Removing a Super Custom crank arm

bold seagull

I have a super custom crank arm on what I think is a Holdsworth Mistral '83.

I can't get the bolt off as the circular cut out round the bolt of the crank arm is so narrow, that a standard socket, or any socket I've tried can't fit into the hole to latch onto the bolt. I think the bolt is 15mm.

What do I need? I've been to my LBS but he didn't have anything either, and we nearly got to the point of grinding the crank arm off and just put a another one on with a more standard cutout around the bolt.

Reason is I think the arm is loose as it's making a creak over each revolution. Any help appreciated!

bold seagull

Here's a generic pic. The outer circle around the bolt in my case is not large enough to allow a socket that can fit the bolt into the crank arm. I must need a narrow gauge socket or something?

Monty Dog

Get yourself one of these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/WMA-Black-Extractor-Remover-Puller/dp/B007VLE0BQ

bold seagull

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19638585#p19638585]Monty Dog[/url] wrote:

Get yourself one of these:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/WMA-Black-Extractor-Remover-Puller/dp/B007VLE0BQ

So the socket end should be able to fit the both, then flip it round to extract the arm right?

me-109

Spot on. If that is still too large I've got a spanner designed for the job. You should still be able to get them. In fact with a quick search, then something like the red-handled spanner in here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0058NQSCS/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=569136327&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00PAKJA3I&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=04SHAVEXDFQKZBY4MV00

bold seagull

I think this is my issue, cut and pasted from another forum. I think they are Stronglight Super Custom cranks with a 16mm bolt. I'm going to see if I can find someone who can drill the bolts out as it looks like it would need a specialist custom spanner.

The thing to watch out for is 16mm crank bolts. DON'T USE THESE - EVER! These were used by two European manufacturers: Stronglight (France) and Zeus (Spain). Stronglight used to use a very big countersink for their oversized crank bolt head - 23.35mm, which meant that the old Stronglight cranks would only pull off with a special extractor that doesn't work with anything else. Stronglight went to a 22mm countersink (the same one that everyone else used, because everyone else copied Campagnolo) almost 30 years ago, and abandoned the 16mm bolts at the same time. But if you're rooting around in a junk drawer, don't take these by accident - check them against the countersink in your crank, to be sure you'll have plenty of space to get a wrench in.

Zeus also used an oversized bolt, but they used the same 22mm countersink as Campagnolo - so there's almost no space to fit a wrench in between the bolt head and the side of the countersink. Zeus made their own special thin-walled 16mm peanut butter wrench, but they're very hard to find. Avoid the problem, and get 15mm or 14mm bolt-heads.

mercia_man

Are you sure you don't have an SR (Sakae Ringyo) Super Custom crankset? Plenty of pix of them if you Google it. They have the words Super Custom on the crank arms and were fitted to lots of bikes in that era. I know you have taken it to your LBS but I have a feeling that the standard crank removal tool recommended by Monty Dog would do the trick. I used to have a mountain bike with an SR crankset and that needed a removal tool like that one.

bold seagull

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19639096#p19639096]Mercia Man[/url] wrote:

Are you sure you don't have an SR (Sakae Ringyo) Super Custom crankset? Plenty of pix of them if you Google it. They have the words Super Custom on the crank arms and were fitted to lots of bikes in that era. I know you have taken it to your LBS but I have a feeling that the standard crank removal tool recommended by Monty Dog would do the trick. I used to have a mountain bike with an SR crankset and that needed a removal tool like that one.

You might be right, this looks like my set: http://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?ID=68b0b72d-b8ae-49af-a5f2-ff45ac2fc97d

I have ordered the tool mentioned, but with 2 bike shops failing so far, I'm glass half empty it's going to work.

bold seagull

This little puppy completed the job in the end. A 16mm Laser magnetic spark plug socket with a thin enough body to fit into the crank housing. http://www.halfords.com/motoring-travel/tools-diy/tools-tool-kits/laser-magnetic-spark-plug-socket-10mm?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Tools+and+DIY-_-Tools+and+Tool+Kits-_-214239&_$ja=tsid:60494%7Ccgn:GoogleShopping%7Ckw:214239&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istItemId=miqqaw&istBid=tzwt&_$$ja=cgid:16790764204%7Ctsid:35522%7Ccid:214996084%7Clid:57953844108%7Cnw:g%7Ccrid:73916133724%7Crnd:16123608202184679077%7Cdvc:c%7Cadp:1o1%7Cbku:1&__ja=cgid:16790764204%7Ctsid:35522%7Ccid:214996084%7Clid:57953844108%7Cnw:g%7Ccrid:73916133724%7Crnd:16123608202184679077%7Cdvc:c%7Cadp:1o1%7Ckw:&gclid=CjwKEAjwzuisBRClgJnI4_a96zwSJACAEZKenFhLhFHuXa95lLIY4tUwRkYqx61VVnBy5zOmWppVshoCZ4Tw_wcB

Once I got the bolts out the crank removal tool as recommended above did the trick. I've now bought some new bolts with 14mm heads!!! The 16mm ones are going into the odds tin.