[RBW] Re: Modifying an MTB crank for touring

2016-11-12 Thread stoker 
BETD will call continue producing Middleburn components:

http://www.bikerumor.com/2016/10/20/british-company-betd-carries-middleburn-crank-brand-line/

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[RBW] Re: Modifying an MTB crank for touring

2016-11-12 Thread Michael Hechmer 
Nick, did you consider the da Vinci crank?  It's not visible on their web 
site but the crank arms have a distinct outward flare.  I have these cranks 
on both the tandem and Saluki and like them very much.  It is a rather 
unusual sq. taper design as the spider flares outward, allowing for a 
pretty short BB, and then the arms flare out but the total Q is still low. 
 They are made by White Ind.  http://www.davincitandems.com/components/

Michael

On Friday, November 11, 2016 at 1:22:23 AM UTC-5, Nick Payne wrote:
>
> My go-to cranks for touring used to be the Middleburn RS7 square taper, 
> setup with 38-27 chainrings, but Middleburn have bitten the dust and are no 
> longer in business. As I ride pronouncedly toes-out heels-in, I need cranks 
> that flare out from axle to pedal, which excludes cranks such as the Sugino 
> OX series or clones of TA Cyclotouriste, so when I saw that ChainReaction 
> were clearing out Deore XT M785 2x10 cranks with 38-26 chainrings for $A106 
> (~$US80), I bought a pair. The cranks are intended for use on a 73mm BB 
> with a 48mm chainline, and come supplied with two 2.5mm spacers for 
> installation on a 68mm BB. As supplied, even if the spacers are omitted, to 
> get a better chainline and narrower tread, the mating splines on the BB 
> axle and RH crank won't allow the cranks to snug up to the bearings on both 
> sides. I had a look at the splines on the inside of the RH crank where it 
> mates with the axle, and decided that even if I ground off 5mm of splines, 
> there would still be 10mm length of spline to engage - more than enough. I 
> clamped the crankarm in a rubber-jawed vice, and a few minutes with my 
> Dremel and a small grinding wheel did the job. As assembled now, the end of 
> the axle protrudes about 1mm past the hole in the crank. I thought about 
> putting the axle in my threadless stem saw guide and cutting a couple of 
> millimetres off it, but a quick scrape with a file showed that the steel in 
> the axle was much too hard for a hacksaw blade, so I didn't bother.
>
> Images of the modified splines and assembled crank.
>
>
> 
>
>
> 
>
>
> 
>
>

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[RBW] Re: Modifying an MTB crank for touring

2016-11-12 Thread Jon BALER 
I actually did the opposite once.  I added an extra spare, so I could 
better clear a 3" tire on my mountain bike.  It seemed to work fine, but 
when I returned the crank to the normal set-up sometime later it seemed to 
have trouble staying tight.   Can't say for sure the problem was using an 
extra spacer for a while, but it didn't help.

But that was a 215 lb rider on a heavy mountain bike, so your experience 
may be different.


On Friday, November 11, 2016 at 10:29:57 PM UTC-5, Nick Payne wrote:
>
> No, I'm not prepared to pay what SJS want. A single Middleburn Duo 
> chainring from them would cost me more than I paid for the complete XT 
> crankset.
>
> BETD have actually purchased Middleburn, and say that they will be 
> continuing to produce Middleburn components, but don't give a timeframe: 
> http://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/middleburn 
>
> On Saturday, 12 November 2016 14:10:40 UTC+11, iamkeith wrote:
>>
>> oh, by the way:  SJS cycles bought all the remaining middleburn stock, so 
>> you can still get what you need if you're willing to shell-out the dough:
>>
>> https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/middleburn/?geoc=US
>>
>>  
>>
>

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[RBW] Re: Modifying an MTB crank for touring

2016-11-11 Thread Nick Payne 
No, I'm not prepared to pay what SJS want. A single Middleburn Duo 
chainring from them would cost me more than I paid for the complete XT 
crankset.

BETD have actually purchased Middleburn, and say that they will be 
continuing to produce Middleburn components, but don't give a timeframe: 
http://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/middleburn 

On Saturday, 12 November 2016 14:10:40 UTC+11, iamkeith wrote:
>
> oh, by the way:  SJS cycles bought all the remaining middleburn stock, so 
> you can still get what you need if you're willing to shell-out the dough:
>
> https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/middleburn/?geoc=US
>
>  
>

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[RBW] Re: Modifying an MTB crank for touring

2016-11-11 Thread Nick Payne 
A 1" headset spacer is exactly the right size to fit over the end of the 
axle and in the crank recess around it, so I set the preload by threading 
in the plastic compression cap with a 5mm 1" headset spacer underneath it, 
and removed it once I had the crank bolts tightened. The compression cap 
isn't threaded right to the end, so even without the spacer there, it 
sticks out too far to be left in place in normal use. 

The end of the axle doesn't actually protrude past the non-recessed part of 
the crank, so I don't think it'll cause me any problem. 

Removing the 5mm of spline actually only loses me a couple of mm of spline 
engagement compared to fitting the crank on a 73mm BB shell, as in that 
situation the end of the axle sits about 3mm inside the recess on the 
crank. So I'm pretty sure it'll hold - if I weighed 120kg it might not, but 
I only weigh 65kg.

On Saturday, 12 November 2016 14:07:33 UTC+11, iamkeith wrote:
>
> Good effort.  I still wonder why these new outboard, external bearing 
> crank sets don't come with the spindle detached from BOTH crank arms, and 
> available in multiple lengths.  Unlike you, I'm lucky that I'm not bothered 
> by a wide tread  q-factor,  but often wish for knee saver pedal extenders 
> or the opposite - an even wider spindle.  
>
> One note:  The "dust cap" that is supposed to have been applied with those 
> cranks (in case it wasn't) actually works like a pre-load snugging device, 
> similar to the top cap and star nut on a threadless steerer.  If you don't 
> use it, it may be difficult to the arms snugged in far enough, and end up 
> with premature bearing wear.  I'm not sure how you'd get it snug with that 
> much spindle still poking out.  You might still wish to grind it down after 
> all.
>

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[RBW] Re: Modifying an MTB crank for touring

2016-11-11 Thread iamkeith 
oh, by the way:  SJS cycles bought all the remaining middleburn stock, so 
you can still get what you need if you're willing to shell-out the dough:

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/middleburn/?geoc=US

 

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[RBW] Re: Modifying an MTB crank for touring

2016-11-11 Thread iamkeith 
Good effort.  I still wonder why these new outboard, external bearing crank 
sets don't come with the spindle detached from BOTH crank arms, and 
available in multiple lengths.  Unlike you, I'm lucky that I'm not bothered 
by a wide tread  q-factor,  but often wish for knee saver pedal extenders 
or the opposite - an even wider spindle.  

One note:  The "dust cap" that is supposed to have been applied with those 
cranks (in case it wasn't) actually works like a pre-load snugging device, 
similar to the top cap and star nut on a threadless steerer.  If you don't 
use it, it may be difficult to the arms snugged in far enough, and end up 
with premature bearing wear.  I'm not sure how you'd get it snug with that 
much spindle still poking out.  You might still wish to grind it down after 
all.

On Thursday, November 10, 2016 at 11:22:23 PM UTC-7, Nick Payne wrote:
>
> My go-to cranks for touring used to be the Middleburn RS7 square taper, 
> setup with 38-27 chainrings, but Middleburn have bitten the dust and are no 
> longer in business. As I ride pronouncedly toes-out heels-in, I need cranks 
> that flare out from axle to pedal, which excludes cranks such as the Sugino 
> OX series or clones of TA Cyclotouriste, so when I saw that ChainReaction 
> were clearing out Deore XT M785 2x10 cranks with 38-26 chainrings for $A106 
> (~$US80), I bought a pair. The cranks are intended for use on a 73mm BB 
> with a 48mm chainline, and come supplied with two 2.5mm spacers for 
> installation on a 68mm BB. As supplied, even if the spacers are omitted, to 
> get a better chainline and narrower tread, the mating splines on the BB 
> axle and RH crank won't allow the cranks to snug up to the bearings on both 
> sides. I had a look at the splines on the inside of the RH crank where it 
> mates with the axle, and decided that even if I ground off 5mm of splines, 
> there would still be 10mm length of spline to engage - more than enough. I 
> clamped the crankarm in a rubber-jawed vice, and a few minutes with my 
> Dremel and a small grinding wheel did the job. As assembled now, the end of 
> the axle protrudes about 1mm past the hole in the crank. I thought about 
> putting the axle in my threadless stem saw guide and cutting a couple of 
> millimetres off it, but a quick scrape with a file showed that the steel in 
> the axle was much too hard for a hacksaw blade, so I didn't bother.
>
> Images of the modified splines and assembled crank.
>
>
> 
>
>
> 
>
>
> 
>
>

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