Hi all,
I’m experiencing some creaking around my bottom bracket/cranks so went to tighten it with my wrench. However, I think I over tightened it since the cap separated (as seen in the picture) and it went loose for it before getting tight again. Do I need to take this to my LBS to get sorted or is it okay? I feel like an absolute idiot for doing it myself but wanted to become a bit more independent. Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
by vaughaner102
9 Comments
It won’t hurt to have your LBS look at it.
I have a couple of questions:
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1. What did you set the torque wrench to? Did this happen before the click?
2. How sure were you that it was the crank/bb interface with the creak?
Next time you have a creak, start with just washing your bike. Road dust and oils get into places and usually cause the creaking. Every time I have a creak this fixes it.
It’s not safe to ride like that. You have a strong chance of the crank arms falling off while you are pedaling. Take it to th
Is there another subreddit where I should be positng this? It’s being downvoted. Apologies if I’m in the wrong place.
I’m not familiar with that crank or how it is installed on the bottom bracket. I’ve never seen an actual crankarm bolt snapping like that. To me, it looks more like a cosmetic cap.
I suggest removing that bolt/cap completely and seeing what’s going on underneath. Maybe take a pic and post i here.
Obviously, if you can’t figure it out on your own or here, then take it to a shop.
~~Wait, did you put the 35-40 nm into the self-extracting cap until it broke? That torque is meant for the bolt below the cap, not the cap itself. As long as the bolt is tight, there’s absolutely no risk riding this way. However, it will probably be a struggle to remove the crankarm when you need to do so in the future.~~
Nope. Totally broken bolt. This will definitely need replacing before it can be ridden.
Just need a new crank bolt.
https://www.rotorstore.eu/product/rotor-crank-bolt-drive-side-3d-3d30-rex1-rex2/?v=79cba1185463
Also, the self extractor will be under it, flipped, it’s the silver bit with that takes a HG cassette tool. Make sure to leave it as-is (unless removing the cranks).
is it possible you installed the bolt and extractor in the wrong order? I don’t see the extractor in your image. If you installed the extractor BEFORE installing the bolt, that could cause the problems you’re experiencing, as the shoulder of the bolt will hit the extractor and could shear off when you try to torque it down. Bolt should go on first and extractor goes on top of it.
https://rotoramerica.com/collections/mtb-accessories/products/dm-mtb-crank-bolt
Sheared bolt. Probably means the crankset is loose as well.
Take it to a LBS. Let them clear the bolt out. The sheared piece should fall out but its best to have a mechanic look at this as they disassemble so they can identify any other issues.