Are crank fixing bolts interchangeable?
 

I did a search but nothing came up. So..........

I have a Stronglight 93 and a Stronglight BB that came from different sources. Neither came with any fixing bolts/washers. Do I have to find Stronglight fixing bolts, or are the bolts generic? Same question also for the chainring bolts.

Thanks in advance.

pretty sure they are generic..

some take different wrench sizes, but I don't think I've ever seen one that didn't have the same 8mm threads.

This has Ritchie titanium bolts because that was what I had in my junk box. I just scored a pair of dust caps for it. I bought a bag of parts on eBay for $17. It had two sets of those caps and some Bullseye pulleys in it, so I'm happy.

http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/46...600x600Q85.jpg

In my experience, the threads are the same, but there could be variations. Avoid the Zeus 16mm, you can't get a wrench on them.

I bought some cool, large allen bolts on ebay recently that have a rubber stopper so you don't need dustcaps.

Thanks to all for the info.

I did not know until I did some reading that the 93 came with different size openings/threads for the dust cap/extractor. I measured mine and they are 22mm. So I'm going to try the ones with the rubber dust washer. I might try some of the self extracting ones as well.

Where did you read that? What did you use to measure the threads? I'm sure that the 93 was long out of production by the time Stronglight switched to 22 mm extractor threads in 1982.

The last year for the 93 was 1978.

I think if you thread on the bolt, it's fine. I've never heard of compatibility issues with crank bolts.

In my experience, chainring bolts are universal. Origin 8 sells a 5 pack that I bought and used on multiple bikes.

Five pairs?

Chainring bolts. We're discussing them and crank bolts and extractor threads simultaneously. It's easy to get lost.

Grand Bois,

Those fenders really make that bike!

I'm looking for where I read it. It's one of those you type something into a search engine and can't find it again situations. I could be wrong but it wouldn't be the first time or last.

I measured the opening with a digital caliper. But it was the opening. If you figure in the space the threads take that might be the difference. Velobase has the 93 being produced in the early 80's. But.....Classic Lightweights UK has production stopping in 78. It's not in the 1982 Stronglight catalog scan on VB so I think you are right.

The crank is a story unto itself. It was one of my first ebay purchases when I got into C & V last fall. When it got here I noticed the threads on the right crank arm were all messed up. About the 1st 1/4 of the threads were gone. They were french threads and I guess it was a cross thread or tap job gone wrong. I didn't pay that much so I chalked it up to inexperience and tossed it into the parts pin.

Now the bike I was going to put it on is about ready so I am searching for another one. They are gold right now on ebay, so I revisited this one. I took an old pedal and got the threads straightened out going from the back inward. So now this one will work and here we are. I looked at the dust cap threads and they are not very good either. So it looks like the fixing bolts with the dust washer on them is what I will use.

I really like riding with those big studded bmx pedals. So a 9/16" tap might be in the future.

Off topic,

One thing I have learned how to do since I stared working on old bicycles is make my own tools. If you have a bench grinder and some metal you are good to go. I didn't have the right tool to remove the merveille freewheel, so I ground one out . I couldn't get a screwdriver to work with the chainring bolt receivers so I ground out a 2 bladed tool with a notch in the middle that worked like a charm.

Another thing I have learned is that a bench vise is your friend!

^ Tools (and people) that can make tools are the bedrock of civilization.

[QUOTE=dbakl;12652693]Avoid the Zeus 16mm, you can't get a wrench on them.

Yes you can. You just have to use the right wrench.

Grand Bois,

Looks like it was my mistake. I was reading an ad for a crank puller that stated that the thread size changed in 81 or 82. So I went to Velobase to look at production years. They say early or mid 80's. Then I measured the dust cap opening and what do know? At 22mm + or - a few. I wasn't taking the threads into account.

So I go to Sheldon and find the size of a french pedal thread. His chart says 14mm x 1.25mm. So I measure the pedal thread and it is in the high 13's. Then I measure the pedal opening on the crank and it is in the 12's.

So there is my mistake measuring the opening and not taking the cut threads into account. Good thing I found this out. Looks like I will need a puller instead of the self extracting bolts.

Thanks for questioning my statements. You saved me some money and trouble down the line. By the way, is that a standard, easy to get handlebar water bottle cage or something rare that I have no hope of finding?

It's a T.A. bottle cage in mint condition. They're hard to find and not cheap when you find them.

16mm bolts were standard from Stronglight until about 1982. Stronglight uses a wider extractor than Zeus (23.35mm vs 22.0mm for Zeus) so wrench clearance is less of an issue with Stronglight. Instead it's finding the proper extractor that is often the main problem.