Originally Posted by
luckydud13
I used a little bit of Liquid Wrench, didn't seem to make a difference. I'm fairly certain I can get it out, but with the threads already kind of messed up, could I even find a replacement? If not, would my best course of action not simply be to leave it?
You can't just leave it without the fixing bolt - it will fail quickly by falling out. (A forum member recently posted that riding without the fixing bolt is a surefire way of removing pins - but you risk damage and injury.)
You'll need more penetrating oil - it needs time to work into the contact area. You don't need to immerse it, but you should let it pool if you can so it can sit and work itself down.
Replacements of varying quality can be bought on ebay, but I got mine through Bikesmith. His website has a good explanation of how they're made and the levels of quality, and also counsels you to take careful note of the diameter (8mm vs 9mm vs 9.5mm). Even if it's damaged, save the old pin for reference, as you'll need to closely match the taper (though making sure the new pins match each other is more important than making them exactly match the old taper).
This is probably feeling a bit tedious, but it's really satisfying when you get it right...
Bikesmith page here:
Bicycle Crank Cotters