mtb stiff crank

[pano amo]

Have what I think may be a problem with my lapierre mtb bike. Its been sat in cold garage for the last month and while giving it a warm-up yesterday and some essential oils, I noticed the crank is really stiff. It doesnt seem to hamper pedalling too much but if I back pedal or rotate it back when standing, its quite stiff and not wanting to move, theres no play in it. It was in for its first service some months back at Evans and they had the crank off to lubricate it. Any ideas what is causing this? Something I can do easily or best left to the professionals?

[P-Jay]

Same thing has happened to me a few times and most of my riding mates, it's probably just stiff from sitting idle in the cold. Mine's always freed up after 20-30 mins of riding, I'd take it for a blast if it the same when you get back then consider taking somewhere.

[Jameshs]

The grease have gotten cold and hardened up. Should free up after a ride though

[pano amo]

Thanks guys. I used to keep it in the house but the missus made me put it in the garage. Should have put her in the garage

[Jameshs]

pano amo said:

Thanks guys. I used to keep it in the house but the missus made me put it in the garage. Should have put her in the garage

Thats always an option lol

[Parrot of Doom]

Dismantle it and find the cause. Maybe Evans didn't replace the seals correctly, and water ingress has caused corrosion and early failure. Or maybe the grease has frozen.

I know which of the two is the cheaper option in the long run.

[RickIV]

Turn the bike upside down with the seatpost removed. My Lapierre frame gradually fills up with water over time which collects in the BB . Lapierre also fit low quality press-fit BB's so they dont last long even if treated well. Removing the crank and re-greasing may help but dont try to remove the seals as they crack easily.

[pano amo]

RickIV said:

Turn the bike upside down with the seatpost removed. My Lapierre frame gradually fills up with water over time which collects in the BB . Lapierre also fit low quality press-fit BB's so they dont last long even if treated well. Removing the crank and re-greasing may help but dont try to remove the seals as they crack easily.

What is a BB?

[Parrot of Doom]

The bottom bracket, the part of the bike the crank turns inside.

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Tuesday 4th January 19:33

[pano amo]

RickIV said:

Turn the bike upside down with the seatpost removed. My Lapierre frame gradually fills up with water over time which collects in the BB . Lapierre also fit low quality press-fit BB's so they dont last long even if treated well. Removing the crank and re-greasing may help but dont try to remove the seals as they crack easily.

Should I look at getting a better BB then? If so can you recommend one not too expensive. My other £300 basic mountain bike out in the flippin shed all winter is of course working perfectly

[Furberger]

pano amo said:

RickIV said:

Turn the bike upside down with the seatpost removed. My Lapierre frame gradually fills up with water over time which collects in the BB . Lapierre also fit low quality press-fit BB's so they dont last long even if treated well. Removing the crank and re-greasing may help but dont try to remove the seals as they crack easily.

Should I look at getting a better BB then? If so can you recommend one not too expensive. My other £300 basic mountain bike out in the flippin shed all winter is of course working perfectly

Yeah, try and find an Agni BB if you can

Who is the crank made by? The hollowtech II BB's get ste between the crank and the BB shell and get a bit stiff. Can usually be eliminated with some oil or by removing the BB to clean it.

[zebedee]

I would agree with going and giving it a ride for an hour or so somewhere not too steep, keep a low gear so you get plenty of spinning. I was all ready to get a new BB for my Salsa as the BB was outrageously stiff, wouldn't even spin backwards once you released it, but only realised this at the start of a ride - by the end of the ride it was fine! If it has gone stiff from being cold and non-use, far more likely than something mechanical happening.

[shalmaneser]

RickIV said:

Turn the bike upside down with the seatpost removed. My Lapierre frame gradually fills up with water over time which collects in the BB . Lapierre also fit low quality press-fit BB's so they dont last long even if treated well. Removing the crank and re-greasing may help but dont try to remove the seals as they crack easily.

The press fit BBs ('BB30')are the new international standard BBs, expect to see a lot of them as they're cheaper to manufacture for bike companies and BB makers alike. They have their advantages too, it's not just a cheap option.

As for the OPs problem it could well be that the BB is full of water, I've seen it before and will see it again - try doing as suggested and flipping the bike upside down with the seatpost out.

It's a good idea to drill a hole (3/4mm) in the BB shell to let the water out, but it may affect your warranty, although I'd be surprised if it did. The bearings themselves are not serviceable, you need to buy new ones if they're knackered and look after them a bit better!

[RickIV]

Mine loosened off after a ride and has been ok for a few months so you might be lucky. See how much water your frame has collected first

The crank is Hollowtech 2 and the only upgrade BB i have found is this:

http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id256.html

The guys on the Lapierre forum recommend them

[pano amo]

Thanks RickIV. I saw this on another forum, maybe it was you who posted it? I emailed the company to ask them what BB tool they supply to remove it should I need to but they didnt respond. Can believe the price of press fit bottom bracket removal tools! And I'd rather not take the caveman approach to it either as some have done.

[shalmaneser]

pano amo said:

Thanks RickIV. I saw this on another forum, maybe it was you who posted it? I emailed the company to ask them what BB tool they supply to remove it should I need to but they didnt respond. Can believe the price of press fit bottom bracket removal tools! And I'd rather not take the caveman approach to it either as some have done.

Hit it with a hammer, it really is fine. They pop right out.

If you want to be fussy then get the frame faced before you put in the new one, and use (or make with a bit of threaded bar and some big washers) a bearing pulley for the new one. Doesn't really matter if you fvck up the old one anyway, not that you will.

Or get a bike shop to do it, think we charge £20 which isn't too bad.

[pano amo]

Sounds like a good idea, that pulley bar. What do you mean by getting the frame faced?

[shalmaneser]

Frame facing

Basically ensuring that the faces of the BB are parallel to each other and free of paint etc, gives the bearings an easier time and ensures linger life.

probably worth drilling the BB at the same time.

[a11y_m]

The pressfit BB on my Spicy was dead after a few rides, down to water ingress killing the bearings. I use the Lapierre owners club forum and seems to be a common issue there. I’ve stuck some electrical tape to seal the slot in the frame at the seat clamp as it could be a source for water to get in. The plastic tube linking the BB bearings should stop water reaching the bearings, but it always seems to find a way in.

I invested in the correct removal tool (Park Tools BBT-90, £20ish) and already had a headset press (the Cyclus one around £30) to refit them. But I’ve gone with the steel BB from Enduro, now fitted but yet to be tested.

I certainly wouldn't drill my BB frame, especially under warranty. Given that quite a few Lapierre frames had snapping issues, I'd not want to invalidate my warranty. I do agree that a small draining hole would help though.

O/T but who else here uses www.lapierreownersclub.com/forum ?

[zebedee]

Re: water ingress. When you wash your bike after every ride, as of course you do, whip the seat post out, leave the bike upside down and put the seatpost back in next time you ride it. Thats what my LBS told me to do (and I do, some of the time!)