Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 19,381
Likes: 5,528
From: Rochester, NY
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
Were you able to actually count the balls? if so then the cartridge bearings (one unit a side) were far more worn/broken down then should ever have been continued to be used. If this really is the case then the crank would have been slopping about with in the massively loose and unable to be supported by the lack of, maybe, 75% of the balls. Typical cartridge bearings will have 10+ balls evenly about the race and often held apart by a ring.
So what's the real story? How about some photos of the bearings? Andy
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AndrewRStewart