# Play in S-Works carbon crank



## cartmaniac (Jun 6, 2007)

I have a 2008 Tarmac Pro. Recently the integrated 08 S-Works Carbon Crank has developed a clunking sound under some pedaling conditions. If I grab both crank arms and wiggle, I can feel a small amount of play. The crank arms are torqued correctly. Does this mean the cups are loose? How can this be corrected?


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## -dustin (Jan 11, 2009)

Curious...

how did you check torque on the crank arms? what tools did you use?

there are no "cups"...but bearings are pressed into the frame.


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## cartmaniac (Jun 6, 2007)

-dustin said:


> how did you check torque on the crank arms? what tools did you use?
> 
> there are no "cups"...but bearings are pressed into the frame.


I used a 4 mm allen wrench to remove the cover screw. Then I used a long 6 mm allen wrench and my well-calibrated elbow on the center bolt.  Trust me, that bolt was and is plenty tight.

And I apologize for my imprecise language. I meant to say bearings, not cups. It seems like the bearings may be loose. Do they need to be re-pressed? Or perhaps they have worn to the point wear they should be replaced.

Anyway, I am curious to hear if anyone has dealt with this issue. I've put 4000 miles on this rig. Plus maybe as much as 1-2000 by original owner.


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## pdainsworth (Jun 6, 2004)

I would guess it's time to replace those bearings. My boss wore his out on his S-Works Tricross in about 2500 miles. There is definitely some variation, though, as I have 3000 miles on my S-Works crank and have noticed no movement.


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## cartmaniac (Jun 6, 2007)

Guys, thanks for the advice. It was helpful to have an idea before I charged in blind. I stopped by the shop, and the mechanic pulled it apart. He popped the shields off the bearing cartridges, wiped everything clean, and regreased. He put everything back together, carefully checking torque etc. So far, so good --- play is gone, super smooth. :thumbsup: 

We were just going to replace the bearings, but the Specialized inventory system showed them as out of stock, not expected until May. If the problem returns, we'll replace them then.


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## mtbhead (May 1, 2008)

I just bought a used 07 Tarmac SL with the same crankset (yeay!). On the first long-ish ride (of course not on the testride before I bought it...) I noticed a little bit of creaking when I hammered hard on the non-drive side crank - not noticeable on the drive side crank. On closer inspection, I did the same check-the-torque-by-hand test that Cartmaniac did, and the bolt is on plenty tight, yet I too can notice a little bit of play on that left-side bearing when I grab the crank arm by hand and try to wiggle it towards/away-from the frame. The previous owner said that he only had about 1000 miles on the bike, and it *looks* it (of course how do you know for sure?), yet I would be surprised if those bearings would be worn out that quickly... Any others have any feedback on this? Could it be anything else besides the bearings being worn? Thanks!


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## 2wheel-lee (Apr 23, 2007)

I know this is an old post, but I have a similar problem with my 07 S-Works Roubaix - sounds like someone in the design department at Specialized doesn't know the BB30 spec.

I also had a clicking from my left crank arm. Upon removing the cranks, I found that the left bearing was sloppy loose in the frame. The bike has only a 1000 miles on it (for some odd reason, I prefer riding my beater bikes and "saving" the Roubaix for longer rides).

I vaguely remember bearings with slightly different ODs being available just for this kind of problem, but I now can't find any information on that. Anyone have any suggestions?


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