Whats behind crank bolts these days?

Manc33

I am looking at my modern "Ounce" crank arms and they have an 8mm allen key bolt, but is that holding the crank on or will there be something else behind it like in the old days? It doesn't look like there would be something behind it.

Thanks folks and merry xmas.

Monty Dog

There won't be anything else that holds the crank on. Try unscrewing it and find out - you won't damage anything. Doesn't look like they are self-extracting bolts, so you'll probably need a crank puller.
http://pro-wheel.com/main/portfolio_entries/01road/

Manc33

OK cheers. I might just get my LBS to do it.

Fiddly + oily + special tool = LBS.

cycleclinic

8mm allen key is not a special tool. A crank puller cost not alot. That is a very easy job to get used too.

Manc33

I found everything I need in the loft, knew the crank remover thing was there just couldn't remember what it looked like.

On a Biopace crankset with 14mm bolts I got those out, but there's no way in hell that crank arm is budging, I used all my might and it won't even budge. Than again this is a crank that was put on the bike more than 20 years ago.

Hopefully (now I have also found the big fat allen key needed) taking the crank arm off the Triban 3 won't be anything like as tough.

Not sure what to do about the Biopace one, buy the park tool for it I guess. Or get my LBS to remove it.

If those Biopace chainrings weren't oval I would probably swap to that crankset. :roll: To be honest I try to avoid aluminium chainsets because the teeth end up like sharks fins, at least they did on a Biopace chainset years back on a Specialized Rockhopper (the yellow one from 1992). Maybe those worn that way because the chainrings were oval?

Also got an ancient Stronglight crankset I could in theory swap to, can't find the left crank arm though. :roll: Not seen that for a long long time.

pinno

thecycleclinic wrote:

8mm allen key is not a special tool. A crank puller cost not alot. That is a very easy job to get used too.

...and a torque wrench to put it back together. Campag chainsets have a removable circlip to correctly stress the bearing during assembly and are torqued between 48 and 56nm. I expect other brands are similar?

ugo.santalucia

pinarello001 wrote:

Campag chainsets have a removable circlip to correctly stress the bearing during assembly and are torqued between 48 and 56nm.

I've got a drawer full of stressed bearing waiting for therapy...

pinno

ugo.santalucia wrote:

pinarello001 wrote:

Campag chainsets have a removable circlip to correctly stress the bearing during assembly and are torqued between 48 and 56nm.

I've got a drawer full of stressed bearing waiting for therapy...

Oi! that's off topic. Yellow card for you. I think you'll find the answer in www.fixyourselfpsychologicalworkshops.com

PS You wanted to be a mod

Manc33

The Prowheel Ounce chainset was as simple as it gets for a triple. 8mm allen bolt holding the crank on the bottom bracket, no plastic end caps and no little spacer rings on each bolt, just the bolts.

Had to use both arms and both legs with a towel wrapped around my pedal (can't really clench onto bear trap pedals lol) and a towel wrapped around the spanner, was like trying to pull a train, but it came off.

Tightened it as tight as I could, rode it around for a few miles, tightened it again. Should be fine now.

Front mech just changes on and off the new 28T ring just the same as it did on the 30T. 8)

I found a cheap way to knock the weight down... take the water bottles off, take the battery pack off for the front light and swap the Brook saddle for a 100g one, voila you've saved about 3lbs! You might have to ride around dying of thirst, in the dark, on an uncomfortable saddle... but you saved 3lbs. :P

Frame next. :roll: No one in the universe seems to know what a Triban 3 frame on its own weighs (the red one). People estimate about 2000g with it being 6061 aluminium, but who knows. If that is true then it would be worth getting one of those Chinese carbon ones that claim 1000g for the frame, but without knowing the weight of the Triban 3 frame I wouldn't even consider swapping to a carbon one lol. I gotta know what weight saving it will give first.

It was different with my wheels, I knew they were heavy.

pinno

Chinese/Taiwan Carbon frame - No soul, no tradition. Black and morbid looking too. Unless you bought a Ribble which is the best value for money Carbon frame you can get IMHO.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ibbfrar933

The old adage was always "Save on bits, spend on wheels" - the best upgrade for any bike.

Alu: Bum ache and it does get brittle over time.
Carbon: Very comfy, less bum ache but sore on the pocket.

Manc33

pinarello001 wrote:

Chinese/Taiwan Carbon frame - No soul, no tradition. Black and morbid looking too. Unless you bought a Ribble which is the best value for money Carbon frame you can get IMHO.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ibbfrar933

The old adage was always "Save on bits, spend on wheels" - the best upgrade for any bike.

Alu: Bum ache and it does get brittle over time.
Carbon: Very comfy, less bum ache but sore on the pocket.

That is cheap, I keep looking at that Holdsworth Stelvio but it is £40 more and 50g heavier (although the quoted figure of 950g for the Ribble is only a 48cm, the Planet-X frame doesn't say which size frame weighs 1000g).

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FRHOSTCA/h ... o-frameset

I think either will be a lot lighter than a Triban 3 aluminium frame, I just know that can't be anywhere near 1000g.

EDIT: The Ribble doesn't include fork so is £386.46 really :P