I decided to take advantage of the mild weather today, and ride my bike home from work today (26 miles)When I was approximately 1/2 way home, the front derailleur's cable snapped, no big deal, as I dealt with worse before (or so I thought)Then with 5 or so miles left to go, the left side crank-arm literally snapped in halfSoooooo, I hoofed the rest of the way back homeMy question is, when I go to (try and) replace the crank-arm assembly, should I take a gamble with another aluminum set or look for a steel armed setI never had this happen before, and I don't want it to EVER happen again, cause' I almost lost control in the middle of a busy intersectionIt's on a Raleigh 26quot; frame, and it's Shimano brandPress-fit on style, with 3 gearsthe bike is about 15 years old, in otherwise great shape.What's the best course of action?Any tips or advise for this situation would be greatly appreciated, Thanks!
Sad but true,cranks can break and also snap in halfI'm just glad you were not hurt as the few stories I have heard are terrible.Jump landings with sharp cranks gouging calves and anklesAre steel cranks better than aluminum? I think that they are,but at a cost.A cost of weight,usuallyA steel frame absorbes more energy from bumps than an aluminum does,so does the crank.But this doesn't mean that a steel crank will not break in halfThere are several hollow cro-mo cranks on the market that are both light and tough as nailsAnd the feel is unlike an aluminum crankFor the best crank I suggest a hollow cro-mo welded one,or for a tuff enough aluminum crank I suggest the truvativ HussfeltI hope this can help in some way
