643