What did I get myself into?

[Tom M]

Rode my 18"er to the LBS today to get a Presta adapter so that I am ready for the new 29 incase I need it.. While there I talked to the guy about truing up the 18.
He lifts it up and takes a fast peek at the wheel "Looks good to me" he says and then we notice the cords sticking out of the tire.. He has one in stock! Wooohooo $8
So now I have $8 into my uni that I paid $5 for.
I tear it down to change the tire and notice the one bearing is all but seized and the other isn't far behind.. Looks like $10 - $20 for bearings on UDC once I measure them..
But wait, I think I need a special crank removal tool.. Not isis and theres no cross pinch bolt (am I right on this?) $16.50 for this tool
Hmm, while it's apart lets paint it and take this horrid flourescent green duct tape off the seat.. Rut Roh
Looks like a new saddle is in order, and since I ride it too we can just go cheap at UDC for the $10 kids saddle.. $24.00 looks like the bottom price..
So with the tools I have at work, and the paint I have left from a few engine rebuilds (my uni's paint job will be good to 1000 degrees F) I am looking at $63.50 if the bearings are $15.. this isn't including the $5 that I paid for it or if I want new pedals... Should I stop here?
Can I save $ and get these cranks off with a pulley puller or a pitman arm puller? I'll retape the seat with black duct tape and more foam.

Advice and ideas are most welcome

[amiantos]

Originally Posted by Tom M

Advice and ideas are most welcome

Throw it out and buy a new trials unicycle? If you're getting a 29er... why not?

[Tom M]

Originally Posted by amiantos

Throw it out and buy a new trials unicycle? If you're getting a 29er... why not?

Would love too, but I am too broke right now with other projects and 3 kids.. LOL
And the trials Uni that my son wants is over $200 and he cant even ride yet.. Thats why I am even bother with the 18, so he has a bomber to learn on

[pkittle]

If you can "rehabilitate" the bearings (clean & repack), do that. Otherwise, just put the tire on and leave it. Start riding your 29er, leave that 18 for the kids to learn on, and when they've mastered riding, then consider your costs of rebuild vs buying new.

If you really want to get new bearings, VBX sells them cheap--if the uni has a common size. And I have a crapload of spares for the old KH/Onza size, and I'd mail a set to you if they'd fit, just for good karma. Do you know the size? Maybe someone here can help a brother out ...

[skrobo]

i would say spray the bearings with something like wd-40 before a few short (less than a mile) rides, then repeat with something more substantial, such as white grease. this has always worked for me, your bearings don't have to be very good at all... it's a unicycle, not a 10000 rpm motor.

secondly, duct tape is a good look. keep the seat if it works to the point that you can ride it (torker's CX seat is not in this category, all others with reasonable padding are)
if the seat is useless at this point, get the seat, but that's all you really need for this uni to work right.

lastly, if you ever have to get the cranks off.... the cranks are square taper ... just set the pedal on the ground, get a rod of sorts. stick it through the spokes to rest on the back of the crank (hopefully un-bolted at this point) and give the rod a few good whacks with a hammer. the crank should pop right off. [the puller may work better than this, try it first.]

[jtrops]

If you really just want this uni around as a beater then I wouldn't spend the money on new bearings. You might just want to clean them and use some spray grease to lube them up a bit. If they are turning at all that should be fine for a beater. When you install the bearing holders you want to make them tight enough to secure the wheel, but not so tight as to add friction to the wheel. Spin the wheel occasionally and when you see it spinning a bit less freely back off on the bearing holders.

If you are looking at putting $60+ into this uni you might be better off trolling craigslist for a used uni in better shape than yours. I've seen Torker LX's in a variety of sizes in that price range and most barely if ever ridden.


It's good to have a crank extractor, but you can get one that will work for under $10. Extractors made for square taper cranks can sometimes be used for ISIS by putting a washer, or dime into the crank to protect the spindle threads. If you get a universal one it should come with an adapter to do ISIS.

If you want a cheap, plush saddle a good deal right now is the Cyclepro one on ebay for $25 shipped. It looks like it's the same as the old KH fusion, or the Nimbus Hi-Top.

[Tom M]

Ok, found the bearings on UDC for $12 a pair or VDX for $4.95 each (or a set of 10 for $19.95 LOL)
After cleaning up the frame a bit, this thing seems like a better / stronger unit then I originally thought.. Pretty tough looking thing.
So I made up a list on UDC with thier bearings..
Seat, Seat post (this ones to short for me actually), pedals, seat post clamp, and bearings = $71 plus shipping and then my own paint work on the frame..

I think I might just do this one up and let the 11 year old learn on it, then near christmas (or sooner if there is a sle) I'll upgrade the 11 year old and lend this thing to my 9 year old nephew..

After these upgrades I am sure this thing will be around for a long time to come, but I may do it in pieces.. i.e. Just the bearings for now and the seat in a month when the kids stops UPD'ing every 2 feet and so on

[saskatchewanian]

the pitman arm puller should work fine for pulling the cranks off. Depending if they are attached with a bolt or nit you might need to put something in there to protect the treads. If you already have an ISIS crank puller you can usually remove the foot and then the threaded section will fit through the square taper and push on the axle.

Unless the base is broken there are lots of things you can do to a seat to make it more comfortable. Very few of my seats have the original foam intact in their original condition. And Skrobo is right, ducttape is a good look

I would also try to rehabilitate the bearings by DW-40ing the crap out of them seeing if they loosen up and then re-filling them with grease. You are not using this unicycle for racing so a bit of resistance is not going to hurt.

Good thing this is not a bike eh?

[tholub]

One comment on bearings: You can get them a lot cheaper from vxb.com than from unicycle.com. You can get a bag of 10 for not much more than a set of two from uni.com.

[Tirving]

Originally Posted by tholub

One comment on bearings: You can get them a lot cheaper from vxb.com than from unicycle.com. You can get a bag of 10 for not much more than a set of two from uni.com.

Which ones do you get at vxb.com? what size? Have you tried any of the "fancy" ones on a uni?

[tholub]

Originally Posted by Tirving

Which ones do you get at vxb.com? what size? Have you tried any of the "fancy" ones on a uni?

Get the one that's the right size for your unicycle. The 6004RS (20x42) is a common one, as is the 6203-2RS (17x40).

[Tom M]

Originally Posted by tholub

One comment on bearings: You can get them a lot cheaper from vxb.com than from unicycle.com. You can get a bag of 10 for not much more than a set of two from uni.com.

Uhhh thinking I would be about 100 years old before I used 10 bearings on this 18" uni..
the guy I got it from had left it out in the snow and rain, it was rideable but wore me out.. With just holding the left side bearing in your hand and spinning the rim, it was NO MOVEMENT.. SEIZED.. Soaked in a bowl of transmission fluid for 30 minutes, NADDA..

Easy enough to get them from UDC since they will come in with my other order (the new 29 and gear) on wednesday.. Though, with the new 29 in my hands, how soon do we think I'll have the ambition to put the 18 back together at all? LOL

[kalamazuni]

Originally Posted by Tom M

Though, with the new 29 in my hands, how soon do we think I'll have the ambition to put the 18 back together at all? LOL

Not too soon if it was this household.