help with crank removal!!

edit tried to heat these too didnt work

Hit it whith a hammer

Get a rubber mallet and wack the side of the crank (around the spindle), and then smak em off.
A rubber mallet makes everything easier

Try one of these http://www.parktool.com/product/crank-puller-for-splined-cranks-ccp-44

Get this.

I use a rubber mallet on my twombolts just a nice soft tap and it pops right off. Just keep tapping if it dont come off dont hit it so hard it bend or dents something.

JPond53 wrote:

Try one of these http://www.parktool.com/product/crank-puller-for-splined-cranks-ccp-44

JPond53 wrote:

Try one of these http://www.parktool.com/product/crank-puller-for-splined-cranks-ccp-44

...more

DON'T get one of these, they won't work with the Thunderbolts.

Beat it with a rubber hammer or block of wood, use a lot of force too. It'll come off, mine are usually pretty hard to take off too and that's all I have to do.

INCASE you are googling this and come across this thread, BUNNYHOP REVERSING your front foot a couple of times and I guarantee they will pop right off. Be ready for what feels like a slipped pedal but the stuck crank will come off.

If you are gonna take them off and you know ahead of time, loosen the bolt a little bit and go for a ride. they will almost always break free during the ride. Don't throw a 360 flyout though, just a ride.

If you must take it off without riding the bike, Get a hex bolt from home depot the size that fits in the end of the crank and use the head of the bolt and a hammer. It will push directly on the spindle and slowly but surely knock the crank off the cluster.

These are difficult cranks to remove when stuck but these two methods are fool proof.

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

...more

Sorry man, too many people look this up only to find a thread that provides no actual answer.

goomba wrote:

Sorry man, too many people look this up only to find a thread that provides no actual answer.

goomba wrote:

Sorry man, too many people look this up only to find a thread that provides no actual answer.

...more

this WAS answered you fucking retard

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

...more

Not to mention his answers are going to fucking DESTROY your cranks. You never loosen cranks by riding them off EVER. Not mountain bike, not road cycling, not BMX! You will FOR SURE destroy something, and although it may not look like it, I guarantee your crank arms will never stay tight again. If your crank arms are old hitting them with a mallet evenly will get them off but if you care about your crank arms then you’re going to want to actually use a crank puller. Those crank pullers are part of the reason I still use pinch bolt cranks, because those pullers are tiny and easy to lose not to mention they cost like $25

The whole point of thunderbolts was that they never get 'crank wobble'. So the reverse hop thing is a known proven method. No need to ride around the 'hood with them loose though. Unless i guess if someone installed them six years ago and didn't use grease or something. lol

but they'll never get crank wobble...

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

...more

goomba wrote:

Sorry man, too many people look this up only to find a thread that provides no actual answer.

goomba wrote:

Sorry man, too many people look this up only to find a thread that provides no actual answer.

...more

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

...more

Yeah because mashing it with a mallet till your hand goes numb is an actual answer. I've literally hit a pair of these with a mallet with no luck, took it to a bike shop only to watch the head mechanic mash it even harder with no luck. The reverse bolt head trick is an actual solution that cost less than, and is more accessible than a puller you "fucking retard".

pnj wrote:

The whole point of thunderbolts was that they never get 'crank wobble'. So the reverse hop thing is a known proven method. No ...more

pnj wrote:

The whole point of thunderbolts was that they never get 'crank wobble'. So the reverse hop thing is a known proven method. No need to ride around the 'hood with them loose though. Unless i guess if someone installed them six years ago and didn't use grease or something. lol

but they'll never get crank wobble...

...more

Exactly, riding then off is a last ditch effort, I would definitely bunny hop them off way before i rode them off.

goomba wrote:

Sorry man, too many people look this up only to find a thread that provides no actual answer.

goomba wrote:

Sorry man, too many people look this up only to find a thread that provides no actual answer.

...more

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

...more

HavokDJ wrote:

Not to mention his answers are going to fucking DESTROY your cranks. You never loosen cranks by riding them off EVER. Not ...more

HavokDJ wrote:

Not to mention his answers are going to fucking DESTROY your cranks. You never loosen cranks by riding them off EVER. Not mountain bike, not road cycling, not BMX! You will FOR SURE destroy something, and although it may not look like it, I guarantee your crank arms will never stay tight again. If your crank arms are old hitting them with a mallet evenly will get them off but if you care about your crank arms then you’re going to want to actually use a crank puller. Those crank pullers are part of the reason I still use pinch bolt cranks, because those pullers are tiny and easy to lose not to mention they cost like $25

...more

The thunderbolts have a cluster of plates that slip as soon it breaks the tension. You are not gonna fuck up this kind of crank by bunnyhopping it for 30 seconds. The absolute moment the crank has broke tension a tiny bit, the weight from your body shoots it off. It's not gonna "warp" beyond use and thats the entire fucking point of the cluster, to prevent wobble or loosening from even being possible in the first place. Y'all are aggressively uninformed sheesh man.

goomba wrote:

Yeah because mashing it with a mallet till your hand goes numb is an actual answer. I've literally hit a pair of these with a ...more

goomba wrote:

Yeah because mashing it with a mallet till your hand goes numb is an actual answer. I've literally hit a pair of these with a mallet with no luck, took it to a bike shop only to watch the head mechanic mash it even harder with no luck. The reverse bolt head trick is an actual solution that cost less than, and is more accessible than a puller you "fucking retard".

...more

Then you're both hitting like a little bitch cause a rubber mallet or a block of wood + a hammer and a couple good hits will take them off no problem, and if not, a little bit of WD40 will fix that. I've never once had Wom/Twom/Thunderbolts be so hard to get off that my hands went numb. If you grease or put anti-seize on them like you're supposed to, they won't get stuck that bad.

Your revolutionary idea of the reverse footing bunnyhop has been given in many other threads, fuck out of here with your r/iamverysmart "Y'all are aggressively uninformed" dumbass thinking you saved the day or something

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

...more

goomba wrote:

Yeah because mashing it with a mallet till your hand goes numb is an actual answer. I've literally hit a pair of these with a ...more

goomba wrote:

Yeah because mashing it with a mallet till your hand goes numb is an actual answer. I've literally hit a pair of these with a mallet with no luck, took it to a bike shop only to watch the head mechanic mash it even harder with no luck. The reverse bolt head trick is an actual solution that cost less than, and is more accessible than a puller you "fucking retard".

...more

sundaybmxRR wrote:

Then you're both hitting like a little bitch cause a rubber mallet or a block of wood + a hammer and a couple good hits will ...more

sundaybmxRR wrote:

Then you're both hitting like a little bitch cause a rubber mallet or a block of wood + a hammer and a couple good hits will take them off no problem, and if not, a little bit of WD40 will fix that. I've never once had Wom/Twom/Thunderbolts be so hard to get off that my hands went numb. If you grease or put anti-seize on them like you're supposed to, they won't get stuck that bad.

Your revolutionary idea of the reverse footing bunnyhop has been given in many other threads, fuck out of here with your r/iamverysmart "Y'all are aggressively uninformed" dumbass thinking you saved the day or something

...more

My bad that I replied to the supreme keeper of this forum, You're actually a fucking weirdo. Where on this whole damn website did anybody mention using a hex bolt head.

goomba wrote:

My bad that I replied to the supreme keeper of this forum, You're actually a fucking weirdo. Where on this whole damn website ...more

goomba wrote:

My bad that I replied to the supreme keeper of this forum, You're actually a fucking weirdo. Where on this whole damn website did anybody mention using a hex bolt head.

...more

Been a member for almost a year and you decide to grave dig a thread with a shit shovel for your first posts.. #coronabored

goomba wrote:

My bad that I replied to the supreme keeper of this forum, You're actually a fucking weirdo. Where on this whole damn website ...more

goomba wrote:

My bad that I replied to the supreme keeper of this forum, You're actually a fucking weirdo. Where on this whole damn website did anybody mention using a hex bolt head.

...more

probably in another thread that you overlooked when you decided to be the hero of all mankind by bumping this thread. So you wanna eat babies by the lake later and discuss crank removing methods?

edit: just noticed you're from Alabama, wanna make out with our relatives instead?

sundaybmxRR wrote:

Then you're both hitting like a little bitch cause a rubber mallet or a block of wood + a hammer and a couple good hits will ...more

sundaybmxRR wrote:

Then you're both hitting like a little bitch cause a rubber mallet or a block of wood + a hammer and a couple good hits will take them off no problem, and if not, a little bit of WD40 will fix that. I've never once had Wom/Twom/Thunderbolts be so hard to get off that my hands went numb. If you grease or put anti-seize on them like you're supposed to, they won't get stuck that bad.

Your revolutionary idea of the reverse footing bunnyhop has been given in many other threads, fuck out of here with your r/iamverysmart "Y'all are aggressively uninformed" dumbass thinking you saved the day or something

...more

goomba wrote:

My bad that I replied to the supreme keeper of this forum, You're actually a fucking weirdo. Where on this whole damn website ...more

goomba wrote:

My bad that I replied to the supreme keeper of this forum, You're actually a fucking weirdo. Where on this whole damn website did anybody mention using a hex bolt head.

...more

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

Been a member for almost a year and you decide to grave dig a thread with a shit shovel for your first posts.. #coronabored

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

Been a member for almost a year and you decide to grave dig a thread with a shit shovel for your first posts.. #coronabored

...more

This thread is the literal top result for "how to remove thunderbolt cranks" and fucking sucks. Whatever dude, Clearly you guys would rather random people take a fucking hammer to their 200 dollar cranks then just read the actual answer.

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

sundaybmxRR wrote:

this WAS answered you fucking retard

...more

goomba wrote:

Yeah because mashing it with a mallet till your hand goes numb is an actual answer. I've literally hit a pair of these with a ...more

goomba wrote:

Yeah because mashing it with a mallet till your hand goes numb is an actual answer. I've literally hit a pair of these with a mallet with no luck, took it to a bike shop only to watch the head mechanic mash it even harder with no luck. The reverse bolt head trick is an actual solution that cost less than, and is more accessible than a puller you "fucking retard".

...more

sundaybmxRR wrote:

Then you're both hitting like a little bitch cause a rubber mallet or a block of wood + a hammer and a couple good hits will ...more

sundaybmxRR wrote:

Then you're both hitting like a little bitch cause a rubber mallet or a block of wood + a hammer and a couple good hits will take them off no problem, and if not, a little bit of WD40 will fix that. I've never once had Wom/Twom/Thunderbolts be so hard to get off that my hands went numb. If you grease or put anti-seize on them like you're supposed to, they won't get stuck that bad.

Your revolutionary idea of the reverse footing bunnyhop has been given in many other threads, fuck out of here with your r/iamverysmart "Y'all are aggressively uninformed" dumbass thinking you saved the day or something

...more

Ohhh just noticed you're a mod, no wonder you're so gay. I take it all back, Sorry.

goomba wrote:

This thread is the literal top result for "how to remove thunderbolt cranks" and fucking sucks. Whatever dude, Clearly you ...more

goomba wrote:

This thread is the literal top result for "how to remove thunderbolt cranks" and fucking sucks. Whatever dude, Clearly you guys would rather random people take a fucking hammer to their 200 dollar cranks then just read the actual answer.

...more

Actually the first result is a video demonstrating how to take them off, in which a couple light taps from a rubber mallet pops them right off. Thread wise, yes this is the first one, but the second one has the reverse footed method you described in it.



There's also a big difference between a "fucking hammer" (not to be confused with the Alabama fucking hammer in which your brother fucks you with a hammer) and a rubber mallet.


A rubber mallet is what you want in this case, not a hammer with a metal head. If a hammer with a metal head is all you have, use a block of wood in between the arm and hammer. If you use a metal hammer to directly hit your cranks off, you are a complete retard and WILL damage them. If you use a rubber mallet to hit them off, you will maybe put a couple scuffs on it, and if that bothers you then just quit bmx now because you're a little pussy worried about scuff marks on your bike. Anytime I've taken my cranks off, it takes 2-3 hits from the rubber mallet. But no, please continue getting mad, this is entertaining me

HavokDJ wrote:

Not to mention his answers are going to fucking DESTROY your cranks. You never loosen cranks by riding them off EVER. Not ...more

HavokDJ wrote:

Not to mention his answers are going to fucking DESTROY your cranks. You never loosen cranks by riding them off EVER. Not mountain bike, not road cycling, not BMX! You will FOR SURE destroy something, and although it may not look like it, I guarantee your crank arms will never stay tight again. If your crank arms are old hitting them with a mallet evenly will get them off but if you care about your crank arms then you’re going to want to actually use a crank puller. Those crank pullers are part of the reason I still use pinch bolt cranks, because those pullers are tiny and easy to lose not to mention they cost like $25

...more

Aside from this thread being hilarious, the method he mentioned is known, proven and used by a lot of people. The Thunderbolts are based on a locking taper design. A slight sideways knock like a bunnyhop will, assuming they're properly greased, release the tapers with no damage. There is no proper crank puller for these cranks.

Relax a bit, man; all of your posts seem to be a bit of a knee-jerk reaction without looking into what's actually being said.

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

Been a member for almost a year and you decide to grave dig a thread with a shit shovel for your first posts.. #coronabored

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

Been a member for almost a year and you decide to grave dig a thread with a shit shovel for your first posts.. #coronabored

...more

goomba wrote:

This thread is the literal top result for "how to remove thunderbolt cranks" and fucking sucks. Whatever dude, Clearly you ...more

goomba wrote:

This thread is the literal top result for "how to remove thunderbolt cranks" and fucking sucks. Whatever dude, Clearly you guys would rather random people take a fucking hammer to their 200 dollar cranks then just read the actual answer.

...more

sundaybmxRR wrote:

Actually the first result is a video demonstrating how to take them off, in which a couple light taps from a rubber mallet ...more

sundaybmxRR wrote:

Actually the first result is a video demonstrating how to take them off, in which a couple light taps from a rubber mallet pops them right off. Thread wise, yes this is the first one, but the second one has the reverse footed method you described in it.



There's also a big difference between a "fucking hammer" (not to be confused with the Alabama fucking hammer in which your brother fucks you with a hammer) and a rubber mallet.


A rubber mallet is what you want in this case, not a hammer with a metal head. If a hammer with a metal head is all you have, use a block of wood in between the arm and hammer. If you use a metal hammer to directly hit your cranks off, you are a complete retard and WILL damage them. If you use a rubber mallet to hit them off, you will maybe put a couple scuffs on it, and if that bothers you then just quit bmx now because you're a little pussy worried about scuff marks on your bike. Anytime I've taken my cranks off, it takes 2-3 hits from the rubber mallet. But no, please continue getting mad, this is entertaining me

...more

Shoutout to my first post being actually useful and getting buried by the screaming dude from Pennsylvania.

I had to remove my thunderbolts for the first time a couple months ago... I just unscrewed the crank bolt a couple of turns and hit said crank bolt with a rubber mallet until it was flush with the crank arm. I think that did it, or I had to repeat the above a second time and then it was loose. Easy peasy.

goomba wrote:

My bad that I replied to the supreme keeper of this forum, You're actually a fucking weirdo. Where on this whole damn website ...more

goomba wrote:

My bad that I replied to the supreme keeper of this forum, You're actually a fucking weirdo. Where on this whole damn website did anybody mention using a hex bolt head.

...more

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

Been a member for almost a year and you decide to grave dig a thread with a shit shovel for your first posts.. #coronabored

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

Been a member for almost a year and you decide to grave dig a thread with a shit shovel for your first posts.. #coronabored

...more

goomba wrote:

This thread is the literal top result for "how to remove thunderbolt cranks" and fucking sucks. Whatever dude, Clearly you ...more

goomba wrote:

This thread is the literal top result for "how to remove thunderbolt cranks" and fucking sucks. Whatever dude, Clearly you guys would rather random people take a fucking hammer to their 200 dollar cranks then just read the actual answer.

...more

I have had 6 or 7 sets of thunderbolts. Different lengths, different drive sides etc.

I have removed them from many frames. A hammer, sledge, mallet, etc. Was the only way they would come off for me. It doesnt hurt them ime. Also unless your cranks are brand new and you plan to never scratch a portion of your bike that is made for abuse, you wouldnt even notice where paint is missing from the whacks.

Im not trying to be mean, just the response "use a hammer" is not a joke for this particular case.

pnj wrote:

The whole point of thunderbolts was that they never get 'crank wobble'. So the reverse hop thing is a known proven method. No ...more

pnj wrote:

The whole point of thunderbolts was that they never get 'crank wobble'. So the reverse hop thing is a known proven method. No need to ride around the 'hood with them loose though. Unless i guess if someone installed them six years ago and didn't use grease or something. lol

but they'll never get crank wobble...

...more

Except that didn't really happen and that's why they made a second model to fix the problems with the old set...
Wait, why are you helping this guy? He necroed a thread because he was too lazy to read the posts above just like everyone else on here that makes an account and uses it for 3-5 days.
Edit: I'm talking about the never wobble part just a heads up. Coincidentally I've see a lot of destroyed thunderbolt 1's but the thunderbolt+ series seems pretty solid from what I've seen