Shimano 105 crank axle failure.

[Smokin Joe]

Whatever minor "Benefits" we get with Hollowtech and the like, a few grams less weight and some perceived bollocks about stiffness I can't help thinking it is more trouble than it is worth compared to traditional square taper.

 

[wafter]

Whatever minor "Benefits" we get with Hollowtech and the like, a few grams less weight and some perceived bollocks about stiffness I can't help thinking it is more trouble than it is worth compared to traditional square taper.

Indeed - seems somewhat counter-productive; save a few grams / degrees of deflection in return for misalignment-prone BB bearings that fail prematurely and the chance for faceplant into the road when the axle shears

 

[ColinJ]

A similar thing happened to @Svendo a year ago...

I’ve had a bit of a BB creak for the last couple of weeks, out of the saddle. Assuming it was something else like it nearly always is I’d greased the drop outs and it’d nearly gone. I also thought it could be the new cassette settling into the freehub body gouges.
Turned out it was from the BB area as the crank axle gave out on the way to work, first press setting off from lights.
View attachment 485722

 

[rogerzilla]

A similar thing happened to @Svendo a year ago...

That is an absolutely beautiful torsion fracture.

 

[Svendo]

A similar thing happened to @Svendo a year ago...

That is very similar. My cranks has many miles on it, been on 1 other frame that’d been broken in a crash, and had some corrosion spots that could have been the initial stress risers.
Your failure looked lucky, I ended up with the very stabby broken axle attached to my shoe and could have had some serious injuries.
Does anyone need a used left DA 7800 crank!