Can’t get crank arm off and now breaking it!
Discussion
I have a t130 whyte mtb. Am losing the will to live trying to fix it. The race face chain ring, chain and rear cassette need replacing as worn out. Parts bought. The old parts were fitted by a bike shop only a few months ago and maybe 300 or 400 miles. Anyway the crank arm comes off with an 8mm allen. Well it should do according to the various YouTube videos. I couldn’t shift it. So used a metal bar to get more leverage but that has simply spun the Allen key and means it’s rounded off the crank arm centre.
Now not sure what to do. I have limited tools where I am currently living. Don’t really want my bike out of use (my other bikes are dotted around the country!). I assume it’s take an angle grinder to the pedal set or drill out the centre of the crank arm....
Now not sure what to do. I have limited tools where I am currently living. Don’t really want my bike out of use (my other bikes are dotted around the country!). I assume it’s take an angle grinder to the pedal set or drill out the centre of the crank arm....
aka_kerrly said:
Have you undone both sides of the crank arms or are the tiny Allen bolts on the left hand side.
I've seen cranks before where the left side comes off first and the shaft is pressed into the other side and stays attached when it's extracted.
I only tried the chain ring side - as per all the online videos. Had a look at the other side and it’s not the same and didn’t pay it any attention. I've seen cranks before where the left side comes off first and the shaft is pressed into the other side and stays attached when it's extracted.
MrBarry123 said:
Does it have a slot that would allow the insertion of a small hacksaw?
Thanks A hacksaw blade would go into the recessed Allen key ‘hole’ but I won’t be sure that when I reach whatever it sits inside. Assume it’s the crank arm, then the axle before the frame. But I have only ever changed these sort of parts once before and they were XT.
T130s?
I have one.
Allen bolt on the crank side.
Can be a pain (Understatement)
I Used a socket Allen on a breaker bar and was jumping on it until it came lose, whilst my foot was on the pedal. It it’s slipping bang in a larger torx socket or similarly sized Allen and try again. I bit of rubber band around your Allen key and try again, the friction should stop it spinning.
Once it’s out knock the crank through.
When you refit copper grease it and don’t do it up as tight as who built it!
I have one.
Allen bolt on the crank side.
Can be a pain (Understatement)
I Used a socket Allen on a breaker bar and was jumping on it until it came lose, whilst my foot was on the pedal. It it’s slipping bang in a larger torx socket or similarly sized Allen and try again. I bit of rubber band around your Allen key and try again, the friction should stop it spinning.
Once it’s out knock the crank through.
When you refit copper grease it and don’t do it up as tight as who built it!
Edited by Simes205 on Saturday 16th May 23:39
Simes205 said:
T130s?
I have one.
Allen bolt on the crank side.
Can be a pain (Understatement)
I Used a socket Allen on a breaker bar and was jumping on it until it came lose, whilst my foot was on the pedal. It it’s slipping bang in a larger torx socket or similarly sized Allen and try again. I bit of rubber band around your Allen key and try again, the friction should stop it spinning.
Once it’s out knock the crank through.
When you refit copper grease it and don’t do it up as tight as who built it!
Thanks t130 Rs. Had the bike for 3 years since new. Strangely the last set of parts only lasted a few months and a few hundred miles. Slightly annoyed that he seems to have done it up far too tight. I have one.
Allen bolt on the crank side.
Can be a pain (Understatement)
I Used a socket Allen on a breaker bar and was jumping on it until it came lose, whilst my foot was on the pedal. It it’s slipping bang in a larger torx socket or similarly sized Allen and try again. I bit of rubber band around your Allen key and try again, the friction should stop it spinning.
Once it’s out knock the crank through.
When you refit copper grease it and don’t do it up as tight as who built it!
Edited by Simes205 on Saturday 16th May 23:39
I had to strip mine down due to dropper issues, removed the crank and then had to remove the BB. I ruined a park tool bb tool getting it out because someone had over tightened it, consequently grappled at it with all my tools! I had to take it back to the LBS, the folk who tightened it up, they spent 2 hours undoing it!!
I do all the work to my bike myself, far safer!
I do all the work to my bike myself, far safer!
frisbee said:
I had a road crank with an inbuilt extractor that was stuck. The bolt didn't round off, instead the extractor cap split.
I found a moped flywheel puller that fitted. That ripped the threads out of the crank.
So ended up using the angle grinder.
Had this on my Quarq non drive side about 3 weeks ago, what a ball ache.Ended up removing it after many hours of skin loss, swearing, brute force and finally a dremel to cut away as much as poss until the extractor crumbled. I must have removed about 95% of it before it gave in ... god knows what its made from but its a tough bugger. Being a rough arse with it meant I'd caused minor damage to the arm threads but once started to thread the new extractor in, it was fine and didn't require much force. I found a moped flywheel puller that fitted. That ripped the threads out of the crank.
So ended up using the angle grinder.
Its a normal clockwise to tighten thread on the cinch cranksets.(inc turbine)
PDF Instructions are here:
https://res.cloudinary.com/fox-factory/image/uploa...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_VlIomeCm4
Hopefully, even if you have rounded off the 8mm drive side locking ring, you could still undo the other non-drive side arm from the spindle. I was pretty sure that with the cinch cranksets you can remove both crank arms if you wanted to from the spindle?? You would need a 16mm hex socket (or 8mm allen key and the supplied 16mm hex adapter if you have it). You can then remove the left arm and the preload adjuster and take the crankset out from the drive side??
Obviously use a good deal of antiseize spray on it well before attempting any of this. Also, loosen the preload adjuster before doing any of this. A good quality allen key/socket helps.
PDF Instructions are here:
https://res.cloudinary.com/fox-factory/image/uploa...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_VlIomeCm4
Hopefully, even if you have rounded off the 8mm drive side locking ring, you could still undo the other non-drive side arm from the spindle. I was pretty sure that with the cinch cranksets you can remove both crank arms if you wanted to from the spindle?? You would need a 16mm hex socket (or 8mm allen key and the supplied 16mm hex adapter if you have it). You can then remove the left arm and the preload adjuster and take the crankset out from the drive side??
Obviously use a good deal of antiseize spray on it well before attempting any of this. Also, loosen the preload adjuster before doing any of this. A good quality allen key/socket helps.
Edited by BenGismo on Monday 18th May 12:52
d! It’s the second time I’ve done it so I know that I’d tightened it to 54Nm as instructed last time but it was still a right pig to get off. Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff