KH crank play - question

Unicycles and Equipment
1

i’ve gotten the KH 24 (2004), and after the first ride their is play on my backfoot crank (right). micro play, which means if i hold the wheel and work the crank i can feel a slight shift and get a slight ping sound. i tighten it up and after another ride the same micro play comes back:(

i was told to loosen all four bolts and tighten them up again as much as possible starting with the axle bolts and then the cranks.
i will do this this eavening and try it out.

  1. does this action make sense?
  2. has this happened to others?
  3. what do i need to know about KH cranks, hub and axle to keep them performing well? is this different from other splined set-ups?

i’m new to splines so i would appreciate any help.

john

2

one of our club riders has that same issue (hasn’t gotten around to actually investigating the matter further, for some reason though)

3

its the welgo pedlas, they’re horrible, get new pedals

4

in the case i am talking about, it’s not the pedals.

if he sets the wheel and cranks on the ground (rubber on the ground, between his feet) he can slightly jiggle the cranks independantly of the hub/wheel.

i have no idea why he hasn’t sent it back or anything, riding with like that can’t be beneficial to the components involved

5

Like how my torker lx’s cotterless crankarm was loose. I could hold the wheel and move the crankarm. At first I thought it was the pedal.

But the problem can’t be the same with a splined hub, just the same symptoms.

6

without seeing my unicycle, sofa’s analysis is right. it’s not the pedals.

I havn’t sent it back to uni.com yet because the asked me to retighten things and try it out first. so i did yesterday eavening and the movement came back. i won’t ride it in order not to dammage things and will work it out with uni.com today but am seeking to understand and to make sure that the advice i get makes sense.

john

7

Go to an auto parts store like NAPA and get some anti-seize. Anti-seize is fancy grease with metal flakes in it that is designed to lubricate in high pressure applications. It’s about $8 for an 8 oz jar. That 8 oz jar will be enough to last you a lifetime.

Remove the cranks from the hub
Put some anti-seize on the splines, covering all surfaces where the crank comes in contact with the hub
Remove the two bolts on each crank
Put some anti-seize on the threads of all the bolts
Put the right crank on and get the axle bolt snug but not super tight
Put the left crank on and get the axle bolt snug but not super tight
Tighten the axle bolt on the right crank
Tighten the axle bolt on the left crank
Now tighten the pinch bolts on each crank

Putting anti-seize on the bolt threads will allow you to get those bolts much tighter than you can when the threads are dry or unlubricated. With the bolts tightened this way there should not be any play in the cranks.

8

thanks john

that sounds like a reasonable idea. how much pressure should i put on the axle nuts. i have a six inche allen key that i step on for greater torque. any better methods?

john

9

John,
Do the bolts come loose if you are using anti-seize?

10

I had the same problem with my Summit. That anti-seize stuff is great. It’s an awesome color too! For mine, I cranked it down with as much force as I could apply to my allen key. I haven’t had any problems with it since.

Daniel

11

Not really. They may come loose on the first ride after you install them, but after that they should stay mostly tight. I do check my crank bolts on both my Profile and DM cranks at the beginning of most rides just to make sure they’re still tight. Most of the time they’re still tight. Occasionally they’re a little loose.

12

With a 6 inch allen key you will be able to get more than enough torque using just your hands and arms. No need to use your foot.

Once you anti-seize the threads you’ll be amazed at how much tighter you can get the bolts.

The anti-seize is also better for the threads. It’s not good for the threads to be tightened really tight when they’re dry. Really torquing down on dry threads can cause galling or binding and can damage the threads. The anti-seize eliminates the galling or binding and also protects the threads against rust.

13

The axle bolt is the large one that is parallell with the hub right?
And the pinch bolts are the small ones fastened to the end of the cranks?

14

Correct.

Actually we should call it a spindle bolt because the hub is technically not an axle. Mr. cyberbellum has set us all straight on that bit of nomenclature. :slight_smile:

15

I’m not so sure about that now. According to my 1943 “Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary” an axle is “the pin or SPINDLE on which a wheel revolves, or which revolves with a wheel”. When I think about the “spindle” on my rear wheel drive car, it’s what the front wheel revolves around but doesn’t revolve itself. The “axle” is fixed to the rear wheels and revolves with them … kind of like the round center thing in a unicycle hub.

???

SH

16

i’m new to splines and am impressed with how easy the cranks come off. i was worried that i may need another tool. is it the same for all splined cranks? i think i read a thread somewhere that someone had trouble with a profile i believe.

going to try out the anti-sieze tody and will post news on it tonight.

thanks tons for the help.
john

17

I used just ordinary bike grease. I got ridd of the cranck play, but haven’t ridden it. Here in Norway it is just ice everywhere.

18

used the anti-sieze, tightened everything up and rode for about an hour (lighter riding mind you). but so far no creak and no shift.

so far the suggestion is an a+ :stuck_out_tongue:

thanks big time, i was hoping not to have to send it back and wait some more. that is the only problem with on-line shopping.

as for ice, that<s what small srews are for. stud-up and ride.

john

19

I think I’ll be heading out for some ant-seize in the next few minutes. Raining like mad here so this would be a good time for working on the Summit and the KH24. I havn’t had much creaking on the KH24 but the Summit has creaked almost non stop since I got it. I thought at one time it was the pedals, but have since learned that isn’t the problem. (I do love my new pedals though:D ) I am outa here!

20

Splined cranks with a pinch bolt (like the KH cranks) are very easy to remove. You can remove them by hand.

Splined cranks without a pinch bolt (like the Profile and Onza cranks) can be quite difficult to remove. You generally need special tools (and sometimes a few swear words) to remove them.