[palmermtb]

Looking for a pair of 165mm cranks. My wife accidentally ran over my son's 24" mountain bike and luckily the only thing that broke were the cranks. The cranks are 160mm Truvativ IsoFlow triples 44-32-22.

I've called every bike shop in Phoenix and everybody from Sram to Specialized and no one can find a pair of these tiny little cranks. These little cranks were really high quality and really rare. Anyway, I figure 165mm cranks would be easier to find. Any help would be appreciated. Cheers

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

Some ideas here...
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=3...searchFrom10=&searchTo10=&gobutnsearch=Search

 

[palmermtb]

Great lead

Bikinfool - Great lead/link. Most of those are road and the rest are pretty expensive for what they are. I'm starting to realize that this may cost me more than I thought. Small cranks don't necessarily mean small price I guess. Thanks very much.

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

How old is your son? What are his height and inseam? Knowing more might yield some ideas for you...too bad SRAM couldn't help you (assume the Truvativ was from before SRAM took them over?).

 

[palmermtb]

Thanks for asking. My son is 11 years old and is 4' 8". His inseam is 27'. His bike is a 24" wheeled 11" framed Specialized. I've talk to a few folks around town and they tell me that I should just put a 170mm crank on his bike. They tell me it shouldn't be a big deal since he's a kid. I'm kinda leaning that way. He just rides the bike to school and on weekends with me. We ride pretty tame trails. What do you think? Thanks again for the help.

 

[MillerSHO]

As long as the ground clearance is acceptable I say go for it.

At the very worst he may just find himself one gear lower then he usually is given the same terrain.

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

Clearance would be somewhat reduced, while cornering especially, but given his inseam length (and is that a cycling inseam or clothing inseam measurement?), I'd think he'd be okay with a 170. I take it you inspected the bike for frame damage; if enough force was imparted to "break" the crankset (did they snap, bend, or what?), the frame might have been damaged too. He might also be getting to the point of needing a larger bike soon too, rather than just thinking about a new crankset...

 

[vitaccop]

ebay or jensonusa.com are some other places to check.

 

[gnome1979]

I would most likely trash that bike...seriously if a crank arm broke or bent there is most likely something else very wrong with it. Find him a nice 05 or 06 leftover bike at a shop 26" wheel 13 or 14 inch frame and play it safe.

 

[palmermtb]

Cranks replaced and bike is running smooth

Thanks guys. I did inspect the frame with a very bright light and couldn't find any hairline cracks in the frame joints (ie bottom bracket, seat tube, reat stays and head tube joints). The bike also looks straight as viewed from the top. I should explain that the only part of the crank that was busted was the spider and rings. Unfortunately, the spider was not replaceable. The arms actually look straight. The pedals weren't damaged either. We really got lucky considering how badly it could've damaged the van and the bike.

Anyway, I went ahead and put on a set of 170mm cranks that I got from my LBS for 30 bucks. My son was really happy with that because I told him he would have to pay for the damage with his allowance. BTW, he gets 1 dollar per day. The cranks are Black SunRace model that look exactly like his old set. I put them on and I didn't have to adjust a thing. I just put them on with the old pedals and the thing worked like nothing had happened. Nice!!

I watched him pedal around the street for a while and thought his pedaling circle looked normal. His knee comes up a little more than I remember but I think the 170's are actually better for him since he isn't a spinner he needs all the help he can get to get up those washes. The longer cranks will give him more leverage.

BTW, I also rode the bike myself and couldn't feel or see any misalignments. I am sure I looked like a clown on a mini bike.

I really appreciate your time and inputs guys. Thanks again

 

[smithy]

Glad you got the bike back together. But hold on a minute - your wife runs over the bike and causes damage, and your son has to pay for the damage out of his allowance?! Surely the person who caused the damage should cough up and pay for the damage?

 

[palmermtb]

Good point. I thought about this myself initially but I figured if I went after the wife it would be more expensive in the long run since I would've had to go find a nice hotel room for the night or two.

Besides, kids needs to suffer a little bit now and again. It's good for them and it builds character. ;-) Cheers

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

My parents would do the same thing, i.e. if we left the bike where it didn't belong, like in the driveway, we would pay for it should it get run over (didn't happen to me but I think my brother had that experience).