The pedal, crank arm, and bottom bracket are important parts of a bike’s propulsion system. The crank arm connects the pedal to the bottom bracket, which allows for a smooth pedal stroke. The drive-side crank arm is more complex and connects to the chainrings. The design of crank arms has changed to make the system more efficient.
What many people think of as the pedals on a bike are actually a series of important parts that propel the bike forward. The pedal itself is the platform on which a rider’s feet rest. The pedal is then attached to a crank arm that connects the pedal to the bottom bracket, which is a series of bearings within the frame that allows the crank arms to rotate. While this sounds somewhat complicated, the system itself is quite simple, allowing for a smooth pedal stroke that propels the driver forward.
The crank arm is usually made of steel, aluminum, or higher end materials like carbon. Inexpensive bikes will have a simple steel crank arm which is very strong and much heavier than other materials, and more expensive bikes will use lighter materials to save weight. It is important that this part is very rigid so that pedaling power is not lost when the arms of the crank are flexed; instead, power should be transferred directly to the chain, which propels the bike forward using a series of gears.
A set of crank arms contains two arms. The non-drive side crank arm, or non-chain crank arm, is a simple arm that connects the pedal and bottom bracket. The drive-side crank arm, however, is a bit more complex: it holds the pedal at one end just like the non-drive crank arm, but at the other end, the arm must be attached to the bottom bracket and must join the dishes. , or the front “gears” of a bicycle. These chainrings are a component of the drivetrain, which is the system that drives a bike forward. It includes the chainrings, the chain and the rear cassette, or group of gears.
In recent years, the design of connecting rods has changed considerably. The method by which the pedals attach to the crank arms has remained largely the same, but the way the crank arms attach to the bottom bracket has undergone many design changes to make the system more efficient and Less susceptible to power loss due to flexing. Crank arms have historically been attached to the bottom bracket by a square hole that attaches to a square tapered arm on the bottom bracket; the crank arms are secured with a threaded crank arm bolt. There are many varieties of cleats, from splined bottom bracket systems to thru-axle systems that are lighter and stiffer.
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