unicender decent/rope wear

I got this one, Jamin;

There are two ways to accomplish this (just like displaying the picture...there's another way to do it) but I'll follow the most straightforward way...

The first thing you wanna do is copy the link that you hope to eventualy send people to. Now, where you can preview your reply, look down below and hit the <u>URL</u> button next to the smilies. When you do that a screen will pop up. In the first box paste the URL (link) to the website you want to send people do. After you hit ok, another box pops up. In there, you type what you want it to look like. I've used it here to show you a website that is a good place where you can start to learn HTML.

love
nick
 
[ QUOTE ]
Nick, have you actually tried this? Increasing the life span of the Unicender by using a friction-sharing device makes good financial sense.

[/ QUOTE ]

When I saw the picture, there were 2 things I thought of. 1. Ease of setup and implementation and 2- money.

You could accomplish the exact same effect using a piece of beeline below the Fig 8. When I see the picture, it looks to me like you're wasting the money you spent on the unicender.

But, you got me on this on- no I didn't try it yet. I'm just arm-chair quarterbacking right now!
laugh.gif
It might be a real smooth, slick setup that works so well it outweighs the potential downsides.

Good thread!

love
nick
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Nick, have you actually tried this? Increasing the life span of the Unicender by using a friction-sharing device makes good financial sense.

[/ QUOTE ]



But, you got me on this on- no I didn't try it yet. I'm just arm-chair quarterbacking right now!
laugh.gif
It might be a real smooth, slick setup that works so well it outweighs the potential downsides.

Good thread!

love
nick

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, stop arm-chair quarterbacking and get out there and try it!!! I use the setup for fast descent or anything above what I would call a slow to normal descent. I'm saving money not wasting it..
wink.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
How about a VT on top of the uni, that way you can use it for going up as well as down.

[/ QUOTE ]

Won't work. The Uni is pretty fussy about sharing its duties. Friction must be light and non locking. With too much or locking friction the Uni will not lock when released. You will loose smoothness of control because the secondary device will be taking the full load if it can. If it cannot you will keep slipping until you manually engage the Uni. This is not an improvement nor is it safe.
Obviously it would be best and most efficient not to mess around like this by having more wear resistance built into the Uni, but until then the use of modest, additional friction can lengthen its working life tenfold.
My first Uni started slipping within two weeks using it with Velocity. I have had my new one about 3 months of the same kind of use with Velocity and have just now worn the anodizing off the cam surfaces. At this low wear rate I could see it lasting a long time.

Dave
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How about a VT on top of the uni, that way you can use it for going up as well as down.

[/ QUOTE ]

Won't work. The Uni is pretty fussy about sharing its duties. Friction must be light and non locking. With too much or locking friction the Uni will not lock when released. You will loose smoothness of control because the secondary device will be taking the full load if it can. If it cannot you will keep slipping until you manually engage the Uni. This is not an improvement nor is it safe.
Obviously it would be best and most efficient not to mess around like this by having more wear resistance built into the Uni, but until then the use of modest, additional friction can lengthen its working life tenfold.
My first Uni started slipping within two weeks using it with Velocity. I have had my new one about 3 months of the same kind of use with Velocity and have just now worn the anodizing off the cam surfaces. At this low wear rate I could see it lasting a long time.

Dave

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't agree one bit Dave. I girth hitch onto the top ring and tie off with a helical hitch and I have found a couple of ++ with this method. Firstly there is a back up, not that the uni needs one but I have found with my rope (beal 11 mm which has a hard smooth cover) that slight weight manipulation can cause my uni to drop a little, so when I am on branch ends especially the hitch holds my uni true. Secondly because of my uni drop test. Thirdly, the typical frog walker set-up is great for getting up and over natural re-directs and since I prefer to climb with my uni on my bridge the helical acts as an upper ascender that I can manipulate over those re-directs. It is just this last Thursday and Friday that I have gone back to this system and I had a work spec. to crown reduce a very large English oak by 10%, so lots of re-directs and fiddly climbing, and I managed to leave the uni on rope the whole time, what I'm trying to say is that by climbing slightly differently it takes nothing away from the uni, the quick on/off aspect, which I tend to use when I climb.

Paul
 
[ QUOTE ]
I don't agree one bit Dave. Paul

[/ QUOTE ]

Paul,

Ah come on...not even a little bit?

I must confess I feel a little lost on your explanations. It seems you are using your helical hitch to address issues other than friction sharing.

In my experimenting with location of and the type of friction in reducing Uni wear, I found that slightly too much friction will cause the Uni cams to fall free on the taut line. This translates into requiring a fairly good amount of concentration on your movements. I don't like this scenario. The Uni is too fine of a tool to hamstring it like that. So you have not experienced this?

When you move downward on say a long repel, do you have one hand on the hitch and one hand on the Uni? I suppose if you are using the wrap method (by the way I was not able to view your video, sorry to say) to modulate the Uni, this would work. I don't. I use the squeeze method.

Could you please explain more on what you mean by your hitch becoming an upward ascender while it is still attached to the upper ring on the Uni? (BTW - I agree the Uni doesn't need a backup.) In a rope walker situation, I can't see this as working. The upper ascender needs to have separation from the middle ascender and moves at a different timing.

Also you say you experience no complication with the hitch in regards to removing and resetting the Uni when the situation arises. Is that because you are avoiding those situations or that you find it takes no additional time to do so? I found it did take more time to change and if you are avoiding the situations where it would have been convenient to remove the Uni mid-line and reattach you are reducing its abilities, not utilizing them.

It is hard for people who have not used the Uni to realize just how good a tool it can be. You have to keep in mind that of all the people who have used one, I seem to have the highest wear rate. So this is kind of my problem, not a universal problem. With my first Uni, I gave no consideration to the consequences of my climbing style on the wear surfaces. But this is a multi-function tool not purpose built for repeated fast long descents. The type of climbing I do often requires descending from 80 ft or more many times a day. This can be abrasive even to a descending-specific tool.

This is a great example of different climbers and their styles acquiring methods that work the best for them.

Dave
 
Ha, well maybe a touch Dave. I had just woken up when I wrote my last post, sorry if it came across jumbly.
The hitch is addressing other things than just friction and it doesn't work as well in that regard as the other bight additions that have been spoken about over the last few weeks. I wanted to clarify to the chap who suggested using a VT.
I used a revolver and aluminium ring below the uni the last couple of weeks and I really missed the rope over the top method of descent. The hitch makes it a two handed descent. On limb walks it can be done with one.
Yes, I meant to say that I am avoiding taking the uni off. It made me come up with a possibly safer way of using high re-directs and I will save that for a new post.

I ascend with pantin on right foot, clipped on to the bottom of the uni a bungee rope walker that Mr Baranek came up with on my left, lanyard over my shoulder to small loop on top uni hole and walk up rope with right hand on helical. Does that make sense? I can take a photo next week if not. Like your extended uni I have 6-8 inches of play to help me get over awkward branches.

Paul
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom