MTB Maintenance - work on chainset question

[Phal]

Ive edited this to remove the part where I was just going mental/blind


Slightly different subject - I have looked on Wiggle to see prices for some replacement chainsets and it doesn't seem very clear exactly what you get when you buy one. Do you get the spindle and bearings etc with the chainset when you buy it? Or do those have to be sourced separately? Are the inner workings all pretty much the same size?

 

[Jonny ///M]

Most modern chainsets have external bearings and are a two piece design. This means that the axle is actually part of one of the crank arms.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Shimano_Deore_FC-M590_9-Speed_Chainset/5360052594/ This would come with everything you need to fit it.

Anything that says ISIS, Square taper or Octalink will be for 3 piece cranks with a seperate bottom bracket.

That is square taper and would require cranks and the bottom bracket to be bought seperately.

That is a 2 piece crank and the axle is part of the driveside crank and also comes with a bottom bracket that fits both a 68 and a 73mm shell. Easy to fit aswell.

http://www.bikemagic.com/maintenance/fitting-hollowtech-ii-cranks/3914.html

The newer style cranks are better because they fit most bikes out of the box, the bearings are bigger due to being external to the bottom bracket shell and you don't have to mess about with axle lengths.

 

[Phal]

Thanks

So presumably when you choose a new Chainset (crank arms and bottom bracket) all you really need to worry about is whether they suit your needs? Or are there some that are only for one size or another (68mm or 73mm)?