Assembling a Unicycle with Square Taper Cranks

Unicycles made with square taper cranks (AKA cotterless cranks) tend to be fairly affordable (and common), but you still need to know how to assemble them before you can get riding!

Fortunately, they are not all that difficult to assemble. You’ll only need basic tools and probably about a half hour, if not a little more if this is your first time putting one together. With that said, here’s what you need to know. You’ll have your one-wheeler assembled and ready to ride in no time!

The Process of Putting Together a Unicycle with Cotterless Cranks

This tutorial will cover the assembly of a club unicycle that has square taper cranks but it will also be applicable to any model that has a 40mm bearing cover or stamped bearing caps.

First unpack the box, lay everything out, and make sure you have all the parts you need to complete assembly.

The first thing you want to do is take the seat clamp, which will already be on the frame, get some grease (either a synthetic or white lithium grease) and put a light coating inside the tube.

Then, insert your seat tube and clamp it in place. You can worry about adjusting to your height later.

Then turn it over and sit it upside down so that the saddle is on the ground or bench and the fork is sticking up in the air.

If you need a little more stability, place the saddle flat on the ground and straddle the saddle and seat tube with your knees. This will give you better control over it as you put it together.

Get your wheel (the square taper cranks will already be installed) and take a look at the markings on the forks; there is a right and left sticker. It is very important that you install the wheel in the proper configuration, so that the left and right sides align with the fork properly.

Install and tighten the brackets that secure the wheel (which takes a while) and then you may need to make a bearing adjustment.

Make sure the space is even on both sides of the bearing caps, on both the right and left hand sides. They need to be tight enough that you won’t experience any rattling if you drop the frame. At the same time, they need to be loose enough so that the wheel can turn freely.

This can take some adjusting, and you need to make sure you get it right. There are no torque specifications for this since there are different tolerances for different bearings. Just make sure they’re tight enough to be secure but not so tight that the wheel doesn’t spin freely.

Then, position the unicycle (still inverted) so that the right side of the frame is one the side of your right arm and the left side at the side of your left arm. This is the easiest way to install and tighten the pedals.

Take a look at your pedals. Your right pedal has traditional threads that tighten when you turn them to the right. The left pedal is reverse threaded so that it will tighten to the left and loosen to the right. The reason for this is so that the pedals tighten rather than loosen under forward progress. Otherwise, as you pedaled, you’d be loosening the pedals as you rode!

Apply a little bit of grease onto the axles (same as you did with the seat tube), then tighten each of your pedals down just so that they’re finger tight. Then, one trick you can follow is to use your pedal wrench to hang onto the unicycle and turn the tire. This will help you tighten down on the pedals.

After you’ve installed the wheel in the frame and installed and tightened your pedals, you can turn your attention to the seatpost so you can adjust it for appropriate height.

If you have the unicycle sitting down in front of you, a good rule of thumb is to adjust the saddle height such that the top of the saddle is roughly level with your belly button.

Fortunately, most unicycles enable easy seat height adjustments through either a bolt or quick-adjust clamp. Loosen whichever of these is on your frame, then slide the saddle up or down until the height is appropriate.

If you’re very short, you may need to cut down your seatpost tube. There are several methods for doing this, and we’ve covered both in our blog, previously. For more information on cutting down your unicycle seatpost, please consult our post “Adjusting Unicycle Saddle Height: What You Need to Know.”

In a nutshell, you can cut down the seatpost with either a pipe cutter or a hacksaw (details in the previous post) but if you don’t want to get involved with that you can also order a shorter seatpost.

Congratulations, you’ve just assembled a unicycle that has square taper cranks. It was easier than you thought, wasn’t it? Now get out there and ride!

For More Information on How to Assemble Your Unicycle with Square Taper Cranks

If you’re looking for a video guide on how to assemble your new unicycle, you’re in luck. Check out our official YouTube Channel, where you can find the following video, How to Assemble a Unicycle with Cotterless Cranks.

With your new unicycle should also have come a few business cards with our contact information. If you want additional literature or step by step guides, just get in touch with us through one of the channels indicated.

You can also contact us at Helpdesk@Unicycle.com or by phone at 678-494-4962, or use the live chat feature, available at the bottom of your screen, on this page!

Also, while your unicycle most likely came with all of the tools you needed to assemble it, if you are looking to upgrade your unicycle tool inventory, please see our full collection at the previous link.

Otherwise, make sure you have the right unicycle safety gear, get out there, and put in the time practicing!