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Can someone help before I break my Spark? The crank bolt is done up to 52nm and try as I might i cannot undo it. I've used an 18" bar and as much force as my skinny arms can muster and all I've managed to do is strip the socket that holds the 8mm hex tool! I've soaked the bolt for hours in penetrating fluid.I took the end cap off first to crack the bolt before putting the cap back in and extracting the crank.
I’ve got a dub x01 crankset on my bike and have the same problem.
Ended up buying a battery impact driver to hopefully remove it.
Will be trying next week and will post if it works or not.
Crazy design if it needs this level of force to get the damn thing off.
My LBS failed to budge mine with an impact driver hooked to a compressor...
Eventually put an old pedal on the NDS, put that in the vice, then stuck the rear tyre against the wall to brace it before putting all my weight onto a long bar (about 3 foot).
Sounded like a gunshot when it eventually went.
I now have Shimano cranks.
Similar issues with a carbon xo1 crankset and the thought of knackering carbon elevated the fear. Long adjustable spanner with an old seatpost over it to give more leverage, and 14stone of me giving full on lean on it. Even the it took a lot of attempts. The trusty hammer of doom brought into use to.
The good news, it did eventually release. The bad, the almighty crack it makes when it happens gives you the fear.
3ft breaker bar....
2 people and a ratchet strap
Dogshit.
Good God! Feggit, taking it to the dealer so he can have a go and then explain to Scott why my frame broke in two. 🙄
I love the smell thats given off when you crack those threads!
Your battle is between the bolt and the crank arm. Isolate the opposing force between those two things and leave the frame out of the equation.
I used an old alloy handlebar over an 8mm hex key.
Loosened easily enough with that amount of leverage and make a nice loud crack!
It's often taken two of us, a long breaker bar, a solid stool wedged under one crank/pedal, with one holding the bike down, the other weighting the breaker bar. We've not failed yet, but it's not an easy job.
Mine took a 24” wrecking bar with all my strength and bang!!. Got Shimano cranks now. 9Nm with a 5mm Allen key. So easy.
That's got to be WAAAYYYYYY over 52Nm I used to tighten and undo hundreds of bolts to 47Nm and it only needed a firm push on a 10in torque wrench. Ridiculous and a bit dangerous that it needs that much force.
Yep, crank braced against the floor with a 780mm handlebar over the allen key. Sounded like a gun going off, complete with smoke. I seriously thought the handlebar or allen key would break first. Stupid design. Although possibly not quite as tight as the DT pawl/ratchet ring I took out.
I think the bolt backs up over time and the threads Gaul. So the force to undo is massive. It may be better to tighten a little to take the force off the threads before undoing but I didn’t feel confident to do so, it was so tight.
Oh crikey @mudeverywhere, I've got that job to do too! Yet another tool to buy aswell 🙄
and the threads Gaul.
Either that or Obelix tightened it up.
I found that to remove mine I had to get a small plastic box, turn it upside-down, put it near the crank, and stand on there to get a bit more leverage. The additional 10 inches of height really helped.
What did I call this box device thing you ask.
Quite simply, my.... (wait for it)... dub step....
fankyouverymuch....
DrP
Chapeau DrP...
So this has helped me decide... when the shitty powerspline bb my sentry came with dies, I shall fit a hollowtech 2 bb like I have to every other bike I’ve owned in the last 15 years. And therefore shimano cranks.
Well done sram...
Was planning on taking the wife’s cranks off after the kids go to bed as the bike is relatively new and I don’t trust shop mechanics (I don’t know) to have used enough/correct grease or torque.
I guess I’ll wait until next weekend when they’re away before I try it as I don’t want the kids to wake or the neighbours to assume it’s a gunshot (people in our village panic about loud noises).
I guess I’ll wait until next weekend when they’re away before I try it as I don’t want the kids to wake or the neighbours to assume it’s a gunshot
It's not 'really' that loud. 🙂
Just feels like it when you're putting that much force through something inside a brand new carbon frame...
Blowing a tubeless tyre off the rim is more likely to get them calling the cops, especially when you're staggering about on the drive covered in Stans.
I tried and gave up not wanting to break my lovely carbon bike so trotted down to Ride-On.
There, it took Ant (no light weight) (sorry Ant) with an extension on a large socket set and me on the pedals plus some sweat loss.