Help please!!!!
Just bought some RF Next SL G5 cranks (with 136mm spindle) and been trying to fit them to my bike but having problems with excess spindle.
I’ve checked and double checked the Race Face instructions and it just doesn’t seem the stack up and I’m having a major sense of humour failure 😤 (i think I should have gone for an alternative but I’m fulling committed at the moment)
I have a Trek Procaliber which is a BB92 bottom bracket with boost rear spacing. According to the RF website I need a crank with a 136mm spindle and a 1mm spacer on each side. This should give a 52mm chainline.
When I’ve put the cranks on, included 2x1mm spacers, I’m having to wind out the preloader almost all the way and there must be around 3mm of threads showing which can’t be right.
Any thoughts anyone? Have I missed something? Should I go for a 134mm spindle?
Thanks In advance for any advice
Woody
The 134mm spindle has no spacers to compensate for the 2mm shorter length. The spindle kits come with spacers appropriately numbered for their length. My longer 143mm axle has more spacers.
Presumably the 134mm will still be too long (given the 136 has about 6mm of spare spindle)?
It’s one of the reasons why I think I must be missing something obvious
Presumably the chain line will be fine
Your not missing a bearing shield or something silly are you?
Swapping to the 134mm axle would give the same issue as you'd remove the spacers. Chain line would be 1mm different. You can buy 30mm spacers, could be worth trying to add a couple of thin ones. As long as you can wind the preloader out it should be fine.
Just put a couple more spacers on, this is pretty normal in my experience.
Or sell them now, before they snap/break, and buy something a whole lot more suitable for transferring the power from your legs into forward motion on your bike altogether!
What I can’t understand is that there is such a significant difference between the tech specs on the website and the reality. I don’t want to just chuck loads of spacers on as the gap to be filled is so large and will just collect crap.
The more I know about RF next SL cranks (don’t get me started on BB life) the more I wish I’d gone for new XTR
😟
It's just as likely to be the frame or BB that's not in spec, or something missing. The preloader is partially to fill the gap and obviously to load the bearings correctly.
What bottom bracket are you running? It can make a slight difference. Running tribune cranks here and when I switched to a Hope press fit BB I needed an extra spacer or so.
I’ve just fitted a standard RF (I know I know it’ll fall to pieces in 2 weeks) press fit bb92
All dust covers and the 1mm spacers are present and correct but I have a good 5mm to fill
The RF BB might outlast the cranks, to be fair
What width is the frame 89.5 or 92mm? If 89.5 did you fit a 2.5mm spacer to the drive side BB cup?
It’s a 92mm BB and installation instructions say no need to use the 2.5mm spacer
Crank / spindle instructions say 1mm spacer on each side
With all of that there is still a massive gap (About 4-5mm I guess)
I think I might try a 134mm spindle if I can find one second hand
I have a 134mm spindle spare @woody71 as my Tarn need the long 143 to get acceptable chainstay clearance.
For BB 92 the instructions do mention a 2.5mm spacer on the sleeve (but not the axle like BB89).
Wouldn't your BB depend on shel width? I had to use the 2.5mm BB spacer when I had a BB92 bike
Hi nixie
I’m interested in the spindle - will PM you
Ta
Woody
For those of you who want to know how the story ends...
Bought a 134mm spindle from nixie (thanks - arrived friday 😊)
After wrestling the crank bolts out of the old spindle (it wasn’t an easy job) the new spindle fitted like a dream. Have a 1mm spacer on each side (so chainline same as 136mm) and about 1mm of slack taken up by half a turn on the Preloader.
Let’s see how long it takes before BB fall apart
👍
👍 glad it worked.
