Originally Posted by FBinNY

Maybe I should have said "any crank can get loose"

You're preaching to the choir with regard to square taper cranks. All my cranks are square taper Campy, Spb Pro and XC Pro, and like you I've never had any problems, though I may have had to snug one up once. Nor have I ever had to replace a BB component in over 100,000 miles.

But ask any dealer and he'll confirm that cranks do loosen, especially lower cost cranks. While the various spline drive versions are claimed to superior in this regard my experience and observations don't bear this out.

The point is that if a loose crank is dealt with promptly, it'll be OK, if ignored it only gets worse. I also should add that there's no excuse for riding a loose crank since they announce themselves very plainly with a once or twice per pedal revolution click or creak.

When I worked retail folks would come in with cranks beat beyond salvage. I'd ask them if didn't they hear or feel the movement, and invariably they say yes, it's been going on for months.