Hi, this isn't a fixed/ss specific question, but I'd thought I'd ask here anyways.

On my conversion, I was getting an annoying creaking noise. I took it to my local bike co-op and they helped me lube up my pedals, check cranks, and tighten up the BB (although sadly the creaking still exists).

Anywho, that aside, it seems after the BB adjustment, the non-drive spindle seems really assymetrical with the drive side. Now I realize the drive side is supposed to be a bit longer, but there is only about 1/2 cm between the crank and chainstay and when I compare the two cranks, the non-drive side is at least a cm closer to the chainstays than the drive side. I swear that the difference was not this great before.

am I crazy? or is it possible that the BB adjustment misaligned the spindle somehow? Sorry if this is a dumb question. It just has bugged me since I noticed it, and I feel like this less than optimal ergonomic position will give me hip issues or something.

Also, the creaking is driving me mad, if anyone wants to comment on how to remedy it feel free. It occurs when applying pressure on both cranks in either direction (though my friend at the bike co-op couldn't really decipher what it was).

the bb holds the spindle in alignment, so the only answer to your question is "Yes." Misaligned is improper terminology. if the bb fits the cranks and the cranks fit the frame, the proper spindle alignment is whatever it is given proper BB adjustment.

that said, a mm of spindle position is a non-issue. remedy it with tying your shoelaces tighter on on side.

creaking, on the other hand, could be anything. check chain ring bolts first if that wasn't part of the 'crank check.' then check frame. at this point since you have a conversion i'm going with frame. could also be seat post, headset, or hubs. remedy it with a stethescope and a friend and an exhaustive diagnosis and overhaul, or getting new parts or frame.

wow, ok, so after flipping my bike over and comparing to the down tube, it looks like the non-drive crank is actually going on an angle a tiny bit towards the centre of the bike.

So maybe the new question is, is there any way to fix this?

Or is new cranks only way to go (to get them dead straight anyways,)? Upsetting, it's a fuji and I liked how the cranks had the matching "fuji" logos on them.

Although, that being said, I feel I might be obsessing over nothing here...

matching logos are great but straight crankarms are better.

does the angle to which the crankarm bends change with the cranks position? like, if you spin it 180 degrees, does it then go away from the frame?

if so, you've got a bent spindle(likely as a redheaded geisha doing the macarena at the halftimeshow). if it stays bent into the frame, the crankarm's bent. if this isn't the case, i'm a loon.

if it's the latter- no way to fix it, get new cranks. may as well get a new bb while you're at it. if it's the not-a-snowballs-chance-in-hell former, you just need a new bb... which means you can try to get one that looks more even to you.

either way... you can fix this. it's not a big deal, you got it :thumbsup:

It's definatly a bent crank.

i'll head back down to the bike co-op and see if they have any extra parts kicking around I can use, otherwise, I'll just have to save up some $$$ for new cranks or just live with it i 'spose.

Thanks for the help either way.

likely you have square taper spindle, and likely they will have tons of square taper cranks for you. just make sure they're the same length... i had a 165 nds and a 170 ds for a year before i realized why it seemed harder to pedal on the nds, and i always pedal striked on right hand turns.

also, you can get some stickers made for pretty cheap that say 'fuji' if you liked it that way. i doubt most graphics shops would charge more than five dollars for small four letter decals like would go on cranks.

about the creak, if it does seem like it's coming from the BB than disassemble completely, clean and REGREASE everything and reassemble to proper torque specs. Sometimes just retightening everything isn't enough.

Yea after tinkering around some more, I'm almost certain there is some shenanigans with the bb. I never actually removed it, we only adjusted it, so that will be the next step.