Installing bike cranksets

Sometimes it is cheaper to replace the whole crankset. There are multiple components that can contribute to a clicking or grinding sound in your drive train in addition to the bottom bracket, including the chain, the pedals, the derailleur and the rear hub.

That said, the symptoms you describe seem to indicate a problem with the pedal bearings or the bottom bracket. A clicking noise is the most common sound your bike can make. It can be due to the rider pedaling fast, and the chain wants to jump up and down the rear cassette to accommodate the demands of the pedal.

To identify the sound, you can slow down from pedaling and observe whether you still hear a sound. Or there may have been some sort of failure of the bearings. Crank spider : is the actual section that the chain rings bolt onto. Crank Arms: These are the levers to that your pedals attach to. Chain: The chain is what turns the back wheel when you pedal. Bottom Bracket: This is the housing that holds the bearings in place and the axle that the crank arms attach to.

The crank length represents the distance between the centre of the bottom bracket and the centre of the pedal axis. The most common lengths are , One could also suggest the cycling industry is indifferent to crank length as the range of available sizes is quite narrow, often just mm.

Words by: Max Morgan. When SRAM's new DUB bottom bracket platform was introduced, it definitely raised some eyebrows and had people thinking, "Really, another bottom bracket standard?

Follow these five simple steps to get your bottom bracket and crankset mounted properly and running smoothly! For this particular install, we are going to be installing a threaded bottom bracket on a Santa Cruz Blur. The new Sram DUB threaded bottom bracket requires a 12 point bottom bracket tool.

Because the RaceFace tool does not make contact all the way around the bottom bracket shell, be careful so that it does not slip and possibly damage the aluminum bottom bracket.

For this specific bike, the bottom bracket width is 73mm and so the bottom bracket will need to be configured for that spec. The Sram DUB bottom brackets use spacers to align the spindle and the chain line on both the inside and the outside of the bottom bracket shell.

The inner spacers are traditional bottom bracket spacers and would be pinched between the frame and the bottom bracket itself.

The outer spacers are unique to DUB and snap on to the outside of the bearing interface. A 2mm outside spacer clicks on to the bottom bracket and the chainguide becomes a 2. Highlighted in blue in the photo below, for a 73mm frame width, Sram calls for no spacers on either the inside or the outside of the non drive side, and only a 4. Highlighted in red, you will see that with the chainguide in place, the backplate of the guide becomes a 2.

It's very important that you use the required spacers for the specific bottom bracket width you have on your bike. Keep in mind the threads are reverse threaded on the drive side. If not used, the crank arm might contact metal bottom bracket cup. First grease the crank spindle. Apply a thin layer of grease on the spindle itself and on the splines. Slide the crank spindle through the non-drive side of the bottom bracket and wipe off any excess grease. Their development charts the history that took us away from cup and cone bearings and one-piece cranksets to lighter and stiffer — basically more progressive — alternatives.

Yes, the trusty old square taper bottom bracket. There is also the added weight of both crank arms. The FE model above fits your standard mm fat bike bottom bracket shell width. Mount the cartridge into the BB shell. The the lockring threads into the other side. The video demonstrates the process of removing a fat bike cartridge square taper BB and associated square taper cranks:. There is more variety and flexibility alongside of the significant weight reductions.

Two choices here:. You could also have ceramic bearings fitted in place of the standard steel sealed bearings. Pressing it in is the tricky bit. Each cup is installed separately, one side at a time. Insert the bottom bracket cup into the BB shell. Loosely, so it sits more or less square to the BB shell. A bolt slips through a cup which fits over the BB shell lip. That is, you thread the bolt from the opposite side from the bearing cup you want to install.

You see the tool cup on the right fitting snugly to the BB shell face. The piece on the left threads onto the bolt. An allen wrench is all that you need to rotate the bolt thereby pressing the bottom bracket into the bb shell. Turn the bolt smoothly and consistently. The gentle pressure slides the BB into position in less than 1 minute. Removal is just as simple and takes even less time. Again, look out for the post on BB This simple bolt-on design is reliable and durable.

You only need a few simple, easily obtained tools to service and maintain, or even replace, this crankset yourself. This crankset pairs with the mm square taper cartridge bottom bracket. It is the choice for touring and where simplicity and modest weight savings are not important. Watching ForestyForest living the fat bike touring dream will cause you to get a fat bike and go touring … within the year, by the way.

Well, maybe not. With a double chainring setup your range of gears is wider. You can find the right gear to match the pedaling cadence that helps you in the moment. Comfortably remaining in that zone is the trick. He patiently spins his way up the hills, completing an average of 60 miles per day over pretty tough terrain. With a wider gear selection you can dial-in the best ratio. Sure, you are doubling up on a few ratios across both chainrings.

But having those extra gears adds buckets to morale on extended touring adventures.