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Date: 07 Jul 2007 22:25:16
From: Jay Beattie
Subject: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
etc. Too much packed in a small space.

Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
years.

So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
(also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
-- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
counting with the old Campy NRs. -- Jay Beattie.





 
Date: 10 Jul 2007 12:04:07
From: Ozark Bicycle
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
On Jul 10, 11:10 am, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com > wrote:
> On Jul 7, 10:25 pm, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
> > Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
> > components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
> > So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
> > like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
> > and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
> > Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> > In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
> > because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
> > etc. Too much packed in a small space.
>
> > Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
> > seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
> > went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
> > the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
> > pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
> > opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
> > a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
> > years.
>
> > So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
> > (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
> > -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
> > gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
> > counting with the old Campy NRs. --JayBeattie.
>
> FYI, I contacted FSA today to see if I could get replacement bearings
> for my ISIS BB and/or a new left crank arm. The answer was (drum roll
> please) . . . no. The guy at FSA said that I was lucky to have gotten
> three years out of my BB. He told me what I already knew about small
> bearings in ISIS BBs going south early. FSA does not support ISIS any
> more. It will not fix my BB. It does not have any ISIS left crank arm
> haning around. He confirmed that my approximately $350 purchase is
> dumpster fodder. Great.


IMO, FSA is to be avoided. Mostly, they make bogus "high tech" crap
which they sell cheaply to various OEMs. YMMV.



 
Date: 10 Jul 2007 11:24:15
From: Wayne
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> thank you for the followup. I fully understand the family needs as
> I've 3 young-uns myself (oldest turning 5)- there's no substitute for
> spending quality time.
>
> regards

..and quantity has a quality all its own...

Wayne




 
Date: 10 Jul 2007 10:36:37
From:
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
On Jul 10, 12:10 pm, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com > wrote:
> On Jul 7, 10:25 pm, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
> > Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
> > components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
> > So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
> > like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
> > and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
> > Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> > In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
> > because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
> > etc. Too much packed in a small space.
>
> > Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
> > seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
> > went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
> > the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
> > pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
> > opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
> > a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
> > years.
>
> > So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
> > (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
> > -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
> > gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
> > counting with the old Campy NRs. --JayBeattie.
>
> FYI, I contacted FSA today to see if I could get replacement bearings
> for my ISIS BB and/or a new left crank arm. The answer was (drum roll
> please) . . . no. The guy at FSA said that I was lucky to have gotten
> three years out of my BB. He told me what I already knew about small
> bearings in ISIS BBs going south early. FSA does not support ISIS any
> more. It will not fix my BB. It does not have any ISIS left crank arm
> haning around. He confirmed that my approximately $350 purchase is
> dumpster fodder. Great. -- Jay Beattie.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

you might check out www.biketoolsetc.com he has a lot of fsa parts in
stock and I can vouch for them as an online source



 
Date: 10 Jul 2007 09:10:01
From: Jay Beattie
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
On Jul 7, 10:25 pm, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com > wrote:
> I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
> Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
> components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
> So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
> like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
> and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
> Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
> because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
> etc. Too much packed in a small space.
>
> Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
> seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
> went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
> the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
> pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
> opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
> a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
> years.
>
> So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
> (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
> -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
> gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
> counting with the old Campy NRs. --JayBeattie.

FYI, I contacted FSA today to see if I could get replacement bearings
for my ISIS BB and/or a new left crank arm. The answer was (drum roll
please) . . . no. The guy at FSA said that I was lucky to have gotten
three years out of my BB. He told me what I already knew about small
bearings in ISIS BBs going south early. FSA does not support ISIS any
more. It will not fix my BB. It does not have any ISIS left crank arm
haning around. He confirmed that my approximately $350 purchase is
dumpster fodder. Great. -- Jay Beattie.



 
Date: 08 Jul 2007 15:19:19
From:
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
On Jul 8, 4:00 pm, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com > wrote:
> On Jul 8, 11:52 am, raam...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Jul 8, 10:36 am, Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman
>
> > <sunsetss0...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > > raam...@gmail.com who? wrote:
> > > > On Jul 8, 1:25 am, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com> wrote:
> > > >> I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
> > > >> Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
> > > >> components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
> > > >> So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
> > > >> like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
> > > >> and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
> > > >> Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> > > >> In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
> > > >> because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
> > > >> etc. Too much packed in a small space.
>
> > > >> Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
> > > >> seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
> > > >> went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
> > > >> the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
> > > >> pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
> > > >> opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
> > > >> a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
> > > >> years.
>
> > > >> So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
> > > >> (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
> > > >> -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
> > > >> gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
> > > >> counting with the old Campy NRs. -- Jay Beattie.
>
> > > > why did you break so many cranks ?
>
> > > Doing a lot of standing while climbing would be the most likely suspect,
> > > as this will create the greatest bending moment relative to the minor
> > > axis of the crank.
>
> > > --
> > > Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
> > > The weather is here, wish you were beautiful
>
> > > --
> > > Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com-Hidequoted text -
>
> > > - Show quoted text -
>
> > Understood, but I've never broken a crank; nor took one off and found
> > a crack- I do a lot of hilly rides forcing bigger gears- (it's slower
> > and harder, but I'm not racing)- so breaking so many cranks is very
> > curious to me- Hide quoted text -
>
> I have ranged between 187lbs ('70s) to an all time high of 225lbs.
> I'm running between 210 and 215 these days. I climb out of the saddle
> and do bend crank arms. As for the Campy cranks, they had design
> flaws at the spider and the pedal eye that lead to many failures. I
> think Jobst failed a dozen of these things. I broke an Ofmega track
> crank that was a POS and died within months, a Stronglight that was a
> million yeas old (off a '69 PX-10), a Shimano Ultegra Octalink that
> could not hack the low gear climing out of the saddle while pulling my
> son in a trailer (my guess). The FSA should have lasted longer. It
> only had 10K miles or so -- maybe 15K, which is not a whole lot,
> really. The carbon arm did not break. It was the aluminum insert at
> the top of the arm with the ISIS grooves. Unless the crack migrated a
> lot, the failure probably would not have been spectacular or
> particularly dangerous. BTW, my crank failure history goes back to
> the mid/late 70's with 20 years of off-and-on racing and lots of miles
> until the 2000s when I realized I needed to mow the lawn and attend to
> my family rather than piling on miles in the hopes of coming in 12th
> in some Masters criterium. Oh boy, I won another box of Kettle Chips
> in a prime. Woo hoo! (meanwhile, offstage, kid graduating from
> highschool).-- Jay "We'll Have a Good Time Then" Beattie.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

thank you for the followup. I fully understand the family needs as
I've 3 young-uns myself (oldest turning 5)- there's no substitute for
spending quality time.

regards



 
Date: 08 Jul 2007 13:00:05
From: Jay Beattie
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
On Jul 8, 11:52 am, raam...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jul 8, 10:36 am, Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman
>
>
>
>
>
> <sunsetss0...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > raam...@gmail.com who? wrote:
> > > On Jul 8, 1:25 am, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com> wrote:
> > >> I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
> > >> Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
> > >> components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
> > >> So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
> > >> like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
> > >> and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
> > >> Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> > >> In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
> > >> because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
> > >> etc. Too much packed in a small space.
>
> > >> Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
> > >> seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
> > >> went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
> > >> the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
> > >> pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
> > >> opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
> > >> a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
> > >> years.
>
> > >> So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
> > >> (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
> > >> -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
> > >> gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
> > >> counting with the old Campy NRs. -- Jay Beattie.
>
> > > why did you break so many cranks ?
>
> > Doing a lot of standing while climbing would be the most likely suspect,
> > as this will create the greatest bending moment relative to the minor
> > axis of the crank.
>
> > --
> > Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
> > The weather is here, wish you were beautiful
>
> > --
> > Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com-Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> Understood, but I've never broken a crank; nor took one off and found
> a crack- I do a lot of hilly rides forcing bigger gears- (it's slower
> and harder, but I'm not racing)- so breaking so many cranks is very
> curious to me- Hide quoted text -

I have ranged between 187lbs ('70s) to an all time high of 225lbs.
I'm running between 210 and 215 these days. I climb out of the saddle
and do bend crank arms. As for the Campy cranks, they had design
flaws at the spider and the pedal eye that lead to many failures. I
think Jobst failed a dozen of these things. I broke an Ofmega track
crank that was a POS and died within months, a Stronglight that was a
million yeas old (off a '69 PX-10), a Shimano Ultegra Octalink that
could not hack the low gear climing out of the saddle while pulling my
son in a trailer (my guess). The FSA should have lasted longer. It
only had 10K miles or so -- maybe 15K, which is not a whole lot,
really. The carbon arm did not break. It was the aluminum insert at
the top of the arm with the ISIS grooves. Unless the crack migrated a
lot, the failure probably would not have been spectacular or
particularly dangerous. BTW, my crank failure history goes back to
the mid/late 70's with 20 years of off-and-on racing and lots of miles
until the 2000s when I realized I needed to mow the lawn and attend to
my family rather than piling on miles in the hopes of coming in 12th
in some Masters criterium. Oh boy, I won another box of Kettle Chips
in a prime. Woo hoo! (meanwhile, offstage, kid graduating from
highschool).-- Jay "We'll Have a Good Time Then" Beattie.



 
Date: 08 Jul 2007 11:52:03
From:
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
On Jul 8, 10:36 am, Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman
<sunsetss0...@yahoo.com > wrote:
> raam...@gmail.com who? wrote:
> > On Jul 8, 1:25 am, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com> wrote:
> >> I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
> >> Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
> >> components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
> >> So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
> >> like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
> >> and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
> >> Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> >> In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
> >> because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
> >> etc. Too much packed in a small space.
>
> >> Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
> >> seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
> >> went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
> >> the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
> >> pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
> >> opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
> >> a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
> >> years.
>
> >> So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
> >> (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
> >> -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
> >> gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
> >> counting with the old Campy NRs. -- Jay Beattie.
>
> > why did you break so many cranks ?
>
> Doing a lot of standing while climbing would be the most likely suspect,
> as this will create the greatest bending moment relative to the minor
> axis of the crank.
>
> --
> Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
> The weather is here, wish you were beautiful
>
> --
> Posted via a free Usenet account fromhttp://www.teranews.com- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Understood, but I've never broken a crank; nor took one off and found
a crack- I do a lot of hilly rides forcing bigger gears- (it's slower
and harder, but I'm not racing)- so breaking so many cranks is very
curious to me



 
Date: 09 Jul 2007 00:20:41
From: Michael Warner
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 22:25:16 -0700, Jay Beattie wrote:

> Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure

My FSA ISIS BB is still going strong at over 50,000km. But then it doesn't
have any of that sexy, expensive Ti stuff in it.


 
Date: 08 Jul 2007 14:42:50
From: Qui si parla Campagnolo
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
On Jul 8, 12:42 am, "Mike Jacoubowsky" <Mik...@ix.netcom.com > wrote:
> >I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
> > Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
> > components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
> > So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
> > like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
> > and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
> > Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> > In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
> > because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
> > etc. Too much packed in a small space.
>
> Darn, now you've got me concerned about some creaking on my own bike!
> However, the cranks still turn very smoothly, and I suspect if the bearings
> were totally shot (as yours were), even with the crank arms attached, they'd
> probably still feel rough. Overall, I've been impressed with how well the
> silly Ti BB has held up. I had always assumed it would be a limited-life
> product for me, but it's at about 20k miles so far.
>
> > Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
> > seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
> > went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
> > the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
> > pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
> > opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
> > a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
> > years.
>
> Ick. Which version of FSA crank? I don't detect any looseness (bent-pedal
> feeling, which I know very well from my days with Time pedals), but
> definitely a fair amount of creaking lately.
>
> > So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
> > (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
> > -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
> > gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
> > counting with the old Campy NRs. -- Jay Beattie.
>
> The Ultegra Hollowtech cranks are very boring, but work very well. As has
> been pointed out previously, the main problem with them is that it's
> possible to not have the splines lines up correctly (during installation),
> which will destroy them. I've never had a problem myself, and for the many,
> many hundreds (more likely thousands) we've installed at the shop, we've
> only had one screw-up. Zero, of course, would be better.

I'm a guessing it is the 2 piece ultegra crank, not an Octalink
one..just a guess. AND any wrench worth his salt installs Ocatlink
cranks with the self extracor caps OFF, so you can ensure the splines
are lined up. In the stoopid bike shop section, we had a bike outta a
box that actually has a ES series BB(for XT/LX cranks) with an Ultegra
crank crammed onto it. Needless to say the crank was history.
>
> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com




  
Date: 08 Jul 2007 12:12:35
From: Bill Sornson
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:

> ... AND any wrench worth his salt installs Ocatlink
> cranks with the self extracor caps OFF, so you can ensure the splines
> are lined up. In the stoopid bike shop section, we had a bike outta a
> box that actually has a ES series BB(for XT/LX cranks) with an Ultegra
> crank crammed onto it. Needless to say the crank was history.

FWIW, I've installed my Octalink DA cranks incorrectly a number of times --
started tightening them up and realized the splines weren't aligned. Backed
'em off -- got things right -- tightened the bolts and all has been fine.
(Same crankset -- few incidents -- no discernable damage.)

I don't think they're as fragile as some on here say they are. Mine have
well over 16K miles (two bikes), and have never hiccupped.

Bill "granted, I did suffer moments of dread" S.




   
Date: 08 Jul 2007 20:31:23
From: Callistus Valerius
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
>
> FWIW, I've installed my Octalink DA cranks incorrectly a number of
times --
> started tightening them up and realized the splines weren't aligned.
Backed
> 'em off -- got things right -- tightened the bolts and all has been fine.
> (Same crankset -- few incidents -- no discernable damage.)
>
> I don't think they're as fragile as some on here say they are. Mine have
> well over 16K miles (two bikes), and have never hiccupped.
>
> Bill "granted, I did suffer moments of dread" S.
-----------------
I've never had any problem with octalink, with over 60,000 miles on 3
different bikes. The BB's get a little rough after 20,000 miles, and I
change 'em. If you take some time, it's easy to line them up right, the
cranks. If you have a blaring radio, with people talking to you, while
you're doing it, it might be a different story. I've never understood the
"goofy footed" theory, and something about how they come loose. I tighten
them up when I put the new bb in, and never touch them again, until another
20,000 miles has gone by.

Now I do have an FSA seatpost, with the huge setback, to accommodate a
Brooks saddle, so I'm kind of worried about that, with the huge failure rate
of FSA products. I have had 4 seatpost failures, with 3 different kinds of
seatposts. They were all single bolt clamps, so now I strictly only get two
bolt clamps, don't know if that makes a difference, but no failures yet.
The FSA seatpost is a two bolt design so maybe it'll work, I hope. I can't
ride standing up, so it's a ride ender for me.




  
Date: 08 Jul 2007 18:57:17
From: M-gineering
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:

> I'm a guessing it is the 2 piece ultegra crank, not an Octalink
> one..just a guess.

Looking up the loadratings of these bearing (look under thin section
instrument bearings) and comparing them with a size which used to be
normal will explain a lot when they go south ;)


--
/Marten

info(apestaartje)m-gineering(punt)nl


 
Date: 08 Jul 2007 04:50:00
From:
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
On Jul 8, 1:25 am, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com > wrote:
> I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
> Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
> components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
> So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
> like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
> and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
> Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
> because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
> etc. Too much packed in a small space.
>
> Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
> seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
> went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
> the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
> pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
> opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
> a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
> years.
>
> So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
> (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
> -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
> gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
> counting with the old Campy NRs. -- Jay Beattie.

why did you break so many cranks ?



  
Date: 08 Jul 2007 09:36:20
From: Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
raamman@gmail.com who? wrote:
> On Jul 8, 1:25 am, Jay Beattie <jbeat...@lindsayhart.com> wrote:
>> I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
>> Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
>> components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
>> So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
>> like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
>> and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
>> Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
>> In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
>> because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
>> etc. Too much packed in a small space.
>>
>> Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
>> seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
>> went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
>> the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
>> pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
>> opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
>> a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
>> years.
>>
>> So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
>> (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
>> -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
>> gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
>> counting with the old Campy NRs. -- Jay Beattie.
>
> why did you break so many cranks ?

Doing a lot of standing while climbing would be the most likely suspect,
as this will create the greatest bending moment relative to the minor
axis of the crank.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com



 
Date: 08 Jul 2007 06:42:34
From: Mike Jacoubowsky
Subject: Re: Latest Broken Crank/FSA
>I broke a Cannondale frame a few years ago and got a free replacement.
> Because I saved money on the frame, I decided to splurge on a some
> components, including an FSA carbon crank and an FSA Ti BB (ISIS).
> So, I'm riding on the coast over the holiday, and the bike is creaking
> like crazy -- more than the usual Cannondale creak. I pulled the BB,
> and the bearings were shot. I could barely turn the spindle. Jim
> Beam predicted the failure of the FSA Ti BB bearings, so kudos to him.
> In fact, that whole ISIS cartridge set-up is doomed for failure, IMO,
> because it does not allow for large enough bearings, enough seals,
> etc. Too much packed in a small space.

Darn, now you've got me concerned about some creaking on my own bike!
However, the cranks still turn very smoothly, and I suspect if the bearings
were totally shot (as yours were), even with the crank arms attached, they'd
probably still feel rough. Overall, I've been impressed with how well the
silly Ti BB has held up. I had always assumed it would be a limited-life
product for me, but it's at about 20k miles so far.

> Well, I returned to town and sprinted over to Universal Cycles (a net
> seller and LBS) on my commuter and bought a CroMo Isis BB. When I
> went to reinstall the left arm, I noticed that there was a crack all
> the way through the splined Al insert. This explained a weird "bent
> pedal spindle" feeling I had on the left -- the ISIS interface was
> opening up, and the crank was flexing. Two strikes for FSA. This was
> a moderate mileage bike, and the whole set-up crapped out in three
> years.

Ick. Which version of FSA crank? I don't detect any looseness (bent-pedal
feeling, which I know very well from my days with Time pedals), but
definitely a fair amount of creaking lately.

> So today, I bought an Ultegra Hollowtech crank on sale at Performance
> (also an LBS in PDX). Freaky. It takes like five minutes to install
> -- I hope this is not more sh** techology. I'll live with the 150
> gram difference. That was my eighth broken crank -- or ninth. I quit
> counting with the old Campy NRs. -- Jay Beattie.

The Ultegra Hollowtech cranks are very boring, but work very well. As has
been pointed out previously, the main problem with them is that it's
possible to not have the splines lines up correctly (during installation),
which will destroy them. I've never had a problem myself, and for the many,
many hundreds (more likely thousands) we've installed at the shop, we've
only had one screw-up. Zero, of course, would be better.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com