How To Remove & Reinstall Mountain Bike Cranks | MTB Maintenance

Removing and installing cranks is something you’ll need to do on occasion for maintenance, and also if you want to fit a nice shiny new set to your bike. Here’s how to remove and reinstall the cranks on your mountain bike.
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[@caution-cliff]

I cannot believe I have not heard the tip that pedals unscrew towards the rear of the bike, that is brilliant and makes sense to me. I've seen videos where people say all sorts of things to help you remember which way the pedals screw in on each side, and that little tip is by far the best for me. You're the man Doddy I love these GMBN tech videos

[@sandy_knight]

Soft mallet = hammer + lump of wood?

[@corentin_mnjln]

Yes it also work

[@grigoryrechistov3040]

It requires using two hands instead of just one to hold the mallet. You may be out of free hands to hold the frame or cranks. Just smashing it with a heavy wooden block instead of a mallet works.

[@bikingwithryan5968]

Yeah my crank is stuck on. The bolt is out and will not come off. What should I do

[@desperadodeluxe2292]

In this case rags. Were mechanics now. 😋🔧🛠

[@tomalexander9140]

@@bikingwithryan5968 Hit it harder

[@yawna0987]

Prefect timing Doddy. I was looking for this video this time yesterday after ruining the threads on my current cranks

[@alanharrington]

What happened to the preload ring after reassembly?

[@jean-reneouellet2963]

#GMBNTech - Showing the process of removing cranks that do not use self extracting bolts would've been a great addition to that video.

[@Judogzero]

thats pretty fuckin funny i thought i could do the job after watching this video until i read this comment and realized that i dont have those fancy self-extracting arms

[@nodivisions]

Right? "Here's a 10-minute video explaining how to remove the cranks on a fancy new bike where the cranks remove themselves"

[@jaycahow4667]

Along with showing the process of setting the pre-load correctly.

[@kingerz]

Yes, we need one with a crank extraction tool. It was dumb to use these ones.

[@kioti2174]

Related to RF cranks, I upgraded the preload bolt from the plastic one that RF provides to the Cane Creek aluminum preload adjuster. Looks way better, and feels more secure.

[@RicardoPetrazzi]

#GMBNTech - Very timely Doddy! I was looking to replace my cranks immenently!

[@timbell2651]

Awesome! Very clear and helpful!

[@DougieFresh13]

Great job. Your tutorials are very helpful. Thanks.

[@michellelose2361]

Life-changing product!

[@joshsaintlaurent1712]

Used to work as a wrench in a shop many moons ago and built a lot of bikes.. It's uses to be sooo much simpler back then.lol but few things are as satisfying as crank removal and fitting . I also like doing the final pinch on every bolt before the first ride .🤷‍♂️

[@flee78]

Thanks bro. I took my cranks off, lubed it and torqued it back down. That seemed to fix my clicking noise

[@williammistretta8377]

Thanks. Really helpful video.

[@NorCalRide]

I never been able to loosen a crank that easy.

[@scottlstone]

WD 40 or some penetrative fluid and let it soak overnight

[@kevinwmitchell5773]

What about setting the preload after installing?

[@Earzone63]

perfect timing!

[@bauke-LV426]

That self-extracting crank system is great. Never appreciated it much, but I just spent days trying to loosen cranks from the bb on a 3piece crank setup. Just horrible. And unbelievable, how much force is needed to loosen it, especially on the drive side. Bent and damaged a bunch of tools

[@tiagoviana263]

I had the bike in the bike stand. I was trying to do this, and I pulled so hard everything fell. Scratched my bike stand all over the place

[@user-il6ei7mh5o]

thank you for putting these videos out. I have started mountain biking after a decade off (went from CA to NYC, now in the South US in the mountains) and your videos are a HUGE help with myself navigating the waters of upgrades :) Cheers!

[@leonfalchdizon6067]

Like this. Very nice in details

[@danielwaters306]

Bought a cheap mountain bike from Walmart and have been having problems with the cranks glad it’s an easy fix

[@gmbntech]

Hey, Daniel! Glad this helped you out! Safe riding! 👍

[@erikmartinez6726]

Thank you!

[@jamesbrittain9564]

That was the easiest crank removal I've ever seen!

[@GHinWI]

Some marine grade anti-seize on the spindle thread during reassembly.

[@mdadvracr]

What about the wide/narrow location of the chain? Very important on that chainring.

[@jamessankey01]

Thanks for the video. However you didn't cover when to tighten the preload collar.

[@VikingRasbornStrong]

Splendid. Very clear and good pace. Thanks. If replacing from 30T to 28T... need to shorten chain ? because I chose to use amazing E*thirteen Helix R cassette 9-50T with my build. I like current ratios. It had an SLX 10-51T I just don't like cassette or Shimano rd or centerlock in general. So many unnecessary tools... Was thinking of replacing with GX chainset.... unnecessary cost. Happy with SLX here. So. Sorry for long explanation. Currently chain length current from when had 30T slx 7100 chainring and 10-51T cassette. Now Helix r 9-50T and ordered 28T. What guidelines for shortening chain? What does one look out for

[@Franky-ireland-photography]

thank you for the info

[@gmbntech]

No worries! Glad you found this useful!

[@Franky-ireland-photography]

@@gmbntech I'm still having issues getting my bottom bracket off though

[@alanshorter4807]

Doddy I've got a creaky shimano pressfit bb with preload cap can you do a shimano pressfit specific removal/overhaul video please

[@mikes4163]

Before you take the pedals off ... think about whether you need to. If you are just checking/lubing the BB or changing the chainring there's really no point. (Similarly I usually regrease my pedals in situ - else the first thing after removing them is putting the shaft in a vice to undo the retaining nut.)

[@solosamuraiz1526]

it would be nice if u listed the tool in the description.

[@hanangwicaksono7397]

i use the left crank arm as hammer to remove the spindle

[@scottlstone]

Not I miss Doddy re adjusting the preload?

[@ernstkromhout7793]

I think I’m second? Love Doddy’s vids!!!!

[@elfergos]

I have a sram dub, never been able to get it off myself, it requires force greater than an express train to loosen that thing even from brand new!

[@garrysimmons9369]

Think yourself lucky, my Shimano left hand crank has fallen off 3 times in it's 9 month life. New crank is not available until about 20th of October,

[@flashman2008]

I needed a crank puller to remove my raceface cranks

[@siwalder1618]

I've got those cranks,. Should I re-adjust the preload after tightening the the main crank bolt to 50nm. I didnt notice that step in the vid but appreciate that this was intended to be a general crank guide and most sets won't have that exact preload system.

[@kioti2174]

Yes, preload should happen after tightening the crank bolt

[@siwalder1618]

@@kioti2174 appreciated thanks mate

[@urskapunkt9185]

I would not recommend using a normal allen key to loosen such high torque bolts. Feels horrible when it bends and can be pretty dangerous if it snaps. I‘d rather use a large ratchet with an allen socket. Feels much nicer and is less likely to fail.

[@mikes4163]

You did notice the big torque wrench he used to do the final tightening :-)

[@urskapunkt9185]

@@mikes4163 of course i did. i was talking about loosening though.

[@sandy_knight]

Would you call a Park HT-8 or HT-10 a 'normal' allen key? They are designed for high torque use (hence the name).

[@hectorfranco145]

Well, believe me, the torque on those bolts is absolutely not "high" at all, any good brand allen key can take that and more, I'm a mechanical engineer who works on industrial machines and regularly abuse my allen keys

[@sandy_knight]

@@hectorfranco145 Agree 100%, you don't find much (anything I've come across) over 60Nm on a bike. A "high torque" allen key/hex wrench isn't just about the materials though, it's about a tool that's more comfortable to use in high(er) torque situations. Any allen key will work but it makes life easier.

[@MTB_Rider_96]

I'm building a new hardtail. When I installed my new Race Face BB and Race Face crankset, the rotation seems to have an excessive amount of resistance, even before I tightened up the preload washer. There is a few millimeters of axial play before I tighten the preload washer, so that does not seem to be the problem, so I’m out of ideas. Will the rotation free-up after I ride a few times?

[@jozell0]

I didn’t have my pedal torqued down and it came loose. I stripped the threads on the crank arm. Do you have a video showing how to repair this?

[@ragingrhino9995]

What grese do I use as there's so many brands out there thanks

[@suppermanzzzz291]

hi! can you teach us how to remove and reinstall this on a bosch ebike? thanks!

[@jamieore5234]

How do you separate the non chain ring crank arm from axel?

[@bisarowood]

nice job, but mine 8mm hex is seized up ... tried heating it but nothing ... any ideas ?

[@mariuszb4919]

Hi thank you for the video. I have a problem with my pedal arm it keeps loosening. It is the one from the bike's drive side (right) side. The crankset is just like the one in the video. It doesn't matter how much I tight it on after 30 min riding becomes loose again. Would you happen to know what I can do to fix it? Thanks.

[@TheAceReader]

Why did you need to take the pedal off?

[@gmbntech]

Hi @TheAceReader, We just demonstrated the whole complete process so if you were to replace or change your cranks. It's best to take the pedals off when the cranks are mounted securely to the bike so more leverage can be gained. Thank you for the question! 👍

[@ThaGlittersAintGold]

Is the shaft of the crank always the same size? I’m looking to do a change over on my GT Aggressor and I want to make sure I buy the right parts.

[@roanbeck5748]

How do you know if the spacers are correct? I was hoping you would go over setting up the spacers.

[@kioti2174]

Agreed! I went to a smaller spindle size on my RF Turbines to properly fit the shell, but not sure if my spacers are correct. I attempted to keep things even between the drive/non-drive side to keep everything centered, which seems to work fine, but always hear a voice in my head saying its not the right way to do it

[@redbomberr4594]

Just had a Shimano crank arm (non-drive side) fall off my new bike while I was riding it. Luckily I was going slow up hill at the time and no injuries. However, it happened as I trusted the bike shop to put my bike together correctly and didn't check it. I've always used SRAM cranks and am not familiar with Shimano. I've put the crank arm back on but the whole crank assembly slides left to right in the BB about 5mm. I've pushed the crank arm as far as I can back onto the axle and tightened the clamping screws. Am I missing something? Should there be a spacer behind the crank arm? Or have I missed a step or 2 in the reassembly?

[@big_bird8597]

If it’s non drive side do I unscrew counter clockwise. Having trouble getting one off and can’t find any info online

[@mirage2231]

what grease are you using cause i need some but not sure what to get

[@jacobwilson7363]

How tight do your cranks need to be NM

[@elvyskennethmiguel8817]

How did you know that the preload adjuster is correct?

[@wallyedmonds8199]

Finger tight

[@yinghamlyn-chen2]

What's the allen key set u use called?

[@budgetking2591]

mine looks way different and its stuck like hell

[@CimarronWinds]

I have a mongoos stock crank so I need 5hat one

[@stefanallert481]

I loosened the main crank bolt before loosening the 2mm on the non drive side. It did not self extract. Did I do something wrong? The non drive side is loose. Its a sram eagle 1x12 truvativ setup.

[@brandenwalker2971]

where do you find that allen key

[@cat-ef7ry]

Um…I’m trying to remove the crank from a 2006 Specialized rockhopper pro disc, I’ve removed bolts on both sides but it’s not budging?

[@ethan.butler3681]

What do I do if I have no grease

[@patrickwright8352]

What happened with the preload collar? Never explained

[@philhunt1442]

Is it possible to remove play between the crank arm and spindle splined mating surfaces ? I’ve tried plumbers tape but after a few pedal strokes it works itself out

[@jay2a]

Hello Doddy, follower here from the Philippines. I've been biking for the past year after decades of hiatus. I primarily ride XC and light trails. I'm currently using an XC bike with a 100mm travel fork. I'm a heavy rider at 95kilos, and looking at replacing my fork. Would a 120mm be better given my weight or should I just stick to 100mm? My current fork has 30mm stanchions, looking at Fox, Rockshox SID, and Marzocchi Bomber Z2. Cheers! #askgmbntech #gmbntech #askgmbn

[@AndrewF970]

Have you ever ridden a bike with intentionally misaligned cranks? I'm thinking if you set it up so your front foot was a little past 3 oclock when your back foot was at 9, it could give you a slightly lowered position for the downhill that might feel nice and stable. Obviously it wouldn't pedal very well, and you couldn't change your lead foot, but could make a good video. #askgmbn #askgmbntech

[@the_blair_bike_project]

Look up Rotor Box System. The left and right cranks were intentionally misaligned (internal gearing made them independent of one another)

[@SenorDelSol]

Hi GMBN, on the Rallon, if I remove the bottom bracket, can I acces the frame to route the dropper post cable? Best, Roel

[@jackburton2680]

wish wolda shown how to remove crank arm from the crank

[@janemagana1705]

is bike lune the same thing aas workshop grease

[@mitchellnorihiro7482]

what pedals are these?

[@arborleaftree1769]

How to remove cranks when bolt is threaded inside?

[@branislavkral7239]

#AskGMBNTech Hi Doddy, I have a pair o Sram NX cranks and I lost the part of a self extracting screw that goes into the cranks(that one on the end) and now I am not able to remove them. Any tips or I just have to buy new screw?

[@louiscvs2126]

Hi! On my gx eagle lunar crank theres not the « gx eagle » logo on the side of the cranks, is that normal?

[@Wardanyo]

Why did you need to remove the pedals?

[@DubenDeFreshDJ]

Hi, a fan here. Can you explain what is the chainring offset about, thanks from the beautiful island of Curazao. #askgmbntech

[@gebus26]

Great video... Since its a copy of my rallon m-team hahahaha

[@chrishenderson1983]

is that the new orbea rallon I spy?

[@Q-Ball.]

I was doing this earlier this year and my cranks wouldn’t spin as well when I torqued it to spec?

[@GHinWI]

Preload too tight

[@akatsukilove8884]

Are the pedals 1/2 or 9/16 ?

[@sandro.vadori2920]

#AskGMBN Hey Doody, i am planing to invest into a I9s Hydra Hubs… I have noticed, that if i get more Engagement on my Hub (in this case 690) i also get more pedalkick back. Do you know how much it is on the Orbea Rallon? I am really scared to get way to much pkb… Does it slows me down while shredding? Greetings from Austria👋🏻🇦🇹

[@olliebtw9433]

Me just watching this at 1:20 am for no reason

[@xnetion2239]

3:39 am here haha

[@jimrutherford2773]

You forgot to switch on the rear mech clutch.

[@barrybullsh1tter246]

One of my cranks just randomly fell off

[@Flow_chaser]

Anyone know why my cranks don’t tighten all the way?

[@charlie9ine]

As Calvin would say, “Use the mechanical advantage.”

[@alrikdewaardt]

I can’t get my crank loose. I removed the two bolts but it’s stuck. 😭

[@oswal1853]

Oohhhhhhh🤟

[@randomcontent2469]

Soft mallet = hammer + *THICK* colth?

[@Acceleronics]

"Towards the back of the bike" depends on whether the handle of the wrench is above the pedal axle, or below it! At 2:31 it looks like your pushing the wrench towards the front of the bike. I know what you're trying to say, but as a memory device this is not enough.

[@urskapunkt9185]

When people talk about pedaling backwards everybody knows which direction is meant even though it looks like you‘re pedaling towards the front of the bike as soon as you‘ve reached the 9 o‘clock position. Just think about this example and it should always be obvious which direction is meant.

[@Acceleronics]

@@urskapunkt9185 If "everybody knows", then they don't need a memory helper. I'm not part of "everybody" because I forget which pedal is reverse thread, especially when doing unplanned work in the trail center parking lot. I need an unambiguous trick for remembering!

[@urskapunkt9185]

@@Acceleronics that‘s exactly what i was trying to deliver. I was just trying to say: when trying to loosen your pedals, think about which direction your crank is tourning when you‘re pedaling backwards and turn your allen key/pedal wrench in said direction.

[@urskapunkt9185]

K, read your original comment again and now i understood that my 2 comments may not have been really helpful :D

[@gatoryak7332]

The way I remember: To remove either pedal, position the tool so that the handle is horizontal and aft of the pedal spindle. Press the handle toward the floor.

[@reecedixon8266]

How would I remove my sram dub crank if it was really tight because someone tightened it so hard the Allen key nearly snapped.

[@bikingwithryan5968]

Yes same here

[@Bianchiboy]

It sounds like you need a longer Allen key , that way you get more leverage.

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Common problem search 'DUB crank arm bolt seize' and you'll see you're not alone.

[@bazathome2002]

I always have to use a 2ft metal tube over my Allen key for extra leverage in order to remove my SRAM BB - crap design!

[@cristianbacuiane]

Either get something longer to have the needed leverage or try to tap the Allen key with a hammer. I said "tap it with a hammer" and not "hammer it"... in case somebody has any funny ideas :D

[@zkx1048]

#askgmbn can you mix different sram eagle components. Like adding a eagle nx derrailur to a sx groupset

[@kaydubzz]

What’s the name of that bike ?

[@tonyhruzek4250]

#ASKGMBNTech - I'm a big fan. I think I have watched every episode for the last 4 years. I am going from a 28 tooth chain ring 32 tooth oval chain ring to my crankset. Will I need to add links to the chain or can I use the same chain? This is on a Diamondback Release.

[@stinkyfinn6977]

Yes you probly will have to add a few, see how much it stretch your rear mech when it's in the lowest gear (biggest back cog) and if it not over stretched and u don't have rear suspension go for it

[@rvmz11]

Figure out what to do huh 🤔 that’s what I came here for

[@rvmz11]

Here I am a year later still trying to fix my cranks

[@CarlosCaramba]

Guilherme

[@patrickclark4068]

You should have been a shop teacher

[@luminousfractal420]

i kinda torque kill things and pretty sure i crushed my bb bearings, so replaced the bb, ran smooth and clean...but fell off 😂 too careful i thought. so a little more and fell off again. atm its once again torqued to stop it falling off but feeling not so clean. i cant figure it (its an old race face ride crankset btw) torquing feels wrong and like im crushing bits again. but i see many people saying to wrench it up you wont hurt anything. anything less and its falling off 🤷

[@StevenRoberts-bf3vr]

That's $7,000 in tools and a two week wait for a new crank....

[@friarchris2]

"Have a look at yours and figure out what to do"

[@jerseydevil1]

This is NOT how I just got off my crank 😂 I just had to use a socket, a screwdriver & and a hammer

[@JonathanCastro-rc2xl]

This is my first road kzbin.infoUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA and I have taken it out a handful of times and so far it is exceeding all of my expectations. I didn’t want to break the bank on a first bike and the herd is a great option for getting a fast bike with reliable components. I plan on riding this bike for many years to come. Thank you Sava!

[@SteezyG]

This is an absolute joke. I've been trying to do this all morning and mines stuck. I could have done with this video before as mines goosed.

[@catman1876]

Didnt work like u said u said that it works the same for all no it does not