Trying to remove the cranks from my CX bike and the self-extracting bolt thingy (similar design to the truvativ ones) seems to need a lot more force than is sensible. I’ve managed to get it about 1.5 turns before it’s just gone too tight. I’ve got a bit of metal tube to extend the allen key and have checked a hundred and six times that I’m turning it the right way.

Anything else I can try to get the thing shifted? It can’t just be my puny arms.

The bolt head can sometimes bind on the self extractor, try removing it, cleaning and greasing it, and checking the crank bolt will come out without it. Expect to use a fair amount of force when removing these cranks, they’re usually pretty tight.

You probably just need a bigger lever. But also try some penetrating oil? Not sure if chain oil or WD40 will work too if you don’t want to buy some special oil.

I remember going to the bike shop once with what I thought was a totally stuck crank bolt. Went in, warning them that it was stuck. The guy just smiled, got out a much bigger spanner than I had and loosened the bolt without even looking like he was trying. 😳

‘Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.’

Archimedes

Archimedes may well end up with a buggered bolt if it’s binding on the extractor 😀

Cheers guys. Pretty much what I thought. Will give it another go in the morning after it’s had some GT85 in there and if that fails the LBS can give it a pop.

Not sure what you mean by removing the self- extractor, coatsey? Surely to do that I need to remove the bolt, and that’s the problem anyway?

The self extractor is what the bolt presses against when you undo it, it screws into the crank arm once the bolt is fitted, I think it has a 10mm hex head on those cranks, and may possibly be a left-hand thread but not completely sure.

I think what ‘Coatsey’ is getting at is due to the pressure from unwinding the inner bolt against the fixed outer cover the 2 bind together.
If you remove the outer normally with a pin spanner,apply a bit of grease to the inner face and reassemble then try winding out the inner bolt again you may be more successful(if thats whats causing it to stick)