Lost left crank arm crank end cap

Question

What parts do I need to put this back together?

I've lost some pieces going for a ride but I'm not sure what exactly. I think I'm missing the end cap to the crank and maybe a spacer.

I was heading out and the left crank arm came loose, around 180 degrees to where it normally would be. When I unclipped from it the whole arm came off the bike.

I've put the arm back on but it feels like the chainring & pedals are a bit loose. There's probably about 1cm of play laterally where the cranks move together so I think there might be a missing spacer.

What parts do I need & what do I need to do to get everything back together?

There are two bolts (pinch bolts?) on the crank which are still in place, but were loose.

The bike is a 2019 Giant Fastroad SL-1. I think the bottom bracket is Shimano.

Answer 1

Shimano Hollowtech II cranks use two pinch bolts to secure the crank to the axle. From your picture it looks like you have those. You are missing the plastic end cap, and you may possibly be missing a washer that sits between the crank and the frame. There is no spacer, the play is probably because the crank arm is not fully on the spindle.

To install the crank you just slide the crank on the axle (you may need to drive it home with a mallet), hand tighten the end cap to set bearing preload (this is important!) then do up the pinch bolts to proper torque with a torque wrench.

Park Tool has a great article and video that shows you how these cranks go together: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/crank-removal-and-installation-two-piece-compression-slotted

However, you may have a serious issue. The crank slides on to splines on the axle, and should not be able to rotate even if the pinch bolts are loose. If your crank arm became loose and rotated 180 degrees the steel axle has likely significantly damaged the internal splines of the alloy arm. If this happens the crank will not stay tight on the axle and will work its way off again.

Update following more info and pics from OP:

The crank splines don't look too badly damaged, so I'd give re-installation a try. If the crank comes loose again then you'll want to replace it.

I checked the RS400 crank manual and there does not seem to be a washer between the arm and BB bearing. You need an end-cap obviously. Googling for 'Shimano Hollowtech stop bolt' yields end caps for various crank models, but not RS400, I think a basic plastic one will fit. A bike shop can help you get the right part of course.

Installation is straightforward but there are a couple of things that must be done right.

1. Setting bearing pre-load with the end cap. A special tool is needed The Shimano part is TL-FC16, they only cost US$5.

2. The pinch bolts must be done up simultaneously and to the correct torque, for which you need torque wrench.

You can do the basic assembly and get a bike shop to check it and use a torque wrench to do up the bolts.

If you end up replacing the crank Shimano RS400 cranks are relatively inexpensive (I once bought an older used set for US$35 on Ebay). However, what I would do is upgrade to a proper Tiagra crank to match the rest of the drivetrain (RS400 being a slightly lower level, and cheaper 'non-series' item).

Answer 2

There is an item Shimano calls a crank Plate Pin, which is that black plastic plate visible on your crank, and circled in the diagram below (4). It has a little pin which should stop the crank coming off in this situation, yours must have been damaged if the crank came off and it should be replaced. Many internet commenters scorn them but has worked for me before when a Hollowtech II crank came loose; I noticed early and stopped to tighten the crank, nothing became damaged. IME plate pins come in two sizes, so you would want one with a road series part name.

I see two options, depending on how damaged your crank is, you either just need an 'end cap' (1), a new 'crank plate pin' and appropriate tools and guidance to refit your crank, or you need to replace one or both cranks entirely depending on the damage done. It's not clear to me from distance if either crank is damaged beyond use, but the spinning 180 degrees is not promising, this might be when the crank was nearly off the spindle anyway, or worse. It's up to you how much damage you can detect and what you think is the best course you can trust when you pedal hard.

All of the small parts pictured would come with a new crankset. Part (5) is visible in your photos on the spindle.

When you refit Hollowtech II cranks the instructions say to check the tightness after 20km (or so) of riding.