Bottom bracket options - lightning cranks
 

Are there any alternative options to replace the bottom brackets for lightning tandem cranks?

That really depends on what the bike's bottom bracket type is. I replaced the Lightning stoker BB with a wheels manufacturing BB when the original started creaking.

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=96097

ok great, just wasn't sure that the spindle size was "standard"
This is a calfee with standard threaded cups

Is this what you're looking for?
MTB cups (lightningbikes.com)
Road Cups (lightningbikes.com)

Most bottom bracket companies have options for 30mm spindles with ~86mm bearing span. I'm a huge fan of Wheels MFG bottom brackets with angular contact bearings for use on tandems.

Thanks to all who commented. Ended up getting the cups direct from lightning (the wheels mfg would have been preference but could not find anyone with them available fast enough. I got them installed and found the noise I was trying to rectify didnt go away 🤔. Digging a little further and almost fully disassembling the crankset I found that the spider lock ring had loosened, ever so slightly. Just enough to create an intermittent hard to locate creak! Problem now solved (and new bottom brackets lol)

I don't know how many times I've decided that some click or creak is a bad bottom bracket, only to discover that it's something else. :foo:

You ended up getting probably the best option for new BB cups since the Lightning version has ABEC-5 bearings which are superior to lower spec bearings (Wheels uses ABEC-3). Sadly like most things now, the price has jumped up a bit from the long static cost of $60 to $85, but happily it is still well under the $100 that Wheels charges for lower quality bearings.

The small issue with the lockring is a known quirk that Lightning is aware of (a few of us owners have notified them previously). The best solution to solve is by adding a super thin washer between the lockring and the spider body, which fixes the issue of the lockring working loose by 100%. Lightning supplied us with the thin washer promptly and without charge. When we travel, I do include the lockring tool in my tool kit, as that item is custom and you cannot use a generic or Specialized ring tool.

Great information, thank you! I'll reach out to lighting and order both the spacer and the lockring tool.i had improvised a tool which seemed to work but relied on contact with only 2 pins. We are riding STP tomorrow so I brought my improvised tool, hopefully i don't need it lol.

Lightning cranks and diagnosing noise
 

I have lightning cranks on my tandem and last time we took it out, the noises and creaking were pretty bad. The bearings had been replaced by a mechanic not too long ago, but something definitely seems off. Would you suggest checking 5he lock ring on the captain’s cranks, or stoker’s cranks, maybe both? Any suggestions on how to maybe find the issue. Thanks!

Carnac The Magnificent suggests having a good mechanic review your issue in person. Remote guesses are worth less than the cost of the bits needed to write this.

Ours was the drive side stoker spider, that said, the plan is to request the shims for all three spiders twocicle described from lightening as well as the correct tool amd get all three to spec.
Tightening the drive side stoker spider eliminated 90% of the creak on for the whole of the stp ride we just completed!

In terms of asking Lightning for this washer (or maybe it is a shim), does this go between the spider and the spider lock ring? Will Lightning know what I am asking about when I contact them? Lastly, since this is a tandem, should I request 3 of these washers? Thank you!

Lockring tool
 

Is the lockring tool the same as Specialized lock ring tool, for cranks that are very similar to the lightning cranks? Or is the Lightning lockring tool specific and different from the specialized version? Thank You!

based on what Bryan mentioned above, it appears the lock ring and lock ring tool are proprietary.

The thin washer is only needed for the driveside on the stoker cranks.

The lockring tool is different than Specialized which will not work on these cranks.

Lockring tool and washers / shims
 

I ordered the Lightning lock ring tool and 3 new spider lock rings from Lightning yesterday. I believe I was speaking with Tim at Lightning, and he said he would also include these washers or shims, 3 of them, which have been mentioned in this thread. From your last post, it sounds like I really only need to use 1 of these shims on the stoker drive side. I guess I may end up with a couple of spares; not a bad problem to have, Just curious, why is the shim good for the stoker drive side, but not needed for the timing side cranks. If it is a pain to explain, then I understand and you can ignore my curiosity. I will go with your experience and advice. Thank you!

I received the lock rings, shims,and lock ring tool from Lightning. The directions say to use Blue Locktite on the lock rings; is this what others have done? Thanks!

I don't have this crank, but I would absolutely follow their instructions if I did! In general, if something isn't supposed to turn, I use blue Loctite. It's got good grip, but is still easy enough to break.

I would not call this additional micro-thin washer a shim (ie it is not used as a spacer). If it was installed between the BB bearing cup and the tandem frame or the BB bearings and the crank spider, then it would be a shim. pOtAtO, pOtatO.

Anyway, the washer is only needed behind the stoker drive side spider lockring, and I assume only on this one crank side because it may have something to with the direction of crank force vs. the direction of the lockring threads that tends to work loose this one lockring. The 2 non-drive side cranksets rotate in the opposite direction, which may explain why no additional washer has been needed on these cranks to my knowledge - FWIW.

Yes, blue locktite should be used/re-applied on the lockring threads anytime the ring is reinstalled or retightened.

Sorry for the long delay in responding, I'm not in this forum much lately.

This is a long overdue update from back in August 2023. So, back in July 2023, after our tandem had developed a pretty bad creaking issue, and after researching this thread, I received (ordered) the Lightning Lockring tool and 3 washers from Lightning. I took the tandem into my bike shop, along with the Lockring tool and 3 washers and instructed them to investigate the stoker’s crankset. I was pretty sure that the creaking was coming from the stoker’s crankset. The mechanics determined that the stoker drive side spider lockring was loose. Using the Lightning Lockring tool, they gave it about a quarter of a turn. The mechanics did a test ride and determined that the tandem was now quiet.

My wife and I were happy that the tandem was quiet and it stayed that way for the rest of 2023 and through our riding season of 2024.

About one week ago, we took the tandem out for its first ride of Calendar Year 2025. For the first 19 miles, the tandem was quiet. Then the familiar creak (or creaking) that we remember from back in 2023, began to disturb our otherwise enjoyable ride. Given the persistence of the creak and the familiarity of the creak, I am pretty sure it is the stoker drive side spider lockring that has become loose, again.

When the shop worked on this tandem in August 2023, they did not use a washer and they did not use Blue Loctite on the threads of the lockring. (The bike shop provided us detailed notes about what the mechanics did and these things were not detailed in those notes and they gave me back all 3 of the washers that I had received from Lightning.)

Based on the experience of others in this tandem community, and specifically those members that have Lightning cranks, would you agree that this time a washer should be used between the spider and the lockring? Further, would Blue Loctite be advisable?



I apologize for not updating this thread with my experience from back in August 2023. I know that these updates can be helpful to others that might be experiencing the same type of issue.

Thank You!

A new update on a creaking issue… I thought I knew the source of the creak.

In late May 2025, we took the tandem out for its first ride of the Calendar Year 2025 and after about 19 miles it started to creak. As I described above in this thread (6-9-2025), I was pretty sure it was the stoker drive side spider lockring that has become loose, again.

After dragging my feet for several months, I finally took the tandem into our Trek bicycle shop. They had worked on this tandem in 2023 and at that time they tightened stoker drive side spider lockring. This solved the creaking issue we had back in 2023. I was pretty convinced that the creaking we were now experiencing in 2025 was the same issue. I told the service intake employee what I thought was the issue and thus instructed them to take apart the stoker’s crankset (remove it from the tandem) and tighten the stoker drive side spider lockring. I added that they should add a slim washer that was from Lightening cranks which would help keep the lockring tight. After the employee typed up the notes and instructions, we left the tandem for them to work on in the next several days.

Well after a couple days, when they got to working on the tandem, they called me to say that the tandem was ready for pickup.

I asked them if the stoker drive side spider lockring was loose and they said “no”. In fact, neither lockring on the stoker’s crankset were loose, they were both tight. Instead, they said that a chainring bolt on the stoker’s crankset (drive side) was cracked. They replaced the broken chainring bolt.

I told them I would pickup the tandem and test it out. We got the tandem home and went out for a ride and yes indeed, the tandem was quiet and there was no more creaking.

I am updating this story to perhaps help others with possible creaking noises and to admit that my assumption about the source of the creaking was incorrect.

It was not the stoker lockring coming loose and instead was a broken chainring bolt.

Thank You!