The crank. It’s an essential part for staying connected to your bike while riding.
I think it’s generally categorized as a fairly sturdy bike component, so you might think it doesn’t break that easily.
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Not true.
That’s not the case at all; when it’s going to break, it breaks.
And when it does, the repair cost is truly disheartening.
Furthermore, as for Shimano cranks, since the introduction of the Hollowtech II era, the right-side crank is no longer available as a replacement part.
If the right crank becomes unusable due to some trouble,
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It means replacing the entire crankset.
Ouch. It hurts both the heart and the wallet.
Today, I’d like to introduce a hero that might just save us from such a fate.
【UNIOR】Crank Saver
Even calling it a hero, it won’t save everything—it’s just a hero that might save the day when your pedal threads have been stripped.
Right on cue, I have a Shimano DEORE crank here with stripped pedal threads. (I assure you, I didn’t stock this tool just because I wanted to fix my own crank. *Sweat*)
Perhaps the pedal wasn't tightened enough, as it popped right out while riding on the trails.
The moment it popped out, the threads were completely wiped away, making it impossible to secure the pedal. I remember how painful the ride home from the mountain was.
Setting that story aside, let’s see if we can perform a rescue.
First, we’ll clean up the mangled hole and cut new threads. I’ve repaired threads on smaller screws before, but doing it on something this big is a first for me, so I’m a bit nervous.
Usually (with small screws), you clean the hole with a drill and then cut threads with a tap, but it’s efficient to be able to do both at once. This is what it looks like once it passes through to the other side.
Well, the grinding is done, so let’s take a look at the progress before moving on to the next step.
Regardless of the size, a thread repair tool works by drilling a hole one size larger than the original, then inserting a pipe-like insert into the new threads to restore the original size.
Here is what we are using this time.
Since the threads are large, the insert is large too.
Now, let’s move on to the final step.
And when we remove the pedal...
The threads have been restored perfectly.
With this, the crank is back in action.
I’m going to tinker with this crank a bit more before putting it to use, but the pedal felt solid when tightened, so I’m sure it will be fine.
This way, parts you thought were beyond saving might just be resurrected. If you have the same problem, bring your crank in, and if it’s a different issue, consult with us—it would be great if we could resolve it for you.
It all starts with a consultation. Please feel free to get in touch!