PeteHski

Yeah the only reason NOT to use R7000 cranks is if you perceive the 105 branding to be inferior. But in this particular case R7000 would appear to be the best choice for functionality and long term durability.

Sy Reene

Well, aside from branding, if a lot of Shimano crank users that are not under recall (yet), want to replace their current cranks, I'm sure Shimano won't mind them paying them more money for another of their cranks. So, you could consider making a statement of sorts and instead purchase any other brand of crank as a replacement.

PeteHski

You could do that, but you know that R7000 cranks are going to work seamlessly with the rest of your Shimano drivetrain and are actually a pretty low cost option. Not that I would personally replace any Ultegra/DA crank that was not under recall or showing any sign of failure.

Maelochs

Pretty much ... my Ultergra 6800 cranks are seemingly fine, and from what I have seen and read it seems that they just don't explode ... some sort of impact causes the failure. I will keep an eye ion things but for now ... great cranks, decent weight, great shifting .... a few thousand failures in more than three quarters of a million cranks for whatever the math is ... i feel okay.

Eddy_G 

It is believed that the failures are the result of moisture inside the crank arm causing galvanic corrosion on the aluminum, which begins as a reaction between the steel spindle, water, and the alloy arm. The corrosion then corrodes the alloy away from the adhesive in places or corrodes away the adhesive itself. Once the chemical process has begun, failure could happen either slowly or catastrophically.

Why are some newer date codes and the newest models not included in the recall? I do not know. Perhaps at some point Shimano made changes to the assembly procedure and/or the adhesive itself that more effectively prevent water from entering or forming inside of the right side arm on Ultegra and both arms on Dura-Ace cranks.
It is advisable to regularly inspect your crank for visual signs of impending failure.

unterhausen

I don't think very many of the failures of the cranks are due to impact. Newer cranks are sealed better. Shimano announced it not that long ago.

Lamont Cobb

The actual failure rate is a very small percentage of all the cranks sold.

icemilkcoffee 

Several thousand failures that Shimano knows of, most likely from warranty claims. If a crankset failed outside of that 2 year warranty period Shimano would likely never hear about it.
As these cranks get older, the risk of failure can only go up.

Maelochs

I thought the number was 4000 out of 760,000 cranks .... as to whether they were warranty reports, I have no idea .... nor do es anyone else who is posting here, I think.

I wonder if the semi-viral (within the bike community) spreading of the broken-crank website played a part?

Eddy_G 

This^^^, and social media influencers posting sensationalist videos to get more clicks.

I must say though that I can understand that someone with an unaffected R8000 or 9100 crankset might still be feeling a little uneasy.

spelger

and as they go out of warranty Shimano's detection of failures goes down. this could make things seem better than they are.

jpescatore

A UK bike shop put up a video on how they inspect the crankarms and how Shimano is involved and compensates them - .

My 2017 Ultegra crankset passed, did come back very clean!

PeteHski

I do a lot of big group rides and events where these cranks are commonplace. About half my riding friends have them on their bikes. But I've never seen or heard of a single failure outside of the internet. I'm not surprised the US was first to see a formal recall, given the "sue" culture. I'm sure it won't be long before the UK follows suit.

smd4

No pun intended.

unterhausen

Now you can't sell the affected cranks on ebay.

Sy Reene

What about selling used bikes with the affected cranks already installed?

spelger

why not?

Maelochs

So ... sell the bike without getting an inspection?

Koyote

What do you suggest?

Why not? Because eBay doesn't allow the sale of recalled items.


I've only skimmed this thread, but am a bit surprised that a few posters are dismissive of Shimano's actions -- pointing out that only a very small percentage of cranks have failed, implying that Shimano has capitulated to a litigious culture. It seems very weird to criticize a large company for standing behind a product, no matter their reason.

Maelochs

^One interpretation .... I see it more as Shimano doesn't need to do much about these cranks .... even if they fail it would be really hard to prove they caused a crash and then caused injury ... which would be the only basis for a big law suit ... (except for class-action lawsuits, where lawyers get rich and plaintiffs get ... a new crank which they could have anyway .... )

I see this as Shimano walking the line between legal exposure and useless overspending. Basically, if you ever doubt your Ultegra or DA crank, bring it in for an inspection and get a replacement. I don't see anywhere where once you get it inspected, you can never again ... in fact in the video the bike repair guy says if your crank ever creaks, bring it back in.

Seems to me Shimano is taking the rational course here. Fix or replace what is broken, and since it is not likely a crash-causing failure and is actually very rare .... no need to recall every single crank.

spelger

i have not sold on ebay is quite some time so no argument here on that. but this seems to be less recall and more inspect and replace as needed.

its just a bummer all around.

Koyote

On some other forum, someone posted a screenshot indicating that eBay rejected their listing of an affected crankset. (I'd link to it, but don't feel like googling it.)