Crank Arm Shortening

Crank Arm Shortening
3 piece cranks $59/pr.($69 after 5/1/15)
2 piece external bearing cranks $75/pr.($85 after 5/1/15)
(SRAM Omnium or SRAM S500 $95/Pr)
Add $5 for spot-facing if your cranks do not have a flat surface where the new hole will be.
Add $5 if you send your arms without removing the chainrings.
Add $25 if you send them in any sort of packing peanuts or shredded paper.
(I'm NOT kidding, just don't do it.)
Ordering, Payment, Shipping and Contact info.

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New holes are drilled, at least 21.5 mm from the original holes.
The old hole is cut off. Then a new end is shaped
by hand and given a brushed aluminum finish.

Typical New End - SRAM S600 Shown

Can My Cranks Be Shortened?

3 Piece Cranks 2 Piece, External Bearing Cranks

YES
Shimano
Ultegra 6500-6503
105 FC-5501-5502-5504 or 5505
Please read Shortening Shimano Hollowtech Cranks
Sora & Tiagra Square taper
Sora & Tiagra Octalink
Older MTB FC-M450, FC-M452 (Mountain LX),
FC-MT60 MT450 (Exage Mountain),
FC-M-440, M-440-C & M-440-8

SunTour
XC Comp 175mm
XC LTD 175mm
BontragerSelect ISIS Sport,
Select 4 bolt MTB 175 > 153 only
Select ISIS Race
Truvative IsoFlow & Touro
Dotek Pro 6
Easy Racers branded Sugino
Dimension Cyclocross
Sugino (VP & GP 175mm only)
RPM Power Pro 201
Andel 110/74 BCD triples (Add $5 for spot facing)

SRAM S600 S650
FSA Alpha Drive, any length
Dyna Drive & Vero (175mm only)

NO
Shimano
105 FC-5500 or 5503
Square taper 105s or Ultegras
Hollowtech MTB cranks
Hollowtech II road cranks
Any Dura Ace or XTR
FC-6206, FC-M730

I can not shorten any 2 piece cranks except those mentioned in column at right.

Campagnolo Any
Dimension Cyclocross 170mm
FSA CK600
Sugino 170mmVP & GP
Impel, XD, Fuse 500
Truvative Elita, Blaze
SunTour RD7000
XC Compe MD (MicroDrive)
Lasco CF 12
Tracer cranks on EZ-1 etc

Pedal extenders such as Knee Savers give increased leverage and may overstress some crank arms. They should not be used with shortened cranks which do not have as much metal around the new pedal hole as there was around the original pedal hole.

I have checked out most of them and the only two piece cranks that I've found that can be shortened are;
Shimano pre 2010 Sora, Tiagra & R600a. (175mm only, shortened to 153.5mm)

Shimano Zee - Probably shortenable but I haven't measured one yet.

FSA Moto-X (only the early ones without a recess on the back)

FSA Gossamer MegaExo Road, Compact and Road Triple (175mm only, shortened to 153.5mm)

SRAM Apex Road GXP except 165mm
SRAM Apex GXP Compact
SRAM Omnium 175>154 only ($95 Labor, These are very nice but a {bleep}load of extra work)
175mm FSA Comet MegaExo Triple 175>154 only
(not for large or strong riders. $90 labor.)
Can't do the Comet double or the newer BB386 Evo version.

180mm or 175mm SRAM Omnium

2 piece 105, Ultegra, DuraAce? DEFINITELY NOT!
So far I have only found 1 shortenable BB30 crank, the SRAM S500. 175>153.5 only. $100 labor

Cranks with steel reinforcements around the pedal eyes have to be shortened by at least 24mm and these reinfocements cause extra labor. Add $10 to the cost for these.

Shipping Your Cranks to Bikesmith Design for Shortening.
It's best to use a small box, well filled with something like crumpled newspaper or bubble wrap.

Cranks are more likely to damage their package if the chainrings aren't removed. Chainring teeth are sharp, so if you decide to send the cranks without removing the rings, protect the box from the teeth.

Return Shipping & Handling charge for 3 piece cranks can be found at the bottom of http://www.bikesmithdesign.com/ordering.html. Add $4 for 2 piece, external bearing cranks.

Cranks sent to me via FedEx arrive in mangled boxes about 50% of the time. UPS does so less often. But US Postal packages almost always arrive in good shape.

DO NOT SEND US YOUR CRANKS VIA UPS, FEDEX OR OTHER PRIVATE SHIPPER, WITH A SIGNATURE REQUIRED.
We work out of our home and are often away during normal business hours. It's about a 2 hour round trip to pick up a parcel at the FedEx depot and the others aren't much better.

If you must have a signature, send them via U.S. Postal Service and add $10 as we will likely have to go to the PO to pick them up. Which still takes abt. ½ an hour. How Safe Are Shortened Cranks?
"Safely" is a relative term. Modern cranks hopefully have a margin of safety to allow for the occasional 280 lb mountain biker. Shortening will usually reduce this safety margin, as in most cases there will be less aluminum around the pedal hole than before.
Back in the '70s and early '80s road cranks were often smaller around the pedal eye than is common today. Failures were rare, but not unheard of.
Click HERE for examples.
I will shorten a good quality, cold forged crank if it will have at least as much material around the new pedal eye as those older cranks.
If the crank is the cheaper, so called "Melt Forged" type, then I need to be able to leave at least 25% more metal around the pedal.

Maybe
Ultegra 6500-6503 172.5 or 165mm - 105 165mm FC-5501-5502-5504-5505
Please read Shortening Shimano Hollowtech Cranks
Truvative Roleur Eye shouldn't snap off but hole might distort over time. Not for strong riders.
SunTour 170mm XC Comp & XC LTD Marginal strength - OK for smaller riders on trikes.
Gearing
If you are getting spun out in high gear with long cranks, using the same rings with short cranks will likely solve that problem. Most of us will be better off with something like 24-36-46 or 22-32-44 with 26" drive wheels. Most people do well with 30-42-52 on a bike with a 20" drive wheel.
I have installed 24 or 26t Salsa & 39-48 FSA ramped and pinned chainrings on over 1/3 of the105s & Ultegras I've shortened. Cost is $99. I've gotten quite a bit of positive feedback about the shifting and appearance of this setup.

What if my cranks aren't on your list?
CLICK HERE to help me add your cranks to either the Yes or No column.

Ordering, Payment, Shipping and Contact info.

Return to Bikesmith Design Return to Short Cranks Home Page

New holes are drilled, at least 21.5 mm from the original holes. The old hole is cut off. Then a new end is shaped by hand and given a brushed aluminum finish.		Typical New End - SRAM S600 Shown
Can My Cranks Be Shortened?
3 Piece Cranks		2 Piece, External Bearing Cranks
YES Shimano Ultegra 6500-6503 105 FC-5501-5502-5504 or 5505 Please read Shortening Shimano Hollowtech Cranks Sora & Tiagra Square taper Sora & Tiagra Octalink Older MTB FC-M450, FC-M452 (Mountain LX), FC-MT60 MT450 (Exage Mountain), FC-M-440, M-440-C & M-440-8 SunTour XC Comp 175mm XC LTD 175mm BontragerSelect ISIS Sport, Select 4 bolt MTB 175 > 153 only Select ISIS Race Truvative IsoFlow & Touro Dotek Pro 6 Easy Racers branded Sugino Dimension Cyclocross Sugino (VP & GP 175mm only) RPM Power Pro 201 Andel 110/74 BCD triples (Add $5 for spot facing) SRAM S600 S650 FSA Alpha Drive, any length Dyna Drive & Vero (175mm only)	NO Shimano 105 FC-5500 or 5503 Square taper 105s or Ultegras Hollowtech MTB cranks Hollowtech II road cranks Any Dura Ace or XTR FC-6206, FC-M730 I can not shorten any 2 piece cranks except those mentioned in column at right. Campagnolo Any Dimension Cyclocross 170mm FSA CK600 Sugino 170mmVP & GP Impel, XD, Fuse 500 Truvative Elita, Blaze SunTour RD7000 XC Compe MD (MicroDrive) Lasco CF 12 Tracer cranks on EZ-1 etc Pedal extenders such as Knee Savers give increased leverage and may overstress some crank arms. They should not be used with shortened cranks which do not have as much metal around the new pedal hole as there was around the original pedal hole.	I have checked out most of them and the only two piece cranks that I've found that can be shortened are; Shimano pre 2010 Sora, Tiagra & R600a. (175mm only, shortened to 153.5mm) Shimano Zee - Probably shortenable but I haven't measured one yet. FSA Moto-X (only the early ones without a recess on the back) FSA Gossamer MegaExo Road, Compact and Road Triple (175mm only, shortened to 153.5mm) SRAM Apex Road GXP except 165mm SRAM Apex GXP Compact SRAM Omnium 175>154 only ($95 Labor, These are very nice but a {bleep}load of extra work) 175mm FSA Comet MegaExo Triple 175>154 only (not for large or strong riders. $90 labor.) Can't do the Comet double or the newer BB386 Evo version. 180mm or 175mm SRAM Omnium 2 piece 105, Ultegra, DuraAce? DEFINITELY NOT! So far I have only found 1 shortenable BB30 crank, the SRAM S500. 175>153.5 only. $100 labor
		Cranks with steel reinforcements around the pedal eyes have to be shortened by at least 24mm and these reinfocements cause extra labor. Add $10 to the cost for these.
Shipping Your Cranks to Bikesmith Design for Shortening. It's best to use a small box, well filled with something like crumpled newspaper or bubble wrap. Cranks are more likely to damage their package if the chainrings aren't removed. Chainring teeth are sharp, so if you decide to send the cranks without removing the rings, protect the box from the teeth. Return Shipping & Handling charge for 3 piece cranks can be found at the bottom of http://www.bikesmithdesign.com/ordering.html. Add $4 for 2 piece, external bearing cranks. Cranks sent to me via FedEx arrive in mangled boxes about 50% of the time. UPS does so less often. But US Postal packages almost always arrive in good shape. DO NOT SEND US YOUR CRANKS VIA UPS, FEDEX OR OTHER PRIVATE SHIPPER, WITH A SIGNATURE REQUIRED. We work out of our home and are often away during normal business hours. It's about a 2 hour round trip to pick up a parcel at the FedEx depot and the others aren't much better. If you must have a signature, send them via U.S. Postal Service and add $10 as we will likely have to go to the PO to pick them up. Which still takes abt. ½ an hour.		How Safe Are Shortened Cranks? "Safely" is a relative term. Modern cranks hopefully have a margin of safety to allow for the occasional 280 lb mountain biker. Shortening will usually reduce this safety margin, as in most cases there will be less aluminum around the pedal hole than before. Back in the '70s and early '80s road cranks were often smaller around the pedal eye than is common today. Failures were rare, but not unheard of. Click HERE for examples. I will shorten a good quality, cold forged crank if it will have at least as much material around the new pedal eye as those older cranks. If the crank is the cheaper, so called "Melt Forged" type, then I need to be able to leave at least 25% more metal around the pedal.
Maybe Ultegra 6500-6503 172.5 or 165mm - 105 165mm FC-5501-5502-5504-5505 Please read Shortening Shimano Hollowtech Cranks Truvative Roleur Eye shouldn't snap off but hole might distort over time. Not for strong riders. SunTour 170mm XC Comp & XC LTD Marginal strength - OK for smaller riders on trikes.		Gearing If you are getting spun out in high gear with long cranks, using the same rings with short cranks will likely solve that problem. Most of us will be better off with something like 24-36-46 or 22-32-44 with 26" drive wheels. Most people do well with 30-42-52 on a bike with a 20" drive wheel. I have installed 24 or 26t Salsa & 39-48 FSA ramped and pinned chainrings on over 1/3 of the105s & Ultegras I've shortened. Cost is $99. I've gotten quite a bit of positive feedback about the shifting and appearance of this setup.
What if my cranks aren't on your list? CLICK HERE to help me add your cranks to either the Yes or No column.
Ordering, Payment, Shipping and Contact info. Return to Bikesmith Design Return to Short Cranks Home Page