homemade geared giraffe

That is so cool! I'm about to build a giraffe of my own. Would love to
see some detailed pictures.

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Tunnelrat81 said:

Every other giraffe I've seen is 1:1 gearing

Often, giraffes are close to 1:1 gearing but not quite. The slightly
off-unity gear is better for wear.

Yours sounds like a cool project. Several people will want to see your
pictures but new(ish) forum users don't seem to be allowed to make a
gallery here. You could post pictures in this thread but not video.
That you would have to host elsewhere or ask someone to put it in a
gallery at unicyclist.com for you.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
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As simple as hacking up an old BMX frame and using some imagination. My
original idea when we started talking about it was to leave the tail
section alone, just modify it to work as a linear fork, thus making it
possible to use the same length chain...this wasn't so however, as mark
didn't think it'd be tall enough that way, which I'm glad for now. he
left the downtube attached to the hub and chopped off everything else
from it. used the top tube to extend the bottom fork and then welded
the vertical tube onto the top of it all to have an adjustable seat
height.

Here's a picture of him when we first started attempting to ride.
The tail triangle piece was a simple fix....just took the frame pieces
that go up to just under the seat, and bent them around (with heat of
course) to meet with the straight ones. Hope the picture helps, and let
me know if you build one.

Oh, and let it be understood that although the gearing makes for
a fun challenge, it's quite lacking in practicality, unless you plan on
riding large expanses of smooth paved surfaces at high speeds 5+ ft.
above a 20" wheel. We have yet to find out if idling is even possible,
as the wheel travels SO FAR with so little pedal input, which means you
have VERY LITTLE authority over it, ESPECIALLY with your cranks vertical
as they are while idling.

Good luck.

jeremy

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Do you think it would be ok if I didn't use a bike fork, but instead
took two metal tubes and made a t ::A:: LL frame, with a lot of
clearance around the wheel , like the ones on miyata, torker, pashley
giraffes? I this type of giraffe frame might be more sturdier.

Frame:

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Shucks, it messed my drawing up, well here's a detailed picture of the
frame.

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I'm sure it would be stronger to use a frame like the one pictured, but
at that point, you're basically fabricating the whole frame. If you've
got the resources, you might as well do it. I think the fork portion of
our frame is plenty strong, but any time you have that much length of
straight, thin-walled pipe (from the fork up to the seat) you're in
danger of bending from hard falls, simply from the greatly increased
leverage.

After the weekend I should be able to get some more detailed pictures of
our giraffe up, so far the one is all we have.

Good luck with your fabricating, and be sure and post some pictures if
you decide to build one. AND if you are using a BMX bike frame for
material, go ahead and try the stock gearing just for fun, its a riot.

jeremy

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How do you stop the freewheel?

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About a year or 2 ago I was practicing MIG welding. My first project was
the exact same as yours. I used the wheel and frame off of a crappy
freewheel bike. I simply welded the gear to the hub, since the whole
thing had been free and noone cared to ever salvage it again. I used the
bottom bracket and welded it onto the rear triangle at a different
angle. I then took a piece of the toptube and welded that between the
seattube and the back of the rear triangle to strengthen the whole
thing. IT worked well although I never bothered to check chain length so
I ended up using a half-link in it. I used stock gearing. It rode
weirdly, but wasn't too bad since it was only about 3' tall. It's since
rusted over and been cut up for scrap. I haven't gotten to do any MIG at
that shop since then, so I haven't bothered to rebuild it.

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Just like gerble said, we just welded a small bead around the gear to
lock it to the hub, allowing the axle to still turn of course, but
locking down the freewheel.

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I was bored last weekend so i got out the grinder welder and an old bike
and made a 7 1/2 ft uno with a 26" wheel and potentialy a 15 speed gear
change (it did have 21 gears but when part sheared off inside the hub i
had to grind the end off to weld it up inside) i havnt riden it much
but already feel that it is too lower gear so this weekend i am going
to try and make
it possible to change gear and hopfuly even change gear on the go
if you have any suggestions on how i can do it please post them here..
http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58767.. there is also
a pic of me riding my raffie 😄

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I'm just wondering if you ever considered putting a 24" instead of a 20"
😕 and BTW, i always loved giraffes. It makes you feel more
unique and independent in a way. Keep up the good work. 😄 😄 😄

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This is video of me riding a highly geared giraffe with a 26" wheel
(pretty fast)

http://enhansa.net/unicycling/gUniSpeed.AVI

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I experimented with gear ratios on giraffes back in 1980 by changing the
top chainwheel on 'my Schwinn Giraffe'
(http://www.unicycling.com/garage/giraffe.htm). I think the size we
used the most was 48 teeth on top, to 26 on the bottom, for not quite
2:1. Yes, it was a pain to freemount the cycles (we had two of them),
but idling was possible if you took your time about it. I also rode it
in formation in a parade once or twice, but that was pretty hard also,
being in a line with other giraffe riders stopping and starting.

In 1980 Bradley Bradley and I also rode them in the March of Dimes
Superride, 75km for charity. We were the first ones to start and the
last to finish, with painful urination and other ailments! Never again
on a 20" wheel! 🙂

I have ridden a low giraffe with a 20" wheel and a 3:1 gear ratio. The
guy had it set up with aero bars and a speedometer. I did not think
going fast on it would have been a good idea at all...

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siafirede said:

This is video of me riding a highly geared giraffe with a 26" wheel
(pretty fast)

http://enhansa.net/unicycling/gUniSpeed.AVI

James, that was really you?! I find it funny how I keep bumping into
you on here. So, how fast were you going in this?

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My first home made uni was a giraffe. I used an old 26 inch coaster
brake singe speed bycicle for the frame. I welded the sprocket of a 20
inch rear wheel from a single speed coaster braked "spyder" bike solid
to the hub. But....... for the crank sproket I found that a sproket off
of the rear wheel of another 20" rear wheel would fit almost perfectly
over the clamping nut (opposite side of the large crank sproket) of the
crank. The clamping nut centered the sproket around the crank pretty
well. Then Weld the sproket to the clamping nut assemble the crank and
bearings with the bearing cone "nut" like normal. Screw the calmping
nut down and seat it pretty well on the bearing cone "nut" then weld
the clamping nut to the crank. True you can't disasemble the thing if
your brearings go out, but you've had your fun and you can allways
build another. This worked pretty well and the uni had a 1:1 ratio.

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yey.. i luv giraffes..
the first time i learnt (a 5 ft) my trainer held my hand for a bit..
then let go.. i was doing fine until someone yelled out "Did you teach
her how to get off?"

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