Have questions or want to discuss cycling? Join Now or Sign In to participate in the BikeRide community.

New: Take Part in the May's Giveaway: Win the LIVALL PikaBoost 2 E-bike Conversion Kit


Gitane Crank
#1
I have an old Gitane that I have been riding and working on for the past year and the crank seems to be fairly worn out. Is this part fairly interchangeable between models, styles, and manufacturers of bikes? The issue is that if I hold one pedal firmly in place I can rotate the other pedal about an inch. This makes riding interesting to say the least. If cranks are interchangeable can someone point me to a guide on crank replacement?

  Reply
#2
Here's a couple of links I found that might be helpful...<br />
http://www.gitaneusa.com/index.asp<br />
http://www.gitaneusa.com/forum/

  Reply
#3
An older Gitane likely has "cottered" cranks, meaning there is a cotter pin that goes through the crank arm right by the axle that holds it tight. What you would describe would happen if one of the cotters had come loose.
It may be a very simple process to retighten this. See: http://sheldonbrown.com/cotters.html
If the cotter itself is worn out, you can find replacements at a good shop that stocks parts for older bikes.
If you have the newer type of crank where a nut threads directly onto the end of the axle through a hole in the crank, try tightening that up also.
It'd be a shame to throw out a good crank set just due to a loose bolt.

  Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread
Author
Replies
Views
Last Post
 
35,318
07-19-2021, 12:00 AM
Last Post: rbx
 
6,567
11-16-2014, 04:30 PM
Last Post: JanJ
 
9,891
08-24-2010, 04:46 AM
Last Post: trevgbb

Forum Jump:

[-]
10 Latest Posts
Massive Chainring redux
Today 05:01 PM
Third best reason to ride a bent or trik...
Today 04:51 PM
What was your first bicycle?
Today 04:48 PM
The great thing about trikes
Today 04:33 PM
First long distance ride..
Today 11:26 AM
Is anyone riding with music?
Yesterday 09:49 PM
Great Giro
Yesterday 08:32 PM
Quiet is good
Yesterday 09:38 AM
What is your favorite MTB trail/route in...
05-28-2025 06:55 AM
Wearable Fitness Trackers
05-28-2025 06:47 AM

[-]
Join BikeRide on Strava
Feel free to join if you are on Strava: www.strava.com/clubs/bikeridecom

[-]
Top 5 Posters This Month
no avatar 1. Flowrider
16 posts
no avatar 2. Painkiller
16 posts
no avatar 3. Criminal
14 posts
no avatar 4. GirishH
14 posts
no avatar 5. SPINMAN
13 posts