Build a short and a tall unicycle - AtomicZombie

“Well, great to see you’re branching out into
selling parts. That’s a great thing.”
~ Bruce H., Wyoming
October 1, 2012
NEWS
Build a short and a tall unicycle
By RadicalBrad
AZTV
B
uild your own Short Unicycle with
our DIY unicycle plans!
Challenge both your building skills as well as
your balance skills with this robust direct
drive unicycle. The frame can be easily made
by hand using only mild steel tubing and
standard bicycle components, even the axle.
This fun to ride unicycle is a great beginner’s
unicycle as it can take any abuse, and will last
for a long time with little or no maintenance.
You can build your own unicycle using any
size wheel and customize the look and feel to
suit your style. You will only require the most
basic tools such as an angle grinder, welder
and a hand held drill to turn a few dollars
worth of steel into a high quality unicycle.
Even the seat can be made using the most basic materials, so you will be able to do it yourself on
a minimal budget.
Riding a unicycle is a great workout for both your legs and your agility, and you can ride a short
unicycle virtually anyplace, even off the road if you have the skills. Using a large 26 inch
mountain bike wheel and tire makes the unicycle easier to ride and much more comfortable for
longer distances, so you can ride as far and as long as your skills will let you. Learning to ride a
unicycle is as much fan as building one.
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“Very nice plans! You sure put a lot of work into them.
Well done.” ~ Rodney B., UK
October 1, 2012
NEWS
(Continued from page 1)
Parts Available For The Short Unicycle!
AZTV
Our ready to use DIY parts will help you get
your project done in less time. Of course, our
plans also include instructions or drawings
that will show you how to make these parts
yourself.
Pre-drilled ready to weld hub flanges. Quantity needed : 1 set of Part# HF5818
For more information, see the PARTS section. Our laser cut Hub Flange Discs will make it easy
for you to build your own unicycle wheel and save you time on your project. The Hub Flange
Discs are sold as a set of four identical discs and are made of steel and are approximately 1/8 inch
thick as required by the plans. Spoke holes are
7/64" in diameter so that standard bicycles
spokes can be used.
Build your own Giraffe Unicycle.
If you are up to the challenge, then climb up
into the saddle of this stylish Giraffe Unicycle
and push your skills to the limits. This quality
DIY tall unicycle is surprisingly easy to build,
needing only a few feet of steel tubing and
some commonly available bicycle components.
For only a few dollars, you can build sturdy
Giraffe Unicycle that looks and rides as well as
a factory made unicycle.
Read more >>
2
“I’ve never welded before, but thanks to your plans,
tutorials and amazing support forum I’m welding like a
mad man. Thanks for helping this old dude find a new
hobby.” ~ Frank G., San Francisco
NEWS
October 1, 2012
Hub flange discs for sale
Our laser cut Hub Flange Discs will make it
easier for you to build your own delta trike
wheels and save you time on your project.
This Hub Flange Disc is made with 24 spoke
holes so that you can build wheels directly
onto any 3/4" axle using rims with 48 spokes.
AZTV
All hub flange discs are sold as a set of
four identical discs.
The Hub Flange Discs are made of steel and
are approximately 1/8 inch thick as required
by the plans. Spoke holes are 7/64" in
diameter so that standard bicycles spokes can
be used.
Our Hub Flange Discs come in several varieties with various spoke hole counts and axle hole
diameters. Each of our DIY plans offer a recommended axle size and spoke count, but you can
certainly change this to suit your design needs or parts availability. For instance, the Aurora
Trike can be built using rims with 36 spokes rather than 48 spokes, or the DeltaWolf can be
made using a 3/4 inch axle rather than a 5/8 inch axle. Please make sure that you order the
correct Hub Flange Disc size for your project.
To keep costs to a minimum, our Hub Flange Discs are laser cut from flat sheet metal. Each
disc will have a small imperfection on the outer edge and inner edge where the laser started
cutting out the disc. There is also a mill scale on the surface of the metal that will need to be
removed using sandpaper or a sanding disc. Neither of these imperfections will compromise
the strength of the disc, and once they are built onto your hubs and painted, the imperfections
will be unnoticeable.
The surfaces of the Hub Flange Discs are coated with a mill scale at the factory to help protect
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“I must say kudos to Kat and Brad for their
wonderful web sites and the best customer service
I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in years.”
~ Andy N., Australia
NEWS
October 1, 2012
(Continued from page 3)
AZTV
the metal from oxidation. This coating easily be removed using a sanding disc to prepare the
part for painting. The laser cut edges are also somewhat sharp, so they need to be smoothed off
using the sanding disc by running it lightly around the edge once.
Once the mill scale has been removed from the Hub Flange Discs, the spoke holes will need
to be beveled slightly to remove the sharp edges around the holes. This is done so that the
spoke exiting the flange is not cut by the sharp edges of the hole. To bevel the spoke holes, use a
3/16 inch drill bit and push lightly into the hole until a small bevel is made.
The beveled spoke holes are shown here after running pressing lightly with the 3/16 inch drill
bit to remove the sharp edges. The Hub Flange Disc is now ready to be welded to your delta
trike axle.
Remember, our Hub Flange Discs are sold as a set of four matching discs, and there are
several versions available, so please choose the correct number of spoke holes and axle
diameter for your project. These discs are manufactured to keep costs to a minimum, so you
will need to bevel the spoke holes and prep the surface for painting, an operation that will only
take a few minutes per disc.
All of our DIY Delta Trike Plans make use of these Hub Flange Discs, which allow you to lace
a rim directly to the rear axle. By integrating the flanges directly onto the axles, you’ll save
some money instead of needing to have complex and expensive machined hub parts made. Our
trike plans also include instructions on how to make these parts from scratch, as well as a
drawing that can be sent to a machine shop in case you want to make your own hub flanges.
Our goal is to offer parts that save you both time and money when building your own DIY
bike or trike project. For more details and to order, visit the AtomicZombie store.
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“I just finished building the Warrior Trike. I love it. As
soon as I get it painted I will post pictures...As I ride
around my town where in Ohio I get stopped all the
time by inquisitive onlookers. I love stopping and
talking to them about building it. Thanks again for the
cool plans. ~ Justin, Ohio
NEWS
October 1, 2012
Our community mourns
The AtomicZombie family has lost a
very talented member, Larry Vanyi (Old
Peddler).
AZTV
Larry was building a downhill racer
when he was diagnosed with advanced
stage Leukemia in August.
It’s a huge loss to our community.
Larry Vanyi (Old Peddler)
June 1, 1945 - September 27, 2012
Our condolences to Larry’s family. He
will be dearly missed, but will always be in
our hearts.
From the Builders Gallery
Home built tadpole trike from available
materials in our country. In many bike
shops they don´t know what the trike is, so
it was little hard to build it, but as you see
it stand on wheels.
Slovakia
You can upload your own bike pictures to the gallery! Go to the AZ forum and join us.
5
“I’m not one for reading blueprints, so your format
works for me! Don’t change anything.”
~ Steve P., Ireland
October 1, 2012
NEWS
AZTV
More than 30 informative bike building
tutorials, plus videos. Absolutely free!
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Topics include:
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Simple SWB Recumbent
Wheel Part Salvaging
Basic Fishmouth Cutting
Arc Welding Basics
World Record SkyCycle
Cranks And Pedals
Bottom Brackets
Derailleurs
Rake and Trail
Brakes
Head Tubes
Tall Bikes
Bike Chains
Bicycle Autopsy
Granny’s Nightmare Chopper
Goosenecks
Freewheels
Mountain Bike Tandem
Bearings
Underseat Steering for DeltaWolf
From the Builders Gallery
Chmack Modeled after 1927 Mack C cab
Fender mounted headlights have
been installed. A 3 gallon fuel cell is
being mounted under cowl. Battery
fuse box and storage under hood.
~ Ron Harmon
You can upload your own bike pictures to the gallery! Go to the AZ forum and join us.
6
“I’m not a computer savvy guy. Your download
instructions were very clear.”
~ Iain N., Denmark
October 1, 2012
NEWS
Atomic Zombie manufactured
AZTV
parts for your bike projects
By Brad Graham, AtomicZombie.com
W
e ship orders on Wednesdays The
next batch of adapters is on order
and expected to arrive in two
weeks. We will be adding more to
our inventory in response to the demand,
including spokes, bearings, chains, and many
other common bicycle parts that are used on
every project.
Here is a description of the parts we now
have for sale and which plans they belong to.
Some of the Delta Trike parts we
offer:
Pre-order—October delivery
Freewheel adapter
Disc brake adapter
Due to a manufacturer’s error, freewheel adapters will be
shipping after October 3. Sorry for the inconvenience.
The disc brake axle adapter
will allow you to install a standard
bicycle disc brake onto a 5/8 or
3/4 inch diameter steel axle. The
part will be drilled and tapped for
standard disc brake rotor
mounting and will include a set
screw for connection to the axle.
The threaded freewheel axle
adapter will allow a Shimano
type screw-on freewheel to be
Delta Trike Axle Adapters made for 3/4 inch cold rolled steel shaft
affixed to a 5/8 or 3/4 inch
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“Hello and thanks. I’m scrounging parts now and
hope to start building the Aurora trike very soon.”
~ Jerry Q., Australia
October 1, 2012
NEWS
(Continued from page 7)
Projects that require axle adapters and
flanges.
AZTV
diameter steel axle. This part will include a set
screw for connection to the axle.
The Hub flange set will allow a wheel to
be laced directly to a 5/8 or 3/4 inch diameter
steel axle. These steel parts are sold in pairs
and will include 18 or 24
Now
drilled spoke holes for 36 or
available
48 hole rims.
All of our DIY trike and quadcycle plans use
one or more of these parts, and you certainly
use these parts to design your own unique
vehicles based on our plans or from scratch.
Having these parts available means that you
can shave days off your build time or possibly
weeks if you have to wait in line at the
machine shop for your parts to be made.
Because we will be making these in
quantities, we can manufacture them for less
than what a machine shop would charge for a
single unit. All of our parts are tested to fit on
the axle and freewheel, so there will be no
guesswork or problems when it comes time to
install them.
Our freewheel and brake adapter will allow
standard bicycle components to be adapted to
any 5/8 or 3/4 axle so that transmission and
braking can be included. A threaded freewheel
will screw on to the adapter and a standard
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“What a wonderful treat to be a member of an online
forum where folks truly help each other. It’s a
privilege to be a part of the AZ family.”
~ Marcel K., Louisiana
October 1, 2012
NEWS
(Continued from page 8)
AZTV
bicycle disc brake rotor will bolt onto the included flange.
With these two components mounted to the axle, you can use a standard bicycle rear derailleur to
add speeds and a standard mechanical bicycle disc brake to offer solid stopping power.
All of our plans that include two rear wheels make use of one or more of these freewheel and disc
brake adapters. With our freewheel and disc brake adapters, you can add a pedal transmission to
practically anything with an axle.
All of our future delta trike and quad plans will use 3/4 inch axles. If you are interested in
purchasing any of the parts or need more detailed information, please visit AtomicZombie.com.
We are working with shipping companies to offer parts for sale outside of North America. Please be
patient. We are trying our best to find affordable options for our international bike building friends.
Stay tuned to the forum, newsletter ,
Facebook and AZ site for announcements on
when the hub flanges will be available for sale
in late August. All of our custom parts are
proudly made in North America and designed
to fit as advertised.
From the Builders Gallery
Currently we only ship to Canada and
USA, but can send worldwide for larger
orders. Contact us for more info.
You may purchase parts that are currently
out of stock, but your entire order will be
shipped at a later date, when all parts are
back in stock (usually 2-3 weeks). Orders are
shipped every Wednesday.
Melancholy is incompatible with
bicycling. ~ James E. Starrs
Built by imamedik, USA
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“Greetings to you both. So much to choose
from! I doubt I’ll build six bikes, but that special
is a great deal.”
~ Warren J., Essex, Great Britain
October 1, 2012
NEWS
The Deacons of
Deadwoods Chopper
AZTV
By Sanjay Sharma
Chopper Shop Coordinator
T
he Deacons of Deadwoods
Chopper was built over the last
four months by middle and high
school students in Workshop
Houston's Chopper Shop program.
They designed and fabricated the entire bike,
collaborating on creative and technical
challenges to make a truly incredible one-of-akind vehicle. An invaluable resource for the
design of the bike was the Overkill Phat Ass
Chopper plans, which Atomic Zombie
graciously donated to us.
Workshop Houston is a non-profit
organization whose mission is to provide
youth with creative, technical and educational
resources. Our vision is to lay the groundwork
for a just society by creating a community that
provides youth with support, expanded
opportunities and alternative definitions of
success.
Muktar designing the handlebars
Workshop Houston has five shops that provide resources and support for young people: the Third
Ward Bike Shop (do-it-yourself bike repair), the Chopper Shop (welding and metal fabrication), the
Beat Shop (music production), the Style Shop (fashion and graphic design) and the Scholar Shop
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Canada
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“So, another plan is coming soon. I’ve always wanted to
build a unicycle. Waiting for this one.”
~ Will N., New Hampshire
October 1, 2012
NEWS
Juan getting ready to weld
AZTV
The rear wheel
The front of the frame
(tutoring and academic enrichment).
Thank you Atomic Zombie for helping us with
the plans for fabrication. To learn more about
the Chopper Shop and all of our programs on
our website, www.workshophouston.org.
Juan and Pedro (seated)
For specific information about Chopper Shop
and to see some examples of specific projects
visit www.workshophouston.org/programs/
chopper-shop
AtomicZombie salutes
Chopper Shop. Great job
everybody!
11
“Hi Brad and Kat. I’ve been lurking on the forum for
awhile now, but I think I’m ready to build my first
recumbent. A Marauder, I think. I’ll check in often, so get
used to seeing me in the forum a lot.”
~ Dani C., Sweden
NEWS
October 1, 2012
Questions about tadpole trike design
AZTV
Hello, I've searched the internet through and through and can't seem to find what I'm
looking for.
I want to know if you have a tadpole trike layout but with the wheels in front of the crank? If
so, how would this type of layout handle (performance wise) compared to the standard
tadpole design.
Also, your delta racing trike...does its handling compare to that of a tadpole or is it a little
less?
Thanks. Duke
http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthread.php/7075-Questions-about-tadpole-design/page2
Project Hope Alpha
Steve, figured I'd shifted from the topic of the Tadpole design thread far enough to shift over to
my build thread... I also was a little surprised that the rules on "adaptive" trikes and tandems
in particular are seemed so loose, but in these events they do an initial timing run and then
break the participants up into heats based on their initial timing runs so that they are grouped
by their capability. Their initial heats are set up based on timings that are taken throughout the
practice season and turned in by their coaches a couple of times throughout the season.
http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthread.php/6948-Project-Hope-Alpha
We want to see pictures of your workshop!
Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, big or small — show us where you build your bike projects.
Go to the AZ forum and join us.
From our Facebook Fan Page:
“Great bike building community you’ve built. Some pretty talented builders, too!"
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“Hello my fellow bike freaks. Keep up the great
work.”
~ Kelvin D., Minneapolis
NEWS
October 1, 2012
Newbie Zombie NW Ohio
AZTV
Hi everyone, Trikedoc here. Our home sets along side the North leg of The Wabash Cannon
Ball Bike Trail, 8 miles West of Toledo, OH. Been thinking about building human powered
trike for some time. Tadpole would be ideal. Just couldn't find wheels with large enough
axles. Found Brad's web site last week. Got 6 plans—5 trikes and 1 Marauder.
http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthread.php/7052-Newbie-Zombie-NW-Ohio
The "No Excuses" Voyager build log
The graphic on the side of this build will be "No Excuses" for a number of reasons. It's an
attempt to work around some physical limitations that keep short circuiting my attempt to
get back to prior riding form. And also because through the course of the built, I'll be acquiring a lot of skills I didn't have before I started (welding).
http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthread.php/7050-The-quot-No-Excuses-quot-Voyagerbuild-log
Another Warrior Trike build thread
Hi guys. I have started this thread to document my progress on what I hope will eventually
become a perfect commute vehicle for my 16 mile round trip to work. I eventually hope to
add a front wind deflector and electric hub motor to really help me along on the colder
mornings where getting in the car would seem a much easier option! Basically my current
progress is that I have brought myself a set of plans and moved into my new house where i
have a garage. http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthread.php/7065-Another-Warrior-Trikebuild-thread
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“I’m waiting for more tutorials. I find them very useful
and informative.”
~ Harold O., New Zealand
There will be a new tutorial online this week. ~ KoolKat
October 1, 2012
NEWS
From the Builders Gallery
Electric off-road scooter
Electric scooter with hub motor
Ken’s
kick bike
AZTV
River’s Marauder
USA
USA
Indonesia
I hope you like my recently finished Delta Runner
trike. With 40 miles so far, it makes a very
comfortable ride, easy to pedal with no hill a
challenge due to compound gearing. Tony, UK
Fabbed from used
mountain bikes
and a BMX fork,
21 speed, full
suspension. Only
$158 invested.
Smooth ride!
Australia
USA
You can upload your own bike pictures to the gallery! Go to the AZ
forumwanted.
and join us.
Builders
14