Help upgrading Langster components
 

hey folks-

Im not a bike mechanic, but Im confident I can do this stuff myself, or would like to try at the very least. I got my langster last year and am absolutely in love with it, now that Im certain Im going to keep it, Id really like to upgrade the cranks, they are kinda really crappy. Ive got the bike mostly stock, I can deal with a "good enough" brake caliper, but Id really like to upgrade the cranks and maybe the BB. Problem is I dont really know what is involved or how to determine what I am going to need. Can anyone here help me, or does this go beyond the boundaries of the board?

Id like to put on shimano ultegra cranks and pedals, I dont know if I need to get a new front ring as well or if I can use the stock ring...

Im also open to suggestion on what other cranks might work if anyone has any.

thanks for any help, Im sure you can figure Im pretty much a newbie when it comes to mechanics, but Im trying to learn.

dave

the ultegra cranks should work. the rings may have to be replaced due to chain line. if your chainline is straight it should be no problem. but road chainrings (not singlespeed/fixie) have pins and ramps for shifting. if the chainline is not completely straight your chain may slip off at times. which is not good.but also if you're using a 9 speed or 10 speed chainring, which is what will come stock on new ones, the ring will be skinnier than a 3/32 even, so your chain will do some clanking around. so yes you can use the stock ring, but i would at least save money for a new ring in the near future. so in this case i would recomend a cartridge BB because they have adjustment to them. so you can get your chainline really straight. unless it is way off to begin with. but that shouldnt be the case. the new ultegra cranks are the shimano octalink set up, so you NEED a shimano octalink BB. i think the ultegra 68x109.5 should fit. but it is cartridge, so it has adjustment to it if need be. it's english threaded, but they have italian too if you need that. im taking it you know how to install/take off cranks, and BB. make sure you have the proper tools, you can cause much distress if you go into it with some vise grips and a screw driver. anyways, i hope this helps, im sure others can expand on this if i left anything out, or messed anything up. good luck, and have fun

I would say get some track cranks in the 165mm variety.

i thought the 109.5 was the stock crank. i just logged onto the BTI website and looked at the ultegra BB's. the smallest i saw was 109.5. but i could be wrong. if i find different i'll post it. but i agree with the just getting track cranks. it'll probably be about the same price. with more options.

hmm, perhaps this is more complicated than I estimated...

Is there an online DIY type thing for the BB assembly?

dave

http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQcartdg.shtml

if you have the tools, cartridge BBs are a snap.

you might find this site useful
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml

you'll need a tool like this:
http://www.parktool.com/images/tools/CCP_2.jpg to pull the cranks.
and this tool:
http://www.parktool.com/images/tools/BBT_2.jpg to remove the old BB and install the new one.

if you get a new crank, you'll likely need to get new BB as well. different cranks use different BB spindle lengths (and types) to achieve proper chainline. If you go with ultegra cranks you'll need a 109.5 mm Octalink V1 BB. Sugino 75 Track cranks use a 109mm square taper BB.
Your Langster should have a 68mm BB shell with British threading.
a couple of good crank/spindle length info sources:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html for road cranks
http://businesscycles.com/tr-refspec.htm#cranks for track cranks.

im confused as to why this would make a difference (it being a langster). they have a 68mm shell, which is the basic. you could throw the ultegra crank on, but with the upgrade of the chainring, it'll probably cost as much as a regular track crank. just throw like a sugino 75, with sugino 75 bb. or whatever you would like. even a dura ace track crank if you wanna stick with shimano. I just read a review for the langster, and the guy says he has that setup (the sugino). but im sure any other combo would work too. but try e-mailing the tech. support dept. at specialized to see if they have any special things going on down there that i cannot see. good luck

Oooops. I learned something tonight!

I deleted my posts because the were only perpetuating confusion.

I just want to say: "Good Idea." I saw a Langster on the street yesterday and the cranks looked pretty "just ok." I'd also like to throw down a plug for the Bicycle Specialties T/A cranks, which I have, and are very nice. However, they have a 103 mm spindle. Works fine on my bike...They were pricey though, but they are so solid - I'm really impressed.

I don't know where to begin dissecting this steaming pile of misinformation. Maybe we'd best sum it up by shouting "Danger Will Robinson" followed by flailing of arms and running away.

I asked Specialized about this a while back, and this is the info I got from them:

"The bottom bracket that came with it
was a square taper 68mm shell and a 103mm spindle, this will change if
you use a different crankset. And depending on which crankset you use
will detirmine what bottom bracket to use."

Hope this helps.

thanks for all the info guys. The cranks are definitely "just ok". I didnt have a problem with them, but after riding my bike my bro got a bianchi pista which I didnt like so much in comparison, but the components are WAY better. After riding his for a short bit I really noticed how "just ok" the cranks on my bike are. Im turning into a snob, boo.

Anyhow, looks like I got some research to do. Maybe I can let a bike shop do this and see iff they'll let me watch as I really do want to learn this stuff, would be really cool to build up a bike on my own from scratch.

someone should anodize or acid etch cranks different colors, you'd think there'd be more of a market beyond the same polished silver color everyone has.

dave

As a ex langster owner I'd say that new wheels (or at least a new rear wheel) should be on your list. The rear hub that is stock is not so great and I had a total rim failure on my rear wheel about 3 months after buying mine. Plus you can keep nice wheels forever!

I like that idea, although I think acid-etching might slightly weaken the crank, but I'm not too sure about that (liability?). Race Face (and the old Kooka) has adonized cranks. Yeah, the polished silver is kind of boring sometimes.

I am absolutely shocked that nobody said "upgrade the frame first" :D

There used to be a lot of Langster hating going on around here(admittedly I was one of the haters) but you do have a decent frame. If you have the upgrade bug(which we all get eventually) I would suggest looking in to upgrading the wheelset. While I do not have any direct experience with the Langster I have hung around here long enough to see a lot of Langster owners who love their bike but hate the stock wheelset or at the very least have had problems. A lot of folks say in the roadie world that the most noticeable upgrade on an inexpensive bike is a nice set of wheels.

My $.02

totally sorta...

I have the remains of an '04 Langster. I've replaced everything but the frame and I won't even be riding that in 2006. I'd recommend replacing the wheels first, along with the BB. You can get any number of 102mm or 103mm BBs and keep your stock cranks for a little longer. (BTW Langster owners, when we'll admit to being Langster owners, report BB and wheel failure as the two chief complaints.)

If you're interested, I have a set of 105 cranks (in 175mm) and an Ultegra BB. Both with about 10 miles on them. They were on the Langster but the chainline was not great. (you have to move the chainring to the inside of the spider - semi-fugly at best.) If you want them, PM me and they're yours cheap. (I mean cheap. Very cheap.) I'll loan you the crank-puller and BB tool for installation too.

Rampant capitalism aside, I strongly advise you to replace your wheels instead. You won't regret it.

Thanks for reading, Mark.

I have a langster and not the most extensive budget. My cranks/ bb were not able to keep a crank arm bolt tight so I upgraded. I found the truvativ isis drive cyclocross crankset which is uber cheap (like 75 bucks) but super solid and and FSA platinum pro bb with a 108 spindle (also not spendy) and 68 shell to be pretty a okay although you do have to put the chainring on the inside, and it will take the 130bcd/48t chain ring that came on the bike with no fuss. I have had it for a week or so of daily commuting and find it stiff and clean looking... For what its worth.

both my langsters (yeah, I have two, did I mention I love this bike) came with alex DA16's. Ive often thought that alot of the squirrely personality of this bike (which I dig) came from those wheels. You guys are reccomending upgrading those? I really want to do the cranks first...

Mark, thanks for the offer, I'll pm you if I go that way. I imagine Id need to set it up tthe same way you did with the chainring inside the spider?

dave

i upgraded the bb first (because it started clicking after ~700 miles) then the saddle (because the stock saddle hurt) then the rear wheel (cuz I stripped the hub *and* had an incident where three spokes broke at once while I was just riding on the flat) then the pedals (because the bearings in one of them blew out) and then the whole bike. I liked the langster a lot, though, but mine was a size too small for me and when I scraped together enough dough I went for a Soma.

All in all the rear wheel upgrade was the best idea. There is no comparison between the stock hub/rims and a Paul or Phil hub and an open pro. It was a big change.