How to remove and realign the crank?

[miamicuse]

Just got a new bike for my wife from Toys 'R' Us, the bike was preassembled
by them and I paid extra for it. When my wife rode it she says it feels
strange and she can't seem to pedal the bike right.

I looked at it and it's obvious whoever assembled the bike was asleep - they
did not assembled the crank arms at 180 degrees - see the picture:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-10/1090906/schwinn.jpg

I don't feel lile hauling the bike back to the store, which they probably
will not fix right the way but will make me wait a day or two, so I decided
to try to fix it myself.

I assume all I need to do is to take apart one of the two arms and put it
back in at the 180 degree angle. There is a hex machine screw so I loosened
and removed it. But now I am unable to remove the arm. In theory it should
come out but it does not, and it looks real tight, could they have hammered
the arm onto the crank, or does it require a special tool? I tried all my
might, it's not coming out.

Any advise?

MC

[Sorni]

miamicuse wrote:
> Just got a new bike for my wife from Toys 'R' Us, the bike was
> preassembled by them and I paid extra for it. When my wife rode it
> she says it feels strange and she can't seem to pedal the bike right.
>
> I looked at it and it's obvious whoever assembled the bike was asleep
> - they did not assembled the crank arms at 180 degrees - see the
> picture:
>
> http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-10/1090906/schwinn.jpg
>
> I don't feel lile hauling the bike back to the store, which they
> probably will not fix right the way but will make me wait a day or
> two, so I decided to try to fix it myself.
>
> I assume all I need to do is to take apart one of the two arms and
> put it back in at the 180 degree angle. There is a hex machine screw
> so I loosened and removed it. But now I am unable to remove the arm.
> In theory it should come out but it does not, and it looks real
> tight, could they have hammered the arm onto the crank, or does it
> require a special tool? I tried all my might, it's not coming out.
>
> Any advise?

Yes, you need a special tool (crank puller...honest!) to get it off.

What you SHOULD do is RETURN IT TO THE STORE -- not for "repair" but for a
FULL REFUND. Then go to a Local Bike Shop ("LBS") and buy an entry level
bike based on her riding style, intentions, size, budget, etc. They will
have assembled the bike correctly (and SAFELY), and will support you after
the sale.

Seriously, it's the best AND most economical way to go in the long run.

Good luck.

Bill "no wonder it felt funny" S.

[Zoot Katz]

On Thu, 05 Jan 2006 06:21:43 GMT, "Sorni" >
wrote of cranks on cranks:
\
>miamicuse wrote:
>> Just got a new bike for my wife from Toys 'R' Us, the bike was
>> preassembled by them and I paid extra for it. When my wife rode it
>> she says it feels strange and she can't seem to pedal the bike right.
\
>Bill "no wonder it felt funny" S.

And smells fishy.
Cranks are assembled at the factory. The only work the Toys 'R' Us
dufus does is attach the pedals.
--
zk

[Sorni]

Zoot Katz wrote:
> On Thu, 05 Jan 2006 06:21:43 GMT, "Sorni" >
> wrote of cranks on cranks:
> \
>> miamicuse wrote:
>>> Just got a new bike for my wife from Toys 'R' Us, the bike was
>>> preassembled by them and I paid extra for it. When my wife rode it
>>> she says it feels strange and she can't seem to pedal the bike
>>> right.
> \
>> Bill "no wonder it felt funny" S.
>
> And smells fishy.
> Cranks are assembled at the factory. The only work the Toys 'R' Us
> dufus does is attach the pedals.

Yeah, I had my doubts, too.

Bill "New Year's resolution to be more trusting? Nah!" S.

[Claire Petersky]

"Sorni" > wrote in message
...

> What you SHOULD do is RETURN IT TO THE STORE -- not for "repair" but for a
> FULL REFUND. Then go to a Local Bike Shop ("LBS") and buy an entry level
> bike based on her riding style, intentions, size, budget, etc. They will
> have assembled the bike correctly (and SAFELY), and will support you after
> the sale.
>
> Seriously, it's the best AND most economical way to go in the long run.


Bill's right. Do you want a garage ornament or something your wife will
enjoy riding? If it's the latter, return the bike to Toys R Us and get a
bike at your local bike shop.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

[Leo Lichtman]

"Claire Petersky" wrote: Bill's right. Do you want a garage ornament or
something your wife will enjoy riding? If it's the latter, return the bike
to Toys R Us and get a bike at your local bike shop.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So, let's say you DO return it to Toys R Us. They won't have a crank
puller, either--I doubt that anyone there even knows there is such a tool.
So what will they do with the bike?
1.) Send it back to the factory?
2.) Put it on the floor for some other unsuspecting person to buy?
3.) Throw it in the dumpster?

[Rich]

Leo Lichtman wrote:
^^^^
> So, let's say you DO return it to Toys R Us. They won't have a crank
> puller, either--I doubt that anyone there even knows there is such a tool.
> So what will they do with the bike?
> 1.) Send it back to the factory?
> 2.) Put it on the floor for some other unsuspecting person to buy?
> 3.) Throw it in the dumpster?

I vote #3. It's too heavy and bulky to make sending it back
worthwhile, and given the seriousness of the problem, it's unlikely
anyone would buy it and not return it, so #3 is their most cost
effective course of action.

[Tom Keats]

In article >,
"Sorni" > writes:

>> I assume all I need to do is to take apart one of the two arms and
>> put it back in at the 180 degree angle. There is a hex machine screw
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> so I loosened and removed it. But now I am unable to remove the arm.
>> In theory it should come out but it does not, and it looks real
>> tight, could they have hammered the arm onto the crank, or does it
>> require a special tool? I tried all my might, it's not coming out.
>>
>> Any advise?
>
> Yes, you need a special tool (crank puller...honest!) to get it off.

From the OP's description it sounds to me like he's dealing
with a splined crank, like that old Shimano Selecta[tm] junk
that isn't supposed to be sold anymore.

Plus I looked at the picture; the cranks aren't even at right
angles to each other as one would expect with a 'square'
crank spindle. If this bike really is inflicted with such
obsolete exotica, a crank puller won't be of any use.

There may be more robust & modern splined crank systems around,
but I doubt they'd be found on a Toys R Us Schwinn.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

[Sorni]

Tom Keats wrote:
> In article >,
> "Sorni" > writes:
>
>>> I assume all I need to do is to take apart one of the two arms and
>>> put it back in at the 180 degree angle. There is a hex machine
>>> screw
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>> so I loosened and removed it. But now I am unable to remove the
>>> arm. In theory it should come out but it does not, and it looks real
>>> tight, could they have hammered the arm onto the crank, or does it
>>> require a special tool? I tried all my might, it's not coming out.
>>>
>>> Any advise?
>>
>> Yes, you need a special tool (crank puller...honest!) to get it off.
>
> From the OP's description it sounds to me like he's dealing
> with a splined crank, like that old Shimano Selecta[tm] junk
> that isn't supposed to be sold anymore.
>
> Plus I looked at the picture; the cranks aren't even at right
> angles to each other as one would expect with a 'square'
> crank spindle. If this bike really is inflicted with such
> obsolete exotica, a crank puller won't be of any use.
>
> There may be more robust & modern splined crank systems around,
> but I doubt they'd be found on a Toys R Us Schwinn.

I was just going by his saying that he did remove the bolt and still
couldn't yank his crank...(off).

Bill "seldom used phrases" S.

[Tom Keats]

In article >,
"Sorni" > writes:

>> There may be more robust & modern splined crank systems around,
>> but I doubt they'd be found on a Toys R Us Schwinn.
>
> I was just going by his saying that he did remove the bolt and still
> couldn't yank his crank...(off).

Anyways I think your advice about getting rid of
this ... thing, and getting a real bike is right on.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

[MiamiCuse]

> Bill's right. Do you want a garage ornament or something your wife will
> enjoy riding? If it's the latter, return the bike to Toys R Us and get a
> bike at your local bike shop.
>
> --
> Warm Regards,
>
> Claire Petersky
> http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
> Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
> See the books I've set free at:
> http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

I understand what you are saying, but we are just looking to get a
utility bike to ride around the park that if it gets scratched or
stolen it does not cause a problem. I did visit some bike shops but
their price points are higher. I noticed for example a Mongoose bike
at the shop marked at $369 the same model at Toys'R'Us they are doing
it for $299 and with the after Christmas clearance sale they mark it
down 50% to $150. Sure Toys'R'Us does not have the high end stuff but
I was just looking for a low cost usable bike in this case.

MC

[jkwon19@my-deja.com]

Heh, this reminds me of an experience I had a long time ago.

Years back, before I knew better, I bought a bike from Toys R Us
through amazon.com: full suspension, $59 shipped. It was heavy like
you wouldn't believe, but I figured it would at least be a serviceable
bike to ride around the neighborhood. I assembled it, but just
couldn't get the derailleurs adjusted--it seemed like no matter what I
did, I couldn't get it to shift reliably.

I actually talked to a nice gentleman at the local Toys R Us about
possibly returning the bike at the store; he said that I would have to
arrange any returns through amazon, but since I did buy the bike from
TRU, he offered to take a crack at assembling/adjusting the bike
himself for a $10 service fee. It seemed reasonable enough, so I let
him try.

After a couple days, he called me and said he just couldn't get it
working either--he insisted the gear assembly was defective and that I
should talk to amazon about a return.

I contacted amazon, and they were willing to take the bike back and
give me a refund, no problems. Since it was such a large item, they
even sent a UPS pickup to my residence to retrieve the package! It
seemed to me that the cost of return shipping and the residential
pickup might exceed the $59 I originally paid ...

Jason

[Rich]

MiamiCuse wrote:

> I understand what you are saying, but we are just looking to get a
> utility bike to ride around the park ...
> .... Sure Toys'R'Us does not have the high end stuff but
> I was just looking for a low cost usable bike in this case.

You don't get a useable bike from Toys-R-Us. You get toys. Disposable
toys.

If you want an inexpensive bike, buy a low end trek, giant, or other
reputable brand.

Rich

[The Wogster]

wrote:
> Heh, this reminds me of an experience I had a long time ago.
>
> Years back, before I knew better, I bought a bike from Toys R Us
> through amazon.com: full suspension, $59 shipped. It was heavy like
> you wouldn't believe, but I figured it would at least be a serviceable
> bike to ride around the neighborhood. I assembled it, but just
> couldn't get the derailleurs adjusted--it seemed like no matter what I
> did, I couldn't get it to shift reliably.
>
> I actually talked to a nice gentleman at the local Toys R Us about
> possibly returning the bike at the store; he said that I would have to
> arrange any returns through amazon, but since I did buy the bike from
> TRU, he offered to take a crack at assembling/adjusting the bike
> himself for a $10 service fee. It seemed reasonable enough, so I let
> him try.
>
> After a couple days, he called me and said he just couldn't get it
> working either--he insisted the gear assembly was defective and that I
> should talk to amazon about a return.
>
> I contacted amazon, and they were willing to take the bike back and
> give me a refund, no problems. Since it was such a large item, they
> even sent a UPS pickup to my residence to retrieve the package! It
> seemed to me that the cost of return shipping and the residential
> pickup might exceed the $59 I originally paid ...
>

It might cost YOU more then the $59, it probably cost Amazon, more like
$10, high volume shippers tend to be able to get very nice discount
rates from carriers. Beside that, is something called customer good
will, your left with a nice story to tell family and friends, who might
consider buying from Amazon. If they jerk you around, your left with a
horror story, that your even more enthusiastic about telling.

W

[mark@drumbent.com]

When I was working at a LBS we had a guy come in with a new x-mart
bike. He said he couldn't "get all his gears", so we had a look at it.
The supplied rear shifter would not pull enough cable for the 7-speed
freewheel (yes, freewheel, not cassette). They had specced some
obsolete 6-speed thumbshifter for this $120 bike, and so we told the
guy the only way to get all seven speeds was to replace the shifter for
around $20. He got upset (not at us) because while $20 isn't much it
was of course a fairly high percentage of the whole bike's cost! But
that's what one gets for buying at a place that can't service what they
sell...

Mark

[Claire Petersky]

"Rich" > wrote in message
...
> MiamiCuse wrote:
>
>> I understand what you are saying, but we are just looking to get a
>> utility bike to ride around the park ...
>> .... Sure Toys'R'Us does not have the high end stuff but

You don't need high-end stuff, you just need a bike that works, right?

>> I was just looking for a low cost usable bike in this case.

It's frustrating that you can't get a useable bike at Toys-R-Us.

> You don't get a useable bike from Toys-R-Us. You get toys. Disposable
> toys.
>
> If you want an inexpensive bike, buy a low end trek, giant, or other
> reputable brand.

And it's sad to say, but Schwinn is apparently no longer a reputable brand.

Noodling around the REI outlet site, here's some ideas for your wife:
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8001&catalogId=40000008001&productId=48019428&parent_category_rn=22000179&vcat=OUTLET_HP_PP

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8001&catalogId=40000008001&productId=48022548&parent_category_rn=22000180&vcat=OUTLET_HP_PP

These bikes cost about $250, maybe more than what you spent at TRU, but they
will be ridable and will work. I'm not saying you should necessarily buy
these specific bikes from REI, but they give you an idea of the cost and
type of bike you might want to look for at the LBS.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

[MiamiCuse]

Thank you for all the reply. I took it back to TRU and they will not
take it back because it was a special clearance item and the sale is
final.

I don't have a problem of getting stuff from a local bike shop, but I
then took the bike to the local bike shop and you know what? Half
their bikes are Schwinns and the rest are Diamondback and Raleigh in
the less then $300 range. Then they have about 10 or so higher end
Cannondale that listed at over $2000, along with specialty bikes like
unicycles and tandems. They have a few Mongoose and one of those I
recognized as the same one (model, color) and TRU sells the same one
for less than half. So the local bike shop sells junk too...but at
higher price.

I let them look at the bike I got from TRU and the bike tech there took
it apart and said some idiot assembled it wrong. It was a brand new
bike and somehow they have two crank arms - one had a "diamond" hole
and one had a "square" hole. I need to buy a new left diamond hole
crank arm or a new right square hole crank arm. He quoted me $6.99 for
a new arm and $5.00 for the labor. Total charge $12.00. So my problem
is solved. Sure the bike is not a good bike but it will serve our
needs for now.

I will keep an eye out for a better bike in the longer term. It's nice
to have a better bike for normal riding and a cheap one I can take to
the park and be able to lean against the tree and walk to the other
side and play tennis for two hours and not worry about having to lock
it or someone may bump into it.

MC

[Larry Farrell]

MiamiCuse wrote:
>
[snip]
>
> I will keep an eye out for a better bike in the longer term. It's nice
> to have a better bike for normal riding and a cheap one I can take to
> the park and be able to lean against the tree and walk to the other
> side and play tennis for two hours and not worry about having to lock
> it or someone may bump into it.
>
> MC
>

You do need to be aware of the fact that people will steal even the
cheap bike if the opportunity is provided. Even a junker should be
locked when you walk away from it, unless you pretty much want to assure
having to walk home without it sooner or later.

--
Larry D. Farrell, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
Idaho State University

[Dane Buson]

MiamiCuse > wrote:
> Thank you for all the reply. I took it back to TRU and they will not
> take it back because it was a special clearance item and the sale is
> final.

Bummer.

> I don't have a problem of getting stuff from a local bike shop, but I
> then took the bike to the local bike shop and you know what? Half
> their bikes are Schwinns and the rest are Diamondback and Raleigh in
> the less then $300 range. Then they have about 10 or so higher end
> Cannondale that listed at over $2000, along with specialty bikes like
> unicycles and tandems. They have a few Mongoose and one of those I
> recognized as the same one (model, color) and TRU sells the same one
> for less than half. So the local bike shop sells junk too...but at
> higher price.

If I recall correctly, Mongoose sold to bike shops, and the Mongoose
sold to big box stores are *not* the same. It might look the same,
it might even have the same name/model number, but it would be different.
It will most likely have a different (better) set of components.

I could be wrong, especially in this particular case.

> I will keep an eye out for a better bike in the longer term. It's nice
> to have a better bike for normal riding and a cheap one I can take to
> the park and be able to lean against the tree and walk to the other
> side and play tennis for two hours and not worry about having to lock
> it or someone may bump into it.

I would advise the purchase of a cheapish cable lock. Even a crap bike
will most likely be stolen if you leave it unattended for too long.

--
Dane Buson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"He's a born-again Christian. The trouble is, he suffered
brain damage during rebirth." -Anonymous

[Brian Huntley]

MiamiCuse wrote:
> I let them look at the bike I got from TRU and the bike tech there took
> it apart and said some idiot assembled it wrong. It was a brand new
> bike and somehow they have two crank arms - one had a "diamond" hole
> and one had a "square" hole. I need to buy a new left diamond hole
> crank arm or a new right square hole crank arm. He quoted me $6.99 for
> a new arm and $5.00 for the labor. Total charge $12.00. So my problem
> is solved. Sure the bike is not a good bike but it will serve our
> needs for now.

One thing I don't understand is that you paid TRU to assemble it - and
they didn't do it properly. You should at least get that money back
from them.

If it were me, I'd be standing there in their store with a placard on,
describing their unacceptable actions to anyone within earshot until
they made good. They sold you something unsafe, after all.

[Sorni]

Brian Huntley wrote:
> MiamiCuse wrote:
>> I let them look at the bike I got from TRU and the bike tech there
>> took it apart and said some idiot assembled it wrong. It was a
>> brand new bike and somehow they have two crank arms - one had a
>> "diamond" hole and one had a "square" hole. I need to buy a new
>> left diamond hole crank arm or a new right square hole crank arm.
>> He quoted me $6.99 for a new arm and $5.00 for the labor. Total
>> charge $12.00. So my problem is solved. Sure the bike is not a
>> good bike but it will serve our needs for now.
>
> One thing I don't understand is that you paid TRU to assemble it - and
> they didn't do it properly. You should at least get that money back
> from them.
>
> If it were me, I'd be standing there in their store with a placard on,
> describing their unacceptable actions to anyone within earshot until
> they made good. They sold you something unsafe, after all.

Well, it cost him all of 12 bucks to get it fixed, so would it really be
worth it? (I agree about asking for a refund, however; or at least
reimbursement of the $12.)

Best course of action now? Ride the living CRAP out of that thing.

Bill "pragmatist" S.

[Leo Lichtman]

"Sorni" wrote: (clip) Well, it cost him all of 12 bucks to get it fixed, so
would it really be worth it? (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If I were in Miamicuse's position, I would consider the $12 well spent, and
not go back to Toys R Us. They will be very unlikely to give you ANYTHING
back, so you"ll be angry for about a day and a half. Is the principle worth
it? I'd say no. Is the $12 worth it? I say no again.