Pedals and crank seized -- how serious?

nimchimpsky82

Hi all

I've spotted a decent looking 1980s bike for sale with a 531 frame. The price seems reasonable, but the trouble is that the pedals and cranks are seized :shock: Specifically, this is how the owner describes things:

The pedals are seized onto the crank, I couldn't remove them. But they are still functional as I took them apart and regreased the bearings and axles. They show not a great sign of wear.
The cranks are seized onto the bottom bracket axle, well I couldn't remove them either. But the bottom bracket moves freely and has no play. Also I was able to remove the chainrings to clean and there seem in pretty good condition.
So the bike is perfectly function as it is but issues will arise if you wish to put your own pedals or cranks on. All I can think is when they wear out is to see if a professional mechanic can remove them or it would be a case of cutting threw the bottom bracket axle in order to get at the bottom bracket to remove.

If I were to buy this bike I'd want to sort out this issue asap rather than let things get even worse. I'm not sure whether the owner has already tried using penetrating oil, but if this doesn't work, does this problem sound to you like something my LBS would be able to sort out fairly easily? I know it's difficult to work from a description, but...

Thanks in advance for your advice.[/quote]

lae

Nah it's alright if you've got some tools.

This happened to my old Raleigh - you can either use a fork-type balljoint splitter (motor factors/automotive tool shops sell them) between the crank and the BB and whack it with a big mallet, or you can do what I did, and get an angle grinder and very carefully cut the BB axle between the BB shell and the cranks.

Then I just got my LBS to take out the old BB, bought a modern catridge BB off them (could quite easily have got a replacement axle if you want to keep it original) and just re-used the old cranks (popped out the remaining ends of axle with a socket/vice combo).

As for getting the pedals off - putting the cranks in a vice has always worked for me. You can tap the spanner (tap the opposite end to the one you're holding - you don't want to turn the spanner with the hammer, just shock through the spanner into the bolt) with a hammer to give it a bit of shock which usually loosens it up. If they're really bad, soak them overnight in diesel and then try it.

NervexProf

I second what frankmakesyouthink says.

What went on,will come off, with some patience, persuassion, perhaps a little force.

Lots of penetrating oil, leave over night -try again tomorrow.

Provided the frame itself is worth restoring - all power to your elbow, vice.

Let us know how you get on, do.

rake

if they are square taper cranks, take the bolts out and ride the bike up some steep hills. they should fall off by themselves.be seated though as you dont know when they will come loose.

Smokin Joe

I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole.

The bike shows signs of serious neglect, and I would hate to think how much rust the insides of the tubes harbour. Old 531 bikes are ten a penny if you look round, you can afford to be fussy.

lae

^ I don't think you can say that without an inspection. The seller might not be using the right tools or technique to get things apart. Besides - if cranks are aluminium there's probably been some electrolytic corrosion between the ally and the steel, which is pretty common on old bikes (and old cars, specifically landrovers :x ) and not a serious problem at all.

Like I said, my Raleigh's cranks were seized on so badly I had to cut the axle apart. The steel frame isn't rusty at all.

Inspect it if you can. If you can't inspect it but it's cheap enough, buy it anyway.

John Stevenson

It's rare for a square taper crank to be truly seized - more likely the seller doesn't have a crank puller, or is being too delicate - sometimes you do need a gert big tube on the crank puller for extra oomph.

Pedals siezed into cranks is more likely, and more likely to be a problem. If the thread was not properly greased on assembly, then brute force techniques to get the pedals out could trash the cranks.

volvicspar

How knowledgeable is this person ? 90% of people think you can just undo a square taper crank and pull it off, could quite simply be that he doesn't have or know what a crank puller is and the old style cup and cone has tightened itself! :idea: