Tapered Splined Crank Removal and Replacement

Because this type of crank attachment is often part of an integrated crank-bottom bracket set, there may be several variations. The crank has slots around a round opening, but the fitting is tapered so the cap bolt cinches it tight. The slots fit onto teeth that stick out from a hollow round spindle in the bottom bracket. You need a special crank-pulling tool. Often, the tool is specific to the bottom bracket of the bike. If you have the right tool for your bottom bracket, remove the cap and use the crank-puller tool (see below). If you don't don't have the correct tool, here's how to do it in an emergency with a standard crank-pulling tool. Other crank types: standard female-threaded tapered spindle, male-threaded spindle with nut, untapered splined spindle.

Getting the chain out of the way.
Getting the chain out of the way.
Shift the front derailleur into the smallest chainring. Pull the chain off the ring and lay it on the round part of the frame that surrounds the bottom bracket.
Loosening the cap bolt.
Loosening the cap bolt.
Hold the pedal and use a large 15 mm hex wrench to remove the cap bolt. Counter-clockwise! (Righty-tighty, lefty-loosy)
Cap bolt out of the crank.
Cap bolt out of the crank.
Remove the cap bolt. If the bottom bracket is the non-tapered splined variety, the crank will simply fall away. If you have the tapered type, the crank remains firmly locked in place.

If you have the correct crank-pulling tool for the bottom bracket, this is where you use it. If you find yourself making an emergency repair, and your toolbox contains old crank-pulling tools -- none of which fit -- here's the method. It's not sanctioned by any manufacturer, so if you break something, tough patooties.

Home-made spacer to extract the crank.
Home-made spacer to extract the crank.
Get a hardwood dowel, or whittle an approximately-round bit of very hard wood to fit inside the hollow area in the bottom bracket. Make it long enough that, when it's inside the BB and pressed against the opposite (non-removed) cap bolt, the outer end touches but doesn't go beyond the innermost threads inside the BB, or flush with the "shelf" where the hollow part of the BB gets smaller.

Find hard washers that are approximately the size of the dowel's diameter, and have holes too small for the crank-pulling tool to slip through.

The washers keep the dowel from splintering.
The washers keep the dowel from splintering.
Put some sticky stuff on the dowel so the washers stay put on the ends.
Slide it through the hollow inside the bottom bracket.
Slide it through the hollow inside the bottom bracket.
Insert the dowel into the hollow of the bottom bracket.
This is how it should fit. You may need to start a little long, then cut the dowel down to size.
This is how it should fit. You may need to start a little long, then cut the dowel down to size.
It should sit just inside the second (smaller) set of threads, or even with the "shelf" where the BB hole becomes smaller diameter if you don't see two sets of threads.
Using a generic crank puller to push against the dowel.
Using a generic crank puller to push against the dowel.
Get your old generic crank-puller. If you have more than one, select the one with the largest-diameter core (so a larger area will be pushing on the washer and dowel).

Turn the center piece of the crank-puller so the "pushing rod" part comes back close to the larger (outward-facing) threads.

Thread your crank-pulling tool into the threads on the inside of the crank.

Turning the core of the extractor.
Turning the core of the extractor.
Now begin turning the central part of the pulling tool so the pushing ram goes into the bike.The idea is, it will hit the washer and dowel and push against it. Because the tool is threaded into the crank, this shoves the crank and the pulling tool away from the bottom bracket's teeth.
OK, but what if the dowel doesn't fall out?
OK, but what if the dowel doesn't fall out?
After a few turns the crank should drop away easily. If it doesn't, your tool may be mashing up the wood inside the BB. Remove the tool and take a look.Well, the crank is gone. Tip the bike so the wood and washers fall out.If the wood doesn't fall out, it may be stressed or cracked so it's jammed inside the BB. Now, how do we get the dowel out?
Removing the crank cap on the opposite side.
Removing the crank cap on the opposite side.
Take the cap out of the opposite crank.

Leave the crank there. You just need to have a hole where you can see the other end of the dowel.

Shoving the dowel out from the other side.
Shoving the dowel out from the other (non-drive) side.
You now have a tunnel through the BB. Push the dowel and washers out from either side.

Here I'm using a long hex wrench to push the dowel.

Check to make sure you got everything back out of the spindle!
Check to make sure you got everything back out of the spindle!
Make sure you got both washers out, and that there are no bits of wood on the threads.

Now, do the project for which you removed the crank (such as chainring replacement.)

Putting it back together.
Putting it back together.
Done with your work (bottom bracket replaced, chainrings replaced, new cranks put on)?

Put the power-side crank back on. If you replaced chainrings, make sure the power-side crank sits over the raised metal position indicator on the large chain-ring. Use the cap bolt to tighten the crank onto the splines.

Replace the cap bolt on the opposite side, if you removed it. The opposite-side crank should be 180-degrees from the power-side crank.