Bicycle Mechanics - Stripped Crank Part II

OK, now does anyone know how to remove a stripped crank arm? I am sure the LBS could take it off in a jiffy, but I am a "man", and we know how that goes. I pounded on it last night for an hour (carefully) without a budge. Maybe I will invent a tool...

Invent a tool that works like a pry bar. Bike shops have them, of course. Don't buy one lest you need to use it again.

Heat it wit a butane torch then knock it off, re-grease your bottom bracket and your back in business.
Single crank arm are not available unless you are luckey to find a shop that saves crank arms like we use to do.!!

A hammer and a block of wood will get it you just have to hit it real good. If you have some penetrating oil that will help alot.

A few years ago I upgraded the crank arms on my old Nishiki road bike. The left one was stripped and I finally ended up sawing a slot in it with a hack saw and then using a chisel or something to pry it off from there. It took hours! I about thought I wasn't going to be able to do it.

The torch sounds like a good idea, but probably just as well I don't have one, living in an apartment.

I tried hammering various ways and it didn't budge.

Moral: try not to strip threads.

Man , I hate to say it but that little sucker is now a paper weight....grab yourself an angle grinder, and being careful not to damage the bb spindle cut a slot closest to a corner of the spindle and go grab a cold chisel or something close , to pry open the slot you have made and slow at first wiggle the crankarm backwards and fwds untill that little ba@#$&d starts to come loose, after it's off ,marvel at your handiwork,then cuss loudly as you see $ signs flickering thru your mind....D'oh....

There is a tool available at auto parts stores for removing tie rod arms. cost less than $10. It's worked for me several times. The stripped threads can be rechased with a threading tool -a bike shop should be able to order one for you, or the Third Hand should have one. You can also replace the threads with a heli-coil. A well equipped shop or Third Hand should have these also. You rethread them from the INSIDE out. There are always a few threads to get your die started. Also, a well equipped shop should be able to order any arm that you need for replacement. Most distributors carry individual arms which a bike shop can order.

Ah yes I concur..that is also correct..we here in OZ have bicycle brokers or wreckers where ,if your lucky ..can pick up one side crank arms ?? I usually go by the terms that because a crankset is of a extremely high torque, helicoils do not last the distance......IE :do it right first time...replace that piece of essential aluminum........

UPDATE....Job Completed.

Yesterday I borrowed an automotive gear puller from a friend and it pulled the crank arm right off. The reason I was trying to get the crank off was to get to try to remedy a clicking crank. Well, after all that work the clicking still persist. I lubed the bottom bracket cups and the crank arm/spindle connection and the pedal/crank, but that just doesn't seem to be the problem. A cracked frame was suggested to me in an earlier post, so I am going to bring it in to the LBS to see if they can narrow it down. Thanks for the help everybody!!!

check the tightness of your chainring bolts too , they have been known to "click"when slightly loose and when putting alot of force on the pedals ......

Good recovery, Steele. Nothing better than pulling off the impossible!

If you hear/feel a clicking, the culprit is almost certainly because something is loose. Start with your BB.

Grab one of the cranks and tug it back and forth to see if there is any play in your BB.

The idea of checking the chain ring is a good one.

Two more quick checks would be to manually check each link in your chain. A bad link can give you a maddening clinkity clank as it goes through the derailure. The other would be to make sure the teeth on you sprocket (most likely front sprockets) are all straight and not damaged.

I had a maddening creak that I was sure was coming from the area of the BB, pedals, etc. After much checking and tightening, I ended up greasing the seat tube and that stopped it. It took a couple of rides for it to work, though.

Aerobat...you are a godsend. As a token of my gratitude, I have decided I will give you my first born child.

As I was biking home from work yesterday, I noticed every time I lifted off the seat the clicking stopped. As soon as I got home I greased the seat post and tightened the seat clamp and the post...clinking eliminated. I have been dealing with the noise for over a year now, and finally...gone! I love you, man!!!!!!

First place to look for clicking is the pedals, because they are the easiest to locate and fix.

Steele-Bike, glad I could help, now you've made my day!
:D