Need help identifying chainset

[Oldfentiger]

..........Please
I know it's Japanese as it has "Japan" stamped on it.

I'm having a problem with compatibility between the square taper in the crank and the modern cartridge type bottom bracket I've fitted.
The bottom bracket is an FSA item.
Basically the taper on the spindle is too small for the taper in the crank, with the result that with the setscrew tightened it bottoms out on the spindle before the two tapers engage properly.
I've looked this up on Sheldon Brown and it mentions that this could be a problem with certain combinations.
Just need to find out what bottom bracket to buy to match the chainset.

Thanks in advance

 

[biggs682]

Do you have a picture from the other side ??

 

[mjr]

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/retro-classic/vintage-japanese-crank-mystery-225248.html suggests it's Takagi and used a strange oversized taper. It includes a link to an ebay item which may help or not exist any longer.

 

[Oldfentiger]

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/retro-classic/vintage-japanese-crank-mystery-225248.html suggests it's Takagi and used a strange oversized taper. It includes a link to an ebay item which may help or not exist any longer.

Thanks for the link. Seems a likely explanation. Tried searching for the Ebay item but came up with no results.
My local LBS suggested making a shim. I tried that, from 0.5mm aluminium, and it did the job nicely. However, after a 10 mile ride I could feel play in the crank. Subsequent inspection showed that the aluminium shim was now much thinner. Obviously too soft.
I tried a stronglight chainset on, as it's one I have from another build. With that I have the opposite problem - the crank doesn't go onto the taper far enough. That's creating a problem for the front derailleur in that there's not enough adjustment for it to reach out far enough tp engage the chain on the big ring.

Scratching my head as to how to resolve this atm

 

[Oldfentiger]

Do you have a picture from the other side ??

Thanks for looking.
Having identified it as Takagi, would a picture from the other side be helpful?

 

[biggs682]

Thanks for looking.
Having identified it as Takagi, would a picture from the other side be helpful?

Not really needed if its been identified

 

[Cycleops]

There are many different tapers, unfortunately your crank does seem rather out of wack with the most common ones. Apart from the shim suggested by your lbs there's no quick fix.

The guru Sheldon Brown has a bit to say about it: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bbtaper.html

 

[Ian H]

Steel shim would work.

 

[mjr]

I tried a stronglight chainset on, as it's one I have from another build. With that I have the opposite problem - the crank doesn't go onto the taper far enough. That's creating a problem for the front derailleur in that there's not enough adjustment for it to reach out far enough tp engage the chain on the big ring.

If there's enough thread for the bolt or nut to hold the crank on securely, that sounds like the BB axle is too long, rather than the taper being too wide.

I've never got a shim to work either, but I think I've only tried twice. (edit: both aluminium)

 

[Yellow Saddle]

If you were to try a shim, do try brass. This is commonly available in various thicknesses and sold wherever engineering companies would buy tools and supplies - perhaps even a good hardware store. AFICR most tapers are 2 degrees but the starting point differs.

 

[Oldfentiger]

If you were to try a shim, do try brass. This is commonly available in various thicknesses and sold wherever engineering companies would buy tools and supplies - perhaps even a good hardware store. AFICR most tapers are 2 degrees but the starting point differs.

Well waddya know - I just made some brass shims. I had some left over from making grandfather clock weights for a neighbour. I reasoned that being quite a lot harder than aluminium, they may work where the ally didn't.
As luck would have it, 0.5mm thick which is ideal.