How do I stop stripping cranks?

i would keep everything nice and tight...you got a spanner??

heeey nice post #1 and you don't have the standard"confused newbie"
thing under your name!!!

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you could get a better unicycle 🙂 , your pedals may be bad. I'm not
sure on the strenth of those cranks.

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dunawan said:

why are koxx one unicycles so costly???

forrestunifreak said:

They are expensive because they use only the finest soft drink cans.

Quoted message said:

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he probably meansWITHOUT getting a different uni....

you should probably get an allan key set and a spanner.....

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By going to the auto parts place and buy blue loctite. Install your new
cranks yourself, noting the one marked L goes on the left.
Install your pedals with blue loctite on the threads and screw them
into the cranks. Note that the left pedal screws in counter clockwise
and the right clockwise.
You started pedaling backwards and it's the left crank that stripped
right?🙄 If your LBS had put loctite on this wouldn't have
happened. But people rarely pedal their bikes backwards !

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A new unicycle is a possibility, I've been considering getting one more
suited to trials riding, but I don't want to invest in one unless I'm
sure it will solve the problem.

Yes I have a spanner, I'll be sure to keep the pedals tight in the
future.

If the strength of the pedals is in question, why don't I get new
pedals instead of a whole uni?

Yes the problem did start when I started riding backwards, I just
assumed it was the hopping that did it since it's such a higher stress
situation, that the pedal would start to loosen and then strip the
crank. What goes wrong when you pedal backwards without loctite? Why
does only the left crank strip?

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I also assumed that the left was stripping because that's the foot I
idle with and do the most controlling with in general. Hence my current
idea of spinning the seat around and riding with the uni backwards to
even out the wear on both pedals.

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It is possible that it's a low quality pedal and not the quality of the
crank that is causing the problem. I've had a cheap pedal where the
pedal threads were undersized. No matter what you did that pedal would
come loose.

The only way to fix that is to get new pedals. Preferably pedals that
have higher standard of quality.

If a pedal threads in too easily then the threads may be undersized.

If you get a bike shop to put on the new crank, tell them your concern
that the pedal thread may be undersized. They should be able to tell
if the pedal is threading in too easily. If that's the case then get
new pedals.

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tambourineman10 said:

I also assumed that the left was stripping because that's the foot I
idle with and do the most controlling with in general. Hence my current
idea of spinning the seat around and riding with the uni backwards to
even out the wear on both pedals.

Don't ride the unicycle backwards (in reverse) like that. Pedals are
threaded the way they are for a reason so that they tend to tighten as
you ride. Riding it backwards like that will make it very likely that
the pedals will loosen. Sheldon Brown explains 'here'
(http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_p.html) (scroll down to "Pedal
Threading" and look for the word "precession"😉.

Good pedals with good threads in a good crank should not spontaneously
loosen, even if you ride backwards. If you do an extreme amount of
backwards riding you might want to Loctite the pedal threads. But
there should be no other need to Loctite the pedal threads to keep them
tight. If you have to Loctite the pedal to keep in tight in normal use
then something is defective and out of spec.

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riding backwards would cause a problem, tambourineman, because the
pedals are threaded such that they tighten when riding forwards. when
you ride backwards, they loosen, and riding around with them loose
makes them prone to stripping.

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onelesscar

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my love as deep
the more i give to thee the more i have
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thejdw said:

you could get a better unicycle 🙂 , your pedals may be bad. I'm not
sure on the strenth of those cranks.

It's not the unicycle. Under normal use it should hold up just fine if
put together properly.

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Is a cheap liquid plastic that hardens overnight into a gummy thread
glue. A couple drops will fix you up for 10 cents. It will not lock the
pedal tight. That is what red loctite is for (permanent assembly). The
pedal will be easy enough to remove later as long as you get the blue
stuff.🙂

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I'm going off topic here, but if I ride backwards 50% of the time
(practicing my backwards riding, not just randomly riding around),
should I loctite my pedal threads? I rode 50% backwards for a few
consecutive days and just haven't been able to ride since (due to
injury).

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SNES350 said:

I'm going off topic here, but if I ride backwards 50% of the time
(practicing my backwards riding, not just randomly riding around),
should I loctite my pedal threads? I rode 50% backwards for a few
consecutive days and just haven't been able to ride since (due to
injury).

Probably not necessary. Would depend on the quality of the fit of your
pedal threads in the crank.

I have never Loctited my pedals and I Loctite everything. It just has
not been necessary on any of my unicycles.

Check the pedals and if you ever notice them loose after backwards
riding then Loctite them.

If you do Loctite them you'll need to clean out the threads to get rid
of the grease. Use some degreaser and make sure all the grease and
dirt are gone. The grease and dirt will prevent the Loctite from
getting a proper bond. Then use enough Loctite that it can act as a
lubricant in lieu of the grease.

For a thread diameter as large as a pedal thread the red "permanent"
Loctite is not going to be permanent. You'll still be able to remove
it with hand tools without undo effort. The larger diameter the
threads the more leverage you'll have on it and the easier it will be
to break the bond. Use the red Loctite on a small diameter thread and
it can be effectively permanent.

But red is overkill for this purpose. So use the blue medium
strength.

I've heard that people doing backwards world record distance rides will
swap things around so that the right crank is under the left foot.
That way the pedals don't come undone during the ride.

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I think it's strange that you're stripping pedals.

A few things come to mind. It's easy to strip pedals if they're
cross-threaded, which usually happens when you mix up left and right.
To prevent this, trying getting the first couple theads on the pedal
by hand. If you're using a wrench, and getting a lot of resistance,
something may be wrong.

Its possible to weaken the threads by overtightening. You shouldn't
have to muscle the wrench. It should be just a "little" tight.

Lots of people go huge on their unicycles, and usually many other
things break before their cranks get stripped.

Loctite won't hurt, but it shouldn't be necessary.

I didn't see it mentioned elsewhere in this thead, the right pedal
theads on normally (righty-tighty), but the left pedal theads on the
opposite direction. (your bike shop should definitely know this)

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Thanks for all the advice. Last question, should I try to get stronger,
pricier crank arms or the same aluminum torker ones (and use loctite).

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I don't think it's matter of stronger cranks.

What I do is, torque the crank bolts, ride few minutes, then torque,
ride again, then torque, then after a longer ride torque again. That
will get the cranks seated and tight. Still, it's important check once
in while.

Me, I torque to 50 foot pounds, this is higher than most people admit
to, but I've changed many cranks and never had a problem with this
damaging the hub.

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I have a KH24" 2007 and I put Bontrager "Big Earl" pedals on it. I do a
lot of MUni with it and a fair amount of trials. The right pedal only,
started loosening every couple of days. Especially when I was doing
practice sets of stairs or rock climbing or just riding backwards for a
kilometer or two on dirt roads after a MUni ride. I would feel the
loseness and immediately tighten it back up. I got sick of it and
cleaned the threads, both inside the crank and around the pedal, real
good with dish detergent a a tothbrush. I then put the blue locktite in
and never had another problem with the pedal unscrewing. I have not
checked this out with material engineers but common sense would tell me
that with the loctite there would be no need for grease because the
loctite is going to give a thin seperation between the two metal parts.
Please correct me if I am wrong. I have not put loctite on the left
pedal because I never had a problem there. I still do a lot of hoping
on stairs and rocks and backward riding. I also do a lot of direction
changes durring skill building sessions and don't have a problem with
either of the pedals. ( the right with the Loctite and the left with
grease. My advice is that Grease is the best but backward riding and
jumps create additional problems that bicycalist don't experience.
Therefore only if you have a problem use Loctite.

Unicorn

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I knew it😉
I am tempted to take a pole !😎
I think maybe we tighten left threaded pedals less torque. Or we are
pedal handed, like right or left handed.
It has always been the left pedal that strips this way, that I have
seen.
It is not always worn or poorly fitted uni's that have this trouble.
Both my new KH's have had this trouble.
Most likely because I, rather than Kriss, installed the pedals.
Anyway, a tube of loctite is a must for any hack mechanic, at 3
dollars USA.🙂

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I just tightened the pedal more. 😄

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