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Date: 31 Jul 2007 17:19:36
From: Steph
Subject: Newby Q - Ralegh Tundra pedal crank
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(Re-post from another group)
Just over a year ago I was bought a Raleigh Tundra (cheap gents "mountain
bike") - for my 60th birthday! Well, I had to take it straight back to the
shop (Halfords in the UK) because the forks were twisted before I'd even
ridden it. They replaced them under warranty without hassle.
Then, after only a few weeks of very light usage, the pedal crank became
loose ... took it back again, and after quite an argument they fixed it
under warranty. I only do about 20 miles per week, but they said the
bearings were shot and needed replacing. But after that I didn't use it
much until this spring - whereupon the pedal crank again became wobbly. Took
it back, and they said it was my fault for not maintaining it
properly - but the Raleigh book says the pedal crank is not user
serviceable! They told me how to tighten it up with a hammer and a
screwdriver ... which I've needed to do at weekly intervals since until
there's no
adjustment left. And from the cracking noises I believe the bearings are
again shot.
My suspicion is that the crank itself has always been out of true, but I've
no way of proving it. I can't get the pedals off to strip it down myself,
and I know Halfords will charge me for any work they do now (and lie about
the cause - they told me it wasn't designed to do 100 miles in a month!
Any suggestions? Is this a known problem with Raleighs, or bikes in
general? Never had it with my old one.
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Date: 03 Aug 2007 07:18:33
From:
Subject: Re: Newby Q - Ralegh Tundra pedal crank
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On 1 Aug, 18:42, "Steph" <no...@nospam.com > wrote:
> Thanks guys - you've confirmed what I suspected. I'll have to see if the
> local repair shop will take the job on. I'm certain the bottom bracket
> needs replacing ... but I'm more concerned as to why a bike that's barely a
> year old and had very light usage (zero during the winter) should need the
> bracket replacing twice.
Steph,
if you post to uk.rec.cycling and say where you are, I'm sure someone
will recommend you a good, local to you bike shop.
They're a helpful bunch,
M.
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Date: 01 Aug 2007 08:06:31
From: fltchrprtt@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Newby Q - Ralegh Tundra pedal crank
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sounds like the shop did not build the bike nor repair it proper.
they should not send you out of the shop saying that you need to
hammer a part back into place. The people at that shop either are
lazy/have no idea what they are doing, or have something against
you.
As bad as Raleigh may have gotten in recent years (not an issue i know
anything about), no decent bike shop should let you continue to ride a
bike like that.
and 'not designed to do 100 miles in month' is BS. go to another
shop. sounds like your BB needs to be replaced, but not having ridden
the bicycle I can't be sure.
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Date: 01 Aug 2007 17:42:05
From: Steph
Subject: Re: Newby Q - Ralegh Tundra pedal crank
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Thanks guys - you've confirmed what I suspected. I'll have to see if the
local repair shop will take the job on. I'm certain the bottom bracket
needs replacing ... but I'm more concerned as to why a bike that's barely a
year old and had very light usage (zero during the winter) should need the
bracket replacing twice.
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Date: 31 Jul 2007 18:04:14
From: Nate Knutson
Subject: Re: Newby Q - Ralegh Tundra pedal crank
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On Jul 31, 12:22 pm, "Steph" <nos...@notme.com > wrote:
> "Nate Knutson" <biken...@riseup.net> wrote in message
>
> news:1185904883.546150.208620@e9g2000prf.googlegroups.com...> The main part you seem to be having trouble with is the bottom bracket
> > (http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html#bottom). It is the bearing
> > system that the cranks turn on. Does yours look something like the one
> > on the left of that page, or at least have an outer lockring with
> > similar notches?
>
> Yes, mine is very much like the one in the left picture. The pedal crank is
> fixed with a bolt, which comes off OK, but no way can I get the crank off
> its spline. The guy in Halfords told me to adjust the slack by putting a
> screwdriver in one notch and hammering on it. I was careful not to
> overtighten it, but even so the right pedal rotates slightly out of true, so
> the chain grates on the changer guide on every downstroke. And now it won't
> adjust any more. At least pedestrians can hear me coming!
Okay, first of all, the instruction manual entry you saw that says
this "isn't user serviceable" is either referring to a different type
of bottom bracket (the middle one in those pictures) or is warding you
off from trying to deal with what's actually a very serviceable part.
Telling you to do anything involving a hammer and screwdriver was
basically ridiculous. It's sort of a way of tightening the lockring in
a pinch, but your control over the adjustment and your ability to
actually get the lockring fastened securely would be very limited that
way. Bottom bracket adjustment isn't particularly complicated if you
have the tools, but it is a pretty darn precise adjustment. At this
point, it sounds like the bottom bracket has been ridden in a
misadjusted state a fair amount, and that is liable to have caused
some level of damage to the bearing races. When that happens to any
bearing of this type (also applicable to your hubs and headset),
correct adjustment becomes impossible and basically the part is doomed
to get more messed up over time - whereas if it was adjusted and
fastened properly from the start, it would have needed maybe one or
two small adjustments over the first, say, around 1200-1500 miles of
riding, depending on conditions, and then been due for an overhaul,
where the bottom bracket is taken apart, cleaned, and fresh grease and
bearings are installed. That's the ideal life cycle for such parts.
What you should probably do now, unless you want to DIY it, is go to a
good shop, explain the situation, and have them take care of it. If
they detect any damage, they'll probably want to replace it with a
cartridge bottom bracket, which is fine and is more the norm for new
bikes now, and which you won't have to think about again for many
thousands of miles.
The crank bolts are only there to install the cranks and to keep them
on once installed. Crank removal requires a special tool. If you've
taken your crank bolt(s) off, make sure they're reinstalled to around
30 ft-lbs with the threads and bolt shoulder greased, which is a
pretty darn large amount of torque.
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Date: 31 Jul 2007 11:01:23
From: Nate Knutson
Subject: Re: Newby Q - Ralegh Tundra pedal crank
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On Jul 31, 10:19 am, "Steph" <no...@nospam.com > wrote:
> (Re-post from another group)
>
> Just over a year ago I was bought a Raleigh Tundra (cheap gents "mountain
> bike") - for my 60th birthday! Well, I had to take it straight back to the
> shop (Halfords in the UK) because the forks were twisted before I'd even
> ridden it. They replaced them under warranty without hassle.
>
> Then, after only a few weeks of very light usage, the pedal crank became
> loose ... took it back again, and after quite an argument they fixed it
> under warranty. I only do about 20 miles per week, but they said the
> bearings were shot and needed replacing. But after that I didn't use it
> much until this spring - whereupon the pedal crank again became wobbly. Took
> it back, and they said it was my fault for not maintaining it
> properly - but the Raleigh book says the pedal crank is not user
> serviceable! They told me how to tighten it up with a hammer and a
> screwdriver ... which I've needed to do at weekly intervals since until
> there's no
> adjustment left. And from the cracking noises I believe the bearings are
> again shot.
>
> My suspicion is that the crank itself has always been out of true, but I've
> no way of proving it. I can't get the pedals off to strip it down myself,
> and I know Halfords will charge me for any work they do now (and lie about
> the cause - they told me it wasn't designed to do 100 miles in a month!
>
> Any suggestions? Is this a known problem with Raleighs, or bikes in
> general? Never had it with my old one.
First of all, I really hope the fork was actually replaced, rather
than aligned by a bunch of idiots. After finding a different, better
shop, you should have them check it out, as well as check out the
entire bike for other issues. It's likely that the bike wasn't
assembled very well, and that can cause a bunch of problems, including
hidden safety risks and lots of different things not lasting as long
as they should.
The main part you seem to be having trouble with is the bottom bracket
( http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html#bottom ). It is the bearing
system that the cranks turn on. Does yours look something like the one
on the left of that page, or at least have an outer lockring with
similar notches?
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Date: 31 Jul 2007 19:22:34
From: Steph
Subject: Re: Newby Q - Ralegh Tundra pedal crank
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"Nate Knutson" <bikenate@riseup.net > wrote in message
news:1185904883.546150.208620@e9g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> The main part you seem to be having trouble with is the bottom bracket
> ( http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_bo-z.html#bottom ). It is the bearing
> system that the cranks turn on. Does yours look something like the one
> on the left of that page, or at least have an outer lockring with
> similar notches?
>
Yes, mine is very much like the one in the left picture. The pedal crank is
fixed with a bolt, which comes off OK, but no way can I get the crank off
its spline. The guy in Halfords told me to adjust the slack by putting a
screwdriver in one notch and hammering on it. I was careful not to
overtighten it, but even so the right pedal rotates slightly out of true, so
the chain grates on the changer guide on every downstroke. And now it won't
adjust any more. At least pedestrians can hear me coming!
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