Just got my Torker, unsure about cranks

La Rueda Perdida · 2012-05-25, 06:26 PM

I think they may both be right cranks. On the inside, they both have the text

topforged170 I-6 R

and no other use of the letters R and L. I could screw in the right pedal into one and the left pedal doesn't screw into the other, and the two cranks are rotationally symmetrical (as opposed to the presumed mirror image symmetry I expected, although I'm unsure if this would be the case for correct cranks).

I just want to check and see if I'm making a really, really dumb mistake, before I call customer service and make a fool of myself.

harper · 2012-05-25, 06:29 PM

If they are both right cranks, the right pedal will easily screw into either one of them. That is the only test you haven't done.

La Rueda Perdida · 2012-05-25, 06:33 PM

Of course, that test should have been obvious. I got lazy and didn't want to unscrew the right pedal :O

It does go into both. Uggghh. I knew it would have been too easy.

La Rueda Perdida · 2012-05-25, 06:48 PM

Second question: Is there a "front" or "back" of the wheel? Or are front and back determined by which side the R and L cranks are on?

harper · 2012-05-25, 06:51 PM

The position of the cranks is what should determine front and back for a unicycle wheel. Unicycles move so slowly that the rotation direction indicated on the tire can be ignored.

La Rueda Perdida · 2012-05-25, 07:05 PM

Thanks for your help.

Mountainuni1 · 2012-05-26, 03:05 AM

Yes, could be ignored but I've also had number tires with more arrow based center tread that noticeably rolled better on pavement with mouted backwards. I know weird..

scott ttocs · 2012-05-26, 07:39 AM

It would be a great time to learn to ride with one foot.

Scott

La Rueda Perdida · 2012-06-01, 11:51 PM

That'd be a good idea if I weren't left-footed!

Shop manager said he'd call the manufacturer and have them send me a new crank. And I don't have to return the old one. Hooray free spare!

La Rueda Perdida · 2012-06-02, 06:08 PM

Now this is embarrassing. I can't seem to get either of the cranks off. I have the tool, but I can't even get the preliminary nut off. I can't tell if I'm trying to turn it the wrong direction (I tried both ways, neither budged) or if it's just on really really tight and I'm a scrawny weakling.

johnfoss · 2012-06-03, 05:42 AM

Crank nuts/bolts are threaded normally (lefty-loosey). Make sure your wrench is a good fit. Try to avoid 12-sided sockets if you can; it sucks to round off a crank nut/bolt (some axles use nuts, others have bolts). When you re-assemble things, put a little grease on the threads, then wipe it almost completely off.

La Rueda Perdida · 2012-06-03, 04:37 PM

Okay wow this is turning out to be quite an adventure. Thanks to John, I had the confidence to get the nut off of the crank, but then when I tried to use the tool to remove it, it stripped it. I can't even thread it back in anymore.

Suggestions?

4umfreak · 2012-06-04, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by La Rueda Perdida

Okay wow this is turning out to be quite an adventure. Thanks to John, I had the confidence to get the nut off of the crank, but then when I tried to use the tool to remove it, it stripped it. I can't even thread it back in anymore.

Suggestions?

When using a crank puller, make sure it's threaded in all the way or you'll strip the crank threads - as you discovered. Good thing this is the 'extra' right crank!

At this point you'll either need a different kind of puller, perhaps a generic gear puller or some percussive persuasion! If you do choose to smack it loose, tap as close to the hub as possible and in the direction you need the crank to move. Obviously you don't want to cause any damage to the hub or the mating surfaces.

Good Luck!

La Rueda Perdida · 2012-06-08, 02:07 PM

They actually sent me a pair of cranks as replacement, so I now have three right cranks and one left. Of course, only two of the right cranks are functional and I'm using one, so I only have one true spare, which doesn't match the replacement set they gave me.

I got the second right crank off without any problems (aside me collapsing on the floor out of breath after), so now it's just a matter of getting the stripped one off and I'm finally free to ride.

La Rueda Perdida · 2012-06-08, 02:58 PM

I read that I should ride around gently until the crank arm loosens, and get it off from there. Does this sound viable?

And: New problem. The bearing caps don't reach all the way around the... circle rotating things. Which would be fine, but the screws that came with it are too short to reach all the way through. I can't get both sides screwed on at the same time. So... Do I need longer screws, or bigger bearing caps?

2012-05-25, 06:26 PM	#1
La Rueda Perdida Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 49	Just got my Torker, unsure about cranks I think they may both be right cranks. On the inside, they both have the text topforged170 I-6 R and no other use of the letters R and L. I could screw in the right pedal into one and the left pedal doesn't screw into the other, and the two cranks are rotationally symmetrical (as opposed to the presumed mirror image symmetry I expected, although I'm unsure if this would be the case for correct cranks). I just want to check and see if I'm making a really, really dumb mistake, before I call customer service and make a fool of myself.

2012-05-25, 06:29 PM	#2
harper 768 - It's in your DNA Join Date: Sep 2001 Age: 60 Posts: 8,556	If they are both right cranks, the right pedal will easily screw into either one of them. That is the only test you haven't done. __________________ -Greg Harper Destroying the climate by shutting down nuclear power plants, one by one, since 1979. JC is the only main man. There can be no other. "A fool on a unicycle is redundant" - J.D. Miller

2012-05-25, 06:51 PM	#5
harper 768 - It's in your DNA Join Date: Sep 2001 Age: 60 Posts: 8,556	The position of the cranks is what should determine front and back for a unicycle wheel. Unicycles move so slowly that the rotation direction indicated on the tire can be ignored. __________________ -Greg Harper Destroying the climate by shutting down nuclear power plants, one by one, since 1979. JC is the only main man. There can be no other. "A fool on a unicycle is redundant" - J.D. Miller

2012-05-26, 03:05 AM	#7
Mountainuni1 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Pembroke, MA & Stowe, VT Posts: 226	Tread pattern irrelevant? sometimes.. Yes, could be ignored but I've also had number tires with more arrow based center tread that noticeably rolled better on pavement with mouted backwards. I know weird..

2012-06-03, 05:42 AM	#11
johnfoss North Shore ridin' Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Carmichael, CA Posts: 14,927	Crank nuts/bolts are threaded normally (lefty-loosey). Make sure your wrench is a good fit. Try to avoid 12-sided sockets if you can; it sucks to round off a crank nut/bolt (some axles use nuts, others have bolts). When you re-assemble things, put a little grease on the threads, then wipe it almost completely off. __________________ John Foss "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" www.unicycling.com "Unicycling is a way of looking at the world, making a choice to slow down, finish what you start, doing things not because they're easy, but because they're a challenge." -- Nurse Ben

2012-05-25, 06:33 PM	#3
La Rueda Perdida Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 49	Of course, that test should have been obvious. I got lazy and didn't want to unscrew the right pedal :O It does go into both. Uggghh. I knew it would have been too easy.

2012-05-25, 06:48 PM	#4
La Rueda Perdida Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 49	Second question: Is there a "front" or "back" of the wheel? Or are front and back determined by which side the R and L cranks are on?

2012-05-25, 07:05 PM	#6
La Rueda Perdida Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 49	Thanks for your help.

2012-05-26, 07:39 AM	#8
scott ttocs Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Irvine, CA Age: 54 Posts: 1,126	It would be a great time to learn to ride with one foot. Scott

2012-06-01, 11:51 PM	#9
La Rueda Perdida Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 49	That'd be a good idea if I weren't left-footed! Shop manager said he'd call the manufacturer and have them send me a new crank. And I don't have to return the old one. Hooray free spare!

2012-06-02, 06:08 PM	#10
La Rueda Perdida Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 49	Now this is embarrassing. I can't seem to get either of the cranks off. I have the tool, but I can't even get the preliminary nut off. I can't tell if I'm trying to turn it the wrong direction (I tried both ways, neither budged) or if it's just on really really tight and I'm a scrawny weakling.

2012-06-03, 04:37 PM	#12
La Rueda Perdida Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 49	Okay wow this is turning out to be quite an adventure. Thanks to John, I had the confidence to get the nut off of the crank, but then when I tried to use the tool to remove it, it stripped it. I can't even thread it back in anymore. Suggestions?

2012-06-08, 02:07 PM	#14
La Rueda Perdida Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 49	They actually sent me a pair of cranks as replacement, so I now have three right cranks and one left. Of course, only two of the right cranks are functional and I'm using one, so I only have one true spare, which doesn't match the replacement set they gave me. I got the second right crank off without any problems (aside me collapsing on the floor out of breath after), so now it's just a matter of getting the stripped one off and I'm finally free to ride.

2012-06-08, 02:58 PM	#15
La Rueda Perdida Registered User Join Date: Oct 2011 Age: 23 Posts: 49	I read that I should ride around gently until the crank arm loosens, and get it off from there. Does this sound viable? And: New problem. The bearing caps don't reach all the way around the... circle rotating things. Which would be fine, but the screws that came with it are too short to reach all the way through. I can't get both sides screwed on at the same time. So... Do I need longer screws, or bigger bearing caps?

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