I could’ve rolled the bike to a shop and paid for peace of mind. Instead, I went full goblin mode: bought parts, bought tools, wrestled a stuck crank, and came out with greasy hands and a big smile.
It’s kind of fun, a priceless experience, and I can now tell the kids I am a bicycle repairman.
TL;DR
- Swapped to a Litepro Hollowtech crankset + bottom bracket, added a 48T BCD130 chainring
- Optional: quick-release pedals (I don’t really need them—mild regret)
- Cost: S$90 (exclude pedals)
- Time: ~2 weeks waiting for parts, ~1 hour of actual wrenching
- Gotchas: you will want a crank extractor, spacer setup took tinkering, and the left-side preload cap goes on before tightening the pinch bolts
Why DIY?
There’s a Litepro package at Begasso for $199 (parts + service). The catch: I’d need to lug the bike over.
Plan B was to pay a professional mechanics at Chong Pang to fit the parts I bought. But he went on holiday for a week!
I tried another shop; got hit with a “ball bearings” upsell (it’s not needed for Hollowtech, which made me think the chap doesn’t know his stuff) + $30 labour. Vibes were off, so… decided to DIY instead 😆
What I bought
Parts:
- $34 — Litepro Hollow Aluminum Alloy 170mm Crankset + Bottom Bracket
- $27 — Litepro Quick Release Folding Bike Pedal Aluminum Alloy
- $15 — Litepro Ultralight Chainring 48T (BCD 130mm)
Tools:
- $6 — ONXVE Bicycle Bottom Bracket Remover
- $12 — Toopre Bottom Bracket Tool for Hollow Tech
- $5 — TOOPERE Bicycle Crank Extractor Removal
- $11 — Cylion Teflon Bike Grease
- $7 — Wrench set (basic)
The total is $117 with new pedals, and still cheaper than the Begasso package. Now that I have the tools, future individual upgrade will be cheaper.
The Steps
The steps are pretty straight forward so I shall not go into details, except for the spicy part in the next section.
- Remove old cranks. If the right crank refuses, use the extractor.
- Remove old Bottom Bracket with the remover. Clean the shell; light coat of grease.
- Install new hollowtech Bottom Bracket, grease all over, tighten with the Hollowtech tool (watch the direction arrows).
- Start with a spacer plan based on your shell width (I adjusted after testing).
- Right crank in, then left. Tighten the preload cap first, then the two pinch bolts evenly.
- Spin test: listen/feel for rub or binding. Refit pedals.
The spicy part
When removing the right crank, it refused to budge by force. Turns out I need the crank extractor tool, which I have to buy and wait for a few days for it to ship.. Even with the tool, you need to apply all your mighty strength 💪🏻, then it will then pop off.
I also realize my old chainring didn’t fit the new spider. BCD mismatch. I grabbed a 48T BCD130 ring, which is 3 teeth more than the old 45T. The ring is also larger, and it almost touch the frame, if not for the spacer.
Spacer math was the real brain teaser. Too few and the chainring kissed the frame; too many and the left crank wouldn’t seat fully no matter how I coaxed it. After a few greasy install-remove-reinstall cycles, I landed on one spacer on the right, one on the left.
I also tripped over the preload cap (the plastic cap that covers the hollow hole). Remember to screw that in before tightening the pinch bolts. Do the cap first, then even up the two bolts.
As I changed from the 3-speed chainring to a single chainring, so the front gear changer is no longer needed. But instead of removing, I leave the gear changer there, but raised/re-angled it and tweaked cable tension to make sure the chain doesn’t touch it.
Was it worth it?
Yes. It felt like adult LEGO. I now actually understand how the bottom bracket (didn’t even know this component before this episode), crank, spacers, and crank arms all play together. If anything creaks in future, I’m not at the mercy of shop schedules.
One thing I can do better is to have high quality hex keys/torque wrench so I’m not white-knuckling cheap hardware. Shall buy good tool later.
I’ve never repair a bicycle before. But it turns out we can DIY and do some replacement upgrade ourselves. Hope this inspires you!