Originally Posted by
Lwe2405
Hi all,
I’m currently volunteering at a refugee camp in Greece where we rent out bikes to the refugees. Three of the bikes have cranks that don’t move freely around any more because they catch on the frame. I think they might need spacers put in so that they don’t catch the frame any more. Is there a way of doing this without any special tools?
Cheers,
Louis
Assuming the cranks used to spin freely, something got bent due to misuse. As a start, I would lay the bike on its side, place one foot on the rear hub, then pull up on the crankarm. If that isn't enough, you could bend it back with a long pipe, 2x4, crowbar, etc. It won't be perfect, but it'll be usable.