The Unicycle
I found this 16 inch wheeled unicycle among my late father's belongings.
As I have an interest in Unicycles I have decided to give it a new lease of life.
As my son, Dan, is considering restarting my father's wheel building business he will be dealing with the wheel, which won't leave me with much to do.
Once it's together and working I guess I might try learning to ride.
As I have an interest in Unicycles I have decided to give it a new lease of life.
As my son, Dan, is considering restarting my father's wheel building business he will be dealing with the wheel, which won't leave me with much to do.
Once it's together and working I guess I might try learning to ride.
What Is Required
The cycle is missing one crank and pedal, the seat pin, seat blot and seat.
The tyre is worn and will need replacing.
The frame is lightly rusted and the wheel more heavily rusted.
The cycle will need to be stripped down and cleaned.
The wheel will need to be rebuilt using new spokes.
The missing parts will need to be sourced cheaply. It is important not to spend too much money on this or I might as well buy a new unicycle.
The cycle will then need to be reassembled, lubricated and adjusted (not that there is much adjustment required on a unicycle).
The tyre is worn and will need replacing.
The frame is lightly rusted and the wheel more heavily rusted.
The cycle will need to be stripped down and cleaned.
The wheel will need to be rebuilt using new spokes.
The missing parts will need to be sourced cheaply. It is important not to spend too much money on this or I might as well buy a new unicycle.
The cycle will then need to be reassembled, lubricated and adjusted (not that there is much adjustment required on a unicycle).
Breaking It Up
The first job was to take it all apart. The cotter pin came out quite easily and the crank slid off nicely.
Removing the wheel was more difficult as two of the four bolts were incorrect and all of them were partially corroded. Brute force and ignorance won the day!
The pedal bearings are very slack so I think new pedals would be a good idea. The pedal is rusted solidly into the crank. Brute force and ignorance broke the pedal spanner, Aarhh!
It may be necessary to locate two 4 inch left hand cranks and two symmetrical left pedals.
Removing the wheel was more difficult as two of the four bolts were incorrect and all of them were partially corroded. Brute force and ignorance won the day!
The pedal bearings are very slack so I think new pedals would be a good idea. The pedal is rusted solidly into the crank. Brute force and ignorance broke the pedal spanner, Aarhh!
It may be necessary to locate two 4 inch left hand cranks and two symmetrical left pedals.
The Wheel
Dan's bit
I removed the bearings with some difficulty as one of them was especially tight. In fact when it finally released the wheel hit me in the forehead. (See the scar, Laurel and Hardy springs to mind)The tyre was also tight which is normal with a wheel of this size.
After I had removed the tyre I handed the wheel to my son for the rebuild.
Dan removed one spoke as a pattern then the rest were cut out of the wheel.
He cleaned rim and hub with a Brillo pad.
As we don't have the right length spoke it was necessary for Dan to cut and thread a new set of spokes by hand.
As the rim is still pitted in places we are considering spray painting it black which will be a job for me.
So Far So Good
This is as far as the restoration has gone so far. More modules will be added as progress is made.
Reader Feedback
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- PositiveChristian PositiveChristian May 8, 2009 @ 7:38 am | in reply to archetekt
- Hi, thanks for you interest in my unicycle restoration. I am currently looking out for the parts I need to complete the restoration. They are not as easy to get as I had hoped. The strip down is completed. Rebuilding the wheel is the next step. Other unrelated, but more important, tasks are keeping me occupied at the moment. The restoration is important to me and will be completed.
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Reply
- archetekt archetekt May 8, 2009 @ 1:16 am
- Thanks for visiting my unicycle lens! how's the restoration on this old unicycle going?
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by PositiveChristian
I have far too many interests. I enjoy bicycles, playing music (piano and saxophone), collecting British stamps and coins, history and, most importan... (more)
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