Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

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torrens
Posts: 28
Joined: 15 Mar 2012, 11:51am

Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by torrens »

I've just noticed a small crack near the square taper on the LH crank of my 2002 Dawes Audax fixed/ss. The crank feels absolutely secure and I've even been riding it occasionally out of the saddle when climbing with no noises or other issues whatsoever. The bike is currently geared to around 70 inches.
When I converted the bike to fixed/ss about a decade ago I'm positive I'll have torqued the crank bolts to spec. Just looked it up - 30 ft lbs.
The first thing I did when noticing the crack was to tell myself that it was just a scratch but when that didn't work I set my torque wrench to spec and checked the LH crankbolt's tightness. The bolt started to tighten way before I thought we were anywhere near 30 ft lbs, hmm. As soon as the bolt started to turn I stopped tightening.
I've now just removed the crank and taken the attached photos. It's definitely a crack and now I'm in a quandary. Can I just put it back on and snug it up? Not sure I'd get it to 30 ft lbs but it was working just fine. Or do I have to try and source a replacement? I've got a nasty recollection that these parts weren't cheap a decade ago and I also had some trouble at the time sourcing everything i wanted from White Industries. I'm disappointed that a top dollar item has seemingly failed like this.
Any advice/opinions gratefully received especially regarding how it may fail if I carry on using it; a gently increasing wobble with perhaps noise (limp home mode?) might be acceptable but if there's any chance of a sudden catastrophic failure when one is giving it 'full berries' out of the saddle then I suppose i should bin it pronto, sob. And if you've got a spare White Industries ENO LH crank 170mm in black/brown (JIS taper) then I'd love to make you an offer for it.
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torrens
Posts: 28
Joined: 15 Mar 2012, 11:51am

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by torrens »

One more photo:
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simonineaston
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Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by simonineaston »

Yikes! I feel your pain... item still in warranty period?
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
torrens
Posts: 28
Joined: 15 Mar 2012, 11:51am

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by torrens »

Thanks for the sympathy; I wish i hadn't noticed the blinkin' thing now! As I say above, if I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have suspected a problem at all. The crank is (well, it was before I took it off...) absolutely solid on the taper.
Unfortunately, I bought the cranks ca. a decade ago and the current warranty is 1 year i think.
hamster
Posts: 4131
Joined: 2 Feb 2007, 12:42pm

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by hamster »

Surprising it's gone on the crank side not the opposite, where I've usually seen cranks fail. As such it's probably going to fail more gracefully and gradually than one where the crank would suddenly fall off or snap midway. I'd certainly monitor it monthly and attempt to drill a stop hole at the crack tip.

If it were mine I'd probably then keep riding it until I heard the warning of creaking or loosening.
Other people will tell you that your life is in immediate danger.

Either way, the great thing about advice is that you can ignore it. :D
the snail
Posts: 334
Joined: 5 Aug 2011, 3:11pm

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by the snail »

No way would I ride that. Every chance it will fail suddenly and injure/kill you. You've had your moneysworth, time for a new crankset.
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Trigger
Posts: 1459
Joined: 6 Aug 2010, 11:54am
Location: Derby/Notts

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by Trigger »

I'd just buy a cheap black 170mm left crank and match it as best I could. Better than forking out for both.

Edit: Plenty to choose from

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... left+crank
iandusud
Posts: 1577
Joined: 26 Mar 2018, 1:35pm

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by iandusud »

Sorry to read that. TBH I would no way ride that on a fixed gear as if it does fail it's likely to be when you're piling it on up a hill. The consequences don't bear thinking about. :shock:
Brucey
Posts: 44529
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by Brucey »

currently, similar ENO cranks are not to be had used on ebay . But they must come up from time to time; a set went for just £55 last month.

BTW I just took a look at WI's webpage and they don't say if these cranks are forged or CNC machined from billet. If the latter this isn't such a good way of making durable cranks.

FWIW it doesn't look as if the crank has been moving around on the taper, but the crack will only grow from where it is now and the endgame won't be pretty.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
pwa
Posts: 17371
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by pwa »

Chances are that you are going to splash out on a replacement at some time in the next year or two, so why not bite the bullet and do that now, and by doing that remove the possibility of mishap?
torrens
Posts: 28
Joined: 15 Mar 2012, 11:51am

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by torrens »

Thanks all above for the helpful advice. And a special thanks to trigger for the ebay link. I see that i can get an "alloy" (hopefully aluminium 'cos steel's an alloy too innit? You've got to be careful on ebay!) for the princely sum of £10.99 inc. postage or, if i'm feeling especially parsimonious, I could get a steel one (please shoot me) for £7 inc postage.
I was straight on ebay too Brucey but, as you say, nothing at the mo. But thanks for looking.
However, Sideways Cycles will sell me a brand new pair of the genuine items for... £215, correction £220 (black's a fiver extra, of course it is).
I'm pretty sure that the crank's machined from billet because i distinctly recall thinking to myself at the time I bought them, "Why am I paying (for me) an eye watering sum for a pair of cranks which are neither forged nor hollow?" I think it must've been because I was so impressed by White Industries' freewheel sprockets and by their eccentric rear hub, both of which I also used on the Dawes.

I've emailed White Industries and explained my predicament. Fingers crossed on that front.

My wife's just come into my office and asked why there's a 'bicycle pedal' on my desk. After explaining the issue to her she said, "Will the ebay crank not work as well as the American one at twenty times the price?" I replied that it would work just as well and then struggled to justify why I was even considering buying the genuine ones. "But this crank is a thing of beauty don't you think?" I said holding it up to her whilst concealing the grotty Shimano 105 pedal still attached to it in my hand. She just tutted and wandered out.
Come to think of it, it isn't such a beautiful thing if it isn't forged prior to finish machining is it? So on that note I'll end my waffle and buy an alloy one from fleabay tout de suite. But I just know that from now on every time I swing a leg over my Dawes Audax that not quite matching el-cheapo LH crank will annoy me!
cycle tramp
Posts: 3532
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by cycle tramp »

torrens wrote:Come to think of it, it isn't such a beautiful thing if it isn't forged prior to finish machining is it? So on that note I'll end my waffle and buy an alloy one from fleabay tout de suite. But I just know that from now on every time I swing a leg over my Dawes Audax that not quite matching el-cheapo LH crank will annoy me!


Yep, but only for a month or so... then you'll get used to it.. and then in a year or so, you'll look at the bike and think, did I really spend that for a pair of cranks? From then on it's a spiral downwards as you try and squeeze ever more 'cycle miles' from the money you spend on bike equipment...

...if it helps show your wife the cost of the replacement crank, and use the price difference between that and the crank you bought from ebay to treat her to a really nice meal
Motorhead: god was never on your sidehttps://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=m ... +your+side
Brucey
Posts: 44529
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by Brucey »

torrens wrote:... "But this crank is a thing of beauty don't you think?" I said holding it up to her whilst concealing the grotty Shimano 105 pedal still attached to it in my hand. She just tutted and wandered out.
Come to think of it, it isn't such a beautiful thing if it isn't forged prior to finish machining is it? So on that note I'll end my waffle and buy an alloy one from fleabay tout de suite. But I just know that from now on every time I swing a leg over my Dawes Audax that not quite matching el-cheapo LH crank will annoy me!


beauty is as beauty does....?

FWIW some folk turn cranks like that into 'feature' doorhandles. However this might not be greeted with enthusiasm by significant (tutting) others....

BTW most LBSs keep a box of odd LH cranks. You almost certainly won't find an ENO crank but you might find a reasonable match.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tiberius
Posts: 799
Joined: 31 Dec 2014, 8:45am
Location: North East England

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by Tiberius »

torrens wrote: I've emailed White Industries and explained my predicament. Fingers crossed on that front.
!


A couple of years ago I had an issue with a WI 'ENO' freewheel. They were absolutely brilliant at sorting it - personal emails/names/contact numbers etc. My whole issue could have been closed down without the input of WI if the UK dealer who I bought the item from had accepted responsibility for repair but wouldn't. Fortunately WI did and sent a replacement (USA to UK) without hesitation.

I lit a cigar...A 'Condor' moment..... :roll:
torrens
Posts: 28
Joined: 15 Mar 2012, 11:51am

Re: Is my expensive White Industries crank toast?

Post by torrens »

Many thanks for that encouraging info. Tiberius. One lives in hope!
I'll hold the thought in my head that a complimentary ENO crank might just be winging its way to me whilst I'm fitting my grotty new fleabay special crank to my Dawes Audax. It should make the task much less unpleasant. Thanks again.
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