cranks

josh_key

hi guys ,
im looking for some new cranks and am - how to phrase it?hmm - not a small person, i love xc riding and doing long treks but i also enjoy riding free ride courses.
however being of *ehem a larger build i am having trouble finding stronger cranks.
the lsat pair i had were a pair of un-named shimano cranks but after 3 months riding they began grating and when i took them off i noticed that the hole on the end of the crank was nastily distorted.
i have got a square taper bottom bracket , could it be that?
or am i just to much of a lard arse to be riding a bike ? lol
an idea on a good strong set of cranks to try out would be a great help.
cheers
josh
essex

Chucker_Dude

Not sure this is in the right section. Meh.

when i took them off i noticed that the hole on the end of the crank was nastily distorted.

Are you sure that your cranks were fully tightened?

Unfortuantly i had exactly the same problem. I distorted two sets of cranks before i found out that i had actually cross-threaded my bottom bracket. If you tighten your cranks and hear a cracking, then your fine. If you tighten them as much as physically possible and theres still no cracking...your gonna need a new bottom bracket :?

Dont mean to scare you but its pointless spending all the money on new cranks when your just gonna mess them up.

supersonic

Very rare the axle becomes distorted, as it is much harder than the alloy cranks. If you get a new set, ensure they are fitted and torqued correctly, and dont grease the tapers. Could try a splined bottom bracket and crank for more security.

neil_sheehan2000

I had a similar problem and bit the bullet and bought Shimano Saint cranks. Okay, they look a bit silly on anything less than a freeride monster and they probably weigh a fair bit more than your existing cranks but they will probably last longer than anything else on your bike. £100(ish) from CRC, and the bottom bracket's included.