Crank removal - help!

[uclown2002]

Holy Thread Resurrection!!

 

[mrandmrspoves]

Yes - I trawl the archives and find solutions to problems that were resolved so long ago they are but a distant memory........but if anyone has been trying to remove their crank for the last 8 years they may find this offers the solution they have been waiting for - or not.

 

[bikeman66]

This is nearly as controversial as the helmet debate, but when you do eventually get it off (I attacked the last one I encountered with a hacksaw), remember to put a thin smear of grease on the flats of the BB axle before you put it all back together.

Totally agree about a smear of grease on the tapers of the b/b axle. I know a lot of people say it is a no-no and that it prevents a perfectly tight interface between crank and axle, but I've never yet had a problem and it does facilitate crank removal for sure.

 

[Smurfy]

Top tip: Always thoroughly clean the crank threads with a toothbrush before attempting to insert a crank puller tool. Stop if there is any resistance when inserting the tool, and try again.

 

[Smurfy]

Totally agree about a smear of grease on the tapers of the b/b axle. I know a lot of people say it is a no-no and that it prevents a perfectly tight interface between crank and axle, but I've never yet had a problem and it does facilitate crank removal for sure.

The risk is that the hole in the relatively soft aluminium crank gets larger and larger, and the stresses around the hole get higher and higher. This happens because the expansion force of the tapered spindle on the crank is much more powerful when the effects of friction are reduced. At some point the crank may be so far onto the spindle that the bolt bottoms out on the spindle and cannot properly secure the crank, or the crank may start cracking at the corners of the square hole. I'm not saying it will happen every time, but many years ago I used to lube the taper for the same reason you suggest, and eventually I had a cracked crank to show for it.

Edit: It's the crank that suffers rather than the spindle, because the spindle is usually steel, and the crank is almost invariably aluminium.

 

[Citius]

8 years - is this a new record?

 

[Poacher]

8 years - is this a new record?

It is at the moment, at least as far the Bicycle Mechanics section is concerned, but I see there's a slightly older one (last reply 9th July 2007 compared with 10th July 2007 for this one) just waiting to be picked. Front Mech, anyone?