Crank Bearings Change

On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 11:47:11 -0800, "No Way" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hi

I have a 'Specialized' FSR model bike. The crank bearings
are not smooth. I feel notchiness

Are they easy to change? Or is it smarter to let a good
bike shop change them? I do have lots of good tools.

Do I need a >special< tool to get the pedals off? Or, to
get the assembly apart?

The pedals should come off with either a 6mm allen key or a
15mm pedal wrench.

The crankarms will require a crankarm extractor tool.

As to whether or not you can do it yourself, well others
will tell you; I'm not that good with the wrenching on my
bike, yet, so I leave the bottom bracket and headset (two
things that require special tools) alone.

-Luigi

Quoted message said:

thanks for replies here or to
[email hidden]

Brian

"No Way" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi

I have a 'Specialized' FSR model bike. The crank bearings
are not smooth. I feel notchiness

Are they easy to change? Or is it smarter to let a good
bike shop change them? I do have lots of good tools.

Do I need a >special< tool to get the pedals off? Or, to
get the assembly apart?

The bearings are a cartridge assembly (not serviceable,
usually $20-30 USD). Besides a new cartridge, you'll need:

- a pedal wrench (usually 15 mm), thinner than a standard
wrench to fit on flats on pedal spindle. (left side pedal
is reverse threaded).

- a "crank extractor", a special tool that threads into the
crank and pushes it off the crank spindle ($10-15 USD).

- a "bottom bracket" (BB) wrench - matches the splines on
the bearing cartridge (AKA BB) ($10-15 USD). Usually right
side splines are metal & part of BB, left side is plastic
and just a sleeve.

Check out the Park tools site &/or Sheldon Brown's site for
instructions. It's not too hard to do with the proper tools
& instructions. Bottom brackets come in different spindle &
shell lengths and have a couple or more common spindle end
shapes (splined/square), so you need to buy the right one,
your old one should have sizes marked.

It's handy to have the tools & know-how to remove pedals &
cranks, but BB replacement isn't all that common a task &
isn't very expensive to have done at a shop. Your call...

Thanks for your detailed reply. convert the tools costs to
Canadian dollars hmmmmmm I do enjoy doing my own work But,
maybe a one time job is worth having a good shop do it. And
let me watch. 😉

Peter Cole <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:dEn4c.17886$mM.125753@attbi_s02...

Quoted message said:

"No Way" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:8um4c.193$Te7.1131@newscontent-
01.sprint.ca...

Quoted message said:

Hi

I have a 'Specialized' FSR model bike. The crank
bearings are not smooth. I feel notchiness

Are they easy to change? Or is it smarter to let a good
bike shop change them? I do have lots of good tools.

Do I need a >special< tool to get the pedals off? Or, to
get the assembly apart?

The bearings are a cartridge assembly (not serviceable,
usually $20-30

USD).

Quoted message said:

Besides a new cartridge, you'll need:

- a pedal wrench (usually 15 mm), thinner than a standard
wrench to fit on flats on pedal spindle. (left side
pedal is reverse threaded).

- a "crank extractor", a special tool that threads into
the crank and

pushes

Quoted message said:

it off the crank spindle ($10-15 USD).

- a "bottom bracket" (BB) wrench - matches the splines on
the bearing cartridge (AKA BB) ($10-15 USD). Usually
right side splines are metal &

part

Quoted message said:

of BB, left side is plastic and just a sleeve.

Check out the Park tools site &/or Sheldon Brown's site
for instructions.

It's

Quoted message said:

not too hard to do with the proper tools & instructions.
Bottom brackets

come

Quoted message said:

in different spindle & shell lengths and have a couple or
more common

spindle

Quoted message said:

end shapes (splined/square), so you need to buy the right
one, your old

one

Quoted message said:

should have sizes marked.

It's handy to have the tools & know-how to remove pedals &
cranks, but BB replacement isn't all that common a task &
isn't very expensive to have

done

Quoted message said:

at a shop. Your call...

Peter Cole said:

The bearings are a cartridge assembly (not serviceable,
usually $20-30 USD). Besides a new cartridge, you'll need:

- a pedal wrench (usually 15 mm), thinner than a standard
wrench to fit on flats on pedal spindle. (left side pedal
is reverse threaded).

Why do you need a pedal wrench to replace a bottom bracket?
I've pulled cranks again and again without needing to touch
the pedals- just leave them on the cranks.

Then again, when a bottom bracket goes out could be a good
time to pull the pedals just to make sure that they haven't
frozen in place. Then regrease and reinstall.

Anyway, I don't think that you *need* a pedal wrench to work
on a bottom bracket, unless full suspension bikes are even
weirder than I imagine.

No Way said:

Hi

I have a 'Specialized' FSR model bike. The crank bearings
are not smooth. I feel notchiness

Are they easy to change? Or is it smarter to let a good
bike shop change them? I do have lots of good tools.

Do I need a >special< tool to get the pedals off? Or, to
get the assembly apart?

Is the notchiness in the pedals as they spin or the crank
arms as they turn?

No need to remove pedals if it's your bottom bracket that's
toasted. You *may* have "extractor bolts" (8 mm) installed
on your crank arms; otherwise you need a special tool to
remove them. You'll also need a bottom bracket tool after
that ("left is right; right is wrong" threadwise).

I suggest taking it to your LBS (bike shop) and asking
them to show you what they're doing to diagnose and fix
the problem.

Bill "first step is isolating the notch" S.

On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 11:47:11 -0800, "No Way" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hi

I have a 'Specialized' FSR model bike. The crank bearings
are not smooth. I feel notchiness

parktool.comFAQcartdg.shtmlOpen ↗

parktool.comFAQindex.shtmlOpen ↗
om bracket

"Dan Daniel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Why do you need a pedal wrench to replace a bottom
bracket? I've pulled cranks again and again without
needing to touch the pedals- just leave them on the
cranks.

You don't, the OP asked how to get his off.

parktool.com thanks

Dan Daniel <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

No Way said:

Hi

I have a 'Specialized' FSR model bike. The crank bearings
are not smooth. I feel notchiness

parktool.comFAQcartdg.shtmlOpen ↗

parktool.comFAQindex.shtmlOpen ↗
om bracket