Cleaning/regreasing a unicycle

Check and tighten your wheel. If you have a spline hub, open it and puts
some locktight in. Your cranks could be making the noise. The pedals
too, check for play. Also, if you do have splined set up, rotate your
cranks 45 degrees (it adds to your wheel life). If you have time,
regrease every bolt on your uni.

--
Danni

Jonny_Peacock said:

my closing statements to everybody:
STAY YOURSELF EVERYONE, BE REAL, BE NICE TO EACH OTHER MORE THAN YOU
WORRY ABOUT UNICYCLING BULLCRAP.

the jonny

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Danni said:

If you have time, regrease every bolt on your uni.

That's what I'm planning to do....i think the main hard part will be
just figuring out how to take stuff apart/where everything goes back
together.

thanks

--
monkeyman

Alex, MR addict.

Into the blue said:

I wish Alex would change his sig too.

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Search for the spline mantinence guide. As I remember from your video,
you have a DX so that should help with the wheel set, which is probably
all you need to do. Also, check the nuts under the seat, and tighten as
needed. Just be sure not to overtighten them because the round top part
will pop off.

--
grawistkafn

Quoted message said:

Originally Posted by Jerrick
Only problem with my nipples is when I twisted one the wrong way too
many times and it popped off

Quoted message said:

Originally Posted by Brian MacKenzie
Have you tried rubbing your nipples with grease before twisting them so
tightly?

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monkeyman said:

i think the main hard part will be just figuring out how to take stuff
apart/where everything goes back together.

If you have a digital camera, take lots of pictures of each step in the
disassembly process. Then you've got a trail of how to get it back
together. Also, I use plastic cups to hold my parts when I take apart
complex assemblies... you can write on each cup a description of what's
inside... also you can fill each cup with a little degreaser (I use
WD-40) so your parts get soaked and and are easier to clean.

The general rule for how to take stuff apart... you should never have
to use excessive force. If you feel you need to use force you're
either using the wrong tool, taking something off in the wrong
direction, or there's something else that needs to come off first.
Tools can be expensive but so can broken parts.

--
maestro8

Those are my principles. If you don't like those, I have others. --
Groucho Marx
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yes, as has already been said, the splined hub of your DX is the
culprit. splined hubs frequently make noise and creak. its nothing to
worry about, and to fix it entails simply removing the cranks, wiping
the dirt ect. out and oiling/greasing it up real well. i find that
regular cleaning with this foaming lubricant/cleaner keeps the uni in
prime riding condition.

as for the complexity of reassembling the parts, this is no difficulty.
everything has an obvious place (ie, the cranks go on the axle, spacers
between the cranks and bearings, ect). the only thing you really need
to watch for is mixing up the right and left cranks, or losing your
frame bolts. other than that its simple.

--
John Doe

I am all that is everyone
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monkeyman said:

To put it simply, when it comes to working on mechanical stuff, I am an
idiot. I dunno where to start.

You are not an idiot you are just inexperienced. Try to determine the
source of the problem. Spokes, pedals, scraping. If you narrow it down
you do less unnecessary work.

--
harper

-Greg Harper

B L U E S H I F T

*jc is the only main man. there can be no other.*

This is still my nth post....*AWESOME!!!*

"Obviously, you have no sense of humour." - Brian Slater
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I good thing to do is to take the cranks off (axle bolt and pinch bolt),
grease, and rotate the cranks around. I do this every month or so, it
stops the crank creaking for awhile anyway.

--
forrestunifreak

If I had a signature, it would look something like this.
*'My gallery-NAUCC 2006!'
(http://tinyurl.com/bbf9x)*
BANANA'S FOR JESUS!
_____________________________________________
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I find on the DX that when they paint them, they inevitably get some
paint on the splines. After a bunch of riding, the paint comes loose
and kinda wiggles around in the spines. So, I like to wire brush the
splines lightly to get off any loose paint before putting the cranks
back on.

The steps to clean/regrease it would be the following:
1)Take out pinch bolt.
2)Take out axle bolt.
3)Take off cranks (this may be difficult as this is the first time
you've done it.)
4)Take off bearing caps, and lift off frame.
5)Slide of washers and spacers, noting carefully the order in which
they go on. If the bearings come off easily, go ahead and remove those
too.
6)Degrease/wipe all parts and splines, including the inside of the
crank's splines. Scrape/brush off loose paint on spline/crank
interface.
7)Regrease the splines with good bike grease/anti-seize, and lightly
grease everything else (bolts, washers, etc.).
8)Put the bearings, washers, and spacers back on.
9)Put the frame back on, and replace the bearing caps. Remember, they
don't have to be very tight. The wheel should still be able to spin
freely. Also, it would probably help to put a little Loc-Tite blue on
the bearing cap bolts.
10)Slide the cranks back on as far as you can by hand, replace the
pinch bolt finger tight, and put in/tighten the axle bolt pretty well.
Then tighten the pinch bolt.
11)Remove the pedals, clean and grease the threads, and reinstall.
12)Probably wouldn't hurt (if you have a spoke wrench) to go through
and tighten the spokes, check the tension, etc.
11)Ride around a bit, and then re-tighten axle and pinch bolts.
12)Enjoy the silentness of the uni. mmmm....

--
onelesscar

"It's f*$%^*g raining!"
"Well, is it f*$%^*g or is it raining?"

"That car was -melting-????"
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harper said:

You are not an idiot you are just inexperienced. Try to determine the
source of the problem. Spokes, pedals, scraping. If you narrow it down
you do less unnecessary work

That's what I would be doing, but I figured that while I'm doing some,
I might as well do all of it, because I haven't done any maintenance in
the ~7 months I've had it.

I'm not sure what the actual problem is though...I don't know if it's
in my head, but when I'm bunny hopping in place, the right crank (front
foot) makes a funny clicking tension-releasing sound, and it feels like
I fall forward a little bit (this is the part that I'm not sure
about...because I've looked at the cranks and alignment, and they look
perfectly straight.

Another question: What exactly are splines, and how do I get to them?
I thought they were many small metal rods inside the frame/cranks/stuff
to keep them rigid and/or stronger....am I just wrong?

--
monkeyman

Alex, MR addict.

Into the blue said:

I wish Alex would change his sig too.

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Splines are ridges on the spindle that keep the cranks from rotating
around the spindle.

The two attached pictures are before greasing and after greasing.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Filename: DSCN3316.jpg |
|Download: http://www.unicyclist.com/attachment/15564 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

--
onelesscar

"It's f*$%^*g raining!"
"Well, is it f*$%^*g or is it raining?"

"That car was -melting-????"
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So, if those are crank splines, what are hub splines?

--
monkeyman

Alex, MR addict.

Into the blue said:

I wish Alex would change his sig too.

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monkeyman said:

So, if those are crank splines, what are hub splines?

The term "splines" discribes the shape of the interface; each one of
the raised grooves on the hub is a spline. The part of the crank that
slips on the hub is machined with a matching pattern.

The splined interface simply a way of firmly attatching the cranks
without removing very much material (The more metal you machine off of
the axle, the smaller and weaker it becomes).

--
Spudman

click the dots...
*'_•_' (www.cathodecorner.com) '_•_' (http://selectric.org/) • • •
'_•_' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/main_page) • • • • '_•_'
(http://www.unicyclepics.co.uk/) • • • • • '_•_'
(http://www.pandora.com/) • • • '_•_' (http://www.theorylessons.com/) •
• • • '_•_' (http://www.barefoothippie.com/) '_•_'
(http://www.nickjantz.2ya.com/) '_•_' (http://www.qu-ax.com/)
• • '_•_' (http://www.purepwnage.com/) • • • • • '_•_'
(http://www.gkko.com/) • • • • • • '_•_'
(http://www.longnow.org/projects/clock/prototype1/) • • • • • • • • •
'_•_' (http://www.superhandz.com/sportz/penspinning.html) • •
• • • • '_•_' (http://www.unicyclist.com/?page=donate) • • '_•_'
(http://www.speedcubing.com/ton/building.htm) • • '_•_'
(http://www.unicycle.tv/) • • • '_•_'
(http://www.myspace.com/unicycle_rachel) '_•_' (http://funnyjunk.com/)
• • • '_•_' (http://www.ericharshbarger.org/lego/) • • • '_•_'
(http://www.myspace.com/jerrick_crites) • • '_•_'
(http://www.gocomics.com/comics/index.phtml) •
'_•_' (http://www.xanga.com/monkeyman305ab) '_•_'
(http://www.cowabduction.com/) • • • • • • '_•_'
(http://www.jonnypeacock.com/) • • • • • '_•_'
(http://www.southparkstudios.com/) • • • '_•_'
(http://www.teagames.com/) • • • • • '_•_'
(http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/) • • '_•_' (www.google.com)*
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only two months into engineering school, and spudman is getting all
technical on us!

--
squirrel
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monkeyman said:

So, if those are crank splines, what are hub splines?

Those are hub splines in the picture. The cranks are just the oppisite
of the hub, and the teeth (splines) fit together.
http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38277

It all makes sense after you take it apart and put it back together
again.🙂

--
forrestunifreak

If I had a signature, it would look something like this.
*'My gallery-NAUCC 2006!'
(http://tinyurl.com/bbf9x)*
BANANA'S FOR JESUS!
_____________________________________________
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well...the good news is, I figured out what's wrong with it...the bad
news.....

My DX frame has finally had enough. It's breaking at the infamous
weld....🙁
I'm gonna email UDC tomorrow and ask about the warranty

--
monkeyman

Alex, MR addict.

Into the blue said:

I wish Alex would change his sig too.

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UDC just sent me an email saying that my frame is on the way to them
from Torker...they'll send it to me as soon as they get it.

I can't wait!

😄

--
monkeyman

Alex, MR addict.

Into the blue said:

I wish Alex would change his sig too.

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Nice, but I would personally just bend it straight and weld it for some
extra strength. Unless you have to ship the frame back to them...

--
Borgschulze

Spare some change for a new unicycle?
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Borgschulze said:

Nice, but I would personally just bend it straight and weld it for some
extra strength. Unless you have to ship the frame back to them...

There's cracks in the actual frame too.

And either way, it's a free new frame.

--
monkeyman

Alex, MR addict.

Into the blue said:

I wish Alex would change his sig too.

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monkeyman said:

UDC just sent me an email saying that my frame is on the way to them
from Torker...they'll send it to me as soon as they get it.

I can't wait!

😄

thats what they said to me, and that was like 2 weeks ago.

and i still havent gotten it.....

GRRRRRR

Chase

--
Unitik908

All hail the exhaulted Sigpoose, for he is forever king...
R.I.P Unibiker
R.I.P Gazzaloddi
R.I.P Paul Hester
R.I.P James Doohan
R.I.P Mitch Hedberg
R.I.P Peter Jennings
R.I.P Pope John Paul II
R.I.P James_Potters_Cat
YAMS

-last edited by the dave and sigpoose on 2005-09-05 at 08:56 pm -
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