"Tim Lines" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:
[email protected]...
> I'd like some advise about how to remove a 1988 Croce D'Aune crank.
>
> The problem is that it's got lock bolts that take some kind of tiny
> locking pin spanner that neither I nor my LBS has. My LBS says I should
> use a really sharp and pointy pair of needle nose pliers. I tried that
> for about 10 seconds before I stopped for fear of doing damage. There's
> got to be a better way.
>
> A really BAD picture of what I'm talking about is here:
> http://home.comcast.net/~lines_tim/crank.JPG
>
> Please reply to linest253 _at_ yah00 -dot- com
This crankset uses Campagnolo self-extracting crank bolts. 7mm metric. No,
it is not 6mm or some Imperial size. 7mm. If you try anything other than a
7, you will strip the bolts, and then you'll have much bigger problems.
The two holes are for for a pin-spanner. The crank extractor threads are a
left-hand thread. Good thing you stopped after 10 seconds, because if you
assumed that this was a standard thread, you were tightening it. And there
is no reason to remove the extracting bolts from the crankarms, as the
purpose of this whole thing is to remove the crank from the bottom bracket.
Instructions: go to Sears and get a 7mm insert for a socket set. 3/8"
driver - I think. A 7mm hex key is hard to find, and hex keys are simply
inadequate to properly tighten cranksets. It will be faster and cheaper for
you to do this yourself, in that otherwise you'll have to argue with the
bike shop for 10 minutes that in fact there really is a 7mm hex standard,
and then they'll try to remove this with a 6mm anyway when you're not
around. God help you if the shop actually does manage to get the extractors
out of the arms, in that they'll use a big wrench to screw in a standard
right-hand crank extractor tool, and cross-thread/strip the whole thing.
I've been there.
BTW: this is a really nice crankset. I assume you have a really good reason
for removing this, or someone has a fistfull of cash they are willing to
trade with you.