> Anyone know of a shop in the area that will re-tap some old cranks for > me? I called a couple places today and they said they cant due to > insurance issues or something like that....anyone? > > Or, alternately...if you ahve a set of pedal taps...I will make you > scones for the service... Why do the cranks need to be re-threaded? Sight-unseen it's tough to know what's going on and what to advise you, but you certainly don't want to try to re-thread something in which the original threads have been torn out . --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

>> Why do the cranks need to be re-threaded? Sight-unseen it's tough to know >> what's going on and what to advise you, but you certainly don't want to >> try >> to re-thread something in which the original threads have been torn out . >> >> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycleswww.ChainReactionBicycles.com > > They are older Mavic's which have 1/2 inch holes. I know that it is > possible and reasonable to make them 9/16ths...I just cant find a shop > here that will do it... Now I see the problem. Most taps, well, actually, *any* tap a shop is likely to have isn't made to do that job. You'd first have to drill out the original hole to a larger size, then tap it. Which is *extremely* bad news for a non-piloted tap, since you might end up cutting the new threads at a bit of an angle. Any shop taking a normal 9/16 tap and trying to do the job is likely to destroy your crank arm. Thankfully, the shops you've dealt with have apparently recognized that. One other consideration is whether the crank was made the same way for 1/2 and 9/16 threads, but with a different hole. If so, drilling & tapping should work, if done correctly. If not, if there's not enough metal, your crank arm could snap. That would be serious bad news. --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

>> Now I see the problem. Most taps, well, actually, *any* tap a shop is >> likely >> to have isn't made to do that job. > > Would this not be an acceptable tool? > > http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?ID=634 Read the description on Park's website- http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=27&item=TAP-6 "Clean out or restore damaged threads in crank arms with these pedal taps." *Not* the right tool for the job. Those taps, like 99.999% of the taps you'll find in a bike shop, are designed to, as it says, "clean out" or "restore" existing threads. They're not meant to cut new threads in virgin material, nor are they designed to start at one size (1/2") and enlarge to another (9/16"). --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReactionBicycles.com