Crank extractor adaptor, or, wrong kind of extractor?

Hello,

When the bottom bracket went on my old bike, I decided to attempt to repair it myself. Guy at the LBS sold me the crank extractor in the image attached. My bike has an old-style male threaded spindle, like the one on this page: http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/crank2.htm.

Now, my problem is this: the tophat-looking part of the extractor (on the right end of the piece in front in the image), as far as I can figure, is an adaptor so the crank extractor can be used to extract splined cranks. I can't get it off. It seems to need to come off so that I can wind that part of the extractor into the other part, but there doesn't seem to be any way to get it off.

My best guess at this point is that I've got the wrong sort of crank extractor - splined cranks only. But am I missing something here?

Thanks...

- SMJ

Attached Images

 

(pic a bit blurry...)

Are there any threads at all on the part in the foreground, does it go into the shorter stubby bit the other way? If it does then you have nothing to worry about as long as there are sufficient threads engaged between the long bit and the stubby bit before the long bit starts pushing on the spindle. (which CAN be problem if you have an extractor made for female-threaded spindles.) If the "top hat" bit is a hex head then it's not meant to come off, then it's the intended mating surface for a wrench to allow you to operate the extractor.

I think that dabac is probably right. After removing the crank arm fixing nut (usually a bolt-but since you have a male thread, it is a nut). Screw the short larger threaded part into your crank arm-- use a little grease on the threads. The longer spindle piece should then thread throught the short piece (the left hand side without the tophat end) and apply pressure to the end of the spindle as shown in the pictures on your link. There are different tools for splined spindles, but the thing is that the tool for the splined should work on a non-splined BB. The problem is that a tool for a non-spined square taper BB needs an adapter to work on a splined BB.

How I resolved the situation: I went back to the LBS where I bought the tool, and explained the problem. The tool did seem to have an adaptor attached to facilitate removal of splined cranks; the guy at the LBS wasn't able to remove it either, and certainly it doesn't seem to be designed to be removed. The conclusion we came to was that the adaptor was not removable; this seems to contradict the labeling of the tool as a '2 in 1' extractor, but, well, there you go. He swapped it for a different extractor - without troublesome adaptor - and I was pretty much set.

So. Odd, but problem solved in the end. Thanks for your replies.