Pierce BR Racer crank assembly help.

[piercer_99]

Okay, I am puzzled.

I cannot figure out how to get my crank assembly to work.

The cups are recessed in the frame, about a quarter inch, from what I can tell, it is supposed to use 10 5-16" free bearings on each side, then the races cinch up to the bearings, everything goes together and you ride off into the wind laughing and enjoying life to the fullest.

However, the races go right through the bearings and slop around and everything falls out, and you sit down on the side of the bike crying because it just doesn't work and you want to smash it to pieces, but remember how much you spent on it so you just wish something would work. Then you remember, hey, thecabe. Maybe someone there has dealt with this situation and figured it out, with more than just a catalog image from the Pierce 2 piece crank release, showing 10 5/16" bearings rolling freely in the cup on that page that is such a small image you hope that you are reading it right. While wishing that you bought an assembled bike and took it apart yourself, instead of a basket case project that you are assembling without directions.


Anyway, can anyone please tell me what I need to do so I can ride this bike?

I even tried 13 bearings per side, but the race just goes right through them like a hot knife in butter.

I have thought of just tossing this aside, finding a 1 piece, with 1-15/16" cups, caged bearings and making it work, my Westfield has that setup, I could take it, but then I can't ride my favourite bike.

I have thought, maybe 11-32" bearings or 3/8" bearings might work.

I have thought all kinds of things, bad things even. Then I thought, maybe someone can help me.

With all of that in mind, I would be very grateful for some help.

So, Help! Please.

The race will go right through this setup of bearings, clears it by a millimeter.

This is one of the cups, it is recessed into the hanger bracket by a quarter inch.

 

[New Mexico Brant]

@Jesse McCauley

 

[locomotion]

I have never worked on a Pierce chain drive bike, all I have are Pierce drive shaft bikes .... but a few TOC companies did use this type of set-up so it should work
the drawing does say 10 bearing but it looks like a few more should fit in there! oh well .... drawing should be right

so then go with the different part numbers
seems like the 2 cones should be different sizes .... the cones have different part numbers. do you have the correct cones? right size?
to me, if I compare the cones that you have and the drawing, it doesn't look like your cones have the right shape!!! who sold you this bike? did they swap the cones out? sell you the correct parts?
the right cones in the drawing should have a cavity for the bearing to sit in, the types of cones that you currently use don't have that cavity,
the right cones seem to have a back lip in the drawing, your cones don't have a back lip to keep the bearings from falling into the BB

the thicker cone seems to fit on the sprocket side .... hard to tell on your pictures, but do you have those reversed? can they even be reversed, don't know

this type of set-up requires patience when trying to slowly bring everything together
bring everything together slowly by carefully turning back and forth to set the bearing carefully at the correct distance from each other and slowly tighten everything together

but for everything to work, you have to make sure that you have the correct cones .... this is the key to success

 

[hoofhearted]

@piercer_99

 

[locomotion]

Thanks to @hoofhearted for the better image.

When reading the text, you definitely have the wrong cones. This is why the seller sold you this bike disassembled.
The description calls for curved cones. You have straight faced cones. It will never work that way.
You need to find the right cones.

 

[piercer_99]

The drawing also show them in a ball retainer.

 

[piercer_99]

So after reading through again, and trying to decipher the drawings, I am led to believe that, either the cups on the machine that Emblem built are for a different setup than the the Pierce crank that I have and that if I had the cups that matched this setup, life would be perfect (as far as this bicycle is concerned).

So with that in mind, perhaps I will find a one piece crank set that will work in the interim and hope that someday I can find the proper races or cups, or, the poor bike will hang in the bike barn for some time to come.

I just want to ride it. It's a pretty awesome bike.

 

[piercer_99]

 

[oldspoke]

So after reading through again, and trying to decipher the drawings, I am led to believe that, either the cups on the machine that Emblem built are for a different setup than the the Pierce crank that I have and that if I had the cups that matched this setup, life would be perfect (as far as this bicycle is concerned).

So with that in mind, perhaps I will find a one piece crank set that will work in the interim and hope that someday I can find the proper races or cups, or, the poor bike will hang in the bike barn for some time to come.

I just want to ride it. It's a pretty awesome bike.

In the drawing it appears that a set screw passes through the non-drive side crank and engages the adjustable cone. Is this the set up that you have ? I see a screw but it looks different than that in the drawing.

 

[piercer_99]

In the drawing it appears that a set screw passes through the non-drive side crank and engages the adjustable cone. Is this the set up that you have ? I see a screw but it looks different than that in the drawing.

Yes, the set screw does engage in the cone, although it doesn't look adjustable.

I had to mill the recess in the crank arm a little (>1mm), so that the screw would engage the cone, as it had worn down at the end.