Went out on the new bike (well new frame) today and had an issue with my BB so I went to remove my Hope crank to investigate further. Following the procedure, pretty simple really, and when screwing the bearing preload nut out, which pushes the crank arm off the splines I noticed a problem. It seems the nut has become cross threaded somehow and because I didn’t notice it immediately and carried on unscrewing it until it locked solid its become twisted. I’ve backed it off again but can’t engage it onto the threads square now the nut is bent out of shape. So how do I get the crank arm off now – it screws up to the crank arm but then binds so can’t continue to unscrew it and get the crank arm off. I’m thinking a hub puller of some sort?

A good amount of google searching hasn’t come up with anything, so I’m the only prat in town who seems to have done this. Of course it will be a call to hope on Monday but wondered I’d give you lot a try for any ideas or maybe someone else who’s done the same thing….if they’re willing to admit it of course!

Any help or ideas welcome.

Ouch.

i can’t help, but I’m certain you’re not the first to do it.

you’ve already hit on what is likely to be the best course of action, call hope and see what they suggest.

or go to a good lbs, they will have seen lots of this type of problem.

do you have a tap you can run through the threads? A good tap can solve many problems ime.

Without knowing the cranks or how much space you have etc, just to get the nut out and not move it any further to cause more damage, could you get in with a drill / dremmel to take the meat out of the nut?

Then collapse it with a large screwdrive and take the bits out.

From there a tap down the thread and start again.

Can’t get to the threads until I get the crank off. I thin the threads on the crank shaft/spindle are OK, its the alloy nut that screws on the outside of it and is between the BB shell and the inside of the non-drive crank arm. I’m hoping if I can get the arm off with a puller then I can get the nut off and hopefully that is the only part that is damaged. I think the nut will be a write off – it looks completely distorted. Hopefully if the nut is the only thing that is damaged then it should be quite cheap to replace.

As always this happens the weekend before i go off on an MTB long weekend next week which I set off for on Thursday night! so have to fix during the week!

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Without knowing the cranks or how much space you have etc, just to get the nut out and not move it any further to cause more damage, could you get in with a drill / dremmel to take the meat out of the nut?

Then collapse it with a large screwdrive and take the bits out.

From there a tap down the thread and start again.”

Thought about getting the nut off – its split with a grub screw so it can be locked in place, so could probably bend it open and splay it out to get it off….but then I still need to get the crank off,  the purpose of the nut pushes the crank arm off. So I’m thinking a puller….or maybe a rubber mallet? I’ll see what Hope say tomorrow….once they’ve picked themselves off the floor from laughing.

Ouch, I feel your pain, tap that ass, I mean tap that nut until it shakes off.

just use protection: rubber mallet perhaps 😉

I won’t be held responsible for any damage caused if you try it, but could you screw the tool into the drive side of the axle, and tap it through the crank? (i’ve been told that it works, but i’m not willing to try it on customers bikes thank you very much)

Well thanks all for your suggestions and help, over the last couple of hours I’ve been through a roller coaster of emotions, alot of sweating and swearing, but finally got the crank off without having to destroy any of the component parts. Managed to get the bearing pre-load collar squarely engaged with the threads with some cajoling with screwdrivers to physically bend it into place to engage with the threads. But more embarrassingly for me, the root cause is a classic case of man not reading instructions properly and getting stuck in with tools,  so the problem was all of my own making. Once the penny dropped about what I’d got wrong (i.e. read the instructions again but properly this time – first time Hope crank user here) the crank came off like a dream and all seems OK and undamaged for the ordeal. I’ll replace the pre-load bearing collar as its a bit gnarled up after me attacking it multiple times with the tool, but everything else looks just fine and undamaged…..even the BB bearings which is more worrying as it was a what I thought was a problem with the BB bearings that got me started on all this. Oh well, reset, re-read the instructions and re-assemble I think.

Anyway hopefully I’ll sort it all by next Thursday so I can enjoy my MTB long weekend away with the lads without any technical issues and I can certainly enjoy a couple of beers this evening without worrying about how I’m going to get my crank off!!

Well done for keeping your cool and getting it sorted.

would a gentle ribbing be ok now?

I’ll go anyway RTFM 😂😂

Glad it worked out, but that’s the reason I got got of my set. Way over complicated. Other brands come on and off with a single Allen bolt and I’ve never had any problem with them coming loose while riding. Hope’s needed a bespoke set of 4 different tools.

I’ve a a few sweaty moments with my Hope cranks. One time I forgot to put the bottom bracket bearing cover on which meant I ran out of thread before the pre load nut could push off a crank arm. Had to put stuff in-between the crank on the other side to create something for it to push on.