I have come to dislike the fact that the only size of wheel I have in my
fleet of unicycles is 20 inches. I have a (mostly Sem) freestyle, my
learner uni (norco), a bc wheel (plates I made myself), and a Torker
TX.
The Torker is a really strong and (basing this on the other giraffes I
have used, which isn't a great many) solid giraffe. It has 125mm
cranks, and 28 tooth sprockets. It's only five feet tall, making it not
a 'true' giraffe, but the ease of mounting and the degree to which that
wows the audience definitely makes it a worthy machine.
Since I tend to ride my unicycles everywhere, I've always wanted
something to go a little faster. And since I'd just gotten quite
comfortable, and dare I say, confident, on the Torker, I decided it was
time to modify it a little. Since I know nothing about how cogs fit
onto freewheels (on the TX, it turns out to be the same as a fixed-gear
bike), I took it down to the LBS. They gave me a pretty good deal on
fitting the sprocket that I wanted because I gave them mention in the
'article' (http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44984)
that was done in my university's newspaper.
So, to make a long story short, I got my wish. They fitted a 14t
sprocket to the bottom of the beast, giving me a 2:1 gear ratio,
theoretical 40" equivalent wheelsize. I can't even freemount anymore,
but *damn* can this thing haul ass!
I'm very happy with the modification. I'm guesstimating a week before I
figure out some way to get on without needing a curb. It also seems
that I've just done the exact opposite of what 'this'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45041) person has
done.
The handling is incredibly finicky, and I've already been going a fair
clip and had to drop and roll out of a fall, incurring minor road rash.
I'm getting more used to it now, but the wheel needs more air and
clings to the road camber like a flat Big Apple riding through tar.
All things considered though, the real reason I wanted to do this was
to challenge myself. And have fun, of course 🙂
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flyer
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View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/45089