I'm so bummed, I was switching the one sided MKS AR-2 pedals from my friend's SS build with the Sakae platforms my fixie and now my drive side crank is stripped. I couldn't get the pedal off so I took it to a shop, he said it was on unusually tight. It's obvious because the crank face showed damage. He said he could try "cleaning it up" with a tap but it looks so cleanly stripped that I think I need a new crank.

The crank is a Sakae, actually the same exact one that came on the SS Miyata. I'm guessing it's pretty common, or I can at least find something similar for cheap. The problem is that I'm leaving for Boston for the summer June 1 and I don't know if I can wait around for eBay. What should I do? Can I buy a new square taper crank easily?

Pics of the crank:
https://velospace.org/node/2335
https://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2007/apr/MaxHoyle.htm

If you guys can help I'd really appreciate it.

Just go to your LBS, they usually have random single crank arms lying around, I know my guy orders just left arms all the time.

the bike is ****ed... guess you gotta sell it to me... you should be able to get a new crank easily enough, ask your LBS (i recommend ace in davis sq) or go by broadway bike school in cambridge and hunt through the used piles..

helicoil?

I asked the shop guy about that and he didn't know about them. I don't know who I'd turn to for that, or if it's even worth it.

Yes helicoil, anyone's interested in the procedure, it'll work. My job was a heli-coil installer for a spell.
I'll wait and see what this post brings first though.

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT?!

google ftw

From this I figured I could get a quick answer....FTW

A heli-coil is a brand, now it's a general term used for a thread repair procedure. the kits cost 12 to 20 bucks. Easy to do but harder to explain, you need a drill and well..not much else.Before I go on, interest and drill are required.

Nuff said, thank you sir!

I didn't know you could get a kit for so cheap. Maybe it's worth the investment? I couldn't get one at say Home Depot could I?

Yea,about that...I wouldn't trust a shop that didn't know what a helicoil was. It sounds like they are the ones that stripped the threads, so they should pony up for a new arm.
I've had to use a propane torch and 5' cheater bar on some really stubborn pedals before and never buggered up the threads removing them (I have killed one or two with sloppy installs long ago)


You can probably find at least 20 ways to fix your crank arm, including helicoils, via https://www.mcmaster.com/

parktools site has an ask the mechanic section and i think there was a post about this. might want to check there

My brother saved his old as beat up campy cranks via coil replacement. rock solid

dude, square taper cranks are like as common as grass

HeliCoil.. pronounced HEELY Coil, is a kit actaully,it contains little springy things (inserts). You Ream-Out or over drill the hole. You use a "tap" that comes in the kit that's over-size thread on it's outside and the same as your pedal spindle thread on the inserts INSIDE.Nuff said, easy to figure out. The size you need is 9/16 " YES inches NOT metric, lucky that way, it has a "pitch" called SAE or Fine thread, NOT the most common,not an odd-ball either. Parts stores have it.If the parts store seems confused or seems to wanna make YOU feel odd, find another store. I used and sold SO many, I kept them within fast reach.

OH another thing, if the LEFT side crankarm is the bad one, you'll need to get a right side , right-hand threaded pedal too. Lefts have counter-clockwise thread,a pain ,really difficult to get stuff for,you need the pedal with RT.hand thread. IF your RIGHT side arm is the bad one,you're OK

Which would be cheaper, a kit or a crank?

Either way, get some grease while you're at it.

I would look at it as a chance to upgrade. Surely you can Craigslist some decent square taper road cranks for not too much dough.

if it's the left side that's bad, save the cost of a pedal and trouble, get a crank or arm. If it's the right, OK I see that now, it IS the right. Call around for a HeliCoil, or "thread repair kit" of another brand, cost 12 to 15 in that size.Make sure the tread on the pedal is good. HeliCoils work well but there IS another brand..S/S .Porche uses thread inserts through-out the engines, they work. You find the kit, PM me,I'll advise. The arm 'll be a bear to find, as far as swappin' the crank-out, perhaps but more work and $$$

It definetely sounds like the shop guy tried to tap-clean the reverse threaded crank arm with a normal thread tap. He should buy you a new crankset.

HeliCoil's are great, they are actually stronger than normal threads in most conditions. Like old and new said, Porsche uses them on their engine components, so does GM performance.

Jesus, try rereading my original post. He said he could try cleaning it with a tap but he didn't, and that this happened on the drive side.

Yeah a helicoil would get the job done, but then again, would you spend $12 fixing a 20-something-year-old Sakae crankarm when you could probably get a similar used one for the same price, or a newer better one for $25?

Well, I went to Shaker Cycle, Mitch only could find one old crank with the same BCD and it was a lower grade crank. So I ended up buying a new Origin8 track crank. I'll post pics when it's installed. I'm still a little fumed over this whole fiasco, I should've just left the pedals as they were.

edit - The old ugly Fuji crank was $22 and the new Origin8 was $50. I just looked it up and the Origin8 goes for $40-$65, so I think I got a decent deal.