Crank Tightening...

[Jez]

OK, having been out of the game for a few years I was just wondering if anyone ever solved the eternal crank tightening problem? Seems I got lucky on the last bike I had years ago (had a pair of LX on a UN52, tightened em once, rode em for about year without tightening them).

Any advice?

Sorry if this has been asked a lot (I get the feeling it's one of THOSE questions).

Cheers.

[Tony Harrison]

Just do them up TIGHT when they're new. If not, the tapers stretch, and then they never tighten properly and work loose every five minutes.

[dave33]

do them up to about 40-45 nm's and make sure you keep checking them when they are new, as the aluminium will workharden when new is, this is the time when they need to be check. they then should be great,

but try not to let them get lose while riding and you should be fine

[Littleharrys]

Get some middleburns and some good quality bolts.

I have had mine 5 years and at worst i have had to do then an 8th of a turn every 4 to 5 months.

H

[hardcore_raver]

with new cranks its simple, providing you have a torque wrench and some grease (i always used lithium grease) and apply the grease to the taper and slip on the crank.

as dave said 40-45 Nm's is the recomended pressure for cranks, to little and you risk the crank working loose, too tight and you will destroy the angle which enables the cranks to stay locked in the same position on the taper.

the grease is to make sure that the pressure is applied evenly up the shaft/taper and a MUST HAVE for any set of new cranks (or old, providing the threads are clean) is some threadlock, applied to the crank bolt and you shouldnt have any problems.

Edited March 29, 2006 by hardcore_raver

[ogre]

Where you get the lithium grease, and do you just put it round the taper where cranks go on? and for tightening bolts get some loctite on em (is there any other strengths than the blue shtuff?)

[Greetings]

Surely the simplest (yet not the cheapest) solution would be to locktite the bolts. First you will need to de-grease the threads in the axle and on the bolt itself. I was a bit sceptic about locktite at first because it took ages to dry but once it did, it really locked the screw in.

[Ash-Kennard]

but will it ever come out?

[ogre]

Yeh they will, and loctite can work itself loose to! (after a gazilion years blah blah) you can undo it, just stand on the allen key in the opposite direction...