My idea for building a $200 geared uni.

So your idea is a low-rise giraffe, geared up, but not with changeable
gears?

It works. Years ago, I had two. Neither was very satisfactory because
they were cobbled together from bits, and I couldn't get decent unicycle
seats.

It works, in the sense of producing an effective wheel size of whatever
size you choose, but at the expense of the intuitive control that you
have on a conventional unicycle where the drive is driect into the hub.
Also, chain lash is a bit of a problem, so you can get a jerky ride.

Also, you're a bit higher up than you would normally be, and the wheel
lacks the "rollover factor" and momentum of a genuine large wheel.
That's one reason why Alex Moulton's wonderful creations are so seldom
seen on mountain bike trails.

On a flat surface, with nerve and practice, you could achieve much on
one of these. We'll have a whip round and send you flowers and grapes.

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Excellent. That makes me happy.

Yeah, I don't have much interest in changing gears on the fly.
Being able to swap out cogs makes it more valuable to me than a coker,
though. I live in a very hilly area, and my normal moring ride includes
lots of climbs.
But, for the occasional time I need to go a hundred miles a day or so,
having a virtual 42" wheel would be excellent.

Having gone a few miles at a time on my 20" 6-foot giraffe, I don't
think the height will be a big problem, and I'm getting used to the
chain-drive. If it were not for the Savage Saddle, I'm sure I could have
gone further.

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Some people call those penguin giraffes. Here's a thread about a geared
up penguin here in Seattle: 'Abram Clark's geared giraffe'
(http://tinyurl.com/a5xul)
There is a link to pictures and comments by Abram about building the
penguin giraffe down in the thread.

Abram decided to use a lightweight and skinny tire. That makes the
unicycle more twitchy.

I don't know if would be more efficient riding wise than a traditional
Coker. You may end up expending more energy and concentration riding it
than you would a Coker. Climbing and rough pavement are going to be
more of a problem than on a traditional uni like the Coker.

Using a 26" wheel would put you higher up. Would make mounting more
difficult. A smaller wheel would make mounting more practical.
Compensate for the smaller wheel by gearing it more. Abram was able to
mount his by standing on the ground and jumping right up to the pedals.
As the wheel gets bigger that type of mount would get progressively
harder to do.

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Thanks for the links..
very interesting.
I remember someone posted a thread and vid of them with penguin they'd
made where the pedals were not connected--they were just a bit above the
axle, so they each had a chain to the axle (otherwise they'd go through
the spokes). That just seemed a bit too weak for me, but that's what
gave me the idea.
Didn't know they were called penguins.
I wanted a larger wheel because I'm used to riding a 28 as my normal
uni, and I thought the extra momentum of a 26 would be better for
distance riding than a small wheel.
(Plus, having an extra 26 rim/tire is always nice.)

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Penguin used to be a brand of unicycle, including a 4' giraffe. Tom
Miller made low giraffes with gearing and called them Travelers. That
might be a good name for such a thing.

I'd stick with a larger wheel, for rolling over bumps and a little more
momentum. Then again, I'd recommend you simply get a Coker rather than
try to build something from near-scratch, unless that's the approach you
want to take. In the long run, you can switch cranks on the Coker and
have a really nice ride.

I used to ride my Schwinn giraffe with something like a 1.8:1 ratio. It
works, but handling is iffy and falling at high speed is bad!

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johnfoss said:

* Then again, I'd recommend you simply get a Coker rather than try to
build something from near-scratch, *

But I wanna be DIFFERENT!
Ya know...beside already being on a uni!
😄

Seriously, I do see your point, but really, I think it would be a lot of
fun to see if I can build it, and that's the main reason. Yes, perhaps
the Coker would be more practical....but if I do the whole thing on a
uni I build myself, I'll be extra happy and proud of myself.

Thanks for the advice.
UDC was supposed to call me today, but they didn't. I'll call them on
monday and order a new giraffe to hack apart and get this project
started.

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Skippii said:

*

Seriously, I do see your point, but really, I think it would be a lot
of fun to see if I can build it, and that's the main reason. *

And how else does this technology progress unless someone experiments
with it? Go for it, skippi.

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With the harper hub and the schlumpf geared hub one of the biggest fears
is going faster than you can run out in the case of a UPD. If I was
geared up to a virtual 42" wheel AND I was an extra foot or two up in
the air, I would never be comfortable with my ability to land and run
out. Your machine sounds scary to me....

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nbrazzi said:

*With the harper hub and the schlumpf geared hub one of the biggest
fears is going faster than you can run out in the case of a UPD. If I
was geared up to a virtual 42" wheel AND I was an extra foot or two up
in the air, I would never be comfortable with my ability to land and
run out. Your machine sounds scary to me.... *

And that is my biggest hesitation right now!
Helmet, elbow pads, and ankle guards for this ride for sure....
I'm in a hurry to get it built so I have at least a month to train up my
confidence!

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cool

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Skippii said:

*
I remember someone posted a thread and vid of them with a penguin
they'd made where the pedals were not connected--they were just a bit
above the axle, so they each had a chain to the axle (otherwise
they'd go through the spokes). That just seemed a bit too weak for me,
but that's what gave me the idea. *

Quoted message said:

-Originally posted by john_childs-
Oh, and check out this thread for George Barnes' version of a geared
up uni: Another geared unicycle...[/i]

That's that one I meant. Thanks. 🙂

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john_childs said:

*Oh, and check out this thread for George Barnes' version of a geared
up uni: 'Another geared unicycle...' (http://tinyurl.com/a82jb) *

That's the one that I want.
Last I heard, I couldn't "get one." 🙁

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john_childs said:

*One problem with 29er's and smaller wheels is that you're not up as
high as a Coker so you don't have as much time to get your feet under
you in the event of a high speed UPD. With a Coker you have just
enough time between the time that your brain senses the "Oh oh, about
to UPD" and the time your feet hit the ground to have a chance of
landing on your feet and attempt to run it out. On a 29er and smaller
wheel that window of opportunity gets smaller.

There is obviously an ideal height and a height that gets to be too
high. That idea height is probably something slightly higher than the
pedal height for the Coker. A 5' or 6' giraffe is in the too high
category. *

I agree -- except for one possibility. No one has yet considered a link
between this setup AND Batman. Now, if Skippii just got a good set of
mylar wings, he wouldn't have to run <scoff scoff> out a UPD -- he could
glide out a UPD. With the height he'd have from a 6' giraffe, he could
prolly achieve some good airtime, too!

David

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Just an update:
I ordered a new 5" giraffe to hack apart. So I'm over $100 into it now,
so I might actually have some motivation to finish it.

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Just an update:
I ordered a new 5" giraffe to hack apart. So I'm over $100 into it now,
so I might actually have some motivation to finish it.

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Well, UDC got my address wrong.
So, still no unicycle--it was delivered to the wrong address. Luckily,
they got it back, and I should have it tomorrow.
From now on, I think after I call them and talk to them and decide what
I want, I'll just ask them not to send it and order it online.

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