Hi everyone, I have a ProForm Tour de France spin bike that I bought about five years ago from Costco. I replaced the pedals with some Shimano SPD pedals, and have been using it 4-5 times a week with the Peloton app ever since.
Today, as I was mid ride (riding while standing, the display put cadence at about 65 and resistance at about 70%), the left crank just completely sheared off. It was not a fun experience, lol.
How/why does something like this happen? Is this something that I would even be able to repair as someone who has no repair experience? The same bike is available on marketplace for around $100–wondering whether buying used or trying to repair would be easiest (and which would get me riding again most quickly).
Please excuse the dog hair in the photos!
by secondhandbookstore
3 Comments
The crank is fine, but the bottom bracket (or whatever it is on a spin bike) snapped, most likely not easy to repair unless you can find the specific part because it’s not a piece used on normal bikes. If a new one is $100 that seems like the best option to be honest.
Hope this helps.
[Crank Replacement ](https://youtu.be/SMP2nn3nVj0?si=-QWvGIEK98F257zr)
[OEM Parts](https://www.fitnessrepairparts.com/m/equipment/Select/20482/Proform/Le-Tour-De-France-PFEX013123?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1027263976&gbraid=0AAAAAD_W5wWeLpZ1ykuWqyfOaiI8Ky4go&gclid=CjwKCAiAkvDMBhBMEiwAnUA9BSQlA9cpCN7fUwT_dmKxvxLubi9Afm5f6nxs1Fs8Cnu_Ouy5UgLUfxoCPq4QAvD_BwE)
You should take this as a badge of honour. Hahah! Not everyone puts out enough watts to bust a spindle.
If you take a close up picture of the fracture surface I’d be happy to take a look. Based solely on the angle of the surface and the position of the bolt stub left in there, it looks like fatigue due to a stress concentration at the root of the thread, which is sometimes caused by poor manufacturing… but it’s tough to tell.
If it was a newer unit or there was warranty paperwork I’d suggest contacting the manufacturer. Actually, it might still be worth contacting the manufacturer – you’ve got nothing to lose and some companies surprise you with great customer service, especially now that you’ve posted this online. I would reach out with a request for parts, since you got it at Costco and it’s not straightforward to purchase replacements.
Manufacturing issues do sometimes happen, it’s the unfortunate reality of the world we live in, and no one is fully safe from it. It is nice to give the company an opportunity to make it right – like I say, sometimes they’ll surprise you. Cheers!