Bicycle Mechanics - The Spin Doctor Crank Puller sucks!

I tried using the spin doctor crank puller on my bike a couple of months ago and despite much straining, I only resulted in stripping threads. ARRRGGG!!! i decided that it was best left alone and i'd take my bike into the shop when i need to remove the cranks.

today i bought a park tool ccp-22. piece of cake! i'm sorry that i ever saw the spin doctor tool. took those cranks off in no time.

the spin doctor crank puller should be illegal!

Yeah I broke mine pretty quickly. Never had an issue with stripping threads though.

Never had any trouble with mine. Eases cranks off the spindle just like it is supposed to. bk

I used mine several times and never a problem.

Mine worked as advertised.

I just buy Park, never had any problems with their stuff.

Park +1. Easy Peas-y.

I don't see how the tool could be to blame for stripped threads.

Trek tool had a version contracted to the Snap On company.. who make Pro auto mechanic tools..

Trek tool had a version contracted to the Snap On company.. who make Pro auto mechanic tools..I am going to have to get my hands on one of those. Snap on is the best stuff I've used.

That's Wrench Force and I'm not impressed with the cable cutters I have. They're definitely not Snap On quality.

some wrench force stuff is very good but others not so much. the crank puller from wrench force works fine but nothing spectacular about it. wrench force tools are not around anymore except for NOS. you can still get their repair stands though and maybe a few other items.

Snap-On sells high end tools and not so high. The second best line of tools they make, which is better then Craftsman, is Cobalt sold at Lowes, and they have the same lifetime warranty that Sears has, meaning no receipts needed, replaced no questions asked, and unlike Sears they won't rebuild your ratchet head and give you back your original rachet. And when Sears goes out of business well so does your Craftsman tools, if Lowes goes out of business Snap-On parent company will handle it.

Most of us non mechanic professionals don't need Snap-On quality tools unless money is no object and you simply want the best, otherwise Cobalt or Craftsman is fine. I have severa classic cars and do most of the work myself and even I don't buy Snap-On! I have mostly Challenger and S&K with some Craftsman.

The first time could have just been a really stuck crank. I have had a few that would never come off no matter what I tried. I have stripped the threads out with the park tool.

If it feels so tight that you think it will pull the threads out of the crank, and you are sure there isn't a washer still in there, leave the bolt or nut loose and go for a ride. Sometimes that works.

I don't see how the tool could be to blame for stripped threads.

+1 Misplaced blame on that one IMHO.

I think he meant that the tool threads stripped not the crank. Note he bought the Park tool and the crank came right out. The old Tool didn't strip out the threads of the crank. Did anyone catch that, or am I missing something?

I think he meant that the tool threads stripped not the crank. Note he bought the Park tool and the crank came right out. The old Tool didn't strip out the threads of the crank. Did anyone catch that, or am I missing something?

Makes sense to me!

Well, if the threads on the puller itself stripped out, then +1 that puller is definitely a POS. If you bought it at Performance Bike, Nashbar, or REI, they will all probably warranty it for you. I have a Spin Doctor puller, and have used it dozens of times without a problem. Sounds like you got a lemon.

I have the spin doctor puller and it has worked great the many times that I have used it.

And when Sears goes out of business well so does your Craftsman tools, if Lowes goes out of business Snap-On parent company will handle it.



Sears most likely is never going to go out of business. The problem with Craftstman tools it that they make a different model tool from year to year made by who knows what company so finding a direct replacement or, God forbid, parts for your Crafstman equipment, is impossible.

Sears doesn't have parts departments anymore. Even their lawnmowers, which used to be made by Husqvarna (who makes a great mower), are going to be made by MTD/Electrolux from now on. In my city, you can't get MTD mowers serviced anywhere. Dealers refuse to service them because MTD doesn't back up their warranties. They're assembled with Chinese made parts which change year to year.

Sears is doing very poorly financially, and have been doing poorly since the K-Mart deal. There are rumors in the financial world that they should be out of business in 10 years at the most. In fact just this quarter alone they lost 39 million dollars...BUT somehow Sears keeps going. In fact Fitch upgraded them recently from unstable condition to that of stable. Problem is a lot of Sears stores are in old run down malls where almost all the stores in the mall have left, and K-mart stores are also run down and in bad neighborhoods. So how long can they hold out? That's the billion dollar question. They held out once before when bankruptcy was their only option but instead they infused hundreds of millions of dollars from Allstate back in the early 90's.

MTD stuff is junk product which raises a question, has Electrolux whet from being a European company to being made in China? Will this mean that Electrolux will go down the same quality control problems as MTD?

I have a Spin Dr. puller and a Park puller. Both have worked fine for me.

nah, the puller stripped the crank. i doubt it was a stuck crank because it was the exact SAME crank. Unless a crank can magically loosen.

maybe i did get a lemon but i'm certainly not going to ask for another.

I don't see how the tool could be to blame for stripped threads.

E.g. if the outer thread of the tool is too small and does not hold well the crank's thread.

I've used the spin doctor numerous times on numerous cranks. Never had a problem.

nah, the puller stripped the crank. i doubt it was a stuck crank because it was the exact SAME crank. Unless a crank can magically loosen.

maybe i did get a lemon but i'm certainly not going to ask for another.

Huh? If the 1st puller stripped the crank threads, how did the 2nd puller have anything to thread into? Maybe the 1st removal attempt didn't have the puller adequately threaded on.

Huh? If the 1st puller stripped the crank threads, how did the 2nd puller have anything to thread into? Maybe the 1st removal attempt didn't have the puller adequately threaded on.

Steve, your not understanding. The first puller did not strip the crank threads, the puller threads stripped, this means the crank threads were still good, thus he was able to screw in a new puller because the crank threads were good thus the crank came right out. It was a good thing the tool stripped and not the crank, but the threads on the puller were junk.

Steve, your not understanding. The first puller did not strip the crank threads, the puller threads stripped, this means the crank threads were still good, thus he was able to screw in a new puller because the crank threads were good thus the crank came right out. It was a good thing the tool stripped and not the crank, but the threads on the puller were junk.That's not what he said:


nah, the puller stripped the crank. i doubt it was a stuck crank because it was the exact SAME crank. Unless a crank can magically loosen.

maybe i did get a lemon but i'm certainly not going to ask for another.

^^ Sounds like he didn't screw the puller all the way in.

Since vast majority of crank arms are aluminium alloy, and vast majority of pullers are steel, the probability of the tool's threads stripping rather than the crank's is, well, low. The fact that puller #2 did the job that puller #1 could not means either #1 was not screwed in all the way, and/or OP forgot to mention that the washer stayed in place in attempt #1, resulting in the very classic puller stripping the threads off the crank as one is attempting to shove the washer through the square hole... Crank pullers are not magical instruments, there is not a whole lot of things that can go wrong with them - and a lot more that can go wrong *around* them.

nah, the puller stripped the crank. i doubt it was a stuck crank because it was the exact SAME crank. Unless a crank can magically loosen.

maybe i did get a lemon but i'm certainly not going to ask for another.

A square taper crank can and will loosen if it's ridden with the bolt (or nut) a bit looser than it had been previously.

If the crank threads were stripped, how did you get the Park tool on there?

^^ Sounds like he didn't screw the puller all the way in.

I suspect that's right. There are different "depths" for crank pullers. Many companies (including Park) sell pullers that are specific to one or another crank. The Spin Doctor puller has a "nose" that can be removed for doing cranks that need to be threaded in further. If you leave the "nose" on when removing a crank that shouldn't have it, you'll only engage a few threads, which will guaran-damn-tee that you'll strip those few threads.