This has been an issue for a couple of months, but it’s gotten noticeably worse recently. After riding for about 10–15 minutes (sometimes less if I’m doing heavier mountain biking), the crank starts to wobble. I can see some obvious play—for example, on the screw or the left-hand crank arm. What would be the most cost-effective way to fix this? And what parts would I need to get it back into good working condition?
by v1s1on_official_yt
8 Comments
Well, the threading appears to be getting stripped now which isnt great, but blue lock tight is the answer if there are still threads to hold on to.
Been there , it won’t , time for new parts man
When ISIS, octalink and especially square taper cranks start loosening, its a vicious downward spiral. It’s 99% of the time nothing to do with the internal retainer bolt or the spindle threads but the actual interface of the spline in the arm. If you can actually manage to remedy it, they won’t last more than a couple of rides (or even minutes) before coming loose again. The crank arms deform and are no longer an interference fit, there’s no cost effective method to repairing it. They are kind of outdated and heavier riding is what sends them to death, if you can pick up a shimano hollowtech or similar styled crankset, you’ll find much better reliability. You might be surprised how cheap you can find them if you shop around.
Red loctite and hope for the best
I had the same, the fix is: get a Shimano crank set(with pinch bolts).
I had the gates-branded version of that crank. I cleand it, tightened it with loctite, let it cure, It loosened in 2.5km. Those cranks are shit. I just replaced them with an Alfine crank that hasn’t loosened in 3000km.
The bolt and the hole and the threads simply had too much tolerance. Typical SRAM shit unless you buy the top two tiers.
The point is that the teeth are not engaging , a new washer and a tighten up is just a band aid on a fucked crank
Buy new ones. Once the aluminum is warm it will never stay tight