Roypercy

Hey all:

This one is a puzzler to me.

I recently bought a Raleigh Competition with a Spidel crankset. due to weather I haven’t ridden it more than a quick “tryout “.

I’ve been working to get it up to snuff and just realized that the left crank arm doesn’t match. It’s a cosmetically similar (but 5mm shorter) Japanese crank arm, maybe an SR.

of course I need to rectify this. There’s a Spidel crank arm on the ‘Bay right now that’s listed as “French threaded”. Does this refer only to the threading for the pedals? Would I be able to fit this on the existing bottom bracket?

I’m kind of a newbie when it comes to wrenching on this stuff. What do I need to know/look for when seeking a replacement?

thanks!

oneclick 

It'll fit on the BB.

An imperial tap can be run through the pedal hole, you'll need to figure the cost of that - and so first to find a bike shop that will do it.

ehcoplex 

Yup, as above, it's the pedal threading. If your handy/have a dremel, you can make your own tap from an old (English-threaded) pedal. Or get a set of taps on eBay/Amazon/wherever. I got a cheap set on eBay and they've been good for 3 cranksets thus far.

bulgie 

Tapping French to English is very easy with the right taps. It's important to get long-taper taps, and I believe these are only made for bicycle cranks, not generic machine-shop stuff. Small enough at the small end that they start in French thread holes and only start to cut after full tap engagement. This ensures the new English thread is on the same axis as the original thread.

Regular machinist taps would need the crank and the tap to be rigidly held in perfect alignment such as in a milling machine, else they could start off-square, and you'd feel it while riding, feels like the pedal axle is bent.

Mine are Hozan (Japan) and I previously used Eldi brand (Germany) in a couple bike shops I worked at. Those are bike tool companies. There are probably others too, haven't needed to shop for those in ~30 years...

A brief google shows me the Hozan sets are still sold. Maybe too expensive to consider for this one crank, for example $43 with shipping here.
But rest assured they'll last a lifetime if only used on aluminum, so even a used set could be a good value if they're cheap. C&V types should consider owning a set.

Seattle area BF'ers can bring their cranks to me, I'll do it while you wait, for $10. On the bike or off, doesn't matter.

Mark B

JohnDThompson 

Unless you're a stickler for matchy-matchy, there's no compelling reason for the left arm to be the same brand/model as the right. Match the length and taper (ISO or JIS) and you're golden.