d.kathrens@genie.geis.com
1995-08-26, 02:42 PM
Jason <jazz@cs.uq.oz.au> wrote:
>After much deliberation on the matter, I am thinking of building a 20" wheel
>with internal gears (seven speed) in the hub - I found a German manufacturer (*
>Sachs??? *) which makes excellent quality internal gears for racing bikes. A
>little over the top? Maybe...
Ken <kfuchs@winternet.com> replies:
>I certainly hope that Jason succeeds in making a viable geared up unicycle,
>especially one practical enough for commercial manufacturing, so everyone
>willing to pay can get a reliable one. The big wheel may still out perform it,
>but how many people can get a 40" or larger big wheel into their car's trunk?
I have ridden 40" big wheel unicycles on four occasions and once I rode Tom
Miller's 20" standard unicycle geared up more than 2 to 1. John Foss has
described its mechanism and handling characteristics and I concur with his
assessment. For speed and distance I would prefer the big wheel.
Big wheels have their drawbacks too--crosswinds can make holding a straight line
into a wrestling match. At least that was my experience. Does anyone have a
technique for handling crosswinds on a big wheel? My response was to lean WAY
out to one side and do a lot of action-reaction twisting to jerk the wheel back
where I wanted it. Very tiring and almost ineffective.
The bigger the wheel, the more inertia, so accelerating and decelerating take
much more time and effort than with a smaller wheel. This didn't seem to stop
the penny-farthing bicyclists of the turn of the century so I guess it's
something you just get used to. I think I'd be leery of riding one in traffic,
where sometimes the only thing that saves one from stupid motorist stunts is
maneuverability and quick braking.
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dennis Kathrens | "Hey, where's your other wheel?" |
|d. kathrens@genie.com | "WHAT other wheel?" |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------|
>After much deliberation on the matter, I am thinking of building a 20" wheel
>with internal gears (seven speed) in the hub - I found a German manufacturer (*
>Sachs??? *) which makes excellent quality internal gears for racing bikes. A
>little over the top? Maybe...
Ken <kfuchs@winternet.com> replies:
>I certainly hope that Jason succeeds in making a viable geared up unicycle,
>especially one practical enough for commercial manufacturing, so everyone
>willing to pay can get a reliable one. The big wheel may still out perform it,
>but how many people can get a 40" or larger big wheel into their car's trunk?
I have ridden 40" big wheel unicycles on four occasions and once I rode Tom
Miller's 20" standard unicycle geared up more than 2 to 1. John Foss has
described its mechanism and handling characteristics and I concur with his
assessment. For speed and distance I would prefer the big wheel.
Big wheels have their drawbacks too--crosswinds can make holding a straight line
into a wrestling match. At least that was my experience. Does anyone have a
technique for handling crosswinds on a big wheel? My response was to lean WAY
out to one side and do a lot of action-reaction twisting to jerk the wheel back
where I wanted it. Very tiring and almost ineffective.
The bigger the wheel, the more inertia, so accelerating and decelerating take
much more time and effort than with a smaller wheel. This didn't seem to stop
the penny-farthing bicyclists of the turn of the century so I guess it's
something you just get used to. I think I'd be leery of riding one in traffic,
where sometimes the only thing that saves one from stupid motorist stunts is
maneuverability and quick braking.
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Dennis Kathrens | "Hey, where's your other wheel?" |
|d. kathrens@genie.com | "WHAT other wheel?" |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------|