joesch

Is it common for a campy record or chorus carbon crank arm pedal fiting to be missing the screw in adapter to attach a pedal.
I recently got a nice bike and I cant attach the dura ace pedal to the opposite crank arm since it apears to be missing this adapter?
Do they often screw out when removing the pedal(s)?
Can replacement screw adapter easily be found?
If yes, is it safe / secure to just re-insert into the carbon so the pedal can be attached?

TIA for clearing up my questions

Homebrew01

You mean the threaded insert is missing from the crank arm ?? Yikes!
Several years ago Campy made defective crank arms, in which the threaded insert came loose from the carbon crank arm.

I have one with loose inserts, and was able to "pin" the inserts so they are no longer loose, and "better than new",
but if the insert is missing completely, it sounds unusable.

If it's the left crank arm, you could shop for a replacement left arm. With all the various models & versions over the years, be sure the replacement is compatible. However, the right side may also be defective, so might be best to get a whole new crankset.

joesch

Yes, I believe this is the case. The threaded insert were not secure in the carbon so removing the pedal actually removed the insert. I believe the carbon was threaded for the insert to make it more secure. Maybe the glue (epoxy?) just was not strong enough. In any case, I believe if I could find another insert, it may work especially if inserted with some strong glue. Is epoxy used to bond metal to carbon?

The safest route would be to find a replacement arm but I suspect would be hard to find and probably the complete crank set would be the smart / safe choice. Yes, its the left arm.

Thanks again for the info and advice

joesch

Found some more details and a good pictures on this issue at https://weightweenies.starbike.com/f...ic.php?t=22498

Below are photos of the right crank arm of my '06 record crankset – 2 days ago when attempting to remove my speadplay pedals, the alloy insert that the pedal threads into just came unglued. Both pedals and cranks were new as of may this year and were torqued properly.

I called about warranty information and will be sending back my cranks to Campy for a new pair.

Anyone else had problems like this before with Campy carbon cranks? What are the chances that my warranted pair of cranks will suffer the same issue down the road?

Note that the threads visible in the photos below are the alloy pedal insert, not the threads of the pedal.

Homebrew01

Is Campy sending you replacements ?? I am surprised, in a good way.
I bought used ones, and assumed I was out of luck, so fixed them instead.

I would assume replacements are an updated version.
Campy must have let the "new guy" design the defective ones.

joesch

No

I called Campy Warranty and they only have 1 year on those crank arms.
The newer cranks now have 3 years warranties.
Im dissapointed.
Also, even if under warranty, Campy does not deal with individuals so you need to work thru your LBS.

CliffordK

So, you had 12 year old NOS cranks?

Campagnolo should start the warranty clock from the time of the original purchase, so if you recently bought the cranks as new/NOS, from a Campagnolo reseller, then they may be able to warranty them.

Are those 10 speed or 11 speed cranks?

I'm not sure if Campagnolo is using Titanium or Stainless for their inserts. As I understand it, Titanium can have some issues bonding.

If I was designing it, I'd have made keyed inserts as an integral part of the carbon casting.

I used a touch of low strength purple locktite on my pedals. Now I'm wondering if that was a bad choice.

gearbasher

This happened to a friend of mine when these cranks first came out. He had trouble with Campy and the warranty due to him buying them from a shop in the U.K. He glued the inserts back in with Gorilla Glue (which would not have been my first choice). Anyhow, it's been over 10 years and he is still using them. But, I don't think he has tried removing the pedals in all this time.

Homebrew01

Loctite on pedal threads ?! No, GREASE on pedal threads.

Cranks were 10 speed.
Inserts were Aluminum.

Andrew R Stewart 

Carbon and Aluminum have a galvanic issue. A big brand bike company had a serious recall situation when a production run of their early (mid 1990s) tube and junction bonded frame were ungluing. Turns out the junctions sockets weren't properly treated before the carbon tube was inserted and bonded. The contact between the AL and carbon reacted with each other. Unfortunately a large number of that production run was distributed in the area my shop was... The handful of those models that I had (and weren't part of the production run by serial number tracking) sat for quite a while before they finally sold, at a serious discount. Andy

Dave Mayer

I have owned or used multiple Campagnolo crankarms from the dawn of their carbon offerings to current.

I have seen a single right arm for which the threaded alu pedal insert was loosening from the carbon of the arm itself. I injected some red Loctite into the gap, screwed the insert tight again and never faced another problem.

I also had a case where the previous owner of a Chorus crankset did not grease the threads on pedal insertion, and then rode 300 days of all-weather commuting over the next year. This was the only pedal that I or my Bike Co-op were not able to extract, despite extreme forces. I can assure you: the threaded alu inserts are solidly made.

CliffordK

I think the main thing with the threads is to prevent galling. Your Loctite or grease will provide that function.

The Purple gives some strength, but also breaks loose pretty easily. But, maybe not easily enough

The inserts don't look like aluminum, but perhaps I'm wrong. I'll have to wait until one actually unscrews.