Single-speed Flip Crankset Question
 

Hey,

Doing a budget single-speed flip, but am having trouble finding a cheap crank that is still aesthetically pleasing. I had the Retrospec 44T from Amazon on there ($47), but despite proper torque and bottom bracket alignment, the taper succumbed to damage after about 10km of easy riding. Tried shimming it with some aluminum (*EDIT* I now know that this was an unacceptable solution) and used loctite on the bolt, but the damage was done... Amazon customer service is incredible, so I got my money back at least.

I'm now looking for a replacement... On the short-list are the Pure (Fix) Cycles, clocking in at $54.18, the OLizee at $49.24, and (dare I say) the same Retrospec at $47 (maybe the one I got was just faulty?)... All are aluminum with steel chainrings and generally identical measurements. Which of these do you think is the least evil? I would like it to last at least long enough that the buyer forgets who I am! <---SARCASM

Thanks!

Shimming a ruined crankset and then selling it isn't right and hope nobody here helps you.


-Tim-

Yeah, real ethical. I'm with Tim--why should any of us help you with this "flip?"

If I were looking for a cheap but decent single speed crank, I might go with a Pake. Bikewagon sells them for around $60, I think. I can't recommend Bikewagon as a good company and in fact have gotten some terrible customer service from them, but if you're just out to save a few bucks, that outfit and you might be a perfect match.

I didn't put a timeline on how long it takes someone to forget... I can't expect a cheap crank like these to last more than a year and if a buyer were worried about longevity, they would know that and wouldn't be buying a bike with Retrospec branding on it... Lighten up.

Thank you for the recommendation though! I will investigate.

The shimming idea came from posts on Bike Forums... I was skeptical at first, but others have vouched for crank shimming/welding, implying it lasted them over a year. Others have used aluminum shims to adjust the lie of their crankset and manage their chainline. Wasn't aware it was an ethical no-no... that is, based on what I've read from everybody "here". Either way, the experiment failed and I'm buying a new crank. Does that resolve your butt-hurt?

I guess I've learned something today: Henceforth, as I develop my bicycle building and repair skill-set, I know not to shim cranks. To quote a cycling pseudo-priest, "Sometimes posting or writing or just vocalizing a problem helps one to think it through." Call me enlightened.

Since you mentioned the taper was damaged, shopping for new cranks won't help you if the spindle on your BB is out of wack, might want to look into replacing that as well.

Spindle looks fine to me.... machining doesn't seem to be off and it doesn't seem to be bent. These things can be tough to see with the naked eye though, so I may do an overhaul.

Thanks for your reply!

Steel BB spindle easily out lives aluminum crank when things get loose.

That's true, I just suggested checking it since the OP mentioned the spindle being damaged. I guess;however, he meant the square hole that fits on the spindle was deformed.

Hate to break it to you OP, but if you're looking for cheap parts you may likely expect the same results. At least you were lucky enough to get a full refund, pick any one and go for it. Also, not sure what kind of riding your doing, or your weight (not intending offense) but those could also be major factors in the stress the crank suffers. I personally would shell out a little more to avoid this situation in the future. Sugino RD2 or Messenger cranks are a bit above you're budget but reliable and on the cheaper end of the spectrum for quality.

I would fully agree with Tim. If you were trying to be decent then I would replace the BB and cranks with something of some known quality and maybe have your local shop do it for you so you don't ruin it again. If not go steal one from the neighbor and spray lewd symbols on their house! (don't actually do that please I know it is quite tempting like selling damage parts to someone who might actually get hurt but they are both deplorable ideas)

Sarcasm doesn't come across well on the internet and "long enough that the buyer forgets who I am" doesn't scream honesty to me.

Maybe people do shim cranks. I never heard of it and it doesn't sound like a good repair to me. I'm open to correction but I'd be pretty mad at someone if they sold me such a bike.

And actually, I did consider the priesthood at one point and came close to entering monastic life as a Trappist.


-Tim-

Now that's a decent idea -- great beer :beer:

That's fair. Rest assured it was meant as a joke... I can see how it could be interpreted as dishonesty when following a comment about shimming cranks, but I honestly thought that was a common and acceptable option at the time.

Regardless, if your intention was to save a future buyer from a shoddy bike build, wouldn't it be in your best interest to help me rather than encourage the opposite?

Thanks for clearly labeling your sarcasm... I was already shaking the can!

Thank's for the recommendation, I'll check em out!

Getting beyond your ethics or possible lack thereof...

Someone who does not know what they are doing should not be rebuilding & flipping bikes to anybody :rolleyes:

Having said that, if you can figure out the right BB for it, for the price, this one is not horrible:
FSA Track Bike Fixed Gear Crankset F Gimondi 170mm 44t [400310058003] - $29.00 Velomine.com : Worldwide Bicycle Shop, fixed gear track bike wheelsets campagnolo super record vintage bike

Great recommendation, I think we have a winner.

But wow, nice condescension... I have built many-a-bike in the past, thank you... All with sturdy and reliable parts installed with a torque wrench onto new or lightly used (but in perfect working condition) BB spindles. This, however, is my first and undoubtedly last experience with Retrospec components (other than saddles -- can't really catastrophically mess those up and they have so many colour options). I am not the first person to have their parts fail despite proper installation. Here are some reviews:

• Review 1
• Review 2
• Review 3

Mind you, we can likely assume that only the first guy put them on right because they lasted him a year... While I may not know all there is about bike building, I can almost guarantee you don't either and I'm sure you will run into a problem you've never seen before and make some errors before finding the right approach.

Let's address this and the previous comments now and hopefully move past them...

All of us here on BF are very quick to mount our moral high-horses, aren't we...

I have already clarified 1) that I had never had this issue before, so I resorted to BF where I learned the shimming technique that I (naively) assumed was commonplace and not grossly detrimental to function or safety (I guess you can't trust everything you read on the internet, especially from the 'experts' on these forums)... and 2) that the comment about allowing the buyer to eventually forget me was a sarcastic joke pertaining to cheap parts that have a low lifespan anyway... I know "Sarcasm doesn't come across well on the internet", so I apologize for accidentally triggering you all.

Given the above, how then do my actions equate to dishonesty or a lack of morals? If I knew shimming was bad and unsafe but I still did it and later tried to sell the bike for $1000 to some first-time cyclist, then I would see your point... Instead, because I enjoy building bikes, I'm just trying to recover the cost of parts and I know I won't be able to do that if I spend $100 on a crankset. Selling for profit is an entirely different argument... Do you view Retrospec as a dishonest company because they sell garbage components at low prices? What about Wal-Mart? They profit hugely on the garbage products they put into the world at the detriment of ignorant consumers. To me, you get what you pay for and whoever buys this bike will pay a fair price. Since it will have new (albeit low-end) cranks, they will of course will be factored into that price. If the buyer wants to improve the components, that's their prerogative... Maybe they can throw a $200 crank on there and have the market to sell it, but based on the quality of the frame, that would be the true dishonest play. If building a cheap bike (that doesn't fit your cycling elitist standards) and selling it at cost of production is any different from selling an old beat up bike "as is" with missing parts, seized BB/brakes, and a rusted chain for $30, then call me dishonest. At least you can carry on with your artificially inflated self-worth and look down on us lesser mortals from your morally superior office chair.

Thank you for your insightful responses though! <--- Mostly sarcasm

I was probably a bit harsh. No, I was plenty harsh.

Charity means not automatically assuming the worst but assuming that I don't understand. I should not have assumed dishonest intent so quickly and wasn't charitable. I am sorry.

Thank you! Nice to know civility is not extinct. I too am sorry for any misunderstanding -- I should have been more clear.

I too have never heard of "shimming" a damaged crank arm. Even without looking into the details, I can say that I would not attempt a "repair" in that manner. Not on my bike and not on a bike I was going to sell.

Deep respect. :thumb:

Cool :thumb:

Me sarcastic? Naaaw!

Also I was harsh because there is an ounce of truth to what you say in a lot of cases. When you suggest you will sell unsafe goods to someone and then say haha just kidding you always have to wonder were you truly kidding. I hope you were, I really honestly do because that would suck if you weren't but sadly that mentality does permeate and I see it around sometimes. Sometimes they do it for self deprecation. You see their bike come in and it is falling apart and could hurt them and they are like "I am going to keep riding it despite your expert advice"

I work in a shop so I don't like to B.S. people because I get enough of their B.S. so yeah I am harsh sometimes but only because I love ya or at least don't want you or someone else to die on the bike.

Fair point!