Not Funny...sorta

[Lewis Moon]

http://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/02/B-JnhNRCcAAtU82-630x420.jpg

Aussie team pursuit crank failure (http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/australian-team-pursuiters-crank-falls-off-mid-race-video-158269)

[fiamme red]

Not a SRAM failure this time: it's an SRM crank. :)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-19/australian-pursuiters-crash-out-of-contention/6144380

http://www.abc.net.au/news/image/6144498-3x2-940x627.jpg

[Mark McM]

The failure of the crank bolt was obviously caused by not lubricating the spindle tapers before assembly.

[mktng]

Hopefully this will drive the prices down on both SRM cranks and Zen mighty rings.

Because both cost an arm and a leg atm. haha.

[El Chaba]

SRM....."Pat, I would like to buy a vowel.....an 'a'".....

[fiamme red]

srm....."pat, i would like to buy a vowel.....an 'a'".....:hello:

[Gummee]

There's gonna be a team mechanic in deep kimchi tonite!

M

[BdaGhisallo]

How many of us could ever boast that we were so strong that we literally ripped a crank right off the bike?

[El Chaba]

Looks like a bolt snapped....

[cmbicycles]

The failure of the crank bolt was obviously caused by not lubricating the spindle tapers before assembly.

The grease on the spindle is probably why it slipped off. Too little friction between the parts. :fight: :banana:
Probably just added 3-5 pages for this post now. ;)

[leftyfreak]

He's just practicing some of Ti Design's single-leg pedal stroke drills...

[cp43]

How many of us could ever boast that we were so strong that we literally ripped a crank right off the bike?

A friend of mine did this a couple times. I think it was more related to incorrect torque, or lack of maintenance than super strength though.

I'm amazed that the resulting crash wasn't worse. The guy that lost the crank stayed up. I doubt I'd have been able to do that, especially at high effort.

[Fivethumbs]

I bet the mechanic got so caught up in whether or not he should grease the spindle that he forgot to put in the bolt.

[ultraman6970]

+1, the axle is still there, if the axle were snapped a piece of the axle should have been stuck in the crankset. I find way too weird that the bolt had snapped anyways because the rider should have noticed that the crankset was lose right away specially if the crank was really tight, not that the crankset can be kicked out in a fraction of a second. I do get that those guys are really strong too you know but is just bizarre, you always feel the cranks lose if something is wrong.

There is a reason why you need an extractor to take them out, and even with that sometimes they need a lot of power to crank the extractor bolt.

Really weird failure.

Looks like a bolt snapped....

[nm87710]

mechanic failed to install bolt to correct torque spec.

[ultraman6970]

The only torque spec for those bolts is... crank it till the end.

Back when I was racing every time before starting any race the mechanic passed with the campy spanner over the wheel nuts and the crankset center bolt.

[cmbicycles]

Torque spec is about 23.5 ft/lb for most square taper cranks, but most people just opt for the German torque spec... gutenteit. ;)

It looks to my eyes like part of the bolt is still in there. In this case the torque spec used may have been the less common Hamphistedd torque spec, tighten the bolt till it 'clicks' then back it off a quarter turn.

[ahsere]

It actually happened to me once, and I've never been suspicious of generating more than a few meager watts... It was a crankset that I installed myself, enough said. I was going so slow when it happened that I didn't even crash.

[Pastashop]

...were those spindles greased or dry?..

I keed, I keed!

http://imageserver.moviepilot.com/sdcc-2014-triumph-to-take-over-your-tv.jpeg?width=400&height=400

[oldpotatoe]

The only torque spec for those bolts is... crank it till the end.

Back when I was racing every time before starting any race the mechanic passed with the campy spanner over the wheel nuts and the crankset center bolt.

Righto-and throw that crank away after it bottomed out.

Gee, and I wonder why they got loose.

[Peter P.]

The bolt had to have sheared off. I can't imagine any mechanic running the crank without the bolt in order to save weight for such a short event.

It's possible however, that the bolt itself was titanium and not steel. Titanium bolts are more delicate and prone to overtorquing.