Bicycle Mechanics - Traveling With A Crank Puller

Just got a bike with S&S couplers and caught on that I'll need a crank puller to fit the bike in the case. Since this is for traveling small and light are important. I am looking for recommendations. I was thinking of the Park CWP-6 and I guess that I'll need to carry a wrench for it. The CCP-2 won't require a separate wrench and doesn't weigh much more. Pedro's has a product like the CWP-6 but their website isn't particularly helpful. Anyone have recommendations and is there anything else that I should have thought of??

thanx,,, [[note: this is about the cranks on the BB, not the crank on the seat]]


motto: start slow, then ease off...

Most modern cranks use the crank bolt to drivr the crank off without a separate puller. That seems like a better solution for you. All the threads are standard, you should be able to find something that works.

em

You motivated me to actually try it instead of just writing about it. On the non-drive side I just pulled the bolt out. I can see the square axle of the BB. I pulled pretty hard on the crank and it hasn't moved. Is there something I don't get??

thanx,,,

Yes, I banged on it too, but not too hard.

LIFU makes a mini puller which they say "uses your crank bolt" to extract the arm. Never used it.
LF04BO from several sources including "Bike Tools Etc" Many cranks use a regular hex head bolt with washer which looks like a self-extracting model but isn't - that's what you probably have.

Sugino made a self extracting crank bolt which works well and only adds a few grams to your bike. I've used them touring on a Deore square taper crank. Don't know where you'd get one, try a search on ebay. I got mine from an old bike shop that had lots of misc. old stuff in the back.

You motivated me to actually try it instead of just writing about it. On the non-drive side I just pulled the bolt out. I can see the square axle of the BB. I pulled pretty hard on the crank and it hasn't moved. Is there something I don't get??

thanx,,,

Yes, I banged on it too, but not too hard.

Banging and wiggling the crank arm is going to wreck it! You'll never get it on tight again.

I travel with an S&S coupled bike. None of the cases are exactly svelte, so I leave the crank arm puller and wrench in the case and it gets stored when I get in country. Failing that, I guess that I would go for self extracting crank bolts as has been suggested. I would still store a "real" extracter with the case...you are SOL seriously if the plane is 4hrs away and you cannot get the crank arms off to pack!..but you need a rather burly 8mm to put the cranks back on. I do not think that I could get a square taper crank arm on tight enough with just a "L" shaped allen....Then there is the worry about repeatedly installing and removing square taper crankarms....looking seriously at octalink and isis.

Thanks to everyone. I'll get a puller with a handle. The Zinn book seems to be saying that my cranks are self extracting. I can't tell. I could find some LIFU stuff online, but not their puller. Ccycleguy, thanks for the admonition. Fsor, catching a plane without packing is a very good point. I don't mind airplanes all that much, but too bad we have to deal with airports.

again, thanx,,,,

The LIFU crank puller can be had from Nashbar under their own name.
The Sugino self-extracting crank bolts can be had from Bike Tools Ect.
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If you travel by plane in from or to the US...don't put chain lube in your bike case. I got my 2oz bottle of tri flow removed and replaced with a note castigating me for transporting flammable hydrocarbons....words fail me. I store real tools for assembly and disassembly in the S&S case so that I do not have to touch the tools that travel on the bike.

If you travel by plane in from or to the US...don't put chain lube in your bike case. I got my 2oz bottle of tri flow removed and replaced with a note castigating me for transporting flammable hydrocarbons....words fail me. I store real tools for assembly and disassembly in the S&S case so that I do not have to touch the tools that travel on the bike.

Thanks for the advice. I was wondering about that. Do you use the S&S 'TSA Net'?? What do you think about it??

This is how they work and what they look like....

http://www.sandsmachine.com/ac_bolt.htm

The TSA net worked for me...it was obvious that TSA had the whole mess out of the case and got it back together ok. I do recommend at least two of the internal braces, in case the gorrilla is on the baggage shift the day you travel. The wheels on the case work quite well so you can transit the airports with other baggage stacked atop the hard case. When you arrive then you can colapse other baggage and un-needed street clothing into the S&S case for storage.

This will be an adjustment for me. I always go to great lengths to avoid checked luggage. Well, thats over!!

I'll order the net. Maybe (wishful thinking) I can retire soon and travel by sailboat (and bike) and never see another airport!!!!!!!!!

fsor, I presume that you now carry chain lube and coupler lube in your carry on luggage?? Do you think that a lubed chain in a ziplock bag will set off their claxons?? I guess that I'll have to get used to TSA locks too. They give me the willies.

thanx,,,,,

If you travel by plane in from or to the US...don't put chain lube in your bike case. I got my 2oz bottle of tri flow removed and replaced with a note castigating me for transporting flammable hydrocarbons....words fail me. I store real tools for assembly and disassembly in the S&S case so that I do not have to touch the tools that travel on the bike.

I carry rubber cement for the patch kit in a nail polish bottle for this reason. No problems at airports. It would probably work for lube too.

Use a proper crank pulling tool to remove the cranks then add a self-extracting bolt system. These use a threaded cap locktited into the crank threads over the crank bolt. The head of the bolt pushes against the cap and pulls the crank out.
You dont get much pulling power so suggest you grease the square taper flats.

A couple of tips for traveling with an S&S equipped bike.

Get a Topeak Road Morph pump. It has a base. a hose and a (crude) pressure gauge and is much more useful than a mormal mini-pump. You have to deflate the tires to get the wheels in the case so a decent pump is essential and a regular floor pump is too big.

Do not pack CO2 cylinders in any baggage. TSA really doesn't like them. If you use a CO2 inflator, buy a 5-pack at your destination at any X-Mart.

Be sure your travel case isn't overweight. Packing tools and clothing with the bike can quickly bring the case over the airline's weight limit and the overweight charges are very high. Weigh it before you go.

nail polish bottle That is brilliant!!!!! I am already a Road Morph user.

thanx!!!

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Bike Tools Etc. - 1000's of bicycle tools and parts for the home mechanic!

Self-extracting crank bolts are the way to go. Two of my bikes were spec'ed with them and I retrofitted a square taper bottom bracketr on an old Trek with a set from Bike Tools Etc. (I think that's where I got them). Forget about the crank extractor and the risk of cross threading the aluminum threads on the cranks. The 8mm hex wrench works great and there is little to fail, it's pretty screw-up resistant. When you are assembling your bike in motel rooms or airports, what can go wrong eventually will go wrong.

HillRider is right about the pump. It's great. And also about watching the weight of the case. For my 29er, the Marzocchi fork is marginal for fit in the case so I usually use a long rolling duffle for my second bag. Throw in the fork, tools and some clothes. TSA usually has a hard time with that bike because the NanoRaptor tires, even fully deflated, are really tight in the case. So lately I have been removing the tires completely and putting them in the second bag. And I highly recommend using velco tape or electrical tape on the frame and handlebar to corral all the cables. I have had TSA smash the **** out of two cable ends by catching them in the case edge and trying to force the case closed.

I lube my chain and put it in a zip lock. I've been using White Lightning on my chains for travel. At home, here in the Alaskan rainforest, I use tri-flow. Lots of tri-flow. But I hear TSA doesn't care much for little bottles of Tri-flow in checked luggage. Anyway,I don't usually travel with additional chain lube.

I have only infrequently applied the special lube to the couplers and have not seen any need to pack it with me. One application lasts a long, long time.