Bicycle Mechanics - Crank Removal - losing my mind!

Hi everyone

I am removing the crank (Shimano GT) from my bike as have just ordered a FSA one.

Ive got the pedals off (even though i dont need to) removed the bolts that hold the crank arms onto the crankset or BB, now im trying to remove the crank itself, i have a park tool called a Park Crank Puller which seems to screw in the outer bit first (wider part) and then screw in a smaller bit into the middle of it, i presume at this point the crank should come loose but all that happens is they are now both screwed in very hard....and to top it all off the GT hollowtech arms sort of stick out stopping me from being able to turn the arm of the puller tool easily....wow! im sure i must be doing something wrong. The thing is i put it on ages ago and im sure once i took it back off too but i cant remember for the life of me how

please please please someone give me some advice, im sure these things are called self extracting cranks, if only it was that simple!

Hi everyone

I am removing the crank (Shimano GT) from my bike as have just ordered a FSA one.

Ive got the pedals off (even though i dont need to) removed the bolts that hold the crank arms onto the crankset or BB, now im trying to remove the crank itself, i have a park tool called a Park Crank Puller which seems to screw in the outer bit first (wider part) and then screw in a smaller bit into the middle of it, i presume at this point the crank should come loose but all that happens is they are now both screwed in very hard....and to top it all off the GT hollowtech arms sort of stick out stopping me from being able to turn the arm of the puller tool easily....wow! im sure i must be doing something wrong. The thing is i put it on ages ago and im sure once i took it back off too but i cant remember for the life of me how

please please please someone give me some advice, im sure these things are called self extracting cranks, if only it was that simple!

Remove your crank puller and peer into the hole in the crank with a flashlight. Remove the washers that are probably stuck in there and the crank will come off.

thats the point, there is nothing in there, i presume that the inside bit of the crank puller needs to push against somthing for the tool to work but there is just a straight hole from the crank arm all the way through to the crank arm the other end!

Self-extracting bolts have a ring that the bolt pushes against when you unscrew the bolt. This removes the crank. The ring is like a dust cap with a large hole in the middle of it. If you don't have a ring like this, if you had a solid dust cap, if you had no dust cap, or if you were able to remove the crank bolt without bumping into such a ring, you do not have self extracting bolts.

Chances are what you have is a splined, hollow crank spindle. To remove the cranks you need either a new tool, something like this one:

Click here. (http://www.parktool.com/tools/CCP_4.shtml)

Or this one:

Click here. (http://www.parktool.com/whats_new/newproducts.shtml#CWP6)

Or, you will need an adaptor, to let you use your old tool with a hollow spindle. I got an adaptor with the last set of cranks I bought. It is basically a metal button with a small metal projection (like the extra piece in the picture of the second tool above, but not threaded).

There may be a way to jerry rig your puller, using a washer or something to give the tool something to push against, but I don't know what it is, and wouldn't recommend it anyway.

Good luck.

Oh yeah, if you DO have self-extracting bolts, did you remove that ring? If so, put bolt back in, put the ring back in, then unscrew the bolt so that it backs up against the ring and pushes the crank off the spindle.

If you have self-extracting bolts, you also have a square tapered spindle, not a round splined one.

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If you have self-extracting bolts, you also have a square tapered spindle, not a round splined one.Not true. Shimano makes self extractors for Octalink.

thanks everyone, Im thinking mine is an octalink and i need the ccp4 tools not the 2. ill go and get one tomorrow and keep my fingers crossed.

One more thing, when i hold the ends of both crank arms and wiggle there is a bit of give (maybe 2/3 mm at end of arms), i presume this is the bottom bracket not being perfect... will this be the same with all bottom brackets or is it just mine being a bit old, should I get a new one? if so any good reccomendations.

thanks everyone, Im thinking mine is an octalink and i need the ccp4 tools not the 2. ill go and get one tomorrow and keep my fingers crossed.

Umm yeah if you can see through the crank with both bolts removerd you'll need the CCP-4 puller.

Not true. Shimano makes self extractors for Octalink.

I stand corrected. Thank you for giving better information.

I stand corrected. Thank you for giving better information.You're going to give me a swelled head or something, you've corrected me a few times here and on that "other" forum where we and Ms. Vicki were members.

thats the point, there is nothing in there, i presume that the inside bit of the crank puller needs to push against somthing for the tool to work but there is just a straight hole from the crank arm all the way through to the crank arm the other end!

In that case, you probably have the wrong crank puller. The crank puller for the hollow spindle bottom brackets has a fatter spindle to push against the fatter, but hollow, bottom bracket spindle. The correct Park tool has a black handle. The Park tool for the square taper bottom brackets looks almost the same but it has a blue handle.

You're going to give me a swelled head or something, you've corrected me a few times here and on that "other" forum where we and Ms. Vicki were members.

No. You're wrong. I've never corrected you.

:D