Wassgoin’ then? I’m looking for a four arm 110 bcd square taper crankset and finding it quite surprisingly hard! Middleburn are not worth the money, Shimano have all but stopped doing them- I currently have a pair of Altus ones but they aren’t that great. Thorn have a set though, £50, are they any good?

Why consider anything other than middleburn? Just get them off ebay, they’re practically given away!

As above. Plenty of decent second hand square taper cranks out there (not just middleburn). There are no moving parts to wear out so just go for something in tidy condition.

I’ve had second hand before, unfortunately they don’t last long on a commuter…

Have you tried spa cycles they’re usually good for this sort of stuff.

Actually I take that back, what on earth happened to 2nd hand middleburn crank prices, >£150 with a worn set of chainrings! I was going to get a set for a cx bike a year or two back and they were selling for £20!

What do you manage to wear out on a crank?

I’ve had second hand before, unfortunately they don’t last long on a commuter…

Eh? How’s that then? New ones are effectively second hand as soon as you use them. I’ve got some old square XTs on my commuter. Been on there about 10 years and they were pretty old when I acquired them.

What do you manage to wear out on a crank?

They aluminium fatigues and they snap in half

Actually I take that back, what on earth happened to 2nd hand middleburn crank prices, >£150 with a worn set of chainrings! I was going to get a set for a cx bike a year or two back and they were selling for £20!

Have you seen the retro Facebook page.

Folk losing their shit over base lev bikes paying near ew prices for old junk

What’s a base lev bike?

Auto correct seems to have done a number on that post.

Base level.

People are losing their shit over an old hardrock / timberline even folk snapping up old emmelles and Raleigh’s for funny money

Of course there are some rate and wonderful beuatys show up but it appears to have reached peak it’s old so it’s worth loads . …

Sounds good, I’ll stick my Inbred on there and see how it goes! 🙂

They aluminium fatigues and they snap in half

Get some middleburns.

OP.. if still looking, give me a shout–I have a few of options (middleburn, race face, white industries)

Get some middleburns.

Those are the ones that snapped.

They’re great cranks but aluminium fatigues, and there’s no getting away from it really

Why not just go to hollowtech 2 if you have a frame for a screw in bb –
Loads of options then for cranks that are pretty decent and not that expensive?

Why not just go to hollowtech 2 if you have a frame for a screw in bb –
Loads of options then for cranks that are pretty decent and not that expensive?

Yeah I might end up doing this, it’ll just be a shame as square taper brackets last (literally!) for ever. My experience of out board bearings is that they don’t last long at all..

Iirc Middleburn cranks are known to break more than shimano

Spa cycles ones are bascially Sugino/Stronglight so pretty decent, especially for something like 25 quid for the cranks.

Middleburn have a lifetime warrenty.

Yeah I might end up doing this, it’ll just be a shame as square taper brackets last (literally!) for ever. My experience of out board bearings is that they don’t last long at all..

I used to get ~2500 miles of XC untill they developed some play. Then a un72 cost £25, and 1/4 chance the extractor would rip the threads out of the crank.

Now I get ~2500miles from a £16-£25 BB that has never resulted in a fubar’d crank!

Then a un72 cost £25, and 1/4 chance the extractor would rip the threads out of the crank.

I have literally just done this, which is why I started this thread lol

never broken a crank, never have had the threads rip out. what are you guys doing?

Rushing?

tjagain

never broken a crank, never have had the threads rip out. what are you guys doing?

Agree. What are you doing?

Middleburn have a lifetime warrenty.

Even second hand, and with the company changing hands

Seen plenty light old cranks split from pedal thread longitudinally . *

* Unfair sample size was a shop employee at the time

never have had the threads rip out. what are you guys doing?

I’ve done it once. Dirty threads so the extractor didn’t engage properly. Yanked about half the threads off.

Anyway, OP, is it the 4 arm aspect you are struggling with? I’d move to the more common 5 arm option rather than go HT2. But then you’ll need new chainring(s) too.

Try Decathlon

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/altus-24-34-42-170mm-chainset-id_5994266.html

4 arm 110? When was that about? I can echo some of the above, I had a set of Middleburns that cracked through the pedal threads, otherwise they were lovely. Conversely, the humble Shimano Deore 9sp triples have lasted nearly ten years for me now, only needing to replace the bearings once.
Spa do good XD2 copies for notalotamoney.

He means 4 arm 104 bcd

I’ve been using a NOS pair of LX on my gravel/CX bike for a couple of years and have some cheap 5 arm 110 bcd from spa cycles that have also kept going for a long time…

Last and only issue I had with anything square tapered was a snapped BB axle, after casing a jump on a bmx track about 20 odd years ago.

The cranks are reliable, the BB bearing will last a long, long time they’re just not as tolerant of fat oafs landing badly on them…

Even second hand, and with the company changing hands

TBH if I was killing cranks regulalry enough for it to be an issue then I’d get the ones with a lifetime warrenty and a CK BB.

That or 5 pairs of deore.

People are losing their shit over an old hardrock / timberline even folk snapping up old emmelles and Raleigh’s for funny money

You are missing the point.

People are buying the bike they remember from their youth / what they had for a first bike.

See also prices of bottom spec mk1 Ford escorts which are also rubbish

ISON do some Sunrace sq taper cranksets

MTB triple:

https://www.ison-distribution.com/english/product.php?part=CKSRM914

Road compact double:

https://www.ison-distribution.com/english/product.php?part=CKSRR9F

Anyway, OP, is it the 4 arm aspect you are struggling with?

Yep, all my spares and bits are 4 arm, but maybe it’ll be easier to change over to 5 arm.

He means 4 arm 104 bcd

Yes I do! Thanks! 🙂

As above, the Spa ones are spot on.

I’ve done it once. Dirty threads so the extractor didn’t engage properly. Yanked about half the threads off.

This is very much what happened. I guess the lesson learned here is clean the threads before extracting the crank! It did surprise me how easily it happened though. Shimano Acera cranks.

Yes I do! Thanks!

Then SRAM S600 or newer replacement .. £40 off Amazon last set I got.

Then SRAM S600 or newer replacement .. £40 off Amazon last set I got.

Thanks!

Get some middleburns.

Those are the ones that snapped.

They’re great cranks but aluminium fatigues, and there’s no getting away from it really

O RLY?