When a good crankset dies
08-22-18, 05:50 PM
#1
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When a good crankset dies
It was a sad day today coming to the realization that my Dura Ace 7400 crankset tapers were toast and it is not going to stay tight anymore. I swapped them from another bike and the crank bolts seemed awfully loose taking them off, and the last ride on that bike involved a bit of creaking over the last 20 miles. I guess I will have to be mismatched again once I put on the 600 tri-color crankset. Or I could uprade to something more modern like Hollowtech II BB and crankset?
08-22-18, 06:31 PM
#2
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You could probably find a used 7400 crankset in excellent condition on eBay if you wanted to get another one. I ran a 7400 for years until I went to a triple. But it is probably a good time to re-evaluate if there is something that will better fit your needs.
John
John
08-22-18, 07:57 PM
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Clark W. Griswold
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As much as I love my 7400 gruppo, the looks of the 600 tri-color is so much better. I would say do that though it wouldn't be a bad thing to go Hollowtech II especially if it is one you ride a lot.
My one biggest issue with my 7400 cranks is gearing as the smallest I can go is 38t and with a short cage rear mech and a 13-27 freewheel it is not much and I am not a strong rider. So for me going Hollowtech wouldn't be so bad but alas I am more concerned with vanity on this bike then practicality. My other bikes are more practical but this is an old race bike and shall be treated as such.
My one biggest issue with my 7400 cranks is gearing as the smallest I can go is 38t and with a short cage rear mech and a 13-27 freewheel it is not much and I am not a strong rider. So for me going Hollowtech wouldn't be so bad but alas I am more concerned with vanity on this bike then practicality. My other bikes are more practical but this is an old race bike and shall be treated as such.
08-22-18, 08:10 PM
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As much as I love my 7400 gruppo, the looks of the 600 tri-color is so much better. I would say do that though it wouldn't be a bad thing to go Hollowtech II especially if it is one you ride a lot.
My one biggest issue with my 7400 cranks is gearing as the smallest I can go is 38t and with a short cage rear mech and a 13-27 freewheel it is not much and I am not a strong rider. So for me going Hollowtech wouldn't be so bad but alas I am more concerned with vanity on this bike then practicality. My other bikes are more practical but this is an old race bike and shall be treated as such.
My one biggest issue with my 7400 cranks is gearing as the smallest I can go is 38t and with a short cage rear mech and a 13-27 freewheel it is not much and I am not a strong rider. So for me going Hollowtech wouldn't be so bad but alas I am more concerned with vanity on this bike then practicality. My other bikes are more practical but this is an old race bike and shall be treated as such.
08-22-18, 08:19 PM
#5
Clark W. Griswold
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I have money and clearly too much as I bought a Chris King headset and a Phil Wood BB but I don't want to loose the 7400 cranks. I have a Sugino Alpina 2 Triple on my touring bike and it is really nice but nothing will match the Dura Ace cranks. The Hollowtech stuff is nice but just wouldn't fit the look of the bike.
08-22-18, 08:30 PM
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I have money and clearly too much as I bought a Chris King headset and a Phil Wood BB but I don't want to loose the 7400 cranks. I have a Sugino Alpina 2 Triple on my touring bike and it is really nice but nothing will match the Dura Ace cranks. The Hollowtech stuff is nice but just wouldn't fit the look of the bike.
Spindle interface, external bearing....compatible with HT2 BB cups IIRC.
Another shiny alloy option in modern cranks is White Industries:
R30 ? White Industries
I hear you regarding aesthetics....it has gotten hard escaping the goth-marketing these days in bike parts.
08-22-18, 09:53 PM
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Your crank bolts were loose? Try new bolts or a new spindle before you give up on the cranks. I recently had a similar problem with Campy NR cranks, and it turned out that the spindle threads had worn out. I got a new B.B. and all was well.
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08-23-18, 07:03 AM
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...but if you must swap out the cranks and would like smaller rings, find an older Deore or 6206 Shimano triple crankset. They have 110/74 BCD so can take smaller rings, work well as a double, and have a similar design aesthetic to the 7400 cranks. Strip the anodizing with Easy Off oven cleaner and polish away.
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08-23-18, 08:24 AM
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Clark W. Griswold
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@Marcus_Ti: Damnit you had to remind me of White Industries...those look real nice and I had been eying them for years. They tick a lot of boxes on this build, MUSA, nice looks, from one of my favorite companies, A ton of different chainring options. Maybe I will call them up and order me a crank sometime but I want to get the bike built up first and ride it a little since the parts have been off a bike for a long time and the old bike they were on sat around for ages because I had trouble removing a seized BB and was busy at work and with other bikes then I let the new frame sit a while working on other bikes as well that came in around the same time. It has been a mess of projects that are slowly coming to completion.
08-23-18, 11:17 AM
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As much as I love my 7400 gruppo, the looks of the 600 tri-color is so much better. I would say do that though it wouldn't be a bad thing to go Hollowtech II especially if it is one you ride a lot.
My one biggest issue with my 7400 cranks is gearing as the smallest I can go is 38t and with a short cage rear mech and a 13-27 freewheel it is not much and I am not a strong rider. So for me going Hollowtech wouldn't be so bad but alas I am more concerned with vanity on this bike then practicality. My other bikes are more practical but this is an old race bike and shall be treated as such.
My one biggest issue with my 7400 cranks is gearing as the smallest I can go is 38t and with a short cage rear mech and a 13-27 freewheel it is not much and I am not a strong rider. So for me going Hollowtech wouldn't be so bad but alas I am more concerned with vanity on this bike then practicality. My other bikes are more practical but this is an old race bike and shall be treated as such.
08-23-18, 12:10 PM
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We used to put a little bit of Teflon tape on the tapers when they started to wear out. You will get quite a bit more road time with them with that trick.
08-23-18, 12:19 PM
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If you want a classic look triple, that can be run as a double, an XT FC-M730 is a great looking classic crank. The only thing "possibly" better is an XTR FC-M900, except the XTR uses graphics that wear off too easily.
If you really want to go all out, pair either up with a Specialized titanium spindle sealed bearing bottom bracket.
John
If you really want to go all out, pair either up with a Specialized titanium spindle sealed bearing bottom bracket.
John
08-23-18, 04:39 PM
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Clark W. Griswold
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Actually that wouldn't be so bad because I would keep the same crank. I might actually look into that. Sure I would go from double to triple which is not great but it would maybe get more use out of the bike without swapping cranks.
08-26-18, 03:52 PM
#14
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Update: Kind of surprised, but pulled it all apart and cleaned the tapers real well, then assembled it back together with a very light film of grease this time. They have stayed put for a hundred miles so far.
