Any using trals cranks for a uni?

[Nurse Ben]

I wanted some 175 ISIS cranks for 36er, so I got some TryAlls from Tarty Bikes in the UK. They arrived the other day, got em mounted, but not before measuring the Q factor (offset). They have quite a bit more offset than My other cranks, measuring ~45mm vs the 170 QuAx at ~40mm and the 165 Moments at ~35mm.

So with these cranks mounted on the superwide Oregon disc hub (125mm spacing) the total pedal seperation as measured from crank outside to crank outside is ~245mm vs a standard hub and 150 mm Moments which had a pedal seperation of ~150mm.

It is a wide ride for sure, I have only gone for one spin, the wider pedal position is comfortable and I had less leg rub on the seat, but I felt like the pedals being so far from the center line did seem to pull the uni more side to side, but when I took it for short off road jaunt it climbed very well, likely due to the longer cranks; I was running 170 QuAx previously.

So, Tarty Bikes shows these cranks as having a 36mm offset, the least offset cranks I could find were 28mm Middleburn RS7, but sadly the ISIS version is no longer made; they are also $200usd if I can find them!!

Anyone else played with Trials cranks and found a lower Q crank that is ISIS?

[Nurse Ben]

Apparently Q Factor the way I have been told to measure is an oddity for unicycling, but for biking it is the measurement between the pedals. But this is really not helpful for unicycing since we can't change bottom brackets (bb).

Mtb have a higher Q factor, upwards of 155-160mm, in part to clear wider chain stays for running wider tires, and for clearin a triple chainring. Road bikes have the narrowest Q factor, some as low as 135mm.

So at 245mm, I may have the largest Q factor on record

If it stays dry over the weekend, I'll take it for a real spin and see how m y legs like that wide spacing; and see how that wide spacing helps or hurts my riding

Hey Eric, you ever get a Q factor measurement on your Sinz cranks?

[Carey]

Sounds like an interesting setup. I have stuck with the earlier KH Onza cranks because I like the Q factor width on those cranks. I need a bit more separation that straight cranks give me...I end up with my feet hanging off the end of the pedals.

[TomGozza]

Hey nurse Ben,

I run echo urban 160s on my KH26 muni, I feel like they are an ideal length for the riding i do. The increased Q factor is noticeable, however for any incline or decline and especially rough downhill i feel it helps me to feel more stable as i have a wider base of support. It is only on the flats that i would like a little less Q as it just seems to flow a little bit better, however overall i love the cranks!

They cost me $140 i think, from tarty bikes also.

Cheers from Tom

[davidp]

I have a pair of 160mm Echo cranks on my Large Marge / Larry wheel. I never noticed any increased offset over KH Moments but Eric measured his Echo cranks as having somewhere around an additional 2.5mm on each side.

There are a bunch of trials cranks listed here; all pricey but could give a starting point for searches: http://www.hbtrials.com/drivetrain_en.html

[Nurse Ben]

I have a pair of 160mm Echo cranks on my Large Marge / Larry wheel. I never noticed any increased offset over KH Moments but Eric measured his Echo cranks as having somewhere around an additional 2.5mm on each side.

There are a bunch of trials cranks listed here; all pricey but could give a starting point for searches: http://www.hbtrials.com/drivetrain_en.html

I spoke with HB first, they don't have anything longer than a 170, so then I emailed a bunch of trials places and the only one that seemed to keep a decent stock and have time to respond to my emails was Tarty Bikes, so I got the Try All Comps, 7075 forged cranks 175mm, listed as 35mm offset. They have ~5mm more offset per side than my QuAx aluminum and chromoly 170's.

I run echo urban 160s on my KH26 muni, I feel like they are an ideal length for the riding i do. The increased Q factor is noticeable, however for any incline or decline and especially rough downhill i feel it helps me to feel more stable as i have a wider base of support. It is only on the flats that i would like a little less Q as it just seems to flow a little bit better, however overall i love the cranks!

Yeah, that's about my experience so far, flats are so-so, downs are okay, best stability is on the up, but I need more time on them beofore I decide if it's a good 36er set up. Being as I have a super wide hub, I am about 50mm wider pedal to pedal than a KH hub mounted with 165 Moments or 25 mm wider than an Oregon with Moments. I didn't dislike the 170's, I was just looking for a little more torque. Too bad no one is making a 175mm or 180mm crnks other than the trial folks.

[saskatchewanian]

Yah I used 160mm Echo cranks, slightly wider than KH Moments but not a whole lot. I really like them with a standard hub and heavy tire like a 26x3.0 Gazzalodi (I mostly ride lighter tires and shorter cranks now)

I never bothered to measure the SINZ cranks but they feel about the same as KH Moments and there is a post on the MountainUni thread showing identical Q-factor.

The Funn Hooka cranks I have also feel a bit wider than Moments but I haven't measured them.

The slightly increased Q-factor doesn't bother me but I use standard width hubs.

[saskatchewanian]

Just swapped my mis-matched cranks (KH + SINZ) on my 26 to some Hookas I had laying around and did a comparison.

Holding the bases flat on a table and using a depth gage I measured the distance from the top of the pedal hole to the table.

Compared the the KH cranks the sinz cranks measured in at .4mm less Q while the FUNN Hooka MX cranks measured in at 9.8mm more Q each side.

I would say that 1/2mm is definitely within the realm of noise and say that the KH and SINZ cranks will produce the same amount of Q while the Funn Hookas will add 20mm total.

[Philippe]

Originally Posted by Nurse Ben

I didn't dislike the 170's, I was just looking for a little more torque. Too bad no one is making a 175mm or 180mm crnks other than the trial folks.

Did you tried BMX/Dirt bike crank with(out )cut chainring fixing hole ?
CR4522
VELOCITY
I don't know the Q factor but if it's less than trial our MTB one a second hand crank set can allow the test...

[Nurse Ben]

Did you tried BMX/Dirt bike crank with(out )cut chainring fixing hole ?

I made some phone calls to BMX shops and one company (Bombshell), they all confirmed that the offset is loosely based on Shimano which is ~ 150mm, so about the same as trials cranks.

Unicycle cranks are loq Q like no other cranks but some road cranks, so ISIS road cranks are an option but they are hard to find and expensive.