I'm not very optimistic, but thought I'd ask anyway.
The drive-side is worse than the other...

The easiest solution would be to polish the whole crankset and lose the logo.

What one really needs is some quality stencils.

I think that's actually silver paint over the aluminum. I'd just call it patina and ride it.

SP
OC, OR

Yep. This is a cosmetic issue, not structural. Either polish off all the original finish (a lot of work, IMO), or accept it as a badge of your dedication to riding.

What's to fix?

There's some surface wear on the crank. The only problem is that unlike frame scratches, you can't associate specific memories to each mark. So just consider them as general reminders of the years and great rides you've shared.

BTW - my first road bike's cranks (Campy Record form the late 60s) have the same wear marks, except that the ones made by the shoes are over 1/16" deep at the center.

The wear appears to be from your shoes hitting the cranks. The solution is pedal extenders.... that will get your heels further away from the cranks.

^or if you're using cleats, you might adjust the toe angle inward.

And I wouldn't hesitate polishing those unless you want to keep the silver finish. I'd use oven cleaner to remove the paint/anodizing and then polish by hand or buffing machine. Pretty easy process either way.

You could rough up the shinny part with 250 grit sandpaper to lesson the contrast but a full blown polish would look best if it matters to you.

Well this is C&V and usually folks here are extremely particular about good looks so I assume the OP is in fact concerned about looks. Though war wounds, patina, and the like are often embraced, especially if invokes sentimental feelings of your past rides. However as is the case with many of use acquiring older bikes, the wear was not our doing and in many cases undesirable.

These would work if it was the OP that caused the wear mark, but doesn't do much good if it was from someone long ago...



The only solution I see if you want it to look nice would be to take off the anodizing and polish the whole thing, which would be a lot of work, and I assume this would then require more work down the road keeping it looking nice since exposed alloy will need cleaning and re-polishing more frequently.

I'll add this to my list of more advantages to my barefoot style, no rub marks on crank arms.

send it out for Powder coating?

At the time I posted, there was no mention that the OP wasn't the original owner, but that may be besides the point.

I suspect that C&V people fall into two categories, those who treat the bikes as collectibles and are focused on condition and restoration. The others, like myself, appreciate classic bikes as great rides. This is especially true if we've owned and ridden the bike for years or even decades.

So, in some ways owning a fine old bike is like being married for a long time. Like your wife, the bike won't be in the same beautiful condition as when you first met, but you love it just as much if not more.

I am conflicted on this situation. I really don't want to remove the original finish and don't want it to look too worn either. I take the lazy path and leave it. WRT the stripping and polishing, my Stronglight crank is not coated and I polish it every couple of years (maybe 4-5) and keeps the bling pretty well. I live in a fairly humid environment too, though not with much salt.

If it were mine I'd strip the thing with chemical stripper and use simichrome to polish it up. Clean it up with some 600p wet or dry (wet) first if necessary.

Shimano almost certainly moved from polish/anodizing to powdercoat/painting to save money anyway. Polishing is typically more time consuming and expensive.

This is spot on, thanks for it and all the other great replies.

The crank was recently acquired on the auction site, to be put on a '91 Crosscut I'm building for my Seattle daughter-in-law. The frame will be powder coated in her favorite color, turquoise, so looks is a definite factor. Black Selle T-Series saddle and hoods, silver vintage 105 parts.

Try not to shudder, C&V purists, but I may even use some type of special effect in the top coat, like this; Prismatic Powders: Tropical Breeze with Baby Rockstar Sparkle Top Coat

Powder coating the crank is a neat idea, but I think I will either leave it or strip it.
Maybe strip it and then have my powder coater apply some type of clear coat?

The only thing left to locate is a set of silver wheels with the ability to accept an 8 or 9 speed HG cassette. 105 hubs would be ideal but not required. SS spokes, silver rims. I'm looking to give her many gears in order to tackle any Seattle/Cascade Mountains terrain. RD is a 105 long cage, shifters are bar-end 8/9's.

Does oven cleaner work better than a paint stripper, if I decide to strip it?

As far as an ounce of prevention, I've decided to put clear packing tape on my CF crank arms.

Someone also suggested propeller tape as being a stronger more wear resistant alternative.

3M POLYURETHANE PROTECTIVE TAPE 8672 from Aircraft Spruce

Generally oven cleaner is used to strip anodizing, paint stripper is for stripping paint. I've never heard of oven cleaner stripping paint, but perhaps it works, I don't know. It will tend to make the aluminum go black, and it will then require more polishing.

One wacky idea: get the crank powder coated the same color as the frame? It'd be easy to do at the same time. I'd never do it, but perhaps it would appeal to your daughter in law.

I haven't polished a lot of stuff, but a couple of cranks and a rear hub. Just progressively sanding down to 600 grit.

They've all gotten a fair amount of rain, but no salt.

So far, (couple of years in use), they still look better than prior to polishing, and seem to just wipe off back to a shiny finish. I have no doubt re-polishing would be much easier than the first time around.

I actually considered this, but probably would not allow myself to execute the deed!

This is what I had in mind; I think it'd be cool. But I'd run the idea past the end user, first.

If it's anodized rather than painted (I can't really tell), use Greased Lightening to remove it. I've used it to remove anodizing from a crank and polished it, and it worked very well. I do have a buffing wheel, but hand buffing a couple of clean crank arms wouldn't be a big chore at all.

Look up "remove anodizing with greased lightening" for a lot of printed and youtube instructions. It really is easy and effective. You can get a gallon of the stuff at Home Depot and have enough left over for another dozen or so cranks. If you can find a quart, that would probably do.

Once you start polishing the aluminum parts on vintage bicycles...... you'll have a whole new hobby. Nicely polished vintage parts look so nice... it can be a little addictive. I don't know of any bicycle part-polishing 12 step groups. Best of luck.

I'm leaning towards polishing...as I've done some other parts and have the materials (and patience) necessary.

So, to that end, is this crank set anodized or painted?

It is clearly paint. Actually, it could be powder coated, but same difference in the end. Absolutely not anodized.

Or you could just replace? Not sure how much powder coating is...but in a very quick search, this came up. Shimano 105 SC Double Crankarm Set Model FC 1055 170mm Shopwear | eBay

Well I think when the last two of the year starts with a '9' that the C&V folks are a bit less concerned for keeping her perfectly original perhaps. I'd do whatever it takes to make it a nice ride that will perform well and your daughter-in-law will like. It's still nice to keep an old bike running even if it means changing some things IMO. The top tube on my ol' Schwinn Tempo had some kind of sparkly white (original) makes it nearly impossible to touch up. But I dig the sparkle, wish I could have owned it from new and kept it in original condition.

Yes people (myself included) tend to make a lot of assumptions. From my point of view I've only owned my current collection of vintage bikes for a couple years so I have no 'history' with any of them.

Some bikes I like to keep original so long as all the original parts function well. I don't mind if they are a little beaten up, scarred, or just showing some age. Even if I don't have a lot of history with a bike I still feel like you with some of them and appreciate it's history, even ask the sellers about any history they may have on the bike just to build a bigger picture. I may treat a couple as collectibles too and focus on condition and restoration, perhaps treating it more like a 'wall hanger'. But I have no problem stripping one down to the frame and replacing with modern parts either, my 6sp DT to 10sp brifter conversion is one of my favorite rides. Depends on the bike, the parts, and my feelings. I don't always fit in just one of "two categories", and I'd hope other C&Vers are also a bit more diverse.