Chris B. wrote:
> On Wed, 02 Jul 2003 05:14:09 GMT, "Ed Chait" <
[email protected]> wrote:
I signed:
>>>Sheldon "The Left Should Be Tighter Than The Right, Even Though The Right Is Easier To
>>>Tighten" Brown
Ed Chait asked:
>>Just curious, why is the right easier to tighten?
Chris Bird theorized:
> I was wondering about this too. I suspect that Sheldon holds the right crank against the chainstay
> with his left hand while tightening the right crank bolt. On the left side, the crank is going to
> be pointing forwards in free air when the left crank bolt is being tightened. I often tighten the
> left side by aligning the *wrench* with the chainstay and pushing down on the pedal, sometimes
> while standing on the right side of the bike and leaning over it.
Actually, no.
I generally rotate the bike in the workstand so the front is pointing straight up at the or maybe a
bit higher, so that the bottom bracket is a little higher than my belly button.
Here's how I tighten the left side: With the right crank facing downward, and my trusty 18"
Craftsman half-inch drive ratchet also facing downward, I jerk on the ratchet handle directly toward
me while holding the right crank with my left hand. Sometimes I'll have my left hand wrapped around
both the right crank and chainstay. My ratchet handle is considerably longer than the crank, so the
crank itself is the limiting factor to how hard I can get it.
Note that I don't have a lot of upper body strength, so for the left side I pretty much give it
everything I've got. Stronger folks might need to be more restrained.
For tightening the right side, I don't actually need to hold the crank, I just grab the tire, and
the bike's gearing lets me easily resist any amount of torque I could apply with the wrench.
Sheldon "My Way" Brown +-------------------------------------------------+
| What is good for you is what is good for you. | --Peter Chisholm |
+-------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone
617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com