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What bike crank do I have and how can I re-attach?

Bicycles Asked by keshawn on November 30, 2020

So during quarantine i’ve picked up a hobby of bike riding. Recently while going for an afternoon bike ride I noticed one my pedals were shaking but I just ignored it. When I was finished riding I parked up my bike in the garage and I checked to see what the problem was. While inspecting/testing both my pedals one of the cranks just fell off. It turned out being only the crank was the problem. I was trying to figure out how to re-attach it looking at numerous threads and videos on the internet with no luck. I noticed my crank was different from a lot of the others I seen on the internet (mine having no bolt at all). This bike has been chilling in my garage for years unused (nor do i remember how it ended up there lol) so I couldn’t tell you what type of bike it is or the model. Here are some photos

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One Answer

Based on the new photos, there's a nut missing. Its been loose for a while, because the square taper hole is a bit wallowed-out. That may have killed the crank arm, have to try refitting it to be sure.

You need a suitable nut that fits the threads on your bike's bottom bracket axle, if the old one is not trapped in the head of the crank.

I'd pop off the silver cap in the middle, lightly grease the taper, then refit the crank arm. Then fit the nut and do it up tight with a socket - you can't use a spanner on this because its recessed.


I suspect this crank has been loose for a while. You probably didn't cause this oritginally, but have exacerbated it by continuing to ride with the loose crank.

Tomorrow, retighten the nut again. The crank will slide harder onto the taper over time. Since its already damaged, you may as well try to save it.

If it breaks then you needed a new one anyway!

Check locally for a Bike Cooperative or similar - a left-hand crank arm, square taper shouldn't be uncommon. It may be that you need a new bottom bracket axle too, depending if there's damage to the taper.


The reason yours has a (missing) nut and not a bolt is that its an older design, functionally the same. A more recent cartridge BB would have tapped holes in the ends for bolts, the effective differences are a tiny bit of weight saved, requires less space under the cap allowing for thinner cranks, and a smaller box volume.

Answered by Criggie on November 30, 2020

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