sunv

I bike on my FG at least 4 miles a day and I push it pretty hard and climb alot. When I first got it, the only problem I had was different chain tensions when I had the cranks in different positions eg. a little loose in the chain when left crank was up and tight when it was down. So i attributed that to a not-perfectly-circular chainring.

Anyways now I can feel clicking in my pedals and hear the stress and clicking coming from the chainring when i climb or sometimes when i am just biking on level ground. I inspected my chainring and the screws holding the crank spider to the chainring was loose, almost all 5 of them!! So I bring my bike home, tighten them, but after a day of biking its clicking again, and again, all of the screws are loose!!!

This is scary, because if i'm riding, and they are loose, and I hit a hard bump, i could knock out a screw and lose it. Or even worse, knock them all out, and have my chainring separate from the crank!

So I need help on how to fix this. I'm thinking of just cleaning my bike, WD40 that whole area between the BB and crank. And then just taking out the screws and moving them around to even out the wear on them? I'm afraid i might have stripped the screws or chainring and that would be worse, because right now, I cannot go buying parts with my college student budget.

Please help me!
Here are some pics of it, i was wondering what that washer thing on the backside is for:

Retem

buy same single cr bolts and some blue loctite blue!!

lz4005

Get a chainring tool. It'll cost you about $5. And some loctite. If you've been trying to tighten them with just an allen wrench in the front you've been spinning them without actually tightening.

jankon73

Use matching steel bolts, not alloy, if you aren't already.
I've got a crappy cheapo rocket ring and a bulletproof crank, and the chainring has about a mm of play at each arm right now. I positioned and tensioned the hell outta the ring with equal amounts of space at each arm.
I've got a good 1000 miles so far and it hasn't slipped and I still have the same tension at every turn. I didn't use locktite, but I imagine it couldn't hurt.
Mebbe I'm lucky...

dmc

not sure if i understand you right but the CR bolts don't screw into the chainring (so you cant strip that)... they attach the the "washer thing" on the back on the chainring.

CR bolts coming loose is not a rare problem, as suggested above, get some blue loctite at a hardware store. take apart all the bolts and add some loctite to the thread interface when you put them back together. this should stop them from rattling loose.

they also make a special tool for the back of the chainring bolt that will hold them steady while you screw in the bolt. might be a good idea to pick one of those up, it will help you get the bolts tight.

skanking biker

Assuming you are not a troll, here is what I can tell you--I am by no means an "expert", but thats what you get w/ free advice

1. DO NOT use WD40 on your bike
2. The reason why the screws are not tighening on the crank is because you need a special tool to put in the slots of the washer in the back; otherwise you arent really doing anything. You can also use a large flat head screwdriver
3. I believe sheldon brown has a whole section on this, but i can't find it at the moment

Retem

dude look at his cr bolts they are for an old double not a single ring
eai makes a set of steel track cr bolts for like 8 bucks get some locktite blue 2 dollas and get on with it

Mueslix

What they said. Sometimes it's okay to not be diy, if there's a co-op nearby, or someone who will show you what's up go to them. Also, you won't die, you'll just be able to coast, but not spin.

matthavener

I've heard you can take the bolt thing the nut screws into a file it a bit so it clamps harder on the chainring. Also, a little bit of grease will make them stay tight a little longer.

I'd just get new, nice bolts.

If they are spinning, you can press the wrench laterally while tightening and sometimes there will be enough friction against the chainring that you don't need the chainring bolt tool.

mander

I can torque down my chainring bolts (spendy sugino ss-specific ones) with just an allen key, but I have to get them good and clean first, and make sure that the thread greas I apply doesn't get anywhere else.

Hirohsima

Yes what Retem said. But I have never had any issues when NOT using loctite. Blue would be my first choice. One other option is Campy C-Ring bolts have the back side of the bolt that is a little rough which holds onto the ring a little better, but I have had good luck with just cheapie sugino single cr bolts.

Retem

I just say locktite so stuff doesn't rattle loose

Fixxxie

Yeah IF you're having a problem LocTite is great but I always avoid it unless necessary.Greasing the threads will allow them to tighten up better and probably fix the problem.
However after looking at the picture it lookslike there is some wear marks on the chainring where it has been moving around. It looks like Retem said those are bolts for a double so probably aren't tightening down properly. You can get bolts for single ring at any BMX shop pretty cheap

joshuastar

other things to use:
1. flathead (as mentioned above)
2. trusty p-38 (available at fine army surplus stores everywhere for...45 cents or so)
3. a coin. a dime. maybe a quarter. probably not a nickle. or a sacajawea.

i used a dime, if i remember correctly. but then again, i also used singles bolts. i had to spend $10 on those. it sucked.

jamey

yeah that cr bolt tool is nice but i found its too shallow for 75 bolts so you have to file it a little bit.

chewnimser

What makes you think they are for a double? To me, they look like singlering bolts.

operator

JB Weld

Retem

look at the picture of the back side the length of the bolt you can see

single bolt don't have that much of the bolt going into the other they are alot shorter

chewnimser

They look flush to me, I'd have to argue that they are single ring bolts. Double ring bolts would be much more obvious to us and to the rider of the bike, because it would be impossible to have the bolts clamp around the ring.

Retem

nah I have a set or two of old road double bolts that I have use and when you tighten them down they look flush but aren't quite tight enough track and single bolt don't tighten flush the end of the bolt is still in the female end by a turn or two

refry

quick question
somewhat on topic..

how would one get some cr bolts off that were super tightend down with way to much red loctite other then a torch?

chewnimser

You don't. Chances are, you'd strip the nut before breaking it loose.

lymbzero

Try a new set of SHORT chainring bolts,
those that are designed for single ring/SS applications.
Should run you about 7CAD, 6USD.

If you can't find them, then use chainring bolt washers (stupid expensive).

A chainring bolt wrench is a good and inexepensive tool to have.

Tighten every other bolt all the way around the spider until they're all done up right.

You're all talking about using locktight on the threads?
I grease my chainring bolts and they never come loose.

Retem

drill em and don't use red loctite ever!

humancongereel

the tool barely costs more than that.