Custom muni project...

andrew_carter said:

*I'm planning on giving it away and getting a new custom frame made.*

who are you giving it to ill gladly take it off your hands and pay the
shipping 🙂

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zack said:

*beware of the evan!*

I agree and also tyler 🙁
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andrew_carter said:

*I'm planning on giving it away and getting a new custom frame made.*

who are you giving it to ill gladly take it off your hands and pay the
shipping 🙂

--
drewation - team YAMS member

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zack said:

*beware of the evan!*

I agree and also tyler 🙁
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That looks awsome. I've been wanting to build my own frame and have
been working on some disigns. What program did you use to do the 3D
modeling.

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That looks awsome. I've been wanting to build my own frame and have
been working on some disigns. What program did you use to do the 3D
modeling.

--
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who are you giving it to ill gladly take it off your hands and pay the
shipping 🙂
- Sorry, a local friend beat you to it.

That looks awsome. I've been wanting to build my own frame and have been
working on some disigns. What program did you use to do the 3D
modeling.
- Cheers, I used AutoCAD for the modelling, and just did screenshots
with the "Print Screen" button on the keyboard. It's handy doing 3D
models because you can really get an idea of how it will look (and as I
did, put a wheel in there to check clearances) before you go too far
with the design.

Andrew

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who are you giving it to ill gladly take it off your hands and pay the
shipping 🙂
- Sorry, a local friend beat you to it.

That looks awsome. I've been wanting to build my own frame and have been
working on some disigns. What program did you use to do the 3D
modeling.
- Cheers, I used AutoCAD for the modelling, and just did screenshots
with the "Print Screen" button on the keyboard. It's handy doing 3D
models because you can really get an idea of how it will look (and as I
did, put a wheel in there to check clearances) before you go too far
with the design.

Andrew

--
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I didn't think autocad could do 3d versions. or are you using the
mechanical desktop version of it.

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I didn't think autocad could do 3d versions. or are you using the
mechanical desktop version of it.

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andrew_carter said:

*Seatpost size
- I'm very much undecided about this. What is standard on most quality
munis? 25.4mm? Thomson bike seatposts are available in 25.4 which is a
consideration I had for the future. For now though, I don't want an
adjustable seat angle. *

Pick a seatpost size that will allow you to use a 'Salsa Flip-Lock'
(http://www.salsacycles.com/comps_skewers.html) seatpost clamp. The
Salsa is the best available quick-release seatpost clamp available. It
clamps tight. I use a Salsa Flip-Lock on my muni and it has never
slipped on me. It is nice to have a quick-release clamp on a muni
because it makes it easy and convenient to change the seat height to
suit the terrain and how you're going to ride.

So you'll want to pick a tubing size for the neck that has about a
28.6mm OD. From there you can work backwards to find a suitable wall
thickness and figure out what the ID is going to be. That'll be your
seatpost diameter.

If you can't find good tubing with a proper ID so the seatpost fits
snugly you can always go with a custom shim to make the seatpost fit
properly. My muni has a custom shim and it works just fine. I was
worried that a shim might make it more likely for the seatpost to twist
or slip. But if the shim is well made and properly sized you won't have
a problem. Otherwise finding tubing that has the right OD and ID to fit
the seatpost could be difficult.

Common seatpost sizes on unicycles now have been 27.2mm, 26.8mm (the
Hunters), and 25.4mm.

--
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andrew_carter said:

*Seatpost size
- I'm very much undecided about this. What is standard on most quality
munis? 25.4mm? Thomson bike seatposts are available in 25.4 which is a
consideration I had for the future. For now though, I don't want an
adjustable seat angle. *

Pick a seatpost size that will allow you to use a 'Salsa Flip-Lock'
(http://www.salsacycles.com/comps_skewers.html) seatpost clamp. The
Salsa is the best available quick-release seatpost clamp available. It
clamps tight. I use a Salsa Flip-Lock on my muni and it has never
slipped on me. It is nice to have a quick-release clamp on a muni
because it makes it easy and convenient to change the seat height to
suit the terrain and how you're going to ride.

So you'll want to pick a tubing size for the neck that has about a
28.6mm OD. From there you can work backwards to find a suitable wall
thickness and figure out what the ID is going to be. That'll be your
seatpost diameter.

If you can't find good tubing with a proper ID so the seatpost fits
snugly you can always go with a custom shim to make the seatpost fit
properly. My muni has a custom shim and it works just fine. I was
worried that a shim might make it more likely for the seatpost to twist
or slip. But if the shim is well made and properly sized you won't have
a problem. Otherwise finding tubing that has the right OD and ID to fit
the seatpost could be difficult.

Common seatpost sizes on unicycles now have been 27.2mm, 26.8mm (the
Hunters), and 25.4mm.

--
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I didn't think autocad could do 3d versions. or are you using the
mechanical desktop version of it.
- I don't think it's the Mechanical Desktop version, no. I remember
back in highschool though we used Mechanical Desktop for 3D modelling.
What I'm currently using is just plain old AutoCAD 2002.

To access the 3D stuff, you should be in model space and work wit hthe
"Solids" toolbar. The quickest way to choose your toolbars is to right
click on any of the toolbars you have up, then a list will pop up. I'll
attach a screenshot of the ones I usually work with.

The Salsa is the best available quick-release seatpost clamp available.
It clamps tight. I use a Salsa Flip-Lock on my muni and it has never
slipped on me. It is nice to have a quick-release clamp on a muni
because it makes it easy and convenient to change the seat height to
suit the terrain and how you're going to ride.
- I've oggled those seatpost clamps before, back when I was working at
Gap Cycles, but at $60 a pop I can't really justify buying one. Very
true though, that it's nice to be able to quickly adjust your seat
height out on the trail. I'll have a browse around at other cheaper
options. What about a combination of a cheaper quick release (no more
than $30) and knurling (is that the right word?) of the seatpost? I'll
also see what Nathan has to say. He has a pretty extensive background
in machinery and that sort of thing so maybe he can come up with a
solution of non-cycling origins.

So you'll want to pick a tubing size for the neck that has about a
28.6mm OD. From there you can work backwards to find a suitable wall
thickness and figure out what the ID is going to be. That'll be your
seatpost diameter.
- A wall thickness of 1.6mm is reasonable for a seatpost isn't it? Do
you have any idea what a common thickness is for munis? 1.6mm would fit
a 25.4 post with a 28.6 clamp.

If you can't find good tubing with a proper ID so the seatpost fits
snugly you can always go with a custom shim to make the seatpost fit
properly.
- Although I'm sure a custom shim would work well, I've spent two years
riding with horrible non-custom shims from bits lying around bike shops.
It's one of those things where although the logical thing to do may be
to run a shim, I'm holding a grudge against all shims whether they're
custom or not. 🙂

Thanks for your help.

Andrew

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John's right on the Salsa QR; it's worth designing your MUni around.
I'm doing the opposite, though; there is a huge selection of seatposts
at 27.2mm and I'm heading that way.

Whether you want to tilt your saddle or not, the Thomson is a great
seatpost and you will be happy you used one. It has a textured surface
for better grip within the seat tube.

Official word from Surly (to me, at least) is that they "have no plans"
to produce a 24" x 4" tire. If they do develop plans, they say, it
would take over a year before they appeared. So you might shy even
further away from planning for that.

The DX32 is a great, time-tested rim with an excellent braking surface
and is also worth building a frame around.

--
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andrew_carter said:

*

The Salsa is the best available quick-release seatpost
clamp available. It clamps tight. I use a Salsa Flip-Lock on my muni
and it has never slipped on me. It is nice to have a quick-release
clamp on a muni because it makes it easy and convenient to change the
seat height to suit the terrain and how you're going to ride.
- I've oggled those seatpost clamps before, back when I was working
at Gap Cycles, but at $60 a pop I can't really justify buying one.
Very true though, that it's nice to be able to quickly adjust your
seat height out on the trail. I'll have a browse around at other
cheaper options. What about a combination of a cheaper quick release
(no more than $30) and knurling (is that the right word?) of the
seatpost? I'll also see what Nathan has to say. He has a pretty
extensive background in machinery and that sort of thing so maybe he
can come up with a solution of non-cycling origins.

Thanks for your help.

Andrew *

I welded my seatpost to the frame (because I had problems with slipping
after trying various solutions).
I've found that I can change the air pressure in my airseat to give the
"raising and lowering" effect (using a high-capacity Gemcrest). Mostly,
I've just learned to ride at one height though.

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Whether you want to tilt your saddle or not, the Thomson is a great
seatpost and you will be happy you used one. It has a textured surface
for better grip within the seat tube.
- One concern I had about the Thomson is that it only has the two bolts
up top connecting to the seat (or rails). Would this be strong enough
for aggressive muni riding? What do you think of what I mentioned
before about knurling on a standard unicycle seatpost?

Official word from Surly (to me, at least) is that they "have no plans"
to produce a 24" x 4" tire. If they do develop plans, they say, it would
take over a year before they appeared. So you might shy even further
away from planning for that.
- Thanks a lot for that, it's very nice to know. I've given it more
thought and I like the idea of sticking to the, as you said, time-tested
DX-32 and Gazz combo more and more each time I think of it. So my
semi-official decision is to stick with the DX-32 and 3" Gazz with 15mm
or so clearance each side, and 20mm or so on top.

Thanks for your help.

Andrew

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Mostly, I've just learned to ride at one height though.
- I don't run an airseat, and I don't really want to change my riding
to suit the muni...I think it should be the other way around. Although
I can see how it would work alright with an airseat.

Andrew

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U-Turn is right about John being right. the Flip-Lock is the best

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Agreed, but it's $60!

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The Salsa Flip-Lock is expensive, but it's worth it. It's the only
quick-release seatpost clamp I've found that actually works. If you
want to save money you can go with a more standard non-quick-release
seatpost clamp. You could upgrade to the Salsa later on if you
choose.

Don't do any knurling. There is absolutely no need with a good seatpost
and a good frame. Start with good quality tubing for the seatpost and
make sure it is machined well to the proper OD. Then make sure that the
inside ID of the frame is machined well and is the proper ID. Even just
a little bit of slop will cause problems. Also make sure the tubing
used for the seatpost is strong enough, thick enough, and hard enough so
that it doesn't compress when clamped. Some of the standard unicycle
seatposts use wimpy steel that can compress when clamped tightly. If
the seatpost compresses you're never going to be able to keep it from
slipping.

I don't know what kind of wall thickness is necessary for the neck of
the frame. Someone who has built a frame would know better. 1.6mm
sounds excessive though. Going with a 28.6 OD and 27.2 ID would give
you a wall thickness of 0.7 mm. That is probably closer to what is
necessary.

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andrew_carter said:

*- One concern I had about the Thomson is that it only has the two
bolts up top connecting to the seat (or rails). Would this be strong
enough for aggressive muni riding? What do you think of what I
mentioned before about knurling on a standard unicycle seatpost?
*

The Thomson seatpost is strong. It is made from a stronger aluminum
alloy than most other seatposts. That's why they can make the walls
thinner. The Thomson will not compress when clamped tight.

The Thomson is also a one piece seatpost. Meaning that the guts are not
just glued on. The bottom part of the seatpost is all machined from one
piece of aluminum. Seatposts that have the guts glued on have a
tendency for the bond to break down and eventually fail because
unicyclists twist and pull on the seat. Bike posts aren't usually
designed for that type of abuse. That kind of failure won't happen with
a Thomson because the seatpost is all one piece.

The two bolts that clamp the rails and hold the seat at the correct
angle are very strong. Thomson specs them to be strong. They are held
in the seatpost in such a way that they pull straight down and don't
have to bend. They hold tight, clamp tight, and stay tight. I have no
worries that one of the bolts will fail. The whole seatpost is really
well engineered.

If you can get a Thomson seatpost and a rail adapter of some type, you
won't be disappointed. It's a combination that works and has proven to
be reliable as long as the rail adapter is welded well.

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