[Closed] SRAM crank removal fiasco

if I recall correctly SRAM cranks have self extractors on them. As I was opening this thread I had it in the back of my head that they came off from the non drive side with an 8 or 10 mm Allen key.......
I could be wrong but have a look. Make sure you're undoing the correct side.

There's nothing on the driveside as far as I can tell. They're more like Shimano cranks.

Non driveside consists of the crank arm, pre-load adjuster and axle

Driveside consists of the crank arm and chain rings. In the middle is where the crank bolt sits.

These are the instructions from the SRAM site

Make sure you're undoing the bolt, not the self extractor too. The extractor cap will be a left hand thread I'd imagine, the bolt itself will be visible underneath it.

Also, try removing the self extractor bit first and then the bolt, grease them up, reassemble and then try extracting the crank arm.

FWIW it took me, a well-known (in the Tweed Valley) LBS owner and another customer to release the bolts holding the SRAM cranks on a s/h bike I'd bought. And two long lengths of tubing, one holding the crank and the other the super-strong key.

No blame to the previous owner as it'd never been dismantled (original loctite).

On the driveside I have this cover which tightens anti-clockwise despite have a big arrow pointing clockwise on it

[img] [/img]

remove that and underneath I have this bolt which takes an 8mm allen key and wont budge

[img] [/img]

There are 3 (possibly) seized interfaces there: bolt-crankshaft thread, crankarm-crankshaft splines, bolt-extractor surface. Breaking them all at once will be difficult, undoing them separately and greasing gives you at least a fighting chance.

l.e. Just seen the post above; the cover bit is the extractor, you will need it back on in order to remove the crank, but only after you get the main bolt unseized.

On this video I can see the bolt is on the non-driveside and removes anti-clockwise.

Therefore if the bolt is on the driveside it will remove clockwise?

I'm betting they use the same outer cap with the wrong directional arrow even if the bolt is on the driveside???

I usually find I need the breaker bar to undo mine. Though I do mine up to the minimum torque spec (so 48 in this case) and copper slip on the threads so there's a fighting chance of getting it off again. Never use Loctite on these high torque bolts. Use that on small bolts with low torque you don't want to rattle loose like chainring bolts.

Had similar issue with mine as they were done up FT+2000 from new. One person standing on pedals, chuffing big extension bar, ridiculous!

Then had them come undone on a later ride when I had no 8mm allen key with me....tiny bit of loctite perhaps a good idea on refitting

Tried undoing it clockwise. Sweating buckets putting every single ounce of weight and strength I have. Eventually got an ear splitting crack but nothing's really budged.

I hate bikes 🙁

Chuck a kettle full or two of boiling water over it, then have another go.

If it's loctite, this will at least soften it a bit.

They are a bugger to get off, Bob. I snapped an 8mm Allen key doing mine last year. Then I got an ear-splitting crack when it did come loose. It was an anxious few moments while I checked it had actually come loose or something more unpleasant had happened!

That collar provides the self-extraction mechanism. As you unwind the crank bolt (8mm Hex) it butts against the collar and forces crank off the BB axle. (SRAM used to use an 8mm hex with a 14mm hex on the collar - now they use a peg spanner for the collar)

Pop a slather of grease under the collar (to reduce friction whilst undoing 8mm hex) and re-fit it.

You'll see the hex bolt has a shaped head that will match with the inside of the collar.

The arrow direction relates to the 8mm hex bolt - not the collar! As you undo the hex, it will "tighten" the collar due to the collar having a LH thread - if it was a RH thread on the collar that would unwind from the crank arm as you unwind the 8mm hex - make sense? (that's where the grease comes in too - all the torque you are applying then goes into the removal of the arm rather than friction between the bolt head and the collar!)

If you've heard a crack you've probably broken the Loctite - but the cranks won't come off until you refitted the collar. Nip the 8mm hex back up, refit the collar and try again........

FWIW - they are bloody tight! I use a breaker bar, but an old pair of bars over the end of the 8mm allen key helps too. (until I got rid of the cranks.........)

Hope that helps!

A

BoardinBob - Member 
Tried undoing it clockwise

Err, the 8mm bolt? 😮 ! If so, might be buggered now.

Undoes anti-clockwise. It's regular threaded. Thread directions only need to worry about with pedals and threaded bottom brackets. Cranks should be normal thread.

I broke the self extractor in mine. Can't quite remember how but I do remember looking at the torque settings and thinking WTF? Mine has a CK BB in there (thanks previous owner!) but I'm still not looking forward to trying to get the cranks off again to change that or the chainring. Sorry can't help but you have my sympathy!

never had any trouble with them, but I do clean the loctite off before fitting them and use copperease when putting them on. Never needed any extension bar, just a 120mm allen key. never needed anything to get them off at work either.

Those arrows on the outer cap are for the inner 8mm bolt as it the torque setting.
It's common at work for me to have to get help to remove them. But ive never had one fail.

But as above to remove the bolt it needs to unscrew anti clockwise.

Some older sram cranks had the self exstractor on the left hand arm hense the video above

Follow andysmiff1 info. He's spot on ... nothing should be disassembled.

I had this problem on a second hand bike that came with a SRAM 1x crank ... it was taking way more than 54NM to undo and with the LBS we thought we were going to break something. Ended up having to take it to a car mech shop and had a crank taped up for protection and put in a long lever (think a scaffold shaft) then an airgun effort on the bolt. It took a lot to shift it and I even had to download the instructions to prove we were trying to undo it the right way. I don't know if it was massively over torqued or introduced to a NATO sized supply of thread lock. Either way I'd happily have a stiff word with the twonk that fitted it.

Still not budging. Taking it up to my mates tonight.

Had 200lbs of me standing on the driveside pedal and a 3ft breaker bar on the crankbolt. Not even a bawhair of movement

In other news there will be a set of SRAM GX-1000 cranks in the classifieds shortly (hopefully)

it might sound a bit drastic but I'd be stripping the frame down a bit and getting the crank arm in a decent vice. Would feel like there was less chance of damaging another part of the bike when it does finally give too...

The fail continues. Three of us having a go tonight. Two of us holding the cranks and one on the crank bolt. Every ounce of strength from each of us and all we managed to do was break some tools.

It's going back to the bike shop tomorrow. They fitted it so it's their problem really. I wouldn't be surprised if the frame's a write off 😆

So you turned it the wrong way till it made an odd noise and now you want to make it the shops problem ?

I have 2 c'dale frames with cranks like this stuck in. Tried all similar stuff as above and had my sizeable mate jumping on the extension bar as I held the frame on some blocks on the floor on one. We never shifted it. The flame was flexing just trying to hold it all stable and I'm pretty sure we would have broken something way before it un seized, maybe even the blocks it was resting on!

I can't see what a lbs would do differently and I genuinely think my frames are fukd once the bbs start to die!

Edit, just checked they are fsa omega cranks in bb30 Bb's. Exactly the same problem as above.

NDS crank in vice/against a solid object (protected with wood or something) rubber mallet on a lever in the offending article, get some shock through it. Have had to drill off a set of stylos (same system, earlier iteration) in the past though (which is ironic cos the other two sets woudn't stop falling off)

So you turned it the wrong way till it made an odd noise and now you want to make it the shops problem ?

No.

It wouldn't budge anti clockwise. Not a sniff of movement. Tried it the other way to see if I could get it moving. A loud noise but still no movement at all.

NDS crank in vice/against a solid object (protected with wood or something)

Tried that too. Nothing happening. Mate wanted to take an angle grinder to the thing but ill give the bike shop the chance.

Sometimes some pressure the "wrong" way will help undo a bolt that's stuck.

PS Bob - you are going to wash it before you take it to the shop aren't you?

Aye it'll be spick and span tomorrow!

also, is the self extraction collar thing tightened right up against the bolt you're trying to undo? Could be acting like a lock nut?

Failing that maybe an impact driver?

Hope the shop have some success.

I managed to remove mine by getting the drives side pedal at 7 o'clock wedged on top of a kerb. I had the Allen key in at the o o'clock position and sat on the bike and then got a fat lad to bounce hus weight on theAllen key. No give in the system and it transferred all the energy to the bolt.

Self extracting crank bolts are great, said no-one ever.

There is a reason why I only use Shimano cranks - and this just highlights it.

Although XTR M970 used a version of a self extracting crank bolt that was a £30 tool in its own right.

My experience with these is they need much more force than would seem sensible to get them to budge, and I always think something it going to break before they come undone. If you couldn't manage it between 3 people though, I would be slightly suspicious of something being wrong.

This was the fruits of our labour last night

If we put any more force through it I reckon we'd have snapped the frame.

[img] [/img]

I'd get the other crank in a solid vice so there is no danger of snapping or bending the frame.

However you have snapped the tool...was it a quality brand socket or a cheapy? I've snapped a few cheapys in my time working on cars.

Try a good quality branded allen socket. Halfords Professional have a no quibble warranty!

Or take it to a proper engineering place they will have it out no worries.

If the cranks are for the bin then break out the angle grinder.

It was my mates and a good quality one 😳

How would you get it off with an angle grinder?

Cut inbetween the crank and frame? Or cut the crank?

This happened to me when removing my cranks ....

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/help-cant-get-cranks-off-my-bike

Amazingly it's on a Spesh 🙄

I had the original BB replaced by Evans after a few months. Not been touched since. Not sure if they've loctited it or over-torqued it. It's been ridden for four months of summer and not pressure washed. Just bonkers.

How would you get it off with an angle grinder?

Cut inbetween the crank and frame? Or cut the crank?

If a replacement bolt is available, I'd try to drill that out - but the bolt will be tough so that might be hard work.

Otherwise I'd cut through the soft alloy crank with a grinder on one side of the bolt, and then the other if it doesn't give up.

Again you need the lot secured in a vice, not waving around on the floor.

Before all that I would try heat. Repeatedly get a blow torch on it followed by a bucket of water. Then use a good tool and it might crack off.

The only crank I ever cut off was a well stuck square taper with stripped threads.

Job done. Wasn't pretty or subtle. If in doubt, power tools are your friend. Some mug on pinkbike will buy this

[img] [/img]

Oh! Wow

Excellent,you and Kryton can be crank buddies now,although he still wins for his work of art with the angle grinder 😆

Some mug on pinkbike will buy this

I'll give you a tenner if you throw in whatever tool you used to end that bastard - looks like it'd take out a T1000.

The saga continues...

Ordered a Praxis BB and a set of XT cranks. 11 speed single ring.

However the cranks have arrived and they appear to have bolts for two chainrings.

Everything on the box says single 11 speed. Is this the wrong crank in the box???

[img] [/img]

Pretty sure that's how they come

Yep the crank arm is the same for 1x and 2x......

....just the chain ring bolts for 1x are longer.

Let me know what you think of the praxxis

[quote=renton ]Let me know what you think of the praxxis

Will do. My mate ran one with no problems. Just looks infinitely better than the SRAM one. Much bigger bearings that sit outside the shell, so if the BB shell does fill with water, which mine does as there's no drain hole, then at least the bearings aren't sitting in water. Bearings on the Praxis are also replaceable/upgrade-able if required.