Lately i noticed that my cranks seem to be coming loose. I mainly notice when i trackstand--there is a little play on either side. Do cranks come loose over time? Do you need a special tool to tighten them? It looks like they go on with a big a$$ allen wrench. thanks--sorry if this is basic duhhh stuff.

If you tighten that big bolt it would tighten the crank. Some have a dust cap, which that may be with the crank bolt underneath which would need an appropriately sized socket.

More than likely you will need a crank puller to remove the crank.

https://www.parktool.com/repair/byreg...ageField2.y=14

Park tools knows what's up. Figure out what kind of crank/BB interface you have.

It sounds to me, however, like your chain is getting a bit loose if it only happens when your trackstanding. Do you feel a little hitch if you go from pedalling to skid/brake with your legs? Try pulling your wheel back in the dropouts to tighten your chain up a bit and see how it feels.

you're right--looks like the chain got a little loose. thanks--that was a no brainer---apparently i have no brain today

i have this little bit of play as well (most notably when trackstanding) and cannot figure out what is going on. i have pulled my rear wheel as far back in the dropouts as i can but i can never pull it back far enough on both sides. the cog side is perfect but then the wheel is skewed to the side and i can't pull the other side over and keep that perfect tension at the same time. i thought about getting a tugnut but would that even help? maybe a new chain? i believe i replaced my chain a couple months ago though...hmm.

wish i could find a simple solution like you did.

I had this happen to me on my mountain bike. By the time i replaced the cranks, after a 5 mile ride i could remove the crank arm without any tools. I had overtightened the cranks at some point and the bolt was bottoming out on the spindle still leaving some play in the arm. I'm much more careful not to overtorque the bolts now and I always use a drop of blue loctite.

as for tylergarrison, your chain doesn't need to be THAT tight. Too tight and you can damage the hub and cog. A tugnut would probably help, and 2 tugnuts would definitely solve the problem, just don't over-do it.

i was under the impression that 1 tugnut on the drive side was all you ever needed? 2 was just for symmetry purposes, or to have 2 beer openers instead of 1?

...or am i wrong?

and yeah, i understand it doesn't need to be super tight because of the problems that can create, but i just have a weird bit of play when trackstanding, and i have ridden other fixies that don't have this bit of play in them when trackstandind/riding. i'm guessing its an issue with my crank?

4 beer openers actually.

Two can make it easier to adjust the tension cause you can just set both of them and then tighten without worrying about it.

As for tyler garrison anyone strong enough to ride a bike should be able to pull/push the wheel hard enough to get the proper chain tension. I suggest you try holding the wheel at its front and pushing rather then pulling. This way you can keep it centered alot easier as you tighten it.