Campagnolo Chorus Cranks & Chainring - Fixable or totally dead?

The ultimate chainset is the carbon record 10 speed.

I prefer the Record alloy 9-10 speed chainset from the 90s coupled with a Record or Chorus 102mm bottom bracket. A vast improvement on the ton 'o weight C-record predessor.

I fit them dry. Never found grease helps get the cranks off so i never use grease on the tapers.

The torque advise for pedals is the same for all cranks. 40 nm is sufficent so the pedals wont strip the threads. Fit them loose and threads can give up the will to live.

Which bottom brackets are you using with these?

They've got the matching Campagnolo Chorus bb.

Is that frame a Condor?

Yes, its a titanium Condor. I hope its finished well, it wasn't cheap.

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

I put a generous layer of grease on mine when I last did a full strip down and clean.

Campag recommend dry assembly like @thecycleclinic does. There's some debate about this, and ideas that grease allows the cranks to go too far onto the bb taper, and risks damaging the crank. I've done it both ways with no trouble, although not greasing feels counterintuitive. Was curious whether @gfk_velo had any gems of wisdom.

Its not counterintuative have you ever found a corroded bb axle when you take of the cranks. Removed so many and not ome i can rember has had a corroded axle. No corrosion no problem.

Counterintuitive in that most applications require some sort of grease between metal parts. And other manufacturers recommend greasing bb tapers. But you're right, no corrosion, no problem.

Seen quite a few exotic square taper cranks crack across there, middleburn used to have a real problem with that happening.

I think careful use of a torque wrench helps, but sometimes they just fail with age.

I would save the chainrings for a rainy day, and put the other crank arm (if not cracked or insert hanging out) on ebay as someone will probably need it.

Pedal inserts CAN be glued back in, but you need some proper stud lock solution (about £8-10 a tube) and for the insert to be not damaged after you've got it off the pedal (very unlikely!).

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

A slight veering off from original post but what is your opinion on press-fit bottom bracket cups?
I instinctively do not like the idea, I think something as crucial as a bottom bracket should be screwed into the frame and not be an interference fit.

So, after a couple of months the bike now has a new crankset fitted. Which, has solved one problem (the previously splitting crank) and created another.

My GF isn't the greatest gear shifter alive, and tends to ride in whichever ring she happens to already be in, only changing when she can't shift on the cassette anymore (in either direction). Cross chaining isn't in her vocabulary. And by fitting the new crank (Ultra Torque), she now gets chain rub in the 13/39 combination on the rear of the 53 ring.

Whilst there's a sensible and straight forward solution to this problem (shift to the 53 before the rubbing), this isn't so straight forward as it will take her a while to get into the habit.

Is there a solution on the bike side to the problem? Should or can the drive side cups have a spacer, or would that affect the hirth joint? Or is there something that can be done on the cassette side?

Whilst there's a sensible and straight forward solution to this problem (shift to the 53 before the rubbing), this isn't so straight forward as it will take her a while to get into the habit.

The sooner she starts, the better then! :)

Lock-out the RD so she can't use the 13t?

Oh sneaky, but I like it ;)

Lock-out the RD so she can't use the 13t?

Thats a really good idea, but she'd kill me if she knew!

Get a cassette with a 12t top sprocket...

I can afford to play fast & loose: it's not going to be my knackers on the chopping block...

Get a cassette with a 12t top sprocket...

Its, not the range of the cassette, more that she likes to shift up and down in the same ring.

But, is there a way of spacing out the axle to avoid the chain rub?

I meant get a 12t top sprocket and lock it out, so she still has the 13t she's used to.

More seriously, no you can't re-space the BB or the cassette.

A smaller chainring would help. You can only go down to 52t on standard cranks, but it might be enough.

What about a single ring set-up?

More seriously, no you can't re-space the BB or the cassette.

Okay, well I guess thats the answer I was looking for. I'll have to break the bad news to her. Just out of interest, there was no rub with her square taper Chorus cranks, is this normal when changing to Ultra Torque?

And unfortunately, a single ring would be ruled out immediately. We're in South London, and to escape out of the London, there's quite a few hills she needs to go up and down. She does shift, its just getting her into the habit of shifting before the rubbing starts.

Incidentally, she's now claiming rubbing on 13t, 14t & 15t, although I've yet to confirm. Should the chain rub be this bad?

...there was no rub with her square taper Chorus cranks, is this normal when changing to Ultra Torque?

I couldn't say: perhaps the ST cranks sit a little wider?

...she's now claiming rubbing on 13t, 14t & 15t...

Derailleur, rather than chainring? Check she doesn't have the FD in the trimmed position, rather than all the way over.

I couldn't say: perhaps the ST cranks sit a little wider?

The UT must be closer, as nothing else has changed. Just seems a little strange that it would put the chainline out this much?

Derailleur, rather than chainring?

I done a check through with the bike on a stand, and reset the RD, it didn't make any difference. When I was checking there was a definite pinging/rattling of the chain on the back on the 53 ring when in the 13t. The FD trimming isn't the issue here, as its totally clear of that area. It just chainring rub.