Brompton chainring removal

[srw]

Any tips or tricks? Looking around the internet it appears that I need a crank puller. If I'm armed with one of those, is it straightforward? Is the crank puller something that will be reasonably useful on the average stable of bikes? I've removed a self-extracting crank on one of the bikes, but beyond that I don't know what systems other bikes have got - I've never got as far as the bottom brackets, beyond adjusting tandem eccentrics.

 

[mickle]

Yup, you require a crank extractor. Yup, it's straightforward. And yup, it'll come in useful on your other (square taper) cranks.

 

[mickle]

Buy a Campag one if you can find one, easiest to use, they have very well formed threads - all the better to not strip out the crank's threads like inferior ones, and will last for (literally) ever.

 

[srw]

Marvellous - thanks @mickle. How do I tell what sort of cranks other bikes have?

 

[mickle]

Marvellous - thanks @mickle. How do I tell what sort of cranks other bikes have?

Most half decent half modern bikes are 'square taper', newer/posher bikes might use one of the many splined standards. Tell me what year/models you've got or post some pics of their general BB area and I'll tell you what you have.

 

[srw]

The one I know is the Santana tandem - self-extracting bolt.

The others are a 1990s Galaxy, a cheap late 2000s Trek mountain bike, a rebadged Dahon folder from 2000-and-something, a 2010-ish Specialized Dolce, a Thorn tandem and a 2011 Van Nicholas Yukon.

 

[mickle]

All square taper with the possible exception of the Van Nic.