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New Cranks v. Crank arms v. Helicoils

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New Cranks v. Crank arms v. Helicoils

Old 09-06-19, 10:24 PM
  #1  
Gorrister
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New Cranks v. Crank arms v. Helicoils


hey all. I recently picked up a 2007 specialized allez expert with full Ultegra for $200 from the Facebook marketplace. It’s in beautiful shape, garage stored and barely ridden the only issue is, the joker I bought it from cross threaded and stripped the cranks when he wrenched in his crappy platform pedals.
So my question is this:

Should I have them retapped and helicoils installed for $70, which my bike mechanic friend suggested,
Should I replace the entire crankset with a new Tiagra set for $155 which my LBS suggested
Or should I replace the crank arms with same era Ultegra crank arms from eBay which I’m leaning towards?

Here’s the bike just because. she looks like she’s going fast just sitting there
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Old 09-06-19, 10:51 PM
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If it were me, I'd go with either option 1 or 3, just to keep the original crankset look.
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Old 09-07-19, 02:41 AM
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I have performed option 1 on several customer bikes, and it is as good or better than new.
As long as the crank is not too badly stripped, and the the insert is installed straight, it's a solid repair.
$70 for both side is reasonable.
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Old 09-07-19, 04:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Pirkaus
I have performed option 1 on several customer bikes, and it is as good or better than new.
As long as the crank is not too badly stripped, and the the insert is installed straight, it's a solid repair.
$70 for both side is reasonable.
I'd go Ultegra. Lighter, better looking and who cares about originality on a late model budget bike.
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Old 09-07-19, 04:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Pirkaus
I have performed option 1 on several customer bikes, and it is as good or better than new.
As long as the crank is not too badly stripped, and the the insert is installed straight, it's a solid repair.
$70 for both side is reasonable.
I'd go Ultegra. Lighter, better looking and nobody cares about originality on a late model budget bike.
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Old 09-07-19, 05:23 AM
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All 3 options are reasonable. So you can’t lose!
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Old 09-07-19, 05:56 AM
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A new crankset would cost more than the what you paid for the bike. Plus, it is always easy to spend someone else's money. Have it fixed and take pride in the fact the whole bike was $270.
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Old 09-07-19, 06:14 AM
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Tiagra crankset is a boat anchor, IIRC.

Nothing wrong with properly fitted helicoils. They can be regarded as an improvement.
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Old 09-07-19, 01:11 PM
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I'd take what's behind door #3 .
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Old 09-07-19, 02:18 PM
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Originally Posted by seypat
I'd take what's behind door #3 .
Me too. I have a similar bike, a 2009 Cannondale Six 5 I also paid $200 for. It came with a mix of 105, 6600 Ultegra and Teckro brakes. I'm slowly upgrading to all 6600 Ultegra by waiting for great deals on Ebay and Craig's. When I'm done I'll have a nice all Ultegra bike for about $400.
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Old 09-07-19, 04:28 PM
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You could drill it out and weld the pedals in. Just make sure to get it straight!
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Old 09-07-19, 04:29 PM
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Properly done, a helicoil repair can be stronger than the original threads. What's not to like?
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Old 09-07-19, 05:31 PM
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Heli-coil all the way, unless you can find a vintage ultegra crank for less. Nice thing with the old 5-arm cranks is that rings are pretty cheap for 'em these days.
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Old 09-07-19, 08:01 PM
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https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano...set-62076.html

About $63 shipped.
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Old 09-08-19, 12:30 PM
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Thanks for the advice! I put in a bid on eBay on a set of arms, if I get outbid I’ll go the helicoil route. I use those for drum hardware at my job but wasn’t sure how they’d hold up under constant duress, I just have visions of them spinning out of place when I’m 30 miles from home. But I’m seeing lots of pro helicoil responses. Thanks!
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