My experience with PC's was that they got bunged up pretty good if riding in wet weather. It wasn't to hard to clean them- just take the slotted endcap off, pull the crankarm off, wipe down the bearings and the axle shaft, and apply some chain lube (something without Teflon or other additives per Frank) and put it all back together. Only took a couple of minutes, but I ended up having to do it after every ride or two during the rainy season, or they would start to get sticky.

Get a cheap mountain bike and send me your old bike with the PowerCranks. I will pay for the shipping costs.

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John Kenny, Pro Triathlete, USAT Certified Coach - http://www.frenchcreekracing.com
Philly Masters and Open Water
Swim and Multisport Events

deechee i tend to agree with jkat. i haven't found PC's to be all that weather-proof - if you look at them it is plain that there is nothing in their design that addresses it - no lip-seals or anything. fine for a ride caught in the rain occasionally - the grease present will fend that level of grime off, but not the best choice to go out looking for it. i ride them on the rollers once the slop and salt starts, till it is gone.

sigh
i guess its time to get rid of the junk bike minus the powercranks. ;)

[reply]sigh
i guess its time to get rid of the junk bike minus the powercranks. ;)[/reply]

I am not aware of a single weather related problem with PC's. People have sent us pictures of them with 6 inches of ice on the front edge from riding in winter. I personally had a PC bike on the back of my van that I rode through several days of rain to get to an expo and all i did when I got there was go to a car wash and wash it off, no taking apart and relubing or anything without any problem.

They may not have any seals but if you keep a good coating of oil on them, that will keep the rain out of the moving parts. As long as you ride them regularly (donlt leave them outside while you go on vacation) and keep them oiled they should be ok.

I worried that this might be an issue when I first developed these. It turns out that it is really a non-issue.

Frank

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

Thank you Frank,
I thought I had read somewhere to be careful in the rain with them but maybe it was all in my head.

That said, someone mentioned using non-teflon coated oil - any recommendations of brands? I tried searching "rain"/"lube" here with powercranks but the silly search engine returns anything with the word "training" so I'm outta luck. Sorry to make you repeat yourself.

So I guess I just need to take off the cap and spray/dribble oil in?

Thanks Frank. To second the other reply to you message I'd also like to know what specific oils to use and where I can find the best way to oil them. Is it on the site?



Thanks

Andy

[reply]Thanks Frank. To second the other reply to you message I'd also like to know what specific oils to use and where I can find the best way to oil them. Is it on the site? [/reply]

We don't have any specifici recommendations. The main purpose of the oil is not to provide lubrication because most of the time there is no relative motion between the parts. The main purpose is to keep water and air from mixing together on the steel parts. Further, some lubricates have additives to enhance the lubricant properties but if these are there as small particles these can interfere with the clutch mechanism, causing it to slip. Bearing grease can work fine as long as there is not to much. Too much grease can cause the clutch to slip also. We occasionally get clutches sent back for repair and all that is wrong is it has been packed with grease.

So, almost any oil based lubricant will work. Most chain oils, 3-1 oil, vaseline.

If you don't want to take the cranks apart to apply the oil directly to the clutch then a regular drop or two in the gap between the inner flange and the crank arm would be a good place to put it. We need oil in that gap to keep water out anyhow, and it is going to work its way into the clutch.

Sorry, no picture of this on the web site, but I see it is something I need to fix. I will try to add this.

Frank

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

Thanks -

I've been riding mine on the trainer a lot and am just waiting for the Dr to say it's okay to go riding outside again (broken elbow) - and I was a bit nervous how they'd fair in the Wisconsin Winter.

Frank:


Thanks. Putting it on your website would be a great idea.



By the way, I am now out on the road with the PC's. Slowly getting the hang of it. Taking sharp turns is not in my act yet but will get there.

Andy

[reply]By the way, I am now out on the road with the PC's. Slowly getting the hang of it. Taking sharp turns is not in my act yet but will get there.

Andy[/reply]

By way of inspiration I met a fellow here who, before PC's, was a CAT 1 cyclist whose first ride lasted all of 30 seconds. It was a couple of weeks before he got to an hour on them. In 6 months he has now done a 7 hour ride on them. He is in the Army and has not done any running for the last several months (ok, he has run twice since arriving on the island he said) so he is interested in seeing how his run goes with only PC training.

Frank

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

So just tilt the bike over on its side and dribble in the oil where the bottom bracket meets the crank arm?

No need to tip. In the space between the spindle adapter inner flange and the crank arm. When you turn the crank backwards it would be in the space between the moving and the non-moving part. Does that make sense?

Frank

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks