BB30 crankset spacing?
 

I recently had my LBS install a SRAM red crank and bottom bracket on my cannondale carbon 6. Before even riding it I installed the rest of the SRAM group that I purchased. (went from tiagra to a red/force mix). When setting up the front derailluer I could not get the limit adjustments right, on the big ring the screw is all the way out and still needs more, the small ring is ok but the screw is very far in. Basically it seems that the crank on the drive side is spaced to far out, even the arm seems quite a bit farther from the frame then the non drive side. I'll probably have the shop take a look but just wondering if there is an easy fix I could do. Any info is appreciated. Thanks

There should be no spacers on the drive side. Only the non-drive side should there be the thin spacers, then a crush washer to adjust the spacing.

I wouldn't be surprised if your lbs spaced the drive side of the crank as nothing surprises me that comes out of bike shops. If you have basic tools, you can easily remove the cranks without removing the bearings and BB and see where they applied the spacers and wave washer. You can also check how much grease is applied to the bearings.

Ok, the wavy washer is definitely on the drive side, i will swap it tomorrow. Thanks for the replies

wow.........stay away from that shop.

Sram does it's set up backward from Cannondale, which requires the spacers and wavy washer on the DS. Your LBS may be going off what it is used to doing with Cannondale cranks.

Ummm...wut? I have a CDale Supersix, the original frame came with SLK Light Cranks, washers were all on the non-drive side along with the crush washer. Local bike shop swapped the cranks for me to Red, and they did the same thing. Washers/crush goes non-drive side. Non-drive side is the correct setup, if not, you will have issues like this guy, the crank won't align properly due to spacing issues on the drive side. I don't understand how any frame would have you spacing out on the drive side unless for some reason the BB was off or something and that was the only way to resolve the left/right location to get it to align properly.

Oh well, what do I know.

OK...lets come back to earth here and be clear. Sram Force and Red BB30 cranks do NOT have any spacers or wave washer on the drive side. If anybody ever has a question how a crankset is setup go to the mfr's site and download the installation PDF. All home mechanics should do this with all the parts on their bikes for perspective and torque specs.
Below is the picture of a Sram Red/Force crank.

OP will give you a tip because so many of BB30's are improperly set up and then those guys come to the internet and complain giving BB30 a bad name.
1st download the service manual from Sram's website...or just google it...covers all their products.
Remove the crank. Take all the spacers off the drive side. Place a thin board over the wave washer and measure the air gap to the table. Divide this distance by 2. That is the gap you want to set up your crank to. Install the crank without the wave washer. Measure the end play. If it is greater than 1/2 the air gap of the wave washer, then add a spacer. The goal is to create the proper amount of axial preload with the wave washer such that there is a balance between low bearing drag and no axial movement of the crank. A wave washer will take a good 25 lbs force to compress. The crank won't move laterally if there is proper preload. Too much preload? Bearing drag and lost watts. Too much end play? Bearing rattle and crank slop and poor shifting.
Hope that helps.

Or just click the link in my earlier post. :)

Doh!...missed that. :)

topflightpro
Sram does it's set up backward from Cannondale, which requires the spacers and wavy washer on the DS. Your LBS may be going off what it is used to doing with Cannondale cranks.



Topflightpro is referring to Cannondale Hollowgram cranks, not Cannondale frames.

Thanks Redoak. That is exactly what I am referring to.

Gotcha, which added to the confusion, because most of us were specifically referring to SRAM Red cranks, on a Cannondale bike. Which the spacers and wavy washer are installed on the ND Side.

Sorry to wake this thread from the dead but rather than start a new one.....

Why, if they're only supposed to be installed on the non-drive side does FSA show in this video, 1each spacer being installed on both sides? (see 7:20 mark)

FSA How To Install And Maintain A BB30 Bottom Bracket On A Road Bike - FSA Road - FSA

Bueller?

Anyone?

Campag?

Last I checked, FSA was not SRAM. Different strokes for different folks.

Indeed.....but that doesn't change a thing.

One says SRAM on DS-side only. (somebody else says "No, non-DS side!")

Yet another says Shimano (a la FSA) is non-DS side....which is opposite of SRAM. (Ok, I'm all ears)


But.....nobody has yet said it's ok to put 1 spacer on each side.....as per FSA's instructions.

???

Nobody except the folks who know best. FSA said it for their crank. Do you think "we" know better than they do for their crank? Hardly. Follow the manufacturer's directions for the type of crank you want to install. What could be easier?

Except that when I disassembled my own the day before yesterday.....both spacers were on the non-DS side. I'm on a Cannondale w/ FSA cranks. Was that Cannondale? FSA? or my LBS? (who have an extremely tight affiliation with Cannondale & I can't imagine would 2nd guess BB30/C'dale/FSA assembly instructions).

Starting to seem a little more difficult yet?

Not really. I would do it as FSA instructs. But are you sure FSA was showing spacers, not bearing shields?

Yes, I just watched the video. Those are not spacers. Those are bearing shields. One goes on each side. There are no spacers at all. Only the wave washer on the NDS. It really is easy.

Check again!

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/q...BB30Spacer.png

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/q...i/DSSpacer.png

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/q...xdi/DSSeal.png

Okay, so I watched it again, but nothing is changed. This whole thing is situational. You don't start with the shims. If the wave washer doesn't compress sufficiently (about 1/2 way) because the BB shell is too narrow for the spindle length, you start adding shims. Preferably evenly on both sides to retain the proper chain line assuming it was right to start. But if you find the chain line isn't right with the shims distributed evenly, you can put more on one side than the other. You always do what it take to get the right chain line. They give you enough shims for most situations. That's true for all bottom bracket types. I have never needed them and just throw them away. That is what is meant by situational.

Look, all these cranks have different installation guides. I recently looked and learned that the new Hollowgram SISL2 has different instructions than the original Hollowgram SI that I've been running for 10 years.

Follow what the manufacturer for the crank arm instructs. In most cases, the spacers are intended to take out any additional play in the spindle or to adjust the chainline for the crankset. There will be frames and cranksets that need a spacer where none is specified in the instructions due entirely to variation in production. It just happens some times.

Yes it does. You wanted to argue that there were no spacers at all.

The rest of what you said makes perfect sense, though I suspect there's more to the story. (There's obvious bias in the design by its very nature)

FSA tech is working on it as of last night. Cannondale has yet to get back to me. (Interesting that neither could just pop off with the correct answer......one the inventor....the other the crank mfgr?)

And suffice to say chain line is secondary to bearing preload.

I will post back with definitive answers from C'dale & FSA.....(if they come up with them)