Broke a crank arm and want a stronger one
 

I crashed due to a broken crank arm while pedaling up a mild grade. I don't want a repeat event. Anyone have a suggestion on a replacement? My other road bikes are older Campy and I have never had an issue, but this is a cheaper beater commuter, but I don't put junk on if I replace things. Thanks for any advice.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a64656819.jpeg
Ouch.

I’ve had very good luck with the Andel standard crankset, which is inexpensive. It uses a 110mm JIS square taper bottom bracket spindle.

https://www.retro-gression.com/collections/crank-arms-cranksets/products/andel-standard-track-crankset

Same, I used the ones that came stock with my Creamroller for like 10 years. And they were the less burly older Andel's, I replaced them with the new standard ones, they're legit for the price.

was there a recall on that crank?

I had an older bike, that I later found out had a recall on the cranks for that very reason. I never had a problem w/ mine, however

3+ for Andel cranks. Cheap and strong. Chainring is not completely round but for the price, it's a very minor thing.

Rare to see so many agreeing on a product. I'll give then a look. Thanks for the help.

One thing about a crash is you really don't know how messed up you are until the next day. I have a lot of bruises and bumps, but nothing broken, so I feel very lucky. Breaking a chain is nothing and so relaxed. Breaking a crank arm is wicked violent. You go down very fast.

Thanks again. Glad I am off a couple of days. I work physically.

Breaks like that are likely due to defect, not usage.

Cast alloy crank to crack at that spot must have been a stress riser from something. You can see some darkening along the edge from where it cracked and flexed for a little while before the catastrophic failure. Rivendell has some good photos somewhere on their page about crank cracks and forensic inspection of how they start and propagate.

Too bad about the crash, but glad you're OK. The same thing happened to me once on a busy dual carriageway---I was nutted by the top tube but stayed on the bike. Could have been a lot worse.

All my n-of-one experience does is remove a crankset from the list of recommended ones, and I don't even know which model it was. It wasn't the Andel one though!

I just put the andel on my bike and they seem great so far rigid and a solid deal for the price you can get them with an external bb or a square taper. Lots of companies buy from them and re label them so availability is no problem too.

That's mental
 

My guy is #beastmode in the flesh. Jokes aside, though, what brand of cranks were those? I've never tried 4 bolt cranksets because to me they look ugly and also it's hard to find spare chainrings. I guess this accident serves as a further indictment. And how did you break them, were you coasting going over a pothole, bunnyhop?

Aluminum cranks - beams under repeated bending. Typically sized to minimize deflection and weight. This drives up stress. They operate in an environment where scratches happen so even with the best machining and surfacing, stress started are not rare events. Add all this up, plus the fact that aluminum does not have that wonderful fatigue "window" of steel where if you keep the stress below the upper limit of the window, it lasts nearly forever. Cranks break. Just a matter of time. Well made cranks like Sugino and Shimano are designed carefully, machined well (within the constraints of cost and the better ones are forged. The Campy NR cranks of the '70s were considered the best but has some machining and details not well thought out. I watched two older Campy cranks break in races (from a front row seat; on that rider's wheel). Avocet/Miche were a near copy of the Campys, just minus some QC. I broke one I bought new at the pedal threads when I put them on another bike after probably 15,000 miles (as a 155 long, lean and not strong climber).

If you don't want to have aluminum cranks break - look at how strong you are, the crank's reputation (manufacturer, model), that cranks history and inspect it for cracks and potential cracks. (I've never done this but some of the crack finder powder could be very enlightening.) And if you are strong, consider replacing your cranks just because "I've got xxxx miles on these and I'm not sure I trust them". One given is that when they break, it will be when you are riding them.

I would also ask if this particular crank arm was bought used? If so, who knows, maybe it was in a crash prior to your ownership that put a lot of impact on the outside of the pedal which fractured the crank arm? This is why I don't "like" buying used from a random stranger if I can avoid it. I've done it, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.

I was standing and climbing a slight hill for Pittsburgh PA standards. I don't know what kind of crankset it was.

It was a used bike, purchased for commuting in Helsinki Finland. I liked the bike, so I brought it home with me. It is my commuter bike.