Re: [CR]Now: Breaking Cranks Was: Desperately seeking C Record

> Jerry, I think you missed the real point of the web site showing broken
> cranks. These are all _different_ cranks (takes a while for the
> _entire_ page to load) not just Campagnolo cranks. And all cranks can
> fail; I have seen STEEL cranks that have failed.
>
> My advice would be to treat you bike like it was an airplane. Visually
> check the parts regularly and keep your bike clean so you can do this efficiently.
>
> Regards,
> Chuck Schmidt
> South Pasadena, Southern California
>
>
> Jerry & Liz Moos wrote:
> >
> > Yes, I've seen these before, and they are pretty spectacular, but they were
> > collected at a shop whose customers collectively did millions of miles of
> > lifetime riding. What ones doesn't know is if these failures were sudden
> > and unexpected, of if they were the result of crashes or of ignoring, or
> > failing to check for, cracks which would have called for replacement before
> > these major failures occured. And if one is inclined to be paranoid about
> > aluminum, it is good to remember that the broken Campy spindles shown are
> > made of steel, a material not subject to the metal fatigue associated with
> > aluminum.
> >
> > So if you find this stuff unduly upsetting, I guess the answer would be to
> > avoid Campy equipment, or maybe not ride at all. I'm not ready to do
> > either, as my reaction to these is that they are probably the consequence of
> > not checking components regularly to find serious cracks before they cause
> > problems. Of course, one doesn't inspect BB spindles before every ride, but
> > the failure of a steel spindle is probably due to a manufacturing defect.
> > If one believes that such defects are common in Campy BB's (I don't) one can
> > use a Phil BB, or some other alternative. One would like to believe that
> > newer cranks are less prone to failure as the result of engineeering changes
> > motivated in part by fear of product liability lawsuits. This may or may
> > not be true in general, although Campy's newer designs have reportedly
> > greatly reduced to incidence of cracking at the crank spider.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Jerry Moos
> > Houston, TX
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Chuck Schmidt" <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net>
> > Cc: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> > Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 12:24 PM
> > Subject: [CR]Now: Breaking Cranks Was: Desperately seeking C Record
> >
> > > I have posted this site in the past, but maybe it would be a good time
> > > for a revisit?
> > >
> > > http://pardo.net/pardo/bike/pic/fail/FAIL-001.html
> > >
> > > Chuck Schmidt
> > > South Pasadena, Southern California
> > >
> > >
> > > Jerry & Liz Moos wrote:
> > > >
> > > > We've had this discussion before in terms of the risk of riding old
> > aluminum
> > > > components, including frames. I'm of the "dare devil" school who rides
> > them
> > > > and doesn't worry much about it. I should qualify this by saying that I
> > do
> > > > inspect parts frequently, especially those with a reputation for
> > breaking,
> > > > like Campy cranks and AVA bars and stems. Old parts do definitely fail
> > (of
> > > > course so do new ones), but a given rider will experience only a few
> > such
> > > > failures in a lifetime, and in the vast majority of cases a crack will
> > be
> > > > noticed on a pre-ride or post-ride inspection before any effect is felt.
> > > > Even when a component cracks during a ride, it usually just causes
> > excessive
> > > > flex in the part, which calls for riding home at a slower pace which
> > > > minimizes stress on the cracked component. Usually the very worst that
> > > > happens is that one has a long walk home. Of course, one hears horror
> > > > stories of crank arms breaking completely off during a furious sprint,
> > or
> > > > bars or brakes failing suddenly on a 60 mph descent, but I believe such
> > > > occurrences are extemely rare. I've never been injured or even come
> > close
> > > > due to a component other than tires failing. I would say at least 95%
> > of
> > > > bicycle injuries are caused by careless motorists, unexpected road
> > surface
> > > > hazards, or the carelessness of the cyclist himself, including failure
> > to
> > > > have proper lights at night. Of the 5% caused by equipment, nearly all
> > are
> > > > because of grossly negligent maintenance, like nonfunctioning brakes, or
> > by
> > > > a tire blowing out at a dangerous moment. The chance of being injured
> > by
> > > > the failure of a component other than tires is, in my opinion, not much
> > > > greater than that of being struck by lightning. Other than diligent
> > > > inspection of parts, I refuse to be worried about.
> > > >
> > > > As to Campy cranks specifically, many develop tiny cracks, some of which
> > you
> > > > almost need a magnifying glass to see, but this relaively infrequently
> > > > causes any noticeable effect on performance, let alone the crank
> > breaking
> > > > entirely apart. Though I prefer French or Zeus equipment, I have had
> > > > several bikes with Campy NR/SR cranks. The only NR crank I've ever had
> > to
> > > > replace was on my 1968 Allegro Special, and that crack was not at the
> > > > spider, or even on the right arm. I noticed on a post-ride inspection
> > that
> > > > the left crank pedal hole was cracked all the way through, and promply
> > > > replaced it with no harm done (except to my budget).
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > >
> > > > Jerry "I don't ride in lightning storms" Moos
> > > > Houston, TX
> > > >
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: "Jim Robb" <px10le@hotmail.com>
> > > > To: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> > > > Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 9:32 AM
> > > > Subject: [CR]Desperately seeking C Record
> > > >
> > > > > Greeting fellow list members,
> > > > > I am looking for a C Record crankset to replace the Super Record
> > version
> > > > on
> > > > > one of my bikes. I just can't seem to put away the fear that it is
> > going
> > > > to
> > > > > break off on me the next time I sprint for the city limit sign or
> > stomp up
> > > > a
> > > > > steep hill. I did file them at the radius where cracks usually occur
> > and
> > > > > check them religiously but the doubt persists. Plus I'm getting to
> > that
> > > > age
> > > > > where a 42 just doesn't cut it anymore. So if any of you have such a
> > crank
> > > > > in 172.5 and suitable for a daily rider please respond to me off the
> > list.
> > > > > Thanks very much,
> > > > > Jim Robb
> > > > > Granada Hills, CA