Further to my thread asking what I needed to remove some old cranks, I bought a crank removal tool from wiggle. This one:

But it doesn’t fit. The nut removal bit is a square, the nut I need to remove is hexagonal. I had previously bought a 15mm x 3/8 socket from Halfords, which also didn’t fit. I need something to remove this nut:

It seemed like the 15mm socket would fit the nut, but was a bit too big to fit in the recess in the crank. Any suggestions?

your tool above should come apart at the silver to black bit? to reveal the appropriate socket. If not it is a rubbish one sadly
E-mail you I will lend you mine if you really want

Don’t you just use an adjustable (or normal) spanner to remove the nut then screw the removal tool into the crank and then “do up” the end part of the tool to press the crank out ?

That’s what we used to do back in the day 🙂

the tool pictured is a crank puller, you need to get the nut off before you use that!! just find a thin walled socket somewhere.

Ah yes, scratch the spanner to remove the nut as it’s recessed into the crank, a socket is what you need then use the crank puller.

By the way, the square bit in the end of your tool is not for undoing anything, it’s for the square drive you could use to apply leverage to the tool.

When you’ve got the nut off make sure you screw the tool all the way into the crank before you start to extract the crank. Otherwise it’s all too easy for the tool to strip the crank arm threads! Been there, done that 😉

“The nut removal bit is a square.”
Not sure what you mean here, but what you need is a 15mm box spanner like this…

Should be only a few £££’s from a car spares shop.
There are bike specific ones but they are £15 or so.

Thanks guys, already stripped the threads on one set of cranks. I figured I needed a thin walled socket – anyone know where they sell them? Trial and error is out as I have already failed 3 times and it’s getting boring!

takisawa2 – you are a hero