Loosing crank

Hello

I’m new here. I have Strida until 2 months and yet some problems:

First, most important is loose pedal crank opposite to belt. I try to screw it with 8mm hexagon socket screw key, but unless I hard screw it, it loose after about 2-4km. Repairman said it could be permanent. What I would suppose to do with it? I’m affraid to ride, because bike is theoreticaly on warranty period.

Second problem is strange sound when I ride during the rain. It sounds like metal-stone grind. Is it normal?

Thank you for any help.

Hello Barbarzyciel,

welcome,
I’m indeed sorry that you’ve trouble with your new Strida.

May I ask where you bought the bike?

http://www.strida.pl/strida/JAK_KUPIC.html
That’s the general distributor of Poland and he should be able to help you.

The crank should be tightened relatively hard, does your repairman have a torque wrench?
(The recommended torque for the 8 mm Allen crank bolt is 40 Nm.)

Maybe the strange sound is coming from the wet belt, rubbing against the flanges of the beltwheel or freewheel?
Is the sound gone if you stop pedaling?

Thank you for help. I bought my strida from second degree detalic distributor (lowelek.pl/kategoria82/strida.html). They informed me that only service in Poland is in Warsaw.

I ask repairman to tighten it, and he done it, but I made about 10 km on tighten crank and everything started to falling apart again.

I affraid that when I will hand bike over to service, they only would screw it hard and they would give it to me back without checking what is real reason of this loosening.

About sound - it is very metalic. I though it would be sand particles, but why it’s only when it rains, I don’t know.

I guess you’re not able to visit Warsaw?

Your problem was discussed with my bike-mechanic today.
He meant if once the square hole in the crank and/or the square part of the crankshaft is/are damaged or deformed,
(for what initial reason ever) it will be not possible to tighten the crank properly.
Due to the originated backlash between crank and crankshaft it will get loose again and again.

Could you please unmount the crank and check the square hole and the square part of the crankshaft?

If you cannot find signs of wearout, you might try to secure the crank bolt with a bolt adhesive.
Commonly there are two types of bolt adhesive in use:
A. The (usually blue) type - which is removable.
B. The red type - which is very hard to remove (removable only when heat is applied).

If you try that, please use the blue, removable type only (for example Loctite).

Sorry, I’ve no idea for the sound, what about our rain and snow riders, any help?

Thanks for idea.

I took crank into pieces. Shaft in my opinion is OK. Square hole has no evident twists or deformations, but I find it suspicious. There is to much casting outside the hole Unfortunetly I haven’t any tools to check fitness. When I put it on shaft it barely move inside.

I ask my mountainbiker friend what I have to do. He propose me to drive whole pedal on the shaft with hammer, then screw crank by bolt. I told him, it could be too radical - Strida have different construction. But now I start to think, it isn’t such a bad idea…

If you do not use a steel hammer (recommendable would be a hard plastic or wooden hammer) and put a block of wood below the opposite crank at the center of the axle, I believe that would not be too radical.
Maybe your friend could assist you to prevent the bike from slipping away.

Good luck, please let us know about your experience. :slight_smile:

I experience the same, it is just mud (sand particles) that sticks to the brake pads and slightly touches the disc brakes.

With such small wheels, the distance between the ground and some important mechanical parts (brakes, freewheel :imp:,… ) is so short that they suffer a lot from rain riding.

Service in progress…

Waiting for results