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Chainring loose

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Old 02-08-18 | 04:01 AM
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Chainring loose

Hello all, I am new here. So I was doing maintenance on my single speed cruiser bike and when I removed the drive side crank arm I just happened to notice that if I hold the crank arm with one hand and turn the Chainring with the other it seems to move a tiny bit, with a tiny click sound, I can turn it back and forward just ever so slightly. I assumed that the crank arm and Chainring were one piece but I guess not. Is this a major safety concern? I rode it earlier for about 25 miles with no problems. Can it actually completely break and separate from the crank arm? Or will it slowly get more loose without breakage? I just don't want it breaking on me while going uphill or downhill.
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Old 02-08-18 | 07:30 AM
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From: Syracuse, NY

Bikes: 2008 Novara Randonee - love it. Previous bikes:Motobecane Mirage, 1972 Moto Grand Jubilee (my fave), Jackson Rake 16, 1983 C'dale ST500.

It sounds like you have a swaged crankset (see below) rather than one-piece forged. They do sometimes break loose, and though it most likely will continue to progress gradually, it should be replaced soon. If nothing else it will start causing the chainwheels to waver back and forth.
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Last edited by cny-bikeman; 02-08-18 at 07:33 AM.
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Old 02-08-18 | 07:33 AM
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From: Appleton WI

Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.

What type of crank? Many cruisers use one-piece "Ashtabula" type cranks, where the chainring is prevented from rotating by a pin on the back of the arm that fits a hole in the ring. If the drive side cone is slightly loose, the ring can move within the limits of the hole/pin.

It's unlikely to catastrophically fail, but fixing it will require removing the crank from the bike and tightening the cone against the ring to hold it firmly.
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