Q Factor

The only place the Q factor has been an issue for me is Moab, where I
had more than one pedal strike while riding across insanely steep
slopes. I never seem to have that happen around here.

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paco

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whats the q-factor

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dan de man

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dan de man said:

whats the q-factor

If you look at some cranks (like the KH/Onza ones), you'll notice that
they don't stick out perpendicular to the axle, they actually have some
angle to them. This puts the pedal (and your ankle) further away from
the hub.

I'd like to try a set of cranks with q factor. I always bash my ankle
on my DX cranks.

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k i knew that i just didnt know what the name reffered to

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dan de man

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I like my 03 kh crankset (no Q factor) on my trials, but i also like my
nimbus 26" muni with ProWheels (Q factor). (without the Q factor on my
muni i would bash my knee on the crown more, i have a permenant
bruise🙁 )

I don't know if it is the Q factor or the fact that my cranks are 170's
on my muni, but I can hop higher (+8"😉 on my trials.

So i'm just not sure about Q factor. 😕

Sam

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saam

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Q-factor is how far your feet are from each other (sideways
measurement). You can affect the q-factor by the width of the hub
('wide hub' (http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=786) or
'standad hub' (http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=738)),
by the angle of the cranks ('straight cranks'
(http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=171) or 'angled
cranks' (http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=184)), and/or
by using pedal spacers.

Bicycle cranks generally angle out so the cranks can clear the chain
stays. Most modern bikes can't use straight cranks because the cranks
would hit the chain stays (the tubes on a bike frame by the chain) so
the cranks need to angle out.

Q-factor can have an effect on the pedaling motion and ergonomics for
different people. People with really wide hips may be more comfortable
with a wide q-factor. People with narrow hips may find a narrower
q-factor to be more comfortable. You can also fiddle with q-factor to
minimize knee problems. For best pedaling ergonomics you want your
knees to move up and down and not side to side as you ride. If your
knees move side to side as you pedal you could develop knee problems or
exacerbate existing knee problems.

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The effect of Q-factor and ankle hitting isn't always obvious. I had
cranks on my Coker with some angle increasing the Q factor, then I
switched to torker LX cranks which look to have no angle for a lower Q
factor. Switching from the wider higher Q to the lower Q cranks
resulted in less ankle hitting.

I thought an angle on the crank (higher Q), away from the pedal would
have provided additional space for my ankle not to hit. I guess I must
have compensated for the width and kept my foot planted closer to the
crank.

With the lower Q, I must be planting my feet on the pedals further away
from the crank. My ankle now misses the crank.

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Chrashing

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Ken
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Q-factor is good stuff man...on my old 2004 KH cranks, they nubs would
cut open my ankle LIKE NO OTHER, it hurt so bad, and after unicycling
my socks would always be all bloody.

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i just got q-factor wheni got my kh-onza hub and i like it... is 140mm
cranks on a 20" whell good?? cuz that is what i have and i was
wondering if smaller cranks would be better??

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I C A N T S T A N D U N I ' S W I T H O U T Q - F A C T O R !

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musketman
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I find it weird how theres ppl (like me) who have never had a problem
with or without a q-factor, then there are others who only like unis
without q-factors, then others you cant ride without a q-factor cause
they hit their ankles.

All it is to me is a slight adjustment that i make in aobut 5 seconds
and my ankles are safe =p

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Jerrick

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Please use correct terminology; I'm tired of having to correct this.

Q-factor is the *distance between the pedals*. Cranks don't "have
Q-factor" or not; cranks just contribute to the distance between the
pedals. Cranks can be straight or not, and whether they are straight
or not affects to the Q-factor of the unicycle. But a unicycle with
straight cranks still has Q-factor.

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tholub
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