The great Giraffe Project: Part Two

[XWonka]

Attached is an image consisting of the giraffe with it's proposed
powdercoating color, as well as images of the hardware i'm slapping on
this bad boy.

Specs:
2 Bulletproof Chain Tensioners ($20)
Maxxis Hookworm ($16)
Odyssey PC pedals ($11)
Velo Freestyle saddle ($48)
Lasco Crank Arms, Black, 170mm ($25)
Odyssey Seat Post Clamp ($5)

Total price is going to be upwards $125 for all the goods (really it's
that saddle that's killing me, but what can you do).

Anyway, i wanted to ask if this is a good idea. I'm not sure if the
Crank arms are going to work out.... I'm not sure how the sprocket
connects to the crank arm. Do you think that a crank set from those
torker giraffes would fit on this? I'm going for an all black with green
frame thing going on.

Thanks for any feedback!


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--
XWonka - I'm divorced

"It is your feeble minded government, not mine, who participated in the
war which has not yet been justified." -Rowan

"Ya, freestyle is better for turing and mainly freestyle stuff. Trials
is way better for hopping..." Super_Evill

"Actually, the Hell on Wheel Gang does not -own- me. Come to think of
it, that's a pretty opressive statement and somewhat outdated in it's
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[GILD]

XWonka wrote:
> *Thanks for any feedback! *


that is one fine looking machine
i would say something about envy but i think the metaphor would be
instantly belaboured...

;)


--
GILD - Waffle-tosser

When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more
hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have
ever been committed in the name of rebellion.
-- C. P. Snow
'this will only take a minute...(fixed)'
(http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/actions/un.htm)
'and while u're in a good-deed-doing-mood...'
(http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com.)

JUST SAY 'KNOW'!

Namaste!
Dave
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[hopeful]

your selection of crank arms will not work. the top sprocket is welded
onto the cranks. it might be a better bet to have the cranks that come
with the giraffe painted or powdercoated black.

a KH standard (with handle) sure helps when doing (and learning) running
mounts as I have found over the last few weeks...

sweet machine. just be sure to keep the tensioners tight and the tire
full.


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a sawzall...!? why not just use an axe. -- Jagur

Long live the Lotus -- Mojoe
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[john_childs]

I don't think the Bulletproof chain tensioners are going to work very
well. They're designed for fat beefy BMX dropouts. The tensioning
bolts will slip right off the skinny dropouts on a giraffe.

A traditional chain tensioner design similar to the stock chain
tensioners will work better.

Or maybe, just maybe, the 'Redline chain tensioner'
(http://tinyurl.com/y9yp) from DansComp.com. It looks like it has a
cradle on the back side to keep the tensioner bolt from slipping off the
skinny dropout. You'd have to take a look at one to see if it would
work well or not. I also don't know if it is designed to fit a 14mm
axle or a 3/8" axle. Unicycles are usually the 3/8" size.


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[evilewan]

ive been scouring the earth for a set of pedals like that.
unicycle.com (usa) seems to be the only place in the world that you can
get them.

you cant get them in scotland, germany, england, monreal or torronto.

and i realy dont want to have to pay the import duty on a set.

and your going to put them on a ..........girrafe?

some people dont know their born.

p.s, if anyone actualy knows where i can get a set in the u.k. i'd realy
like to know where.


--
evilewan - death or glory

--
evilewan.

see the rec.sport.unicycling maintainance FAQ @
http://evilewan.unicyclist.com/
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[Checkernuts]

Evilewan,

looking for some place like this?


http://www.hollymillcycles.co.uk/products.php?show=227


--
Checkernuts - Me Fail English? That's Unpossible

No one said it was gonna be easy and I'm not afraid to try, with the
odds stacked up against me I will have to fight, One Life One Wheel got
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[hopeful]

i've got bulletproofs on both of my giraffes, and they work great. I
also thought that they might not work due to the skinny dropouts, but
surprisingly enough, they do (and a lot better than those crap lollypop
type that come stock)

the hookworm tire is really sweet though, what type of tube are you
going to use (i reccomend a thorn-resistant) ?


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[john_childs]

hopeful wrote:
> *i've got bulletproofs on both of my giraffes, and they work great. I
> also thought that they might not work due to the skinny dropouts, but
> surprisingly enough, they do (and a lot better than those crap
> lollypop type that come stock)
> *

I have the Bulletproof tensioner on my mini giraffe and they don't work
so well. The bolts keep slipping off the skinny dropout. I'm gong to
switch to some other chain tensioner one of these days.

I have never had any problems with the basic lollipop style chain
tensioners on my Schwinn giraffe. They stay tight. They never slip. I
don't see how the lollipop style tensioner can go wrong. The only thing
"wrong" with the lollipop style tensioner is that they don't have much
style.


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[XWonka]

Ok... Since i know that this Crank arm thing won't work out... i had
another idea but i'm nor sure if it will work. Help me out Giraffe
Experts..

Would it be possible to buy a new Crankset , intended for a bicycle, and
put that in my giraffe?

Example: 'Would this crank set,' (http://tinyurl.com/ybxk) along with
'this chain wheel,' (http://tinyurl.com/ybxl) be able to fit inside a
savage frame? If not, What are the specifications to what will or will
not go in there.

Not only is this an alternative to just painting the stock crankset, but
it's even ultra-pimpin'.


--
XWonka - I'm divorced

"It is your feeble minded government, not mine, who participated in the
war which has not yet been justified." -Rowan

"Ya, freestyle is better for turing and mainly freestyle stuff. Trials
is way better for hopping..." Super_Evill

"Actually, the Hell on Wheel Gang does not -own- me. Come to think of
it, that's a pretty opressive statement and somewhat outdated in it's
nature."
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[hopeful]

yep, a bicycle crankset will go on a giraffe. you don't need the new
axle though, just the crank arms and chain wheel. you probably wouldn't
want to use THAT particular chain wheel as it has 36 teeth and the chain
wheel on the wheelset only has 28 (it'd be WAY fast)

you'll also need a crank puller to pull the stock cranks off and then
put the new cranks on the same axle.

(a torque wrench also helps putting the new ones on, but isn't necessary
and some loctite is always a good thing to have around)

John Childs, I have bent those lollipop tensioners so badly that they
wouldn't work anymore and stripped the threads off because I like to
keep my chain REALLY tight so that I don't have any slack. If you've
never had any problems with them, more power to you, but i'll stick with
my bulletproofs

btw, what kind of mini-giraffe do you have?


--
hopeful - Street Performer

a sawzall...!? why not just use an axe. -- Jagur

Long live the Lotus -- Mojoe
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[UniBrier]

A couple things go take into consideration with using a different
crankset.

First is sprocket size, the top and bottom sprockets should be within a
couple teeth of each other. In fact, having a minor difference in tooth
count is a good thing because the tire will self rotate and you won't
end up with un even wear.

The other is probably a minor concern but make sure the chain line works
out.

You would need a new axle only if you converted from square taper to
splined.


--
UniBrier - Its Time to Ride

Steve DeKoekkoek - I've got a one track mind.
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[XWonka]

Thanks alot, guys. You've all helped me out more than you can imagine.

I hope that sometime in January you'll see "The Giraffe Project: Part
three" with pictures of the final product. (ooh! I'll be the Envy of all
the forums! :D)


--
XWonka - I'm divorced

"It is your feeble minded government, not mine, who participated in the
war which has not yet been justified." -Rowan

"Ya, freestyle is better for turing and mainly freestyle stuff. Trials
is way better for hopping..." Super_Evill

"Actually, the Hell on Wheel Gang does not -own- me. Come to think of
it, that's a pretty opressive statement and somewhat outdated in it's
nature."
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[john_childs]

hopeful wrote:
> *btw, what kind of mini-giraffe do you have? *

I have a red
'Fleet mini giraffe' (http://tinyurl.com/ydh8)

It's a fun little novelty unicycle.


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[scot]

I have a MUni giraffe that is about 5.5 ft high. It started out as a
Savage 6 ft uni but that was a long time ago. The MUni giraffe is
equipped with 175mm Primo cranks and has a 38-tooth sprocket up top and
a 39-tooth bottom gear made from an aluminum GT sprocket. The tire is
26 x 2.3 Tioga knobby. In the beginning, the chain tensioners got bent
when hopping. Now I have a set of BMX type Primo tensioners on there
that are about 3x as thick as the stock ones.

Advice for the Lasco cranks, don't count on them. Under stess, they
will break.

I just had my MUni giraffe upgraded by Rick Hunter and then powder
coated yellow. I'll try to post some pics when I get my camera fixed.

Have fun up there.


--
scot - unitourist

"I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in
order to enjoy ourselves."
- Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951)

I'll bet this poor guy didn't have a unicycle. :cool:
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[john_childs]

XWonka wrote:
> *Would it be possible to buy a new Crankset , intended for a bicycle,
> and put that in my giraffe?
>
> Example: 'Would this crank set,' (http://tinyurl.com/ybxk) along with
> 'this chain wheel,' (http://tinyurl.com/ybxl) be able to fit inside a
> savage frame? If not, What are the specifications to what will or will
> not go in there.
>
> Not only is this an alternative to just painting the stock crankset,
> but it's even ultra-pimpin'. *

There are two different bottom bracket size standards. There is an
European size that is a smaller diameter and a larger diameter size that
has a name that I can't recall at the moment. Anyways, there are two
standard sizes out there and you can't fit a big bottom bracket in a
frame designed for a European size. I don't know what size bottom
bracket is on a Savage giraffe. So... I don't know if that crankset
will fit on your giraffe. Depends on the size of the bottom bracket.

Are you planning on gearing up your giraffe? The chainwheel that you
linked to is kind of big which would result in gearing up your giraffe
to a larger effective wheel size. How many teeth are on the cog on your
giraffe? How many teeth are on the chainring?

Some of the BMX folks are now starting to use smaller chainwheels for
flatland and for street. The smaller chainring gives them more
clearance. They're using chainwheels with around 25 teeth along with
rear cogs with 9, 10, or 11 teeth. That combo gives them a similar gear
ratio as the more common larger chainwheels and larger cogs. The good
news is that we can now get smaller high quality chainwheels ranging
from 23 to 30 teeth. Cool!

Links to some of the smaller chainrings:
This one has sizes from 23T, 24T, 25T, 26T, 27T
'QUAMEN QRD CHAINWHEEL' (http://tinyurl.com/ydqg)

This one has 25T, 28T, 30T, or 33T
'FBM 6013 CHAINWHEEL' (http://tinyurl.com/ydqh)

This one has 25T, 28T, 30T, or 33T
'ANIMAL LITE CHAINWHEEL' (http://tinyurl.com/ydqi)

In addition to looking cool, these chainwheels will be nice and round so
you won't get slack spots in the chain (assuming that the cog is also
nice and round). Chainwheels that aren't perfectly round suck on a
giraffe or on a singlespeed bike like a BMX bike.

You may have to use a 'chainwheel adapter' (http://tinyurl.com/ydqj) to
get the BMX chainwheels to fit on the giraffes crank spindle.

You will have to find out what size chain is on your giraffe. There is
fat chain and skinny chain (I don't know the exact sizes so I'll just
call them fat and skinny). Some of the chainwheels will only work with
the fat chain because the chainwheel is so thick. You'll need to find
out what size chain is on your giraffe and make sure it will work with
the new chainwheel.

And then there will be the issue of making sure the chainwheel and cog
stay in alignment with the new stuff. If the chainline is off then
things are not going to work well. This could be tricky. It may be
possible to adjust the chainline up at the bottom bracket. Depends on
the design of the bottom bracket.

Your best bet is to take your giraffe to a local bike shop that knows
their BMX gear and have them upgrade it for you. They'll know what
parts are going to work and what won't. They'll know if you need a
different bottom bracket to keep the chainline in line. If they know
their BMX parts they should know what they need to know to get your
tricked up giraffe to work. It will be more expensive than if you
bought all of the parts mail order, but it all should work in the end.
There are a lot of details that you need to know to make sure that
everything will fit and work together.


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[john_childs]

Oh, and the Profile Imperial chainwheel is also available in sizes from
24T through 46T in one tooth increments. It's available in black
anodize or high polish silver.

'DansComp link' (http://tinyurl.com/ydur)
'ProfileRacing link' (http://tinyurl.com/ydus)


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