What 165 mm cranks for enduro?

[Nuffy]

4 minutes ago, BaGearA said:

get the right tool ( most important part ) 

 

Get a large bench vice attached to something heavy then clamp the tool in the vice and use the wheel itself as leverage, little bit of heat if she really stuck in there 

Thanks. 9 out of 10 times the above works, but I’ve had two that I haven’t been able to do, although I didn’t try heat on the latest one. I’ve broken at least one bench vice on this task, so I have invested in a much stronger one. Thankfully the bearing on the latest hub is still smooth, so I didn’t spend a lot of time on it, although I have some new muscle aches and hand pain from hauling on that wheel!

I’ve seen suggestions elsewhere to use an impact wrench, so I’m going to see if I can find who was selling the tool with a compatible fitting. Anyone else here tried that?

[droo]

2 hours ago, Nuffy said:

At the risk of derailing my own thread…

@droo, since we’re here… any tips on removing a DT Swiss ring nut? 😁

Phone a friend, 2 pairs of hands are better than one.

Also, make sure you've got a decent bench vise and that the tool's properly tight in there. If it can move it puts pressure on the leading edge which can cause the vise to break.

[Ruben101]

8 hours ago, Nuffy said:

At the risk of derailing my own thread…

@droo, since we’re here… any tips on removing a DT Swiss ring nut? 😁

We broke a vice and our work bench trying to get that ring out. 

Sent it away to get stoked , who were the agents for dt swiss at the time if I remember correctly to remove and replace. They ended up cutting it out with a dremel. 

[Me rida my bicycle]

Have to say I used to run 165mm XO downhill crank, little disappointed when the pedal insert started moving around inside the arm. Sram bb's prices are also eye watering for what is a piece of plastic and 2 bearings. 

Now running Lyne's AMP crank, no more creaking, issues, cheap shimano bb lasts forever and I can still run SRAM chainrings. Ordered the crank and I probably had it within 24 hours. 

Edited August 8, 2024 by Me rida my bicycle

[DieselnDust]

On 8/6/2024 at 11:05 AM, droo said:

Removing SRAM cranks is easy. Take the wheels off, put the hex key in to the bolt about 1/8 of a turn ahead of the crank, put on ground, stand on hex key.

I have yet to find a crank I can't remove with this method.

Then, when reinstalling, anti-seize on the spindle thread. Next time you'll get it off on the stand.

I feel a video is required for this method with disclaimers 😁

[DieselnDust]

22 hours ago, droo said:

Phone a friend, 2 pairs of hands are better than one.

Also, make sure you've got a decent bench vise and that the tool's properly tight in there. If it can move it puts pressure on the leading edge which can cause the vise to break.

And if I recall it’s a left hand thread?

[droo]

9 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

I feel a video is required for this method with disclaimers 😁

I've broken one crank bolt and zero allen keys. And the busted bolt was never going to come out any other way. The remains came out by hand once the tension was off.

[droo]

8 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

And if I recall it’s a left hand thread?

Think about that one for a second...

[DieselnDust]

29 minutes ago, droo said:

Think about that one for a second...

You’re right that’s not the one that’s left hand. Pedalling tightens it further to the point of nearly impossible to remove

[DieselnDust]

31 minutes ago, droo said:

I've broken one crank bolt and zero allen keys. And the busted bolt was never going to come out any other way. The remains came out by hand once the tension was off.

I normally take my front wheel off and support the bottom of the lefty on a bit of foam. Wedge the left side crank into the ground and stand on it, then apply all my weight and force to get the crank bolt out. I’m just struggling to visualise how you do his with both wheels removed, hence the video request

[Nuffy]

Just thought I’d add an update on the original query in this topic. I ended up ordering a set of 165 mm Race Face Turbine cranks directly from their US website. However, I also got a stiffer spring for the rear shock (550 lbs linear – the original was a 500–610 lbs progressive). My reason for getting the new spring was more to try to get a more supportive mid stroke and make the bike a bit poppier than it was about trying to remedy the pedal strikes. I did one ride with the new coil before I replaced the cranks, and I immediately noticed a more upright riding position with a less wallowy rear and fewer pedal strikes, although this particular ride didn’t include chunky climbs of the sort that usually cause the most pedal strikes. Then I installed the new cranks and did another ride in some of the worst terrain in my area for pedal strikes. It wasn’t completely strike-free, but there was definitely a vast improvement over my previous setup. There were at least two or three occasions where I was certain I would previously have hit the pedal on a rock but cleared it this time. I can’t be sure if it was the stiffer coil or the 5 mm shorter cranks that made more of a difference, but I’m very happy with where the combination has got me.

[MORNE]

10 hours ago, Nuffy said:

Just thought I’d add an update on the original query in this topic. I ended up ordering a set of 165 mm Race Face Turbine cranks directly from their US website. However, I also got a stiffer spring for the rear shock (550 lbs linear – the original was a 500–610 lbs progressive). My reason for getting the new spring was more to try to get a more supportive mid stroke and make the bike a bit poppier than it was about trying to remedy the pedal strikes. I did one ride with the new coil before I replaced the cranks, and I immediately noticed a more upright riding position with a less wallowy rear and fewer pedal strikes, although this particular ride didn’t include chunky climbs of the sort that usually cause the most pedal strikes. Then I installed the new cranks and did another ride in some of the worst terrain in my area for pedal strikes. It wasn’t completely strike-free, but there was definitely a vast improvement over my previous setup. There were at least two or three occasions where I was certain I would previously have hit the pedal on a rock but cleared it this time. I can’t be sure if it was the stiffer coil or the 5 mm shorter cranks that made more of a difference, but I’m very happy with where the combination has got me.

Some bikes and their leverage ratios/ progresivity curves just mean you’ll blow through even a heavy spring. Some coil shocks like the DHX2 are also just more linear in their travel. As an example, my previous bike had me running a 550lb spring on a DHX for my 90kg weight. My new bike with an ohlins shock has me on a 388lb spring for the same weight. Different damping philosophies.