Campagnolo Chorus Cranks & Chainring - Fixable or totally dead?

So, after my GF has ridden her faithful steed for around a year and a half between bike holidays (flying) we needed to pack our bikes to go off on holiday. And it was then I realised that her crankset was a little worse for wear when trying to remove the pedals.

To explain the issues:

The drive side (right) crank arm seems to have a split/crack in the square taper. Not sure if this is age, or over tightening? It appears to be fatal however. :-(

And the non drive side (left) crank arm has a pedal stuck. After WD40, Plusgas, tapping in various directions and everything else I can think of, it appears the pedal insert is coming out, rather than the pedal. Is this even possible?

Lastly, her outer chainring also has suffered what appears to be a drop. As in the bike was dropped without wheels/chain onto something hard. The teeth just before the piece of post-it note are flattened, and have bent inwards.

Is any of this fixable? Is it all completely knackered or is there anything remotely salvageable? And if it is completely unusable what do I do with it now? Bin it? I would feel incredibly bad doing that.

Any help/suggestiongs will be much appreciated.

Buy shimano.

Nah, I got rid of Shimano stuff a long time ago. I was just fed up of the shifters chewing cables constantly and its just not pretty enough.

Its an old chainset its done well so get a replacement. Yes the crankset may have been over tightened on the axle and pedals onlybget stuck if over tightened and if no coppaslip is used.

Square taper campagnolo chainsets are still available.

Square taper campagnolo chainsets are still available.

Yup, I'm thinking of getting Ultra Torque as a bit of an upgrade.

However, is anything fixable or is it all unusable? As in, could I file down the damage on the chainring and still use it, or not?

and its just not pretty enough.

For this comment you deserve an eternity of poor shifting and Italian unreliability.

Are you sure the chairing is damaged and it's not just shifting teeth?

If it is damage, pliers/shifting spanner to straighten the teeth and use a file to debur them.

As for the pedal issue, should be possibly to get the insert off the pedal with a vice etc and save the pedal, the crank is junk anyway.

an eternity of poor shifting and Italian unreliability

So far I've had years of good shifting. If it stays as it is, I'll be really happy.

Are you sure the chairing is damaged and it's not just shifting teeth?

Yes, its the shifting teeth which have been damaged. I'll try pliers and to file them, but I was just wondering if it's worth it?

And it'll be really hard to bin the cranks. The pedals aren't great. Not sure if they're worth saving either.

but I was just wondering if it's worth it?

Probably not, especially if you're replacing it with new parts. Generally a full chainset will cost less than just the chainrings by themselves.

And it'll be really hard to bin the cranks.

As may be but I'd say it's a case of when not if they fail catastrophically.

The pedals aren't great. Not sure if they're worth saving either.

They look like those cheapo shimano spds that are about £15 from CRC so I'd have a quick shot at getting the insert off the axle but wouldn't spend too long on it.

They look like those cheapo shimano spds that are about £15 from CRC so I'd have a quick shot at getting the insert off the axle but wouldn't spend too long on it.

They are. She loves SPDs and once she tried them, she never wanted to change the pedals for anything else.

Thanks for all your help. I guess I'll just get replace the whole lot with an Ultra Torque chainset.

I guess I'll just get replace the whole lot with an Ultra Torque chainset.

Have you considered the Campagnolo Athena Ultra Torque chainset? it's alloy and most likely much more durable than the carbon variants. I have them and they're fine, you can even peel the Athena logo off if you want to.

Have you considered the Campagnolo Athena Ultra Torque chainset?

Alas, its to go on this:

And she wants a matching set, currently its Chorus so, ideally I need to replace with that, but I've got some spare Record shifters and bits, so it may get a full changeover.

At the moment, I need to figure out what I need to get to install an Ultra Torque crank. Never done it before!

I need to figure out what I need to get to install an Ultra Torque crank. Never done it before!

Just these two tools one for the cups and the other one is a long allen key that tightens the bolt which fixes the crank pieces together inside. The tools are cheap to find.

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a) Bin them or make them into a clock or something :)

b) If you want carbon UT, then Centaur and Chorus are the same crank. Having said that, demand for Centaur is quite high, so you won't pay much of a premium for Chorus. Record are lighter, being hollow.

c) To install UT you just need Loctite 222 and a long 10mm Allen key as above. The cup tool is only needed to remove the cups: if you use Loctite then the cups can be screwed in handtight.

The bolt to join the cranks needs to be torqued to 42Nm, but I have found that using the long Allen key and doing it up as tight as I can manage, gives me 42Nm: I've checked this with a torque wrench.

Obviously that depends on how strong you are: you could try it and get your LBS to check it the first time.

As with all external BB, you should get the BB shell faced. Might as well get the threads chased at the same time.

d) I have a spare Pedros 10mm key and the cup tool pictured above (brand new) going spare: PM me if you would like to buy them.

UT Athena are pretty rare: Athena was only available with UT for 2010, Power Torque after that. :(

As with carbon mentioned above, it's the same for metal cranks: Veloce, Centaur and Athena are the same crank, so unless you are matching a groupset (and especially if you are going to take the logo off) there is no point paying the premium higher groupsets attract.

The real bargain is to be had with scuffed/heel-rubbed black Veloce: these go for peanuts and you can strip and polish them for the classic look on a budget. :)

As with all external BB, you should get the BB shell faced. Might as well get the threads chased at the same time.

So, I've never ever done this. Is it something I need a shop to do? And how much would it be? Also, as its a titanium frame, is this usually just to take off excess paint?

Ultra torque is adecent system but no more reliable than square taper. The ultimate chainset is the carbon record 10 speed. Got two of these and they are light at 560g, add a record bb at 190g. For me thats perfection.

Alot of shop will shy away or charge a permium for facing/chasing bb threads in ti frames as it very hard on the tools. Yes a shop needs to do it unless you want to spend hundreds of pounds on the tools needed and you will good ones for a ti frame.

External bb are not an upgrade over square taper. Certainly not as reliable.

The ultimate chainset is the carbon record 10 speed.

Are you referring to the square taper version? As I've already got two of these on other bikes. But they're both beer can shimmed on the taper, as I've found the cranks eventually work themselves loose.

I thought the external bb were more reliable?

Is that frame a Condor? I can't see the logo properly.

Would they not have finished the frame to a decent standard including chasing of the BB shell and head tube?

I've found the cranks eventually work themselves loose.

Which bottom brackets are you using with these?

I very much doubt you need to face the bb shell. I'm sure Condor make the faces square to begin with!

Sadly the chainset is scrap, really - square taper cracks are rare but they can happen and the chainset's not been made, even, since 2006/7 season so I guess you have had a good run with it - all good things come to an end!

UltraTorque is no more, no less "reliable" than square taper.

The bearings need to be looked after (this is a product designed fundamentally for racing, of course) but provided the frame is to spec before you start the install, it'll go in easily.

As ever, check it, don't guess. BB shell width 68 +/- 0.8 mm (as it's a Condor I assume it'll be BSC)

If the frame is Ti and from a reputable builder, as it appears to be, not painted, it shouldn't need facing. hopefully that will have been done by the builder, originally. Chasing the threads through would be a plan, for sure - it'll clean the threads for the UT cups and make for an easier fit.

In a Ti thread, chasing won't remove and material much so blunting the cutters is not a reason not to do it - a lot of shops don't use the right cutter lube, though, for Ti, so they get galling, which can wreak havoc - again, make sure that whoever does it, knows what they are doing.

Current factory advice is actually to torque the cups in - the Loctite 222 method that is mentioned above is OK, we have used it in the past as it was a recommendation at one time - but it does rely on the Loctite curing correctly and if you do get a weak bond and a cup does work loose, it can do damage to the threads, even in a Ti frame, so with my "avoid liability" hat on, I'd say follow the installation instructions in the current technical manual available at:

http://www.campagnolo.com/media/files/035_40_Technical%20manual%20-%20Ultra%20Torque%20Power%20Torque%20bottom%20bracket%20cup%20-%20Campagnolo__Rev01_02_15.pdf

Be careful about the torque on the king bolt in the centre - don't use a ball-end allen key, use a square end and do torque it correctly - it is possible to overtighten the bolt (seen it - hideous mess) and also to not do it up tight enough (also seen, more often, also a hideous mess) although the recommended torque range is reasonably wide - 42-60nm - all the same, I'd not advise guessing, it's an expensive mistake if you get it wrong.

Are you referring to the square taper version? As I've already got two
of these on other bikes. But they're both beer can shimmed on the
taper, as I've found the cranks eventually work themselves loose.

If you need shims on the taper, something has gone wrong, somewhere - I don't know how many 1000 installations I have done in the last 35 years but I've never had to shim a square taper!

When you fit the pedals, don't forget to use a suitable barrier against galvanic corrosion - grease, copperslip, assembly compound. Torque - Campagnolo advice is 40 nm.

Someone on here was selling some Record sq taper cranks (and the rest of the groupset) recently - looked in good nick. Here http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/255948/#comment12253956

Mine have never worked loose. If you use the right bb then they won't. If the tapers are damaged they will wprk loose but tapers get dmaged from incorrect fitting mostly.

I generally find external cup bb's give me fewer miles than a good square taper. I had 3000 from an ultegra bb (external) on summer use on the trek but since i have switched to chorus square taper bb and a campagnolo record chainset i have exceeded that mileage during crappy winter weather.

I do ultra torque super record on my race bike. Must give that bb a service not something i have to do with a square taper bb. The only benefit of external bb systems is lower weight but not by much so i am quite neutral on this. Most of the chainsets i own use and use cartridge bb's. I'm a fan.

Stronglight do good double chaimsets called the impact double. Readily available and a similar weight to the op's campagnolo chainset.

Torque - Campagnolo advice is 40 nm.

Oh yes, when dealing carbon components these days a torque wrench becomes a necessity unless your hands have the sensitivity of a blind masseur, no more gorilla wrenching i'm afraid.

Out of interest do you put Campag Sq taper cranks dry onto the bb spindle?