FSA self-extracting crank bolt

[EasyRider]

Thanks for the better puller option

Actually, I watched that video before I started. I wish my retaining ring was as beefy as the one in the cutaway shot!

The puller arrives tonight and I'll report on how that goes, but in the meantime, I had ordered a replacement bolt assembly and it just arrived. Identical to the original, with one exception. There's a concave washer that goes between the bolt and the retaining ring. The original bolt assembly used a stiff metal one. The replacement has one made of pliable black plastic. Perhaps the steel washer scored the inside of the retaining ring as the bolt was removed, and that helps account for why the retaining ring broke in half on removal.

[EasyRider]

The puller arrives tonight and I'll report on how that goes, but in the meantime, I had ordered a replacement bolt assembly and it just arrived. Identical to the original, with one exception. There's a concave washer that goes between the bolt and the retaining ring. The original bolt assembly used a stiff metal one. The replacement has one made of pliable black plastic. Perhaps the steel washer scored the inside of the retaining ring as the bolt was removed, and that helps account for why the retaining ring broke in half on removal.

Sadly the puller tool didn't quite work. It was the correct one to use, but when the retaining ring broke it damaged the threads. The tool couldn't fully engage, and even trying to crank it in there with a big wrench didn't help much. Threads were quite fine and simply shredded when I tried extracting. I ended up cutting the spindle with a hacksaw. Took two blades and a solid 20 minutes of sawing.

I think the problem here was bad luck, plus the fact that the crank was an OEM cheapie. It's an FSA Adventure Omega with 46/30 chainrings, in a strange, proprietary 120/90 bcd. FSA doesn't sell this crank aftermarket, or any replacement chainrings. So I'm happy to give these lightly used rings away to anyone who may need them. The bottom bracket (Truvativ GXP) has a few saw marks on it but I think it's salvageable too.