Can Unicycles Have Suspension?

[SkierAlex]

Someone told me they have seen unicycles with suspension.

I myself couldn't see how it would be possible. Obviously the pedals would need to have suspension too (not just the seat) as it's your feet that take most weight when you land.

So is there such a thing as a unicycle with suspension? If there is can you please post a pic?

I would like to prove my friend wrong :P

[ridingwithscissors]

there have been attempts and designs, but I don't think anyone has actually made one that works. using the search feature might pay off in future though



oh, and nice avatar

[jamessd]

Originally Posted by ridingwithscissors

using the search feature might pay off in future though

Yes, there are loads around with a lot of pictures in and a lot of discussion, that you will be interested in.

[feel the light]

The only way to add more suspension would be spring spokes(never seen them), or perhaps dampers in the hub. Or shocks in the cranks. Never seen them.

It seems that state of the art is strong legs on a KH or Koxx .

[dangerdog]

yes its called a big fat tyre

[kington99]

there have been crappy ebay unicycles built with a suspension fork, they do no good and break in short order. Peopel have also adapted good bike forks for unicycles, but they also tend to break. Bike forks are not designed for the twisitng force a unicycle fork gets, and this tends to blow the seals in the forks pretty quickly. Suspension seatposts are a more viable option if you're tall enough to be able to fit one, as obivously they can't be cut down like a normal post. People have also built suspension cantilever frames, which are reasonably effective but pretty elaborate and expensive.

[critter]

Originally Posted by dangerdog

yes its called a big fat tyre

I concur.....it's the best out there

[isaac steiner]

junky unicycles can have suspension....I dont think suspension on a uni would be cool....and I dont think anyone has made a good one....

[uniethan]

No, if you used a bike fork then would only suspend the seat and any thing above it. Not ankles. To have truly effective suspension you would have to suspend the wheel. So only a fat tire would work.

[isaac steiner]

uniethan? Did you go to the Toronto Unicyclists 20th Anniversary? If you did explain your uni...maybe I will remember you.

[feel the light]

With a dozen light weight skinny shocks. I'm not saying its a good idea, just that it would be a way to get some travel.

[UniLJ]

Unicycle.com has a few. I dont know how well they would work though.

[SkierAlex]

Originally Posted by uniethan

No, if you used a bike fork then would only suspend the seat and any thing above it. Not ankles. To have truly effective suspension you would have to suspend the wheel. So only a fat tire would work.

Yes, that's exactly what I thought. I guess that proves my friend wrong

[callumogrady]

I have made a suspension unicycle, it cost about 70 bucks (Australian) i got the KH Rail Bracket Adapter from Unicycle.com.au and a Suspension seat post for a bike that fitted in to my unicycle. Works good

[pkittle]

My first muni (a lovely Telford that my 13 year old son now rides, from back in 2000) had a thudbuster uni-pivot seat post, and it worked pretty well. While it doesn't suspend your body the way a full sus mtb does (suspending your feet on the pedals, as feel_the_light has been saying all along), it did soften the blow from small drops and rocky areas--the kinds of places where you can power through with a good proportion of your weight on the saddle. Obviously, it did no good whatsoever in places where you have to stand up to make it through.