F.A.Q. - Upgrading

Here you will find more detailed information on:

• Cranks Size
• Upgrading
• Different types of cranks

Back to main FAQ page

This is not an easy question, it depends what you want to do with your unicycle. All the unicycles are sold with standard length cranks but you can upgrade your unicycle with different size cranks. As a general rule, the shorter the crank the faster you can ride, the longer the crank the more control and power your can have.

16" unicycles can only be fitted with 110 mm cranks or smaller otherwise the pedals touch the ground when riding.

20" unicycles, 110 mm cranks give a smooth fast ride but make idling harder, 125 mm cranks (standard) give a lot of torque and are good for learners and tricks, 140 mm (Kris Holm and Onza only) are for Trials, 150 mm are a bit long.

24" unicycles, 110 mm cranks are very smooth and should only be considered if you are a speed fiend, 125 mm cranks are smooth and still quite fast, although are ok for idling, 140 and 150 mm cranks are great for off road and learners. 170 mm are for Trials.

26" (& 29") unicycles, 110 mm cranks make a great long distance machine on flat surface but very hard to idle, 125 mm cranks are smooth and a good street machine, 150 mm cranks are great for standard Muni riding and tricks work, 170 mm are for trials riders or mountain climbers, these give you the ability to go up almost anything!

36" Coker, 110 mm cranks, yes; you can put them on a 36" unicycle and they make an incredibly fast unicycle - on the "Ride across Minnesota" I rode with 110 mm cranks and could cruise at 17mph without too much difficulty - but my fractured scaphoid is testimony to my lack of control. 125 mm cranks create an extremely fast machine and gives some control for the experienced rider to idle. 150 mm cranks are standard and should be considered the minimum for all but experienced riders.

Note: Splined hubs will need the correct splined cranks.

Seat: When you are learning, you can destroy your seat with the constant dropping. We sell a wide range of seats from the cheap plastic seat to Viscount, Kris Holm and Miyata and Gel saddles. You can also change your seat to have one with a Handle which is useful to make jumps and to have a more comfortable position to ride. Make sure to take a look at our range of Seats.

Seatpost: Have you outgrown your existing unicycle? We can sell you an extra long seat posts to revitalise it or a seatpost rail or angle adaptor? Even if your unicycle has a non-standard size we can supply shims to fit most sizes. Older seatposts tend to be 22.0mm newer models tend to be 25.4mm, we stock both. Be sure to take a look at our range of Seatposts.

Seatpost Clamp: It can be very annoying to be constantly straightening your seat so one of the most common upgrade is to fit a double bolt seat clamp. These clamp the frame and the seatpost keeping them in position even under the worst conditions. Learners though are the other way round they need to be able to move their seat position regularly until they find the optimum height for their riding style, for them we sell replacement quick-release clamps.

Frame: If you have a Dodger and you are getting into bouncing then it is worth considering upgrading to a Nimbus frame or if you are looking to do more advanced stand-up tricks then the Nimbus II frame. If you are a good off-road rider and you want a high performance Unicycle, you should buy the Blizzard frame in Aircraft CroMoly.

Brakes: Yes, it is possible! For Muni downhill. Once you are used to them they can give you more control for technical downhill riding, or you can use them as a drag-brake to save your legs on long downhills. You can get a Kris Holm frame with them fitted or you can get a special frame like the Nimbus II with Magura fitting and buy the Magura Brakes set.

Rim: One of the most common upgrades for Muni riders is changing the rim to the almost indestructible Halo Combat rims or the Kris Holm rims but we do stock other strong rims too.

Tyre: One of the biggest, easiest and cheapest upgrades you can do to your unicycle is replace the standard tyre. On a unicycle all your weight is on one tyre unlike a bike so  you need a larger volume  than standard, high-pressure tyre with strong sidewalls. For Freestyle we sell Primo Wall is which is one of the best tyres of its type in the world. For Trials we sell the Onza and the Monty in 19", and for muni the  Gazzaloddi and the Halo tyres in 24" and 26", both of which offer massive improvements over standard tyres. For the 29” we sell the Big Apple  for road riding which offers a higher volume for riding and better foot print, there are also off-road 29" tyres for cross country. Take a look at our table of tyres we sell and their specifications.

Hub: One of the big stress points on a unicycle is the hub, especially if you are bouncing on it. One of the big improvements over the past few years has been the introduction of the wide flange CrMO hubs, we even sell them extra wide for Cokers.  Although, if you really want an almost indestructible machine you should look at our range of splined hubs and cranks! To compare our splined hubs check out our Splined hub comparator.

Cranks: If you ever want to change the gearing on your unicycle you change the length of the crank. Short for faster, longer for control. You might also want to change your cranks for strength, the Bicycle Euro are considerably stronger than the standard Taiwanese cranks. If you want to lighten your unicycle and you are not heavy on your cranks then we sell aluminium cranks that give a considerable weight saving over standard. If strength is your problem then you will need to get some splined cranks, but you will need a matching splined hub.

Pedals: When you are learning it is not unusual to destroy a set of pedals or even two. We sell standard replacement pedals, these are not expensive but are appear to be some of the most durable pedals out there. If you are wanting extra grip for out side we have a range of Aluminium pedals with steel studs in that give a massive improvement in grip.

There are four types of cranks: cotterless, ISIS, splined and cotter-pinned.

Cotterless Cranks.
This is the standard crank that comes on most modern unicycles. The hub axle has tapered ends with a square cross-section and a bolt or nut to hold the cranks on.  The cranks are forced onto the axle to create a friction fit and locked in place with the bolt or nut. You should never ride with loose cotterless cranks as this will round the corners off the axle and distort the square hole in the crank, preventing them from fitting tightly ever again.
To remove cotterless cranks you will need a crank extractor. First remove dustcover (if fitted) then unscrew (anti-clockwise) nut/bolt with 14 socket spanner or 8mm allen key. Retract the central shaft of the crank extractor fully before screwing the outer  clockwise into the crank fully. Next turn the shaft to extract crank. Then unscrew the outer threaded section to separate it from the crank.
To fit cotterless cranks; gently seat the crank on the axle stub and affirm its position with a mallet (not metal), then tightly lock in place with the bolt/nut.  Make sure the righthand crank is on the righthand side and the lefthand crank is on the lefthand side before riding  otherwise you will wreck the cranks.

ISIS cranks
These are a type of splined crank but have tapered axles so their removal is similar to cotterless cranks BUT you must use a crank extractor with an ISIS head otherwise it will damage the threads in the axle. Some extractors have a removable ISIS head so you can use them on cotterless and ISIS cranks.

Splined Cranks.
Splined cranks are stronger than cotterless cranks and therefore are more suitable for muni or trials unicycling, but require slightly more maintenance. There are several different models; Onza, Kris Holm, Profile, Qu-ax, Koxx, Onza/Kris Holm, Qu-ax ISIS, Onza ISIS, Nimbus ISIS and Kris Holm ISIS.  With the exception of the Onza with the Kris Holm/Onza cranks and all the ISIS cranks with each other (not Koxx), these cranks are not cross-compatible as they fit different spline formations.  The bolts will probably need to be tightened after a week of riding and checked regularly after that. For more information read our section on maintenance of splined cranks. Never ride with the cranks on the wrong side or you will destroy them.

Cotter-pinned Cranks.
These do not come on any new unicycles but we do sell replacements for them. The crank is held in place by a tapered bolt, called a cotter-pin, which is at right-angles to both the axle and the crank.
To remove the cotter-pin; unscrew the nut slightly then carefully hit with a hammer/mallet. Repeat this process until the pin is completely removed. Do not completely remove the nut and hit it with a hammer since this tends to bend the pin, making complete removal a little more difficult. When you change a cotter-pinned crank it is recommended that you also replace the cotter-pin.  Before riding, make sure the righthand crank is on the righthand side and the lefthand crank is on the lefthand side before riding  otherwise you will ruin the cranks.