[seemana]

Crankset: Truvativ Elita GXP

Problem: After about 2 hrs of riding the other day, it appeared as if the spindle was starting to work it's way out the drive side crank arm revealing a gap between the outermost edge of the crank and the "lip" of the spindle (maybe 2-3 mm). Crank bolt on the non-drive side is tight and there is no play in the cranks...everything "feels" normal. Just not sure why that would be sliding out.

I was able to get the spindle seated on the crank arm again, but after another ride, it did it again. Any thoughts? I'll be going for a ride tomorrow and if it happens again, I will take a pic and post it, but thought I'd throw this out here for some input in the meantime.

Thanks in advance! Maybe it's time to convince my wife a new crankset is needed :idea:

 

[KenS]

Post a photo

Can you post a photo? I am having difficulty visualizing your problem.

 

[Kerry Irons]

Defining terms

Problem: After about 2 hrs of riding the other day, it appeared as if the spindle was starting to work it's way out the drive side crank arm revealing a gap between the outermost edge of the crank and the "lip" of the spindle (maybe 2-3 mm). Crank bolt on the non-drive side is tight and there is no play in the cranks...everything "feels" normal. Just not sure why that would be sliding out.

I was able to get the spindle seated on the crank arm again, but after another ride, it did it again. Any thoughts? I'll be going for a ride tomorrow and if it happens again, I will take a pic and post it, but thought I'd throw this out here for some input in the meantime.

I think you have your terminology mixed up. Spindle is another word for axle, but it sounds like you are describing the bearing cup? Or are you saying that the crank arm is sliding off the spindle (axle)? You're going to have to explain this better.

 

[seemana]

I was thinking the explanation would be a problem. Not that I want it to happen again, but hopefully it does it on tomorrow mornings ride so I can get a picture. I'm reasonably certain it's the spindle, but maybe my I'm thinking wrong. Even if it doesn't happen again, I'll post a pic and try to point out where the problem was.

 

[pmt]

Does it look like this? Red shows the axle movement back and forth in the spider. Yellow shows the gap created.

View attachment 201913

 

[FBinNY]

It's what I thought when I first read your post. To my knowledge (I'm not omniscient), this type of spindle is one with the crank arm and shouldn't be able to move at all.

It might be that some cranks depend on the spacers between the BB and crank to keep the crank fully out on the spindle, so you can ask about that. Otherwise it's a defective crank and you should contact the seller of maker ASAP to avoid having enough mileage to cloud the problem and give anyone an excuse.

 

[pmt]

My crank above was fixed for a long time before it loosened up. I had another Truvativ that loosened within 10k.

 

[seemana]

pmt...that's the problem exactly. I was just coming on to post a picture from today, but there's no point now. That's the problem.

FB...you may have given me my answer. I didn't even think of it, but the bike originally came with a triple which I switched out to a double over the winter. I bet I need a spacer on the drive side! I'll post again after doing some research on that. That would explain it though!

 

[pmt]

Yeah, a spacer might take up the slack; you can put one on either side of the bearing. I ended up able to use the crank above on a bike with an Italian BB that's wider than English, so the spider could no longer move. I used an extra dustcap on the crank axle as a tiny spacer, and that made it perfect.

That said, it is NOT supposed to move, so if you can warranty it, you should.

 

[seemana]

Yeah...definitely no warranty. I roll on frankenbikes so I'm out of luck with that. As long as it works through this summer, I'll be happy. Next spring is new bike time for me with a proper new groupset with warranty. Until then, I'm hoping the spacer does the trick. I'll keep an eye on it and if I have to replace anything, I guess spring will just come a bit sooner than expected

 

[farva]

If the spindle can move laterally on the crankarm spider then your crankset is probably not safe to ride. Those components are bonded together during the assembly process. Small movement now could be the precursor to complete failure in the future. Get yourself some new cranks. SRAM Rival can be found very cheap & will work with your existing BB if $ is an issue

 

[seemana]

An update for those who commented...I went on our local group ride last night. After two hours of use, the spindle hasn't moved. Looks like the spacer has taken care of it for now. Too bad though...had it moved I could blame getting dropped on that.

I'll be starting my shopping though for a new crank (and full group). Not something I want to have fail on me. Luckily, my wife agrees that there's no need to take the risk with the old one :thumbsup: I spoke with a guy who rides full Rival and he loves it, so that's where I'm headed.

Thanks again for all replies.

 

[FBinNY]

...I went on our local group ride last night. After two hours of use, the spindle hasn't moved. Looks like the spacer has taken care of it for now.

I'll be starting my shopping though for a new crank (and full group). .

Before paying for a new crank, check with the maker of yours to see of it is bonded to the spindle or designed to require a spindle spacer to keep it in place. If it's supposed to be bonded, yours is defective and you should be able to get a new one under warranty rather than shelling out your own dough.

Just a thought. fb

 

[pmt]

Before paying for a new crank, check with the maker of yours to see of it is bonded to the spindle or designed to require a spindle spacer to keep it in place. If it's supposed to be bonded, yours is defective and you should be able to get a new one under warranty rather than shelling out your own dough.

In my case, I bought on fleabay so no warranty applies. I'm not worried at all about mine; the slight movement is lateral, not radial, plus the design of the axle prevents the spider coming off.