A bit of racing... ok not a uni, but almost

[uniShark]

Roger, are these PF's going to be available for purchase through UDC? Could be fun to switch out for my commute occasionally.

[Kerv]

In that the PF is described in the YouTube write-up as a UDC pre-production model, it appears that it may be coming soon. Might have to get one just for the heck of it.

[rogeratunicycledotcom]

The Pennys go about the same speeds as a geared 36"... possibly a bit faster.

We are working on production models at the moment. They may not be available at all UDC's. This is due to the problems in getting them produced complete. The rims for instance are manufactured in Australia, the tyres and frames in the UK and the hubs and handlebars in Taiwan... hard to tie them together in one place.

One of the biggest problems is that they are almost impossible to ship due to their size. Lots of problems for making them easy to buy. Having the Penny Farthings in the office has caused us to now think that 36" wheels are small!

So for the moment, it will be UK only. Although I know that Peter in UDC in Canada is working on getting them in Canada. They will cost about £1500 for the base model.

Roger

[uniShark]

Originally Posted by rogeratunicycledotcom

The Pennys go about the same speeds as a geared 36"... possibly a bit faster.

We are working on production models at the moment. They may not be available at all UDC's. This is due to the problems in getting them produced complete. The rims for instance are manufactured in Australia, the tyres and frames in the UK and the hubs and handlebars in Taiwan... hard to tie them together in one place.

One of the biggest problems is that they are almost impossible to ship due to their size. Lots of problems for making them easy to buy. Having the Penny Farthings in the office has caused us to now think that 36" wheels are small!

So for the moment, it will be UK only. Although I know that Peter in UDC in Canada is working on getting them in Canada. They will cost about £1500 for the base model.

Roger

Hmm, UDC Canada is less than a day's drive away for me. . . I've gone further for a new toy.

[uniShark]

Roger, when producing these, it would be great if you could include some retro color schemes. Steam punk is a big trend (at least around here); bronze and copper color schemes would be pretty cool.

[aracer]

Originally Posted by rogeratunicycledotcom

The Pennys go about the same speeds as a geared 36"... possibly a bit faster.

Not planning on making one with a Schlumpf then (is that against the spirit?)

[rogeratunicycledotcom]

Good idea on the steam punk. We did do one of the Pennys in browns.

They dont allow gearboxes. There are certain rules for the racing that we much conform to. >48", >60 spokes, Solid tyre and no brakes.

Roger

[onewheeldave]

Originally Posted by rogeratunicycledotcom

Good idea on the steam punk. We did do one of the Pennys in browns.

They dont allow gearboxes. There are certain rules for the racing that we much conform to. >48", >60 spokes, Solid tyre and no brakes.

Roger

Just out of interest, how do the solid tyres work out on the roads? I'd imagine that a solid tyre on a big wheel unicycle would be treacherous to ride on roads? Yet the Penny Farthings are clearly going very fast indeed and seemed untroubled by the inevitable road bumps that would presumably cause big issues on a solid tyre unicycle.

[rogeratunicycledotcom]

They are skitty and not brillent. The ride is hard and uncomfortable. The corners are scary (I found this specially so).

The tyres do slip sometimes and also come of the rims at speed sometimes. Crashes are hard and painful.

hmmm, unicycling is my sport. I will keep this one as my reserve sport. :-)

Roger

[onewheeldave]

Originally Posted by rogeratunicycledotcom

They are skitty and not brillent. The ride is hard and uncomfortable. The corners are scary (I found this specially so).

The tyres do slip sometimes and also come of the rims at speed sometimes. Crashes are hard and painful.

hmmm, unicycling is my sport. I will keep this one as my reserve sport. :-)

Roger

So, for the unicycle.com Penny Farthings, were you not tempted to have a pneumatic tyre option, or, is there in fact going to be such an option?

Personally, from what I've read of the old penny farthings, i've got a healthy respect for them- too many stories of riders coming off the front and face planting due to the bars trapping their legs.

Interesting that you mention the tyre coming off- there's a bit of a classic video that I'm guessing you'll have seen, where that happens-

http://www.myspace.com/video/johnny-...-crash/6363193

I think the idea was that he'd put his legs on top of the bars so, in the event of a problem, he wouldn't have them trapped under the bars?

It's nice to watch stuff like that occasionally, as it makes unicycling look like an eminently sane activity in comparison

[rogeratunicycledotcom]

There was not really an option on going for a pneumatic tyre on the Penny Farthings. It would also take away one of the key things about the Penny... and you would not be able to race on it then either. :-)

The tyres we use would not have the problem shown on the video, different constuction and don't have the problem of growning when they get hot. Definately scary, he was motoring as well! We are using tyres made by the Green Tyre Company in Middlesbrough.

Roger

[aracer]

Originally Posted by rogeratunicycledotcom

We are using tyres made by the Green Tyre Company in Middlesbrough.

So not completely solid then?

[rogeratunicycledotcom]

no, it is completely solid. It is just not constructed like the version in the video. The Green tyre company one has two nylon cords that hold it together tightly on to a standard rim. The other 2 methods I have seen use a tube of rubber that has either a spring or a wire in them. These are fitted to an unclinchered rim.

Roger

[aracer]

Originally Posted by rogeratunicycledotcom

no, it is completely solid.

Oh! I'd have thought there might be an advantage to their microcellular tyres without any significant downsides, which would presumably also be legal for racing (surely it only says tyres musn't be pneumatic - or is it specific about them being completely solid?)

[johnfoss]

Originally Posted by onewheeldave

I'd imagine that a solid tyre on a big wheel unicycle would be treacherous to ride on roads?

Less treacherous than uncomfortable. You feel every nuance of the surface you're riding on. Not as dangerous, unless you were trying to race it at high speeds with guys like Scott Wilton. But don't expect any advantage from a skinny, solid tire; they weigh more than today's 36" wheels.

My own big wheel (45") uses wheelchair rubber. This is in the form of a mostly-solid tube, with a hole down the middle for a thick piece of stiff wire. The tire mounting process involved two trees, a come-along, lots of DW-40 and safety glasses. You cut the rubber to a length several inches longer than the circumference of the rim, then get the wire really tight with the come-along. A spacer is used to hold an opening while the rubber is all squeezed onto the rim. then you remove the spacer, turn the wheel 180 degrees to lock the two ends of the wire together, and cut the excess off. Then the WD-40 and lots of manual labor are used to work the rubber ends together over the doubled-up wire bits. When done properly, you won't feel a bump at the join. That was the Ken Fuchs method, which he learned from Tommy Miller.

Because unicycles can turn pretty hard and be leaned pretty far over, you want a really tight tire. Generally I think it needs to be tighter that it would for a penny-farthing, especially if you use that video as an example. In fact, the best feature of my 45", aside from its visual impact, is doing spins and pirouettes on it. Pneumatic 36" tires are very spin-resistant; they are much better at going straight. On a hard tire big wheel, you can curve, swoop, do frontspins and backspins all you want. That's what makes mine an excellent parade unicycle. That and the fact that you can then zoom back to retrieve the car afterward!

I do not consider my big wheel to be dangerous going around corners, unless I'm going really fast. Then it's already dangerous before you start turning; it's a heavy cycle! Mine is made from old Schwinn tubular 1 3/8" rims, plus the heavy wheelchair rubber, plus lots of long spokes, plus an all-steel Schwinn-style frame and Schwinn seat. I think it weighs 28 lbs. But it grips just fine on (clean) pavement. The only thing you have to worry about is hitting a round rock or something. Skinny as the tire is, it does happen from time to time!

Here's a picture of my 45", being ridden by that very, very fast French racer that came to U-Games in 2010.