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front and back question



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 7th 10, 10:37 PM posted to rec.sport.unicycling
crazy hippy
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Posts: 5
Default front and back question

Hello Unicylists, I have a question about the idea of a front and back
of a unicycle. So, to give a bit of background on this question, I'll
relate a recent event which resulted in the destruction of one of my
crank shafts.

A few months ago, i got a flat tire and brought my Torker in to a
local bike shop. They offered to change the tube for free with the
purchase, so I accepted. It seems, however, that when they did this
they put the wheel on backwards -- meaning that what was previously my
left crank shaft and pedal (labeled with an L on the crank) wound up
on the right side. Shortly thereafter, the pedals began backing out
of the cranks and eventually the L crank's threads were completely
trashed.

Now, the guys at the bike shop replaced the parts for free, so the
issue is pretty much resolved, but while I was there chatting with the
guy at the shop, he kept saying that it shouldn't make any difference
which side was which because it was a fixed gear and that there is no
front or back to a unicycle. Now, it seems really obvious to me that
with the wheel in one orientation the pedals tighten when the uni goes
forward; and in the opposite orientation they loosen. I pointed this
out to him and he said something along the lines of "but what about if
you ride backwards or idle?" At this point, another dude in the shop
said something about riding fakie on his fixed-gear bike, and said
"that wouldn't cause the pedals to back out."

I still think I'm right, though and that there IS a front to a
unicycle. Based on this, i can only assume that if you only rode
backwards and rode backwards for long enough this would cause the
pedals to eventually back out of the cranks -- but, as this is a
pretty unlikely thing to happen, it's not really a major issue.

However, I admit that there could be some aspect of the unicycle which
I am simply failing to understand. Is there anyone out there who can
enlighten me?
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  #2  
Old January 8th 10, 03:25 PM posted to rec.sport.unicycling
TK
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Posts: 7
Default front and back question

crazy hippy wrote:

A few months ago, i got a flat tire and brought my Torker in to a
local bike shop. They offered to change the tube for free with the
purchase, so I accepted. It seems, however, that when they did this
they put the wheel on backwards -- meaning that what was previously my
left crank shaft and pedal (labeled with an L on the crank) wound up
on the right side. Shortly thereafter, the pedals began backing out
of the cranks and eventually the L crank's threads were completely
trashed.


I think you experience proves the validity of there being a "front" and
"back" to the unicycle. I think the duration of riding backwards is a
factor, but the forces on the petals would seem to also be a factor.
The strength, duration, and precise angles of force would be different
stoke for stoke backwards verses forward (I think).

--
TK
http://www.wejuggle2.com/
Age is mind over matter.
If you don't mind it don't matter. ~ Satchel Page
  #3  
Old January 9th 10, 05:19 AM posted to rec.sport.unicycling
crazy hippy
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5
Default front and back question

On Jan 8, 9:25*am, TK wrote:
crazy hippy wrote:
A few months ago, i got a flat tire and brought my Torker in to a
local bike shop. *They offered to change the tube for free with the
purchase, so I accepted. *It seems, however, that when they did this
they put the wheel on backwards -- meaning that what was previously my
left crank shaft and pedal (labeled with an L on the crank) *wound up
on the right side. *Shortly thereafter, the pedals began backing out
of the cranks and eventually the L crank's threads were completely
trashed.


I think you experience proves the validity of there being a "front" and
"back" to the unicycle. *I think the duration of riding backwards is a
factor, but the forces on the petals would seem to also be a factor.
The strength, duration, and precise angles of force would be different
stoke for stoke backwards verses forward (I think).

--
TKhttp://www.wejuggle2.com/
Age is mind over matter.
If you don't mind it don't matter. ~ Satchel Page


Ah, that never even occurred to me, but it certainly sounds like it
would make sense. I suppose I'll just have to learn how to ride
backwards and figure this one out ; )
  #4  
Old February 12th 10, 05:57 PM posted to rec.sport.unicycling
Marc Espie
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Posts: 2
Default front and back question

In article ,
crazy hippy wrote:
Hello Unicylists, I have a question about the idea of a front and back
of a unicycle. So, to give a bit of background on this question, I'll
relate a recent event which resulted in the destruction of one of my
crank shafts.

A few months ago, i got a flat tire and brought my Torker in to a
local bike shop. They offered to change the tube for free with the
purchase, so I accepted. It seems, however, that when they did this
they put the wheel on backwards -- meaning that what was previously my
left crank shaft and pedal (labeled with an L on the crank) wound up
on the right side. Shortly thereafter, the pedals began backing out
of the cranks and eventually the L crank's threads were completely
trashed.


Yes, this should be a FAQ. Most decent unicycles I know have small
markings on the cranks that say "Right" and "Left", precisely to
avoid this.

When I show unicycling to beginners, I always tell them to check the
pedals before they start a ride, and if the thread appears to be
unscrewing, not to use the uni before they screw it back in tightly.
 




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